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What will happen on 'The White Lotus' finale? Fans share their theories

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What will happen on 'The White Lotus' finale? Fans share their theories

The latest installment of “The White Lotus” comes to an end on Sunday and everyone is speculating about how the series will wrap up its loose ends, who will die and how.

We asked readers to share their theories for how Season 3 will end.

Three ideas that people shared the most: Piper isn’t staying in that Buddhist monastery; Rick’s father is Jim Hollinger and Gaitok is going to confront the Russians over the robbery.

See below for more theories, broken up by character as well as a few general predictions. Responses have been edited for clarity.

Check back Sunday for more coverage of the Season 3 finale.

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The Ratliff family

Timothy Ratliff will make a poison protein shake out of the forbidden fruit of the island so that Saxon will drink it and ultimately be blamed for the corruption of the company. Timothy will not be implicated. Piper decides the monastery is not for her after all, but the youngest brother, Lochlan, stays at the monastery. — Diana Perez, Granada Hills

Victoria Ratliff is going to die, unfortunately. The whole family is going to stay in Thailand in a fog for the rest of their lives while they do good things for other people. — Shelly, Highland Park

Victoria takes over the world, Piper ditches Buddhism for Duke, and Chelsea leaves Rick for Saxon. Lochlan stays behind in Thailand, taking Piper’s place. — Eva Sippel, L.A.

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Timothy will not go to prison. After all of his worry on the entire trip and all of his criminal behavior, he will be another wealthy, middle-aged white man who somehow avoids hard time. And someone close to him will take the fall. Possibly his own son — who is completely losing his mind after the full moon party. — Allison Gold, L.A.

Timothy makes a poisonous shake for Victoria, Saxon and himself to drink. Piper and Lochlan accidentally start to drink it. Timothy breaks the glasses as the family discovers the truth, but not before Piper and Lochlan are sick. Piper returns home and Lochlan joins the monks. — Linda Weisbrod, Redondo Beach

Victoria Ratliff learns of what’s about to happen when she returns to America and about her youngest son’s sexuality. She does not agree with her daughter’s choice to stay at the monastery. She loses it, and kills herself and her family. She has said she would rather die than be poor, and her oldest son has said his entire life is tied to his dad’s business. — Michael Rogers, Edmonton, Alberta

Lisa Manobal and Tayme Thapthimthong

Gaitok

Gaitok tries to stop the Russians from committing another robbery/crime at the resort but accidentally shoots a guest because he’s so incompetent. — Katie Den Bleyker, L.A.

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Gaitok sees another robbery about to happen with the three Russians, chases them and is ambushed by one of the Russians who takes his gun and shoots him. He dies in Mook’s arms. — Cliff Klein, L.A.

Gaitok feels threatened by the Russian friends of Valentin who he is certain are the robbers. He confronts them and a struggle ensues, which culminates in the accidental shooting and death of Mook. — Myrna, Redondo Beach

Gaitok confronts Valentin and is disarmed. And Mook shoots Valentin to rescue Gaitok. — Andrew Katzenstein, L.A.

Gaitok protects the resort with his firearm. Gaitok reports the Russians as the robbers. [Fabian] is fired and Gaitok replaces him. — Shakti Newman, L.A.

Gaitok will show his girlfriend, Mook, that his compassion and preference for care over violence will not stand in his way in apprehending the robbers. Her life view is changed as a result. — Nick Panza, L.A.

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Both Mook and Gaitok’s superior tell him he’s not strong enough. Gaitok spots the jewelry thieves and will show his strength by killing them. — Stephen Shapiro, L.A.

Mook
Mook will be revealed to be in cahoots with the Russians and will get killed. — Ashley, L.A.

Three women in sleeveless dresses

The messy besties (Jaclyn, Kate and Laurie)

Aleksei’s girlfriend shows up at the White Lotus and kills Kate, mistaking her for Laurie since no one could tell them apart since childhood. — Bea, California

The three friends bond over Laurie’s incident with the Russian thief. — Bill Nuss, L.A.

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Walton Goggins and Aimee Lou Wood

Rick

Rick will die because he enjoyed committing a violent act — and Hollinger is his father. — Sylvia, L.A.

I believe [Jim Hollinger] will send some gunmen as proxy to off [Rick]. But he could really be Hollinger’s love child — who knows? Remember they both drink whiskey like real men. — Cheryl Penn, L.A.

Jim Hollinger is Rick’s father, not the guy who killed his father. The mom meant that metaphorically and an 11-year-old kid took it too literally. The body had on a white shirt and had short, dark hair. Rick had a white shirt in Episode 7, but with 90 minutes in Episode 8, it could be someone else. — Angel Zobel-Rodriguez, San Fernando

Rick’s encounter and less-than-violent actions with Jim will involve the police. Police will go to the resort searching for Rick, and all characters will feel like the police are there for them, which may result in each character panicking to flee or deal with the situation. — Benjamin Cendejas, Glendora

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Chelsea
I think Gaitok accidentally shoots Chelsea and kills her. — Susan Scelfo, Hollywood, Fla.

Rick and Chelsea live happily ever after. — Nick Panza

Jon Gries and Charlotte Le Bon

Greg/Gary
Greg/Gary comes to the villas looking for Belinda and gets bitten by the snake that’s been loose in her room — and he dies! (Yay!) — Jill Frank, L.A.

Greg/Gary finally gets his due. Gaitok must overcome his Buddhist desire for nonviolence and shoot him to defend Belinda. Fabian helps Gary get access to Belinda when he thinks she and Pornchai are conspiring to take over his job. — Marika, Marina del Rey

Gary/Greg is revealed to have a connection to the GM or the owner, which explains his easy access. — Bill Nuss

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Dom Hetrakul and Natasha Rothwell

Belinda
Belinda takes the money. I worry that Pornchai has alterior motives when he rushed to have her stay and open a spa in Thailand, but I think the Russians will corner the market on the grift. — Angel Zobel-Rodriguez

Belinda gets a gun and when she is about to shoot Gary in the dining room she accidentally shoots and kills Chelsea. As she is dying, Chelsea tells Rick to live a good life. He becomes a Buddhist. — Linda Weisbrod

Pornchai
Pornchai, Belinda’s colleague and new friend, is going to die. He told her, “I will protect you.” He will do that, but only by losing his own life. — Allison Gold

Fabian
Hotel director Fabian will finally have a big singing number that goes so badly that multiple guests start taking shots at him. — Chad McDonald, Saratoga Springs, Utah

Frank
Frank continues his debauchery and gives up his sobriety for good. He ultimately starts working for Sritala, as she was charmed by him — even if he really wasn’t a producer. — Diana Perez

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Lek Patravadi, Christian Friedel and Walton Goggins

The theories that tie up everything

Two sets of killers will descend on the hotel — the Russians looking for their re-stolen necklace and Sritala’s guards looking for Rick. Both efforts will get stymied. Chelsea and Laurie will elude them by connecting with Gaitok. A cross fire will ensue, distracting Timothy from eating the suicide fruit long enough to reunite with his family. He will decide to stay at the temple with Lochlan, and the rest of the family will decide to go home. Belinda will find solace in the arms of Pornchai. Gaitok will aim to defend the hotel from the attackers, and succeed in killing a couple of them, but in the chaos, he will also accidentally kill Fabian and Greg, who will wander into the fracas on their personal missions to micromanage and control others. Saxon and Chelsea will go back to England. Rick and Frank will be too hungover to get back to the hotel, and will stay in Bangkok. Mook will be proud of Gaitok and he will get promoted by Sritala. — Louise Yarnall, La Selva Beach

Oh this is easy. Gaitok wins Mook’s heart by identifying Valentin as one of the robbers, securing his place among the detail of bodyguards to arrest the thieves. The hotel owner persuades the girls to invite Valentin and his buddies to a party the night before they are scheduled to leave. The plan is to arrest them there. The security guards include those of the owner’s husband who have arrived to exact revenge on Rick. Meanwhile in another part of the resort, Greg/Gary prepares to flee but tries one last time to persuade Belinda and doubles his offer. She resists, against the wishes of her son. Gary/Greg is desperate and reveals a gun. Meanwhile, at the party Valentin’s buddy seizes Mook as a human shield. It’s a stalemate, and at the moment of highest tension, Fabian intervenes to exchange positions with Mook, saving her. Gaitok tries to take a shot but only grazes Valentin’s shoulder. Greg/Gary is distracted by gunfire that breaks out between Valentin’s gang and the bodyguards. Greg/Gary decides to flee, and on the way out, he is intercepted by Rick, who takes the gun. Rick runs toward the gunfire. He finally has a chance to be a hero, but he misses when he shoots. The Ratliff family, trying to escape the mayhem, takes the bullet. It’s Piper who goes down. Mike: Next season, make it harder! — Alan Farago, L.A.

General predictions

A tsunami arrives. — Liz Wex, Woodland Hills

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Those monkeys have had it! They’ve been watching bad human behavior — and we all know the security guard doesn’t keep a good eye on his gun. — Cherie Wasoff, L.A.

Blackpink will show up and save the day. — Jason Lew, L.A.

They were there for six months — enough time to film two seasons. I predict a cliffhanger to be continued in Season 4. — Kurt Beske, Gig Harbor, Wash.

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Movie Reviews

1986 Movie Reviews – Black Moon Rising | The Nerdy

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1986 Movie Reviews – Black Moon Rising | The Nerdy
by Sean P. Aune | January 10, 2026January 10, 2026 10:30 am EST

Welcome to an exciting year-long project here at The Nerdy. 1986 was an exciting year for films giving us a lot of films that would go on to be beloved favorites and cult classics. It was also the start to a major shift in cultural and societal norms, and some of those still reverberate to this day.

We’re going to pick and choose which movies we hit, but right now the list stands at nearly four dozen.

Yes, we’re insane, but 1986 was that great of a year for film.

The articles will come out – in most cases – on the same day the films hit theaters in 1986 so that it is their true 40th anniversary. All films are also watched again for the purposes of these reviews and are not being done from memory. In some cases, it truly will be the first time we’ve seen them.

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This time around, it’s Jan. 10, 1986, and we’re off to see Black Moon Rising.

Black Moon Rising

What was the obsession in the 1980s with super vehicles?

Sam Quint (Tommy Lee Jones) is hired to steal a computer tape with evidence against a company on it. While being pursued, he tucks it in the parachute of a prototype vehicle called the Black Moon. While trying to retrieve it, the car is stolen by Nina (Linda Hamilton), a car thief working for a car theft ring. Both of them want out of their lives, and it looks like the Black Moon could be their ticket out.

Blue Thunder in the movies, Airwolf and Knight Rider on TV, the 1980s loved an impractical ‘super’ vehicle. In this case, the car plays a very minor role up until the final action set piece, and the story is far more about the characters and their motivations.

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The movie is silly as you would expect it to be, but it is never a bad watch. It’s just not anything particularly memorable.

1986 Movie Reviews will continue on Jan. 17, 2026, with The Adventures of the American Rabbit, The Adventures of Mark Twain, The Clan of the Cave Bear, Iron Eagle, The Longshot, and Troll.


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Commentary: California made them rich. Now billionaires flee when the state asks for a little something back.

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Commentary: California made them rich. Now billionaires flee when the state asks for a little something back.

California helped make them the rich. Now a small proposed tax is spooking them out of the state.

California helped make them among the richest people in the world. Now they’re fleeing because California wants a little something back.

The proposed California Billionaire Tax Act has plutocrats saying they are considering deserting the Golden State for fear they’ll have to pay a one-time, 5% tax, on top of the other taxes they barely pay in comparison to the rest of us. Think of it as the Dust Bowl migration in reverse, with The Monied headed East to grow their fortunes.

The measure would apply to billionaires residing in California as of Jan. 1, 2026, meaning that 2025 was a big moving year month among the 200 wealthiest California households subject to the tax.

The recently departed reportedly include In-n-Out Burger owner and heiress Lynsi Snyder, PayPal co-founder and conservative donor Peter Thiel, Venture Capitalist David Sacks, co-founder of Craft Ventures, and Google co-founder Larry Page, who recently purchased $173 million worth of waterfront property in Miami’s Coconut Grove. Thank goodness he landed on his feet in these tough times.

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The principal sponsor behind the Billionaire Tax Act is the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW), which contends that the tax could raise a $100 billion to offset severe federal cutbacks to California’s public education, food assistance and Medicaid programs.

The initiative is designed to offset some of the tax breaks that billionaires received from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act recently passed by the Republican-dominated Congress and signed by President Trump.

According to my colleague Michael Hiltzik, the bill “will funnel as much as $1 trillion in tax benefits to the wealthy over the next decade, while blowing a hole in state and local budgets for healthcare and other needs.”

The drafters of the Billionaire Tax Act still have to gather around 875,000 signatures from registered voters by June 24 for the measure to qualify on November’s ballot. But given the public ire toward the growing wealth of the 1%, and the affordability crisis engulfing much of the rest of the nation, it has a fair chance of making it onto the ballot.

If the tax should be voted into law, what would it mean for those poor tycoons who failed to pack up the Lamborghinis in time? For Thiel, whose net worth is around $27.5 billion, it would be around $1.2 billion, should he choose to stay, and he’d have up to five years to pay it.

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Yes, it’s a lot … if you’re not a billionaire. It’s doubtful any of the potentially affected affluents would feel the pinch, but it could make a world of difference for kids depending on free school lunches, or folks who need medical care but can’t afford it because they’ve been squeezed by a system that places much of the tax burden on them.

According to the California Budget & Policy Center, the bottom fifth of California’s non-elderly families, with an average annual income of $13,900, spend an estimated 10.5% of their incomes on state and local taxes. In comparison, the wealthiest 1% of families, with an average annual income of $2.0 million, spend an estimated 8.7% of their incomes on state and local taxes.

“It’s a matter of values,” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Fremont) posted on X. “We believe billionaires can pay a modest wealth tax so working-class Californians have Medicaid.”

Many have argued losing all that wealth to other states will hurt California in the long run.

Even Gov. Gavin Newsom has argued against the measure, citing that the wealthy can relocate anywhere else to evade the tax. During the New York Times DealBook Summit last month, Newsom said, “You can’t isolate yourself from the 49 others. We’re in a competitive environment.”

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He has a point, as do others who contend that the proposed tax may hurt California rather then help.

Sacks signaled he was leaving California by posting an image of the Texas flag on Dec. 31 on X and writing: “God bless Texas.” He followed with a post that read, “As a response to socialism, Miami will replace NYC as the finance capital and Austin will replace SF as the tech capital.”

Arguments aside, it’s disturbing to think that some of the richest people in the nation would rather pick up and move than put a small fraction of their vast California-made — or in the case of the burger chain, inherited — fortunes toward helping others who need a financial boost.

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‘Song Sung Blue’ movie review: Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson sing their hearts out in a lovely musical biopic

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‘Song Sung Blue’ movie review: Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson sing their hearts out in a lovely musical biopic

A still from ‘Song Sung Blue’.
| Photo Credit: Focus Features/YouTube

There is something unputdownable about Mike Sardina (Hugh Jackman) from the first moment one sees him at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting celebrating his 20th sober birthday. He encourages the group to sing the famous Neil Diamond number, ‘Song Sung Blue,’ with him, and we are carried along on a wave of his enthusiasm.

Song Sung Blue (English)

Director: Craig Brewer

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Kate Hudson, Michael Imperioli, Ella Anderson, Mustafa Shakir, Fisher Stevens, Jim Belushi

Runtime: 132 minutes

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Storyline: Mike and Claire find and rescue each other from the slings and arrows of mediocrity when they form a Neil Diamond tribute band

We learn that Mike is a music impersonator who refuses to come on stage as anyone but himself, Lightning, at the Wisconsin State Fair. At the fair, he meets Claire (Kate Hudson), who is performing as Patsy Cline. Sparks fly between the two, and Claire suggests Mike perform a Neil Diamond tribute.

Claire and Mike start a relationship and a Neil Diamond tribute band, called Lightning and Thunder. They marry and after some initial hesitation, Claire’s children from her first marriage, Rachel (Ella Anderson) and Dayna (Hudson Hensley), and Mike’s daughter from an earlier marriage, Angelina (King Princess), become friends. 

Members from Mike’s old band join the group, including Mark Shurilla (Michael Imperioli), a Buddy Holly impersonator and Sex Machine (Mustafa Shakir), who sings as James Brown. His dentist/manager, Dave Watson (Fisher Stevens), believes in him, even fixing his tooth with a little lightning bolt!

The tribute band meets with success, including opening for Pearl Jam, with the front man for the grunge band, Eddie Vedder (John Beckwith), joining Lightning and Thunder for a rendition of ‘Forever in Blue Jeans’ at the 1995 Pearl Jam concert in Milwaukee.

There is heartbreak, anger, addiction, and the rise again before the final tragedy. Song Sung Blue, based on Greg Kohs’ eponymous documentary, is a gentle look into a musician’s life. When Mike says, “I’m not a songwriter. I’m not a sex symbol. But I am an entertainer,” he shows that dreams do not have to die. Mike and Claire reveal that even if you do not conquer the world like a rock god, you can achieve success doing what makes you happy.

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ALSO READ: ‘Run Away’ series review: Perfect pulp to kick off the New Year

Song Sung Blue is a validation for all the regular folk with modest dreams, but dreams nevertheless. As the poet said, “there’s no success like failure, and failure’s no success at all.” Hudson and Jackman power through the songs and tears like champs, leaving us laughing, tapping our feet, and wiping away the errant tears all at once.

The period detail is spot on (never mind the distracting wigs). The chance to hear a generous catalogue of Diamond’s music in arena-quality sound is not to be missed, in a movie that offers a satisfying catharsis. Music is most definitely the food of love, so may we all please have a second and third helping?

Song Sung Blue is currently running in theatres 

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