The White Lotus season 3's clunky handling of Tanya's death is a mistake – especially for Belinda

In episode 4, that materialised as perhaps the most dramatic use of Google Search since my last bout of hypochondria, in which the spa manager learned of Tanya's death, identified Greg and caught on to his suspected misdeeds.

She's nothing if not efficient, our Belinda, which is convenient for a season of The White Lotus where not a great deal has actually happened so far – at last, things are moving forward. To quote BoJack Horseman's Todd: "Hooray... question mark?"

My hesitation stems from whether the resurrection of this storyline actually benefits The White Lotus season 3 or Belinda herself, who had only recently started emerging from Tanya's shadow as a full-fledged character of her own.

The series was right to acknowledge the trauma of Belinda's dream opportunity being so callously withdrawn by the late heiress, leaving her stuck in a job that seemingly isn't challenging or fulfilling her.

Belinda's very presence at the Thai resort helps to pull the character out of that rut; for whatever corporate reason she's been sent there (surely, work obligations are attached), it is still an exciting and potentially rejuvenating opportunity.

There are plenty of other seeds for meaningful character growth, including the formal introduction of Belinda's son, Zion (Nicholas Duvernay), who sheds light on a part of her life that had previously only been alluded to.

And of course, there's the small matter of sparks flying between herself and Thai resort staff member Pornchai (Dom Hetrakul), with whom she's shared some stolen glances and loveably awkward dialogue.

That's all to say, there's plenty for Belinda to be doing in this season without being drawn back into the persistent tornado that is Tanya McQuoid's life and legacy.

Indeed, amid calls for greater diversity in the satirical drama – arguably limited thus far by its focus on white privilege and intersectional disadvantage – the return of Belinda was a promising moment.

Here was a chance to have a character of colour in a principal role that extends beyond their job of serving the (largely white) guests of the opulent hotel chain.

Instead, it's disappointing to see Belinda used (at least in part) as a device to progress the continuing Tanya McQuoid narrative, effectively falling back into that service role – only this time, for a guest who is already long dead.

Making matters worse, Belinda's nagging fixation on Greg and her motivation to investigate further just doesn't make logical sense, given that the characters have never crossed paths previously.

OK, sure, it wouldn't be far-fetched to imagine an off-screen moment where Belinda might have spotted Tanya and Greg canoodling at the Maui resort, somewhere between the scenes of season 1.

But the mere fact that no such scene tangibly exists only adds to the feeling that this overarching storyline is like a plane being built in mid-air; assembled from whatever parts screenwriter Mike White has to hand.

This approach is also reflected in Greg himself; a character too boring to have been always been envisioned as a recurring villain (it's much more likely he really was first imagined as a terminally ill lover, before an almighty retcon changed that).

Even if we believe that Belinda could recognise Greg from an insubstantial passing moment approximately three years earlier, why would she be motivated to investigate further when she has so much else going on in her own life?

In an interview with RadioTimes.com and other press, star Natasha Rothwell simply cited "women's intuition" as the driving factor, which feels disconcertingly hand-wavy in this fan's opinion.

And yet, The White Lotus season 3 episode 4, Hide or Seek – which is the halfway mark in a surprisingly dull entry – implies that the main "event" of this edition will be retribution for Tanya's much-mourned demise (or an attempt at such).

Perhaps there's some value to that in terms of fan service and growing The White Lotus Cinematic Universe (please, no), but it reads like a failure to come up with anything more interesting that could define a post-Tanya era of the show.

It also buys into the out-of-continuity reputation of Tanya as a camp hero, rather than her in-universe persona; that being a selfish, rude and volatile heiress/nepo baby, who contributed very little of value to the world.

Of course, that doesn't mean she deserved her untimely fate, but perhaps that she doesn't deserve any more of Belinda's time, energy and attention – having already claimed a considerable amount of it.

As for why Greg would return to the very same hotel chain connected to his late wife's suspicious death, which he orchestrated and is wanted for questioning over... Well, that's a mystery of its very own.

Indeed, for a show that has previously impressed with its nuanced character study, it's disappointing to see such glaring oversights that unquestionably diminish Belinda and Greg as believable individuals.

The former feels like a greater loss given Rothwell's obvious charisma and the storytelling freedom that comes with her not being involved in the murder of another character.

That said, as an undervalued and marginalised figure in the oblivious, upper-class world of The White Lotus, it would be naive to suggest that season 3 could have been all sunshine, rainbows and flirtation for Belinda.

However, the unpleasant or otherwise shocking twists that awaited her in Thailand could at least have been unique to her own story, as opposed to the stale leftovers of an acquaintance remembered only for betraying her.

If any personal growth awaits Belinda after her amateur sleuthing, it will always be inextricably linked to Tanya. In other words: even in death, the customer from hell is still essentially dictating the course of her life, years after they parted.

That is about the cruelest twist imaginable, but I suspect not how Mike White intends it.

The White Lotus season 3 is available on Sky Atlantic and NOW. New episodes Mondays.

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