Jennifer Coolidge's White Lotus character lives on in season 3 — here's how

Editor's note: This article contains spoilers for the first two seasons of The White Lotus.

The White Lotus creator, Mike White, discussed the iconic death of Jennifer Coolidge's character during a press conference on Monday to promote the third season of the series.

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Days before the Emmy Award-winning show's season 3 premiere, fans of the show — and even White himself — are still mourning the loss of Coolidge's award-winning character, Tanya McQuoid, who sadly perished at the end of season 2.

"We were sad that Jennifer died in this last episode," White said during the press conference. Going into The White Lotus season 3, the showrunner wondered how he could "keep her alive in some way."

Overall, White feels like he accomplished that by bringing Belinda Lindsey (played by Natasha Rothwell) back for the new season. "Some people were kinda bummed" at the end of her story in season 1, White recalled. Eventually, he considered that it would be "fun to give Belinda another chapter and work with Natasha [Rothwell] again."

Tanya and Belinda had a pretty intimate dynamic and relationship arc in the first season. Tanya, a wealthy tourist, arrived at the Hawaii resort and seemed to identify something special in Belinda, who worked as a massage therapist there. It didn't take long for Tanya to promise money for Belinda to start her own business. As soon as Tanya got swept away in a doomed romance, however, she swiftly dropped Belinda and left fans with a bitter taste in their mouths.

Rothwell, who played Belinda and is reprising her role in season 3, said that her character is "a love letter to Tanya, in a way." She also teased that this season's arc reflects Tanya's "desire for wanting something better."

Coolidge also sent Rothwell "a pep talk before embarking on season 3," the actress revealed, adding: "She's just a vibe. I'm obsessed with her." Aren't we all?

White also revealed in the press conference that season 3 tackles themes of "religion, God, and spirituality."

"Thailand is a Buddhist country," the showrunner explained. "There's a lot of Buddhist concepts that I thought would be interesting to explore."

Without revealing whether she lives or dies, Rothwell shared four words to describe this upcoming season: "Buckle the f*ck up."

Will do!

The White Lotus season 3 premieres February 16 on HBO and Max.