The White Lotus is only two episodes into Season 3, but the show already has so much laid out on the table for fans: age gap relationships that may be hiding secrets, toxic lifelong friends out to get each other, a family that definitely has weird vibes between the siblings, and scheming hotel workers. As with every season of this show so far, Season 3 opened with a flash-forward teasing a tragedy that will befall someone at the resort. This time around, there’s a shooting, as well as a body found floating in the lake. At this point in the season, everyone at the luxury resort is both a suspect and a potential murder victim. But as the show slowly inches closer to finding out what actually ends up happening in the series’ climax, Episode 2 introduced another mystery for viewers to contend with.
Spoiler warning: Spoilers for Season 3, Episode 2 of The White Lotus follow. While shopping with Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon) at the resort’s store, Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) is caught in the crossfire along with a shop employee during a smash-and-grab robbery. The masked robber enters the store with a gun, forcing them to watch as they rob the store and steal thousands of dollars’ worth of jewelry and accessories. Viewers then see Chelsea frightened after being held at gunpoint for the remainder of the episode, telling Rick (Walton Goggins) she feels like she could have died in the store.
While the masked robber is unidentifiable in the scene, there are already plenty of theories about the robbery, including who could have orchestrated it and what it could mean for the mystery that was teased in the beginning of the season.
Here are some of the top White Lotus Season 3 robbery theories.
Mook orchestrated the robbery.
In Episode 1, viewers are introduced to Mook Sornsin (Lalisa Manobal), one of the health mentors at the White Lotus resort. We know that Mook is local to the area, and she’s close to Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong), a security guard for the resort. Mook is one of the main faces of the hotel, and she helps provide guests with their designated wellness tests and classes to help them decompress at the resort. She is often walking around the resort talking to the newly arrived guests like Chelsea and Rick, and hanging out with Gaitok during their off hours.
However, in Episode 1, we may have gotten a small hint that Mook could have played a part in the robbery at the hotel’s store. As Gaitok is patrolling around the White Lotus resort and keeping an eye out for any trespassers, he notices Mook talking to two unidentifiable men near the property’s grounds away from the guests. Gaitok notices this, but chooses to not confront Mook about it. Even though there is only one robber robbing the store, we discover that there is another person who forcibly enters the hotel gates in a black SUV van, and when Gaitok approaches the driver, he gets knocked out unconscious in the process. The robbers could be the two men who Mook was talking with in Episode 1; they may have been meeting up to talk about their plan during that scene.
VALENTIN IS THE ONE WITH THE GUN.
We’re introduced to Valentin (Arnas Fedaravičius), another health mentor at the resort, in Episode 2. It’s clear the ladies love him, including Laurie (Carrie Coon), as her friends try to set her up with Valentin during her week at the resort. His charm even works on Gaitok when the two of them speak to one another outside. However, even though Valentin is one of the leading health mentors at the resort, you can’t help but feel like there is something potentially off about him. While Gaitok and Valentin are talking, Valentin brings up the fact that his friend will be participating in a local fight later, and would offer to get Gaitok a ticket if he was off of work. During this moment, a black car — similar to the one that abruptly enters the resort — drives away fast as Gaitok is distracted by Valentin.
Whether or not this could be a coincidence, it’s definitely an interesting moment that feels deliberately planned by Valentin. He could be the man robbing the store, or maybe he helped in assisting the smash-and-grab in some way. His appearance on the show is important, and he could be playing a larger part in the scheming process in a larger capacity.
cHLOE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN WE THINK.
In Episode 1, we are introduced to Chloe at the hotel bar after Chelsea and Rick have their fight at the dinner table. Chelsea and Chloe bond over the fact that they have much older boyfriends, and Chloe reveals that her boyfriend lives at a property near the White Lotus resort. It’s revealed that her boyfriend is Greg (Jon Bries), who was Tanya McQuoid-Hunt’s husband in Season 2, after they met in Season 1. We get to see Chelsea and Chloe hang out around the hotel in Episode 2, and we finally get to see Rick and Greg meet for the first time at a double date dinner. However, even though Chloe might be a side character, she could be a leading figure in the series.
It’s before the robbery that we see Chloe and Chelsea browsing around the store at the jewelry and clothing on display. Chloe then leaves for a second to go try on the clothes in a dressing room, and a few moments after she leaves, the robber enters the store, holding both Chelsea and the store worker at gunpoint. Chloe overhears this, and after the robber takes everything, she comes out and asks Chelsea what went down while she was hiding in the dressing room. Even though this could just be a pure coincidence, it’s worth noting that it happened the moment after Chloe left the room to go into a private area. Whether or not she’s involved with the robbery, we definitely have to keep our eyes on her throughout Season 3.
Mook’s brother is involved.
In Episode 2, we see Gaitok reveal that he likes Mook romantically, in which she tells him that the two of them have never even gone out on a date together. We know that both Gaitok and Mook have known each other for years, and have been in each other’s lives for an extended period of time. In a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, Gaitok reveals that he works in the same building as Mook’s brother, meaning Mook has at least one family member who works at the White Lotus. Even though we haven’t gotten introduced to Mook’s brother, it’s important to realize that because Mook’s family works at the White Lotus, they would know their way around the entrance and exit points throughout the resort. Mook’s brother could be one of the men who entered through the gate, or could be the robber we see in the jewelry store.
It remains to be seen whether Mook’s brother will show up, but if he does, he may become a leading suspect in the case of the robbery, as well as what might happen later on.
The gun used in the robbery might come back.
If you’ve never seen The White Lotus before, the series is known for having unexpected deaths that occur in the weirdest ways. At the beginning of the series, viewers hear frantic gunshots that are sporadic throughout the resort, leaving fans to wonder if our lead suspect is not a person, but rather… a monkey. Yes, you read that right. Hear me out:
Throughout Episode 1, the employees consistently warn guests about the monkeys that live throughout the resort and advise them to stay clear of them, as they can get violent. There’s also a ton of monkey imagery throughout the resort, hinting there might be something darker to come with these furry animals.
So wait, what would this have to do with the robbery? Well, some fans think the gun that was used during the first scene of Season 3 might have been the same weapon used during the robbery. After the unidentified robber fled the scene, there’s a possibility they ditched the gun somewhere on the resort property. And if that’s the case, there’s a chance one of the monkeys gets ahold of it, and somehow, starts shooting. This theory might sound outlandish, anything goes on The White Lotus.