This 'The White Lotus' Theory About Belinda & Greg Hints That Another Beloved Character Is Back in Season 3
When it comes to The White Lotus, no theory or prediction seems too far off. After all, no one could’ve expected a group of gay men to be secretly concocting to murder Tanya McQuoid (Jennifer Coolidge) in season 2, right?
So, as season 3 of the hit show marches on, fans are keeping an eye on the internet’s most convincing theories, from the secret meanings behind the books in the show to hints about what’s to come in the finale, viewers are dissecting it all. But this new theory might hint that the show is bringing back a beloved character!
In a theory shared on TikTok by user @LPLONGMIRE, Belinda (Natasha Rothwell) and Greg/Gary’s (Jon Gries) drama will be the central plot of this season. Why, you might ask? Well, it has everything to do with the lizard that is seemingly following Belinda during her stay at the hotel.
“The lizard is not random; it’s not some throwaway thing. It keeps popping up and following specifically Belinda,” the user said.
As a reminder, Belinda, who is at the hotel for an exchange in wellness training, first encountered the lizard, called a monitor lizard, when she was getting a tour of the hotel from Pornchai (Dom Hetrakul). After getting startled by the animal, Pornchai calmed her nerves. “In time, the lizards will become your friend,” he says.
Later on, when Belinda is calling her son Zion (Nicholas Duvernay) over the phone, Belinda hears rustling in the trees. She thinks it might be snakes and moves right out of the way. “No snake is falling on my head,” she says.
According to this TikTok user, however, it was likely the lizard up in the trees instead. “They’re great tree climbers,” he says.
A few episodes later, after Belinda confronts Greg/Gary about his connection to Tanya and he denies it, Belinda hears rustling in her room. While she thinks it’s coming from outside, Pornchai moves a dresser out of the way to reveal a lizard right under it.
“How did it get in here?” Belinda asks him. “You must have let the door open,” he answers.
Also in this scene, the camera pans to Belinda’s laptop. Knowing that she was just Googling Greg’s connection to Tanya’s murder the night before, the user thinks it’s all related.
Another piece of the puzzle is Belinda’s spirituality. Not only did Zion confirm her mother’s beliefs in the first scene of the season, but she’s in many ways in Thailand to connect with that side of her. When getting a tour, she goes by the Hindu Brahma statue, which represents the creator god, the god of creation and destruction, and reincarnation.
If you’ve followed us so far, here’s how it all comes together: Tanya has supposedly been reincarnated as the lizard and is trying to protect Belinda from Greg.
Showrunner Francesca Orsi even talked about the importance of spirituality this season ahead of the premiere. “[Season 3 is] an exploration about spirituality versus the ego,” she said, per ScreenRant. “And it’s set against the Eastern religion.”
With that in mind, Belinda could be representing spirituality, while Greg is ego.
Not convinced? The first episode title even spells it out: “Same spirits, new forms.” That’s proof right there!
So what does the Tanya-reincarnation theory mean for Belinda? Well, for the TikTok user, the lizard might be the key for Belinda to take Greg down.
In one of Tanya’s season 2 dreams, she dreams of being in a mountain in Asia with a cyanide pill. Could her now as a lizard be that coming true? Could Tanya deliver a poisonous fruit to Belinda to take him down?
“It’s gonna be so satisfying when Belinda’s own connection to nature is the thing that brings him down,” the user said.
In the comments, fellow White Lotus viewers are convinced the theory is correct. “This is actually the best fan theory I’ve ever seen. Even if it’s wrong, this is insane,” wrote one commenter. “‘Tanya is the Lizard’ is an amazing theory,” wrote another. “And the reveal in a dream with a Jennifer Coolidge cameo would be fantastic.” “That lizard is going to keep her from getting shot somehow!” another predicted. “It’s Tanya, her guardian angel.”
Overall, whether or not this theory is true, the theory surely ties so many of the show’s easter eggs together. And, honestly, who wouldn’t love a Tanya cameo one way or another?
Before you go, click here to see all the cameos you might have missed in ‘The White Lotus’ season 3.