Why everyone is talking about the monkeys in The White Lotus

We're only two episodes into The White Lotus season 3 and already chaos is unfolding at breakneck speed. But while much of the drama is obvious (the frenemy group, that disturbing family dynamic, hints of addiction, legal trouble, a violent robbery), fans have spotted a slightly more subtle thread in the show - though only slightly more subtle, because once you start to see it, you can't unsee it.

You may have guessed it: everyone is talking about all the monkey references that keep happening, and what they could possibly mean. On the most obvious level, monkeys are indigenous to the island in Thailand where the show is filmed, therefore they are bound to be around as the guests go about their holiday. However, there's particular focus on the little animals: they're often shown in between scenes, and often there are ominous-looking monkey statues, etc.

In episode 1, eagle-eyed fans noticed that the three Ratliff siblings were embodying the "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" expression, as Saxon was wearing sunglasses, Piper was wearing headphones, and Lochlan was drinking from a bottle. The expression refers to turning a blind eye to wrongdoing, giving the scene an ominous feeling. There were also three monkeys in a tree that one of the three friends spotted.

In episode 2, Kate became terrified when Laurie knocked loudly on the hotel room door, and later said, "I thought it was a monkey." And then there's the strange fact that episode 3 of season 1 was titled, "Mysterious Monkeys." Hmmm...

Fans are assuming that all the monkey references aren't a coincidence, and could turn out to be central to the plot. A dominant fan theory at the moment is that the monkeys are responsible for the shooting that we see at the beginning of episode 1 — though people disagree on whether the 'shooting monkeys' are responsible for the dead body, or whether the two events are unconnected.

Either way, one fan called the monkeys "furry harbingers of doom," which is pretty funny — and pretty accurate, too.

All we know is we can't wait another week for episode 3.