Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for The White Lotus Season 3, Episode 7.For three seasons we’ve been tuning intoThe White Lotusand getting invested in the messy personal lives of the characters staying at the resort. The show has never been known for introducing moral characters. In fact, that’s kind of the whole schtick of it, as secrets are slowly revealed over a week-long stay. However, Season 3 of the hit show has actually given us a character that we can root for this season: Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood). Chelsea stands out among the rest of the morally ambiguous group of characters we’re following this season, and at this point, I’m just crossing my fingers that she makes it out alive.In a show likeThe White Lotus,everyone is in danger, and everyone is a suspect. But Chelsea has stood out from the very beginning, andif anything happens to her, I’m going to riot!
Chelsea Stands Out in ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3
Chelsea arrives atThe White Lotuswith her notably older boyfriend Rick(Walton Goggins). She’s madly in love with him, while he’s a bit more stand-offish and grumpy despite being on vacation.Still, she intends to make the most of their time together, while also enjoying herself.She makes fast friends with another resortgoer, Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon), and through their friendship, we really get to see Chelsea’s personality come through. When she’s with Rick, she’s very protective and caring, wanting to verify he’s alright and feeling loved. When she’s with Chloe, she lets loose a little bit more. She’s funny, she’s chatty, and she gives great advice without being judgmental.
Unlike some of the other characters this season, Chelsea is very grounded. She isn’t interested in prying into everyone’s business. She doesn’t seem to have any crippling secrets threatening to come out. She isn’t trying to manipulate anyone, nor does she allow herself to be manipulated — something we see when Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) attempts to seduce her, and she not only shuts him down, buttells him he needs to work on himself because she believes he’s “soulless.”She’s no-nonsense, and is truly just there to enjoy her vacation — even if her boyfriend would rather be anywhere but. Unfortunately for her, she’s at The White Lotus, and good things rarely happen at those resorts.
In a way, it feels as though Chelsea is the audience insert. She’s just taking in everything going on around her, and while she’s not getting involved, it’s clear she has opinions that she’s keeping to herself so as not to get in the middle of anything. She’s relatable and she’s lovable.But with the wayThe White Lotususually plays out, I fear her charisma isn’t enough to grant her immunity.
‘The White Lotus’ Fake Friendship Between Jaclyn, Laurie, and Kate Is So Realistic, It’s Triggering Me
This is all getting a little too real for me right now!
When Chelsea first arrives at the resort, she’s perusing the gift shop when the shop is robbed at gunpoint. She’s left unharmed, but it understandably shakes her up. An episode later, she and Rick venture into town, anda venomous snake bites her, and she has to be rushed to the hospital. Again, she makes it out unscathed, but these incidents leave her on edge, asshe continuously tells Rick and others that “Bad things happen in threes.”Now, these incidents and the line could simply be put in to throw us as viewers off, but it also could be hinting that Chelsea is, in fact, in danger.
Someone has to die this season, there’s no doubt about it, but it can’t be Chelsea. It just can’t be. She is sunshine in human form,she is the moral compass these characters need. While everyone else is falling down the slope of their own lies and deceit, Chelsea is the beacon of light, proving that there are still good people around. It would be a twist for sure if she were the one to die since, as far as we know, she hasn’t done anything to warrant such a cruel fate. But if anyone deserves to make it out of this season, it’s her. I’ve been burned before by this show, (I miss you Tanya), don’t take Chelsea from me too.
She’s been witness to everyone’s drama,she’s been accosted by the Ratliff boys, and her boyfriend is pretty crappy to her (even if she does claim he’s her soulmate).Chelsea deserves to leave that place at the end of the season and never look back.Sure,The White Lotusis known for its twists, and no one is safe, but if anyone deserves that sense of security, it’s her. So this is my formal plea:Mike White, don’t kill off Chelsea. I will fight for her.
New episodes ofThe White Lotusair Sundays on HBO and stream on Max in the U.S.
The White Lotus
