There may be theories aplenty floating around the internet as to who's behind the shooting in the third season of The White Lotus, but one of the latest series' protagonists has attempted to disprove one of the most prolific hypotheses.
In an interview with InStyle, Michelle Monaghan, who plays famous actor Jaclyn this season, seemed taken aback when asked about the theory that the monkeys are somehow responsible for the shooting teased in the first episode of the series. 'What?!' she replied. 'What? The monkeys do the shooting? Man, y'all have lost it. Spoiler alert, like, sorry, the monkeys don't do the shooting.'
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There are two trains of thought in response to Monoghan's denial: either she's bluffing and the monkeys, which Mike White, the series' creator, seems to weave in at every twist and turn this season, are responsible for the shooting, or audiences have been lead entirely astray.
Monoghan didn't offer any other insight into other fan theories, but she did tease the finale. 'Super emotional, unexpected, and rewarding. But not in the way that you think it's rewarding, but you'll be satisfied,' she told InStyle when asked to describe the finale in three words. 'The audience will be satisfied.'
Even team ELLE UK hasn't been immune to the monkey theory, with SEO Manager, Elli Lehtonen, among the many convinced that the primates are somehow behind the shootout. 'I feel like it’s somehow related to the gun the security guards got,' she says. 'As monkeys are known to steal things from tourists, it would only make sense they somehow got their hands onto the security guard’s gun. Does that then mean that Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong) dies? It seems like a very plausible theory.'
The White Lotus season three is available weekly on Sky and streaming service NOW.
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Naomi May is a seasoned culture journalist and editor with over ten years’ worth of experience in shaping stories and building digital communities. After graduating with a First Class Honours from City University's prestigious Journalism course, Naomi joined the Evening Standard, where she worked across both the newspaper and website. She is now the Digital Editor at ELLE Magazine and has written features for the likes of The Guardian, Vogue, Vice and Refinery29, among many others. Naomi is also the host of the ELLE Collective book club.
