While every season of The White Lotus has a whole new cast every time, viewers of the show know that season 3 had two familiar faces: Natasha Rothwell’s Belinda and Jon Gries as Greg (who’s now going by Gary). While Rothwell is reprising her role as the hotel manager, Gries is the only actor to appear in all three seasons, and his latest stint is more ominous than ever.
So, as we continue to tune in every Sunday to see families fight and a three-person friend group fall apart (we’re still not over that dinner scene from last week!), we’re taking a look back and refreshing our minds on who Belinda is.
After all, while she may be a familiar face, you might need a refresher on her backstory, and why her recognizing Greg/Gary could actually be a big deal.
Who Is Belinda in The White Lotus?
Belinda was the spa manager at the White Lotus Resort & Spa Maui in season 1 and is back in season 3 as a guest at the White Lotus’ Thailand location. She did not appear in season 2 of show.
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What Happened to Belinda in The White Lotus Season 1?
As the spa manager of the resort, Belinda had close relationships with many of the hotel guests, including Tanya McQuoid (Jennifer Coolidge). Throughout their time together, Belinda becomes McQuoid’s spiritual guide, letting her open up about her journey with grief and even guiding her through a ceremonial chant.
By the end of the season, Tanya sees promise in Belinda’s healing powers and offers to fund her wellness business. Though hesitant at first, Belinda becomes brimming with excitement.
By the end of the season, however, Tanya rescinds her offer when her new boyfriend Greg says he has a terminal disease and would need to be cared for, both with time and money. Tanya agrees to help him, but takes all of Belinda’s funding away as a result.
Why Is Belinda Back in Season 3?
By season 3, viewers see Belinda landing in Thailand with a newfound pep in her step. “Over the course of the Italy season of White Lotus in the world that we’ve created, she’s been trying to dig herself out of that sadness and really be inspired again,” Rothwell told Entertainment Weekly of her character. “Her purpose for coming to Thailand is to have a dream again.”
She’s in Thailand for a sort of exchange program to learn about the hotel’s wellness practices during her stay.
“I feel really lucky to be here,” she says. “I want to learn everything I can and bring the magic back to Maui.”
When creator Mike White called Rothwell about the new season, he revealed her new chapter will be all about Belinda’s spirituality. “He told me he wanted to explore spirituality and he knew he wanted it somewhere east, and Belinda, having been a spiritual anchor in season one, would continue her story here,” Rothwell told The Hollywood Reporter. “I hadn’t read any scripts and I had no idea what it would involve, but when Mike White asks you to do something, you say yes.”
What Has Happened With Belinda in Season 3 So Far?
So far, Belinda is trying to enjoy and learn from her stay in Thailand in season 3. That is, however, until she recognized Greg/Gary across the dining room in episode 1.
In episode 3, Belinda then approaches Greg while he’s out to dinner with Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon), Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) and Rick (Walton Goggins). “Your name’s Greg, right?” Belinda asks, noting that they met at The White Lotus in Maui. Greg denies his old life and Belinda moves on but not before he stares at her from across the room.
Talking to The Hollywood Reporter, Rothwell said that any peace and calm she’s getting from being in Thailand, and potentially developing a romance with Pornchai, went “out the window” when she recognized Greg.
“That’s life, right? We hold light and dark,” she said of her character’s shaky storyline this season. “The world is a f— s– show right now. But today’s a great day. You can hold two things. For her, this terror that’s looming, and the potential of that, might lead her to some solace in Pornchai as a safe space, as a thing she can take some delight in. It might mean things are more precarious. You might be juggling one side a little bit better than the other, but I really think that’s the beauty of this season. Light and dark necessitate each other.”
In the trailer for the rest of the season, tensions between Greg and Belinda only continue to brew. “One of our regulars was just asking about you,” Christian Friedel’s character Fabian tells her. “He has a lovely girlfriend but he seems interested in you.”
“I think we should call the police,” she says back.
What About Belinda’s Son?
While Belinda’s storyline this season will be mostly about her spirituality and this unresolved tension with Greg, another big part of it will also be about her son, Zion (Nicholas Duvernay).
“We’re wanting to root for her, but we’re also wanting to root for her and her son,” Rothwell told EW. “I can’t get into particulars, but her son is older. He’s finishing up school. It’s that weird part of life when you realize your parents are human and you’re an adult, and there’s this kind of friendship that develops. I’m excited for audiences to see Belinda in relationship to her son and how they grow together over the course of the season.”
In season 3’s first scene, Zion is starting a meditation session before he starts hearing gunshots at a distance. As the shooter approaches, he runs away, goes in the water and sees a dead body float right across from him.
Who is that body? We’ll have to wait and see.
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