The White Lotus season 3 fumbled an audacious opportunity to shock viewers in episode 2

The satirical drama's ever-imaginative fanbase spent the last week mulling over a compelling theory that The White Lotus season 3 was actually a prequel to the first, which would explore how Greg came to identify his eventual wife as a target.

This audacious idea tracks (just about) with the information we receive in the first episode, but alas, the second debunks it decisively in a fleeting moment when spa manager Belinda (Natasha Rothwell) appears to recognise Greg from his time at the Maui resort.

This effectively confirms that season 3 takes place after season 1, laying the groundwork for a continuation of the Tanya murder subplot, but it can't help feeling overly safe and predictable in contrast to the daring prequel suggestion.

What a jaw-dropping reveal it would have been to see an alive-and-well Tanya swan into The White Lotus Thailand in the penultimate or final episode, only to be spotted by Greg as an easy mark for his next deadly scam.

How dastardly screenwriter Mike White would be to mischievously tease us with a confrontation between Belinda and Greg – only for them to go the whole season without noticing each other.

Truly, this would have been a twist of epic proportions, but it would also have been a genuine boon to the season in other ways, not least by fixing one major problem: Greg is incredibly dull.

Yes, it's deeply unfortunate that the most boring character in The White Lotus – by far – is also the only one to have checked in across all three seasons.

Charisma-less, personality-less Greg has, up to now, coasted off his connection to Tanya and the complex conspiracy surrounding her demise. But that could have changed dramatically if season 3 had taken the prequel route.

After all, one of the most poorly conceived aspects to Greg is his backstory.

At the time of writing, it seems highly doubtful that he was even intended to become a villain in season 1, given how earnestly his romance with Tanya is depicted and the implication that he was then-terminally ill.

So, was he always out for Tanya's cash, or was it an idea that occurred to him after they became close? It's a question that arguably wouldn't need to be answered if White had just let this storyline rest after season 2.

But if you're going to keep Greg as a core component of your show moving forward – let alone, increasing his prominence – then it's time to show your working, sir!

Season 3 should really be defining the philosophy driving this character – something White does well for most of the other guests – and, ideally, offering an indication (however subtle) of what shaped him into the nasty piece of work he is today.

Perhaps that's still to come, but Greg's (almost literally) muted appearances in the last two episodes have done little to extend what we already knew of him; he's a quiet, grumpy older man, with a dark side.

Short of Greg sitting down with Belinda over a whiskey to explain his motivations and aims like a second-rate Bond villain, it's hard to see how season 3 will provide the revelation – or at least, clarification – needed to upgrade this underwhelming antagonist.

Show, don't tell, is the oft-used adage in visual storytelling, and a prequel examining Greg's earlier stay at The White Lotus would lend itself far more naturally to that approach.

We might have seen a different side to him entirely – or at least, a different persona embodied for an earlier victim. Crucially, we could have developed a genuine attachment to him, which is something few viewers can honestly claim at present.

Greg wouldn't necessarily be the only beneficiary either, as this treatment could also have strengthened fellow returnee Belinda.

Although a far more lively and dynamic presence than Greg, some viewers have raised the valid point that this character didn't get as much time to develop personally in season 1 as others, especially Tanya, to which she was a satellite.

Giving Belinda an entire prequel season to flourish, unburdened by her connection to the doomed heiress, would rectify that, perhaps even adding yet more heartache to her eventual betrayal at the end of season 1.

Instead, as previously mentioned in my The White Lotus season 3 review, Belinda is at risk of becoming merely a plot device for the Tanya/Greg psychodrama, which isn't brilliant for a show already lacking fleshed-out characters of colour.

At the risk of sounding like an annoying know-it-all nerd, the return of Jon Gries to The White Lotus cast really wasn't surprising to me in the slightest.

When Natasha Rothwell was confirmed for season 3, it seemed likely that the fate of Tanya would be addressed or acknowledged in some way; and how could you do that without enlisting the man behind her undoing?

With that in mind, from my perspective at least, The White Lotus season 3 is yet to deliver any meaningful twists that break out of the show's existing formula (not counting a potential incest storyline that has left everyone scratching their heads).

My concern is that, in bringing back Greg, screenwriter White appears to be relying on the lingering goodwill towards season 2, rather than doing anything new or exciting with his character.

There needs to be more than the prospect of a karmic payment to get us through his slow scenes.

Making season 3 a secret prequel would have been a wonderfully unexpected way to justify spending more time with this "Loser Back Home" (as Charlotte Le Bon's Chloe so eloquently describes him).

Unfortunately, that opportunity has been missed – and there's nothing that can be done about that now. But something needs to take its place to give this season's storyline the momentum it has so far been lacking.

The White Lotus season 3 is available on Sky Atlantic and NOW. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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