The White Lotus is back for its hotly-anticipated third season – but how many clues and Easter Eggs are lurking in the new opening credits?
Fans of the acclaimed series are aware that the opening credits contain hidden messages portrayed through a variety of historical murals, paintings, and tapestries.
Initially, these visuals may seem like a reference to the artwork found in the luxurious hotels that serve as the main setting for the show.
However, time has taught us that by comparing the events of the series with these pictures, we can find a whole host of parallels.
With only one episode of the new season out so far, it remains uncertain how these elements will unfold throughout the rest of the season. Nonetheless, there are already evident references to past seasons within these visuals.
What’s more, we can also make some predictions about what’s to come.
Fear not, there are no season three spoilers in this article – but if you are yet to watch seasons one and two turn back now, as we’ll touch on some of the plot points from those episodes.
Sex and voyeurism
Anyone who has watched the show before will know what it doesn’t shy away from tackling sex, affairs and even prostitution.
With that in mind, it’s no surprise there are plenty of explicit images here, no doubt a sign that there’ll be just as much romping to come this time around.
One shot of a palace seems to show some kind of mass orgy taking places, with revellers draped over each other completely naked in their dozens.
Another shows a topless woman in the woods, being watched from the treeline by a pair of men.
A third sees a group of naked women atop a tower holding a snake – the Biblical embodiment of sin – while a pack of monkeys reaches up to the grab them, seemingly enthralled by their nudity.
There’s even a shot of a giant clutching their own phallus at the side of one frame.
If these pictures set the tone for the revelry to come it’s safe to say we can expect plenty of sex and scandal on the horizon in season three too.
Season one featured plenty – from hotel manager Murray Bartlett performing a sex act on his employee Dillon, to Paula and Kai’s secret romp (much to Olivia’s horror) and newly-engaged Rachel and Shane, who are held together by sexual connection and money alone.
Season two was equally raunchy, with virtually everyone doing the deed on screen.
It tackled sex work in the form of prostitute Lucia, along with infidelity, as played out by cheating couples Daphne, Cameron, Harper and Ethan.
Meanwhile Jack and Quentine feature in a sex-tortion sub-plot and Dominic’s sex addiction appalls his son Albie to no end.
Gang warfare and death
The animals hunting in the mural could be a nod to gangs and conflict. Immediately we’re presented with the predatory image of a pack of hyenas surrounding an elephant.
Later we see a leopard stalking a group of deer in the jungle, before the tables turn and we see the leopard being tracked by hunting dogs.
Along with the obvious predator / prey connection, these images could hint at someone being ganged up upon, or alliances being formed to take down a formidable target.
Of course some kind of conflict is inevitable, but will it take the form of stalking and a co-ordinated strike like a pack of predators in the wild?
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Other violent imagery includes a tree covered in swords, which hang menacingly alongside the trees.
There’s also a siege on a palace, with armed soldiers scaling the walls from the back of armoured elephants, with even monkeys joining in on the massacre – perhaps an indicator the characters will be embracing their darkest, most primal instincts this time around.
The soldiers even have lotus-shaped tattoos on their backs, which feels a little on the nose.
Both season one and two have ended in death, with Murray stabbed at the end of the former and Tanya drowning to death after falling from a yacht in the latter.
In fact, these latest credits feature a scene where sailors are set upon by sea beasts, falling off of their vessels to their demise just like Tanya.
Time will tell who ends up at the top of the food chain in season three…
Drugs and intoxication
Narcotics are another recurring theme in The White Lotus, so their presence in he latest credits is no shock.
One image sees a man smoking a join from a watchtower, staring into space.
A pack of monkeys are later seen clutching pipes too.
Drugs were instrumental in Murray’s downfall in season one, as he derailed his sobriety in an acute moment of stress.
Meanwhile in season two Quentin’s connections to drugs and organised crime are clear, with him passing on details of his cocaine dealer to Tanya before his attempt to murder her, as per the deal with her scheming husband, who had plotted to inherit her fortune.
If the pattern is to continue, drugs will no doubt be the catalyst for some kind of misconduct in the coming episodes – often marrying together both the decadence and corruption of the well-heeled hotel guests.
The White Lotus airs on HBO in the US and Sky Atlantic in the UK, with episodes available to stream on NOW.
