This post contains spoilers from The White Lotus season 3 premiere from this point forward.
After almost two years without a vacation to the most infamous hotel resort on television, The White Lotus has finally returned to HBO with its highly anticipated third season. The Emmy Award-winning satirical anthology series from Mike White comes back with a new cast, a new theme, and a new location for its wealthy guests to escape to for a week of deadly fun.
The White Lotus travels to Thailand for an exploration of spirituality and religion along with the usual themes of privilege, wealth, family, relationships, and dark secrets. No one's leaving their holiday the same person they were when they walked off the boat to the hotel. That's just how it goes when a new batch of guests descend on the hotel that at least attempts to give its patrons a calm stay.
This season, in addition to over a dozen new cast members playing exciting and intriguing characters, both guest and hotel staff alike, The White Lotus also welcomes back a fan-favorite character from season 1. Natasha Rothwell reprises her role as the Hawaii location's spa manager Belinda. However, as the season 3 premiere revealed, the show was keeping a BIG casting secret from fans. Another familiar face is back for season 3, and while that's exciting, it's also a slight let down.
Here's your last spoiler warning before the reveal!
Jon Gries returns as Greg in The White Lotus season 3
Toward the end of The White Lotus season 3 episode 1, it's revealed that Greg Hunt, the former husband of Jennifer Coolidge's deceased character Tanya, now lives in Thailand. While he's not a guest at the hotel, he lives nearby with his girlfriend (Charlotte Le Bon), and the couple eats dinner at the hotel. Surprise! Jon Gries will also be a part of season 3 after his shocking season 2 twist.
So far, he's the only cast member to appear in all three seasons of The White Lotus, having debuted in season 1 as a recurring cast member and returned as a series regular in season 2. As of the season 3 premiere on Sunday, Feb. 16, it's unclear in what capacity Gries appears in season 3, but it's likely that he'll return for more episodes since Le Bon was previously announced as recurring.
Greg doesn't have any ties to current cast members, though Belinda hasn't run into him yet. For now, Greg's season 3 introduction was through Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood), who speaks to his girlfriend at the bar of the hotel's restuarant. She's less than enthused with Greg, who sits at the table alone and looks depressed. Is he regretting the decision he made last season?
In season 2, it was revealed that Greg was the one who called the hit on his wife Tanya, in order to inherit her wealth and pay off Quentin. Although she fought back, Tanya still died in the season 2 finale. Judging by what Greg's girlfriend said in the season 3 premiere, it seems that a year could have passed since season 2, as she states they have lived in Thailand for about a year.
When rumors started swirling that The White Lotus was hiding a casting secret in season 3, our minds obviously went to some of the more popular, fan-favorite characters. Did they find a way to include Coolidge again? Meghann Fahy? Connie Britton? Aubrey Plaza?! Well, no. It's none of those super talented and Emmy-nominated actresses. Gries is back to seemingly continue the Tanya saga.
Still, I guess it's pretty exciting that The White Lotus was able to pull one over on us and keep a big narrative secret for season 3. And there's plenty of narrative secrets to come after that shocking first episode! Even though Sad Greg probably wasn't our first choice for a returnee, let's keep our minds open to what Mike White has in store for his surely unpredicatable story.
Watch The White Lotus only on HBO and Max.