Why Do I Miss Tanya So Much While Watching ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3?

The White Lotus Season 3 has finally premiered, and while it was one of my biggest anticipations for 2025, as the season unfolds, I find myself missing Jennifer Coolidge’s portrayal of the wealthy socialite, Tanya McQuoid, more and more.

I’m not sayingthe show isn’t excellent. Under the direction and writing of Mike White, this latest season—despite being set in Thailand—still brings together the familiar mix of wealthy, desire-driven, and mentally troubled characters. If everything transpires as envisioned, it’ll likely end with chaotic, dramatic deaths (the first episode clearly hints at this). Everything seems to follow the tried-and-true formula, but without Tanya, something feels lacking. Most of the other characters don’t express their inner sadness, desires, and... abnormalities quite as openly as she did.

Tanya was one of the few characters to appear in both the first two seasons of The White Lotus. When she first appeared in Season 1, she was a wealthy heiress deeply grieving her mother’s death. She came across as fragile and sensitive, and often, her emotional instability made others—who were used to putting up a front—feel uncomfortable or even embarrassed. In one memorable moment, she suddenly scattered her mother’s ashes into the sea from a yacht as she broke down emotionally. The other passengers were completely at a loss, trying to handle her breakdown. This scene perfectly captured Tanya’s true nature in relation to others.

Tanya’s relationship with Greg Hunt was like a roller coaster—dramatic and romantic at first, but by the end of Season 2, it turned into a dark conspiracy tied to her death. After Greg suddenly left Italy, Tanya fell into another emotional spiral, prompting her to seek help from a medium. The appearance of the wealthy gay man, Quentin, seemed to offer a potential turning point in Tanya’s nearly collapsed life.

However, the story hints that Quentin may have an unknown connection to Greg. Tanya, who was always sensitive, sensed a conspiracy in the air. Her discovery of tape, rope, and a gun on Quentin’s yacht further convinced her that he and Greg planned to kill her and inherit her fortune. When Tanya tearfully exclaimed, “These gays, they’re trying to murder me,” and shot Quentin and his friends, The White Lotus reached one of its most iconic moments. Tanya’s subsequent accidental death—just as she was about to escape—added an ironic twist: she slipped, hit her head, and drowned. Her sensitivity and paranoia both saved and doomed her—her personality ultimately sealed her fate.

Of course, my love for Tanya isn’t just because she was a wealthy, fragile, and neurotic woman who made no attempt to hide these qualities. More importantly, it’s because of Coolidge’s performance. She skillfully transformed Tanya from a seemingly one-dimensional neurotic heiress to a fully realized, multi-layered character. Coolidge’s genius as an actress lies in her ability to make Tanya’s flaws, desires, and breakdowns feel both deeply human and compelling. Tanya was far more than just a comic relief or a tragic figure—she was a window into the anxieties, desires, and contradictions of a woman trapped by her own privilege and vulnerabilities.

Coolidge is a true character actress—she’s known for her memorable roles, from Jeanine Stifler in American Pie to Zofia “Sophie” Kaczyński in 2 Broke Girls. The sultry characters she’s played have always left a lasting impression—they embraced their robust desires, lived for the moment, and enjoyed the present.

In terms of character traits, Tanya is the type of sensual role Coolidge excels at, but she goes beyond a purely comedic character. Tanya has a complex personality and a complete storyline. It’s for this role that Coolidge won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress. Her career breakthrough reflects a shift in how Hollywood portrays women—they’re no longer mere comedic sidekicks but wild, unhinged forefronters. In this sense, Tanya’s successful characterization is key to The White Lotus’s success. It subverts stereotypes and allows characters who might otherwise seem flat to shine with depth, forcing viewers to reconsider these characters and, by extension, the people they represent. Resultantly, the first to reap what Coolidge had sowed were mad women like Tanya.

In a sense, Tanya is to The White Lotus what Blanche DuBois is to A Streetcar Named Desire—they’re so unique and significant that I can’t fully accept The White Lotus without Tanya. Her absence in Season 3 creates a void that no new character can fill. Her unique brand of sensitivity and emotional exposure is sorely missed. So, the ultimate question arises: Will Tanya return in the future?

In a previous media interview, Coolidge mentioned she’s also watching Season 3 and jokingly said, “And I’m envious as hell.” The interviewer even imagined a way for her to return, suggesting Coolidge could play Tanya’s twin sister seeking revenge. To this, she simply stated, “Look, it’s not like I haven’t wished or whatever, but it isn’t happening. It doesn’t matter—they don’t need me.” She also commented on Greg, who’s back in Season 3: “I hope he gets it! I hope they do something terrible to him!”

While Tanya may not be returning anytime soon, Season 3 is clearly still building on her legacy. Greg has made his return, and the show has hinted at deeper conspiracies surrounding his character. It’s clear that Tanya’s impact is far from forgotten.

As we continue watching, we can’t help but think about Tanya’s legacy. In the world of The White Lotus, where the characters are constantly hiding behind masks, Tanya’s breakdowns were an honest reflection of the struggles we all face. Our fear of becoming like her is real, but at the same time, her chaotic, emotional breakdowns remind us of the truth: at certain moments, we’re all Tanya.