[Contains massive spoilers for The White Lotus season 3 finale]
Is everyone OK? The White Lotus season three finale has just aired, and we think we're going to need two to four business days to emotionally recover from Chelsea's (Aimee Lou Wood) death in the final scenes. Honestly, Mike White we need words.
The heartbreaking scene took place towards the end of the 90 minute episode, following Rick's return from Bangkok. Chelsea and Rick (Walton Goggins) are having breakfast when Jim Hollinger (Scott Glenn) approaches Rick and speaks poorly about Rick's mother. Rick later desperately tries to talk Amrita (Shalini Peiris), but she has another appointment.
Upon then spotting Jim and Sritala (Lek Patravadi) taking a picture with Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan), Rick is overwhelmed with anger and takes Jim's gun out of his pocket and shoots him. This causes a shooting to go on between Rick and Jim's guards, and in the crossfire Chelsea is shot.
In fairness, we should have seen this coming given the number of clues Mike White sprinkled across the season. Still doesn't make it any less sad though. Didn't catch them? Well here's a quick run down of the hints you missed that foreshadowed Chelsea's tragic death.
All the clues you missed that foreshadowed Chelsea's death in The White Lotus
Bad things come in threes
Easily one of the biggest hints we've should have taken from throughout the season was Chelsea's continued suggestion that "bad things come in threes". This is most obviously applied to her first two near death experiences.
In episode two Chelsea and Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon) are shopping in the hotel gift shop, when a robber takes over the store with a gun. Then in episode three Rick and Chelsea attend a snake show, in which Rick lets the snakes out and one of them bites Chelsea.
After this she then says to Rick: "Things happen in threes. One, the robbery. Two, the snake show. Like death is coming for me."
She survives both these instances, but the writing was basically on the wall, we should have known she was about to meet her end.
Chelsea's necklace
Nothing in the White Lotus is there by accident, including the cast's wardrobe. Throughout the series Chelsea was often seen wearing a necklace with the phrase "stay gold" on it.
The phrase, originally spotted by Tara Gonzalez, is thought to be a reference to the novel The Outsiders. The quote "Stay gold, Ponyboy, stay gold," is said by Johnny Cade as he is dying and encourages Ponyboy Curtis to stay innocence.
A necklace with the words of a dying man? Yep, that's definitely giving foreshadowing vibes to us.
Rick's entire plot
Ok, given Rick's obsession with killing Jim Hollinger, we should really have gathered that death was going to be involved in Rick and Chelsea's storyline.
From episode one it was obvious Rick had an agenda in being at The White Lotus and it was soon revealed he wanted to take revenge at Jim Hollinger for being responsible for his dad's death.
By episode seven Rick had secured a fake meeting with Jim under the pretence of his friend wanting to cast Sritala in a movie. Rick ends up confronting Jim but doesn't really hurt him and instead just pushes him.
Watching the end of episode seven and the start of eight we thought there was no way Rick would just get away from attacking Jim, and it turns out we were right as Jim later threatens Rick, and the whole scene unfolds that later results in Rick and Chelsea's deaths.
The Yin and Yang energy
In episode seven Chelsea attends Chloe and Gary's party, where she sits with Saxon and unpacks her relationship dynamic with Rick. She explains they are like "yin and yang" and their opposing forces were "in battle" and in the end one of them would win.
By the end of the episode eight Rick's energy had won and the final shot we see of the pair in the pond mirrors the yin and yang symbols.
The pair being together forever
In episode eight after returning from Bangkok Chelsea and Rick have a heartfelt reunion and at dinner that night Chelsea says she thinks they'll be together forever. Rick agrees and says "that's the plan", causing Chelsea to swoon.
But really, she shouldn't have been swooning as Rick's words essentially foreshadowed that the pair do end up together forever, as they both end up shot and dead and floating in the lily pond.
The White Lotus is available to watch on Sky Atlantic and NOW
