Whenever a new season of The White Lotus premieres, I know I’m always in for a fun time. But often, that means I inevitably fall in love with a character and then have them taken away from me somehow. A fan-favorite character, however, recently shared an idea of how she could come back next season — and I’m absolutely in love with it.
When Aimee Lou Wood visited The Deadline Studio at the Toronto International Film Festival (via Deadline), she said she and The White Lotus creator Mike White had discussed potentially bringing back her character, Chelsea, despite her death in season 3.
“We were saying maybe Saxon’s (Patrick Schwarzenegger) conscience. She could be in his mind, in the future, if we go back to Saxon. She could be there guiding him, haunting him.”
This is the best idea ever.
In season 3 of the show, the two characters never got together, but Saxon specifically always wanted to. He tried time and time again to sway her. Chelsea, on the other hand, knew better than to go down that road and politely told him to get his act together through “meditation,” offering him books on spiritual practices and self-help. She was also locked in with her man, Rick Hatchett (Walton Goggins).
We all know what happened next. Saxon went through it in season 3. He wasn’t a really likable character at all (which was the point), but by the end, he was genuinely beginning to be on a path of self-reflection thanks to her.
Would this happen if it were just an ordinary The White Lotus season? Wood says White wasn’t too keen on the idea, saying that it would only happen if the show turned “supernatural.”
I mean, I get it, but this would be so good.
What happened to Chelsea in The White Lotus season 3?
For those who need a refresher, Chelsea was one of the many new characters that came with season 3 of The White Lotus. Each season often features a new cast of characters, with a couple returning from previous seasons. Jennifer Coolidge reprised her role as Tanya for two seasons, while Natasha Rothwell returned in season 3 as Belinda. Jon Gries has also returned as Greg Hunt in all three seasons.
Beyond those three, it’s usually new characters, and Chelsea arrived at The White Lotus in Thailand with her older partner, Rick. Throughout the season, she attempts to grow closer to Rick while also experiencing the hotel with strangers, going on wild adventures on her own that often lead to trouble.
At the very end, however, she was struck in the crossfire of a gun battle that Rick ultimately began by killing Jim (Scott Glenn), one of the owners of The White Lotus Thailand. Rick was led to believe that Jim killed his father, which is what led to Rick coming to Thailand to seek his death as well. He ends up killing Jim after he insults his mother but is later told by Jim's wife, Sritala (Patravadi Mejudhon), that Jim is actually Rick's biological father, not the man who killed him. So much for that revenge.
But as mentioned before, because the shots were fired, Sritala's bodyguards open fire, and Chelsea is struck. She ends up dying in Rick’s arms when she is shot.
Many fans were devastated. Chelsea was such a pure being and genuinely wanted the best for whoever she met. After trying for so long with Rick, when it felt like they were getting somewhere, it was all taken away with a gunshot. I was equally depressed about it.
Rick is shot and killed by the resort security guard. Talk about a very deadly season 3 finale. But if she somehow came back into Saxon’s life, that would be amazing. At least it would be some way to see her again.
What's next in The White Lotus season 4?
We could talk for ages about who might come back for season 4, but we don’t really know what could happen next. We know the next location will be in Europe, specifically France (heck yes). Season 2 took place in Italy, so it’s nice to return to that part of the world.
The season is expected to explore those attending or working at the Cannes Film Festival.
We also know a slew of cast members have been announced, like Max Greenfield, Alexander Ludwig, Marissa Long, Chris Messina, Kumail Nanjiani, Laura Dern, Ben Kingsley, and more. Filming has been ongoing, as production began a few months ago, as shown in a reel that was posted to The White Lotus Instagram page:
Filming is scheduled to finish around the end of October, according to Variety. That means we could see the next season as early as spring of 2027. HBO's Casey Bloys also confirmed that The White Lotus season 4 will premiere in the first half of next year.
But if fans somehow got to see Chelsea again, the wait for season 4 would be all the more worth it.
You can watch all three seasons of The White Lotus on HBO Max.
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