Spoilers below.
Aimee Lou Wood might be the breakout star of The White Lotus this season, but many fans were concerned that her character would actually be the show’s latest murder victim. Was the body floating in the water in episode 1 actually Chelsea’s? Although the season 3 finale ended with multiple casualties, Chelsea did, unfortunately, end up being one of them.
While theories have posited that Parker Posey’s Victoria Ratliff or Natasha Rothwell’s Belinda might meet an unfortunate end, eagle-eyed viewers found severals signs pointing in Chelsea’s direction. From her wayward partner Rick’s (Walton Goggins) shenanigans to the accessories Chelsea’s worn all season long, these Easter eggs hinted that our favorite Aries was doomed from the start.
Chelsea’s Jewelry
Writer Tara Gonzalez pointed out in a recent post that Chelsea is wearing a Flo London necklace that says “Stay Gold” in almost every scene in the show. That would be innocent enough, Gonzalez argues, if it weren’t for the British brand’s inspiration for the necklace. According to Flo London, the “Stay Gold” necklace is inspired by the line, “Stay gold, Ponyboy, stay gold,” from the 1983 film The Outsiders—those are the final words spoken by the character Johnny Cade before he dies. Chelsea’s jewelry turned out to be an ominous piece of foreshadowing.
The Aftermath of Rick’s Revenge
After Rick threatens Jim Hollinger, the owner of The White Lotus, in episode 7, he promptly flees the scene of the crime with Frank (Sam Rockwell) and chooses to party in Bangkok. Rick seems to forget that his girlfriend, Chelsea, is still at the very hotel that Jim owns and that Jim knows he’s staying there.
It seems inevitable that Jim would exact some form of revenge, especially given that he knows Rick’s supposed location. Could it be possible, viewers wondered, that Jim sends people to kill Rick but end up killing Chelsea instead?
That somewhat ends up being true. After Rick reunites with Chelsea at the hotel, the Hollingers arrive the next morning and Jim confronts Rick, which sends him spiraling. Unable to hold back his feelings any longer, Rick shoots and kills Jim (only to find out Jim was his father!) and the Hollingers’ guards start shooting back at him. Chelsea gets caught in the crossfire with a bullet wound in the chest. As Rick carries her away, Gaitok arrives and shoots him down too. So tragic!
Aimee Lou Wood Didn’t Have as Much Time Off as Other Cast Members
In a recent interview with The Guardian, Wood noted how her co-stars were able to find time to fly home from Thailand in between filming (the cast stayed in Thailand for seven months while shooting The White Lotus). “Some people were doing a lot of darting, going home a few times, because their schedule allowed it,” Wood told the outlet. “For some reason, my character, where I was in the story, meant I never had a big chunk of time.”
Could that be because her role was at the very core of the story Mike White was trying to tell? Consider also that Wood’s co-star Charlotte Le Bon (Chloe) hinted that “people are going to hate Mike White” after they watch the season 3 finale. Killing off an innocent fan-favorite like Chelsea would certainly cause outrage, wouldn’t it? After the episode aired, it sure did.
Chelsea’s Dialogue
Our resident astrology lover had been hinting at her looming death throughout the whole season. After being present at the armed robbery and getting bit by a snake, she remarked that she “almost died” twice. She also said that bad luck “comes in threes,” and sure enough, her third encounter with death ended up being the fatal shootout. Let’s also not forget that Chelsea kept telling Rick she was worried “something bad is going to happen”—we just didn’t want to believe it was going to happen to her.
This story has been updated.
