Thanks in part to the delightfully anxiety-inducing score full of animal sounds, overblown flutes, and percussion, the "Skip Intro" button on The White Lotus opening credits isn't getting much use. And those very same opening credits might just be the hotel key needed to unlock who will die in The White Lotus. Ahead of the Season 1 finale on Aug. 15, viewers still can only rule out Jake Lacy's Shane as the person who dies. But inside the garish wallpaper featured in the opening credits, there may be clues about the main characters' fates.
The names of the cast come in alphabetical order in the opening credits — Murray Bartlett (Armond), Connie Britton (Nicole), Jennifer Coolidge (Tanya), Alexandra Daddario (Rachel), Fred Hechinger (Quinn), Lacy (Shane), Brittany O'Grady (Paula), Natasha Rothwell (Belinda), Sydney Sweeney (Olivia), and Steve Zahn (Mark). The only change was for Episode 4's credits where Molly Shannon (Kitty) was added into the mix. It's very egalitarian (unlike the suite statuses at the White Lotus) and each of these main actors has an image associated with them, which could possibly relate to what happens to their character.
For instance, a fan on Reddit, Ilovepug95, spotted early on that Steve Zahn's name appeared next to some very scrotum-looking fruit (mango or papaya, perhaps?) — teasing Mark's swollen balls and him worrying he has testicular cancer.
The fruit turns rotten. But, as the audience knows now, he doesn't have cancer. So death by balls doesn't seem likely for him. However, the company that created the title sequence did confirm the scenes that play out in the "idyllic" wallpaper "hold hidden clues to themes and storylines within the show." The wallpaper patterns are based on the suites the guests are staying at — the Tradewinds, the Palm, the Hibiscus, and the Pineapple (oh, the Pineapple) — and the designs change to show images of deceit, death, and decay. So, could one of the hidden clues be who dies
Well, if one of the main characters dies — and not, say, Tonya's coughing fling Greg — then possibly? Let's take a look at the most likely victims according to the story that the opening credits wallpaper is telling.
Quinn
Reddit user subterfuge theorized that the opening credit images point to none other than Quinn Mossbacher dying. That's real bleak... though, come to think of it, it might be better than the alternative of him growing up to be a persecuted straight, white man (and probably incel?).
Quinn's image is that of a hibiscus flower, which is the same as Rachel's — which subterfuge reasoned could be because they may be two of the only characters to show growth on this vacation. (Quinn's paper also has a hidden lizard tail in there on the right, which a color-changing, horned chameleon is Shane's main image.)
But this theory is less about the paper that's being shown when Quinn actor Hechinger's name pops up and more to do with the images of the rowers paddling through a treacherous wave and immediately after, a storm rolling in over the sea.
Quinn's had some close calls with the ocean. A hurricane left behind biblical seas, which meant he couldn't water or jet ski. There were sharks in the bay. His possessions got taken out to sea while he was sleeping. And, if you're frightened (but respectful!) of whales like I am, you may worry that the breaching whale he saw could eat him alive like Jonah or Pinocchio. He still needs to scuba dive with his dad in the finale, so perhaps the oceans will turn on him then. Or, could he could go overboard if he goes out on the canoe again.
The White Lotus is a dark comedy, but I'm not sure it would go that dark. — especially after Quinn left behind his pornography-filled technology and embraced nature and Hawaiian culture. So, the alternative is that the big wave crashing upon the outrigger canoers represents colonialism, or even Kai trying to fight back against imperialism by reclaiming stolen Hawaiian land. If that's the case, then the images are reflecting a greater theme of the show and don't mark a death sentence for Quinn Mossbacher.
Belinda
Like Quinn and Rachel, Belinda actor Rothwell is also represented by a hibiscus. But her hibiscus becomes fuzzy. Is her flower dying? Does that mean she's dying??
As Tanya has been offering false promises of helping her start her own spa, this bleeding flower could represent Belinda's dreams fading away. That may lead to this holistic healer becoming bitter or disillusioned (as if she wasn't a bit of that already), but, surely, she shouldn't be the character to die, right?! I'm going to need some Reiki to process this all.
Armond
Armond's image is rather bare in comparison to the other characters' since it's just an assortment of palm leaves. Does it simply represent how Shane staying in the Palm Suite is ruining Armond's life? Or, is the image when Bartlett's name comes up so stark because it means Armond is going to die? He's definitely a top contender as his life has been spiraling out of control.
Paula
The main image for O'Grady's Paula is that of a sleeping jaguar, which setting Kai to steal Nicole's bracelets is kind of like a big cat lying in wait to pounce. (Or, if it's a leopard, maybe there's some deeper meaning related to the saying, "A leopard can't change its spots.") But some fans on Reddit have wondered if the red on the palm leaf to the left could be blood. It's probably just natural pink pigmentation in the leaf. But, hey, who am I say that's wrong as I spend far too much time overanalyzing wallpaper?!
The walls of the White Lotus might not be able to talk, but perhaps this opening credits wallpaper was revealing who will be the one to die all along.
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Images: HBO Max