Which character should return for season 3 of The White Lotus?

Let's rank the folks who outta take Tanya's place as the next link between chapters of The White Lotus

Which character should return for season 3 of The White Lotus?
Aubrey Plaza, Beatrice Grannò, Jon Gries, Meghann Fahy Credit: Fabio Lovino/HBO Graphic: The A.V. Club

Spoiler warning: The following contains spoilers for the seventh and final episode of The White Lotus season two.

On the heels of the second season finale of The White Lotus, we already know about a few things that could be coming in season three. Creator Mike White has said that the next resort location may be somewhere in Asia, and in HBO’s look behind-the-scenes of the finale, he even talked about a potential theme: “a satirical and funny look at death and Eastern religion and spirituality.” That still leaves a lot to speculate about, including which former cast member (if any) may be coming along for the journey. We know it won’t be Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya McQuoid—who met her untimely death at the end of the season season—but everyone else is potentially in the mix. We’ve selected a few characters who could be the new link between seasons (leaving out the ones we’d be fine never hearing from again), and ranked them by how excited we’d be if we heard they were coming back.

6. Albie Di Grasso
6. Albie Di Grasso
Adam DiMarco Photo Fabio Lovino/HBO

Albie (Adam DiMarco) turned out to be one of the most divisive characters in season two. Some didn’t buy his nice-guy act and were convinced he was just hiding womanizing tendencies that made him no better than the other Di Grasso men, and possibly worse for denying it. Others gave him the benefit of the doubt and took his rejection of his father’s and grandfather’s toxic traits at face value. In the end, he seemed resigned to the fact that he got played by Lucia (Simona Tabasco). Will that experience—and Portia’s initial rejection—change his approach to women in the future? Is there still a chance he’ll follow in his father’s footsteps? We’d need to see more of him to know the answers. He’s not at the top of our list of characters we’d like to see again, but we’re including him because some clarity about his future would be interesting.

5. Portia
5. Portia
Haley Lu Richardson Photo Fabio Lovino/HBO

Poor Portia (Haley Lu Richardson) is heading home with a heavy burden of guilt after everything that happened with Tanya. According to Mike White, one of the themes he’s been toying with for season three is death, and Portia has certainly had some experience with that by now. Another stay at a White Lotus may seem unlikely for someone like her, since she’s out of a job and wasn’t well off to begin with, but there are ways to make it work. Maybe she’ll keep in touch with Albie and he’ll invite her on another trip to rewrite both of their bad experiences in Italy. Whatever the excuse, it feels like there’s more story to tell there, and as a bonus we could find out what happened in the aftermath of Tanya’s death.

4. Greg Hunt
4. Greg Hunt
Jon Gries Photo Fabio Lovino/HBO

Greg’s scheme (we presume it was Greg’s) to kill off Tanya—ending their tedious marriage and making him very rich in one fell swoop—didn’t go exactly according to plan, but the outcome might have been even better for him than he’d hoped. Not only did Tanya wind up sleeping with the fishes, she took out Quentin and his crew in the process, so now Greg doesn’t have to share any of his vast inheritance with anyone. There are still some missing pieces to his story, and it would be interesting to catch up with him now that we know the extent of his malevolence. Perhaps he’ll spend some of his ill-gotten fortune at a White Lotus property elsewhere in the world? Fans were expecting Tanya to be the recurring character unifying all the seasons, but what if it’s actually Greg?

3. Mia
3. Mia
Beatrice Grannò Photo Fabio Lovino/HBO

If anyone won this season of The White Lotus it was Lucia and Mia (Beatrice Grannò). Those girls walked off into the sunset arm and arm, on top of the world. Of the two, the most compelling story to continue would be Mia’s. She didn’t just survive the season, she set herself up to thrive. If she wanted to, she could arrange a whole tour of White Lotus resorts, performing for guests all over the world. Maybe she’ll be discovered, become a big star, and earn enough to stay at a White Lotus as a guest herself one day. She may have some valuable advice to impart to any struggling musicians she encounters in the same position she was once in.

2. Daphne Sullivan
2. Daphne Sullivan
Meghann Fahy Photo Fabio Lovino/HBO

Daphne may not have been our favorite character this season, but there’s no question Meghann Fahy gave one of our favorite performances. She took what could have easily been a one-note stereotypical trophy wife and stay-at-home mom and gave her depth and dimensions beyond her circumstances. Daphne’s uncanny ability to shift the narrative and her refusal to be a victim of her husband’s infidelities made her fascinating to watch and study. She clearly loves to travel, so another vacation at a White Lotus (with or without Cameron) isn’t out of the question. And we’d be thrilled to follow her further adventures in deflection and denial.

1. Harper Spiller
1. Harper Spiller
Aubrey Plaza Photo Fabio Lovino/HBO

Harper is, of course, our top pick for the character we’d most like to reunite with in season three. Aubrey Plaza’s performance this season was flawless. Though she appeared prickly and brittle on the surface, we could see that it was all a mask hiding her insecurities and a creeping sense that her marriage to Ethan was irreparably broken. We may never know what exactly went down between her and Cameron, or between Daphne and Ethan—and maybe that’s the point—but their rekindled affection at the end doesn’t necessarily mean a happy ever after for Harper and Ethan. We’d love to spend more time with Harper on her own (after she divorces Ethan, because she deserves better). How has her life changed? What’s the same? Whether she’s traveling alone, with friends, or with family, we’d be the first ones in line to do the White Lotus wave on the arrival dock, or wherever the equivalent at the new location may be. As long as we get more of Harper’s withering looks and fabulous outfits we’ll be satisfied.

 
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