‘The White Lotus’: 1 of Fans’ Biggest Questions Has Nothing to Do With Who Dies
The White Lotus follows a cast of privileged characters staying at a Hawaiian resort, with the HBO series setting out to answer one central question: who dies when their vacation is through? The premiere sets up this premise by revealing that a body is being boarded on the plane home. However, The White Lotus doesn’t clue viewers in on who dies or how. Instead, it lets that story unravel over the course of the next few installments.
Funnily enough, the show’s main mystery isn’t the only one fans would like to solve. One of their biggest questions actually has nothing to do with who dies. Instead, it wonders how two of the characters got to the resort in the first place — because Rachel (Alexandra Daddario) and Shane (Jake Lacy) making it as far as marriage is nothing short of a miracle.
[Spoiler warning: This article contains spoilers for The White Lotus.]
Rachel and Shane are on their honeymoon in ‘The White Lotus’
The White Lotus opens with Shane telling a couple at the airport about the death that occurs at the resort, though he never reveals who dies. He also admits he’s returning from his honeymoon. However, he’s sitting alone and in a terrible mood. With those inclusions, it’s clear the show wants fans to think that Rachel was killed. However, as The White Lotus continues, it becomes more likely this is a red herring.
As Rachel and Shane’s disastrous honeymoon unfolds, the HBO series seems to be setting Rachel up to leave him. Between Shane obsessing over the wrong room, having his mother-in-law show up, and discouraging Rachel from pursuing her career, it’s clear these two are far from compatible.
One way or another, their marriage appears to be doomed. However, it’s not the future that’s leaving fans with questions. Most of them are more interested in Rachel and Shane’s past.
The 1 question ‘The White Lotus’ fans are asking about Shane and Rachel
Although the mystery of who dies during The White Lotus takes center stage throughout the show, another question is plaguing viewers: how did Rachel and Shane end up together in the first place? Seeing how quickly Shane’s attitude grates at Rachel makes it feel like the two of them hardly know one another. It’s difficult to imagine the couple staying together long-term, much less agreeing to get married.
The fact that they get along so poorly has led fans to question how Rachel didn’t catch Shane’s red flags prior to saying “I do.”
“I don’t understand how Rachel wasn’t aware of the monster prior to the honeymoon,” one Reddit user wrote. “Was he acting completely different and not like an arrogant pretentious a—— before all this?”
Another Redditor made the point that, while Rachel’s revelation works for The White Lotus‘ story, it doesn’t make much sense when given some thought:
“Her realizing her mistake now serves the plotline well, but not reality. You’d think they would have had more conversations around finances as an engaged couple [as] opposed to talking about them for the first time at breakfast on your honeymoon.”
Other fans suggested that the “honeymoon phase” of the relationship could have blinded Rachel to Shane’s shortcomings, but even then, it does seem unlikely the two wouldn’t have had spats over money or future plans previously. Rachel doesn’t come off as the type of character to avoid such questions — something she’s proved every time she pushes back against Shane and his mother.
Is Rachel the 1 who dies in the HBO series?
The White Lotus finale will reveal who dies in the HBO series, but viewers aren’t convinced it’s Rachel. For one, the premiere points too heavily in that direction — meaning the finale is likely to upend expectations.
On top of that, the series focuses on Rachel coming to terms with who she wants to be, so it would be unsatisfying to end her story there. Not only has she accepted that her marriage to Shane was a “terrible mistake,” but she’s given further thought to her writing career.
Some have even suggested that Rachel could use what happens at the White Lotus to break into the big leagues of journalism. As one Reddit user puts it, an exclusive about the resort would draw the right eyes to her work:
“Maybe this has already been said but I think Rachel is going to end up writing a huge story about all the people she met at the white lotus as well as a giant expose of the hotel itself and everything that went down and end up blowing everything up in the article, taking down quite a few of them (like Connie Britton) and it will end up making her one of the top journalists in her field.”
Of course, Rachel could wind up just about anywhere when The White Lotus concludes. Fans won’t know her fate until the finale arrives.
The White Lotus finale airs on HBO on Sunday, Aug. 15 at 9 p.m. ET.
