Latest news with #Hollinger
San Francisco Chronicle
24-05-2025
- General
- San Francisco Chronicle
S.F. parents are trying to start first K-8 Mandarin immersion charter school. It won't be easy
Yunita Tjhai has always wanted her kids to be able to speak, read and write Mandarin. Unable to speak Chinese, the San Francisco mother of three, who grew up in Indonesia, regretted that she was never able to communicate with her monolingual Chinese-speaking grandparents. She and her husband Brian Hollinger enrolled their kids in Mandarin-immersion daycare. The oldest child is now in first grade at one of San Francisco's only two Mandarin immersion public elementary schools. Hollinger is concerned that the district has not met the growing demand for Mandarin immersion education and that SFUSD's turbulent financial situation might jeopardize his kids' Mandarin education. 'The district hasn't prioritized Mandarin immersion,' Hollinger said. 'They haven't expanded on it even as the city's demographics have changed, even as Mandarin immersion daycare has exploded, even as private school options have exploded.' In March, Hollinger alongside two veteran educators and two other district parents, kickstarted an effort to create San Francisco's first K-8 Mandarin immersion public school, a charter school to be called ' Dragon Gate Academy.' Supporters say the school would address unmet demand and offer more continuity as well as efficient use of resources with students remaining at the same site for elementary and middle school. 'There's an opportunity for the board of education to say we recognize the demand,' Hollinger said. 'Let's deliver a win for these families. Let's deliver an alternative for them to take advantage of tuition-free public education through Mandarin immersion in a K-8 format.' Hollinger said they have already gathered meaningful interest from almost 200 parents and teachers and are preparing to bring the charter petition to the San Francisco school board in the next couple months. They needed 77 prospective parents — 50% of the K-4 students expected for the first year — to sign the petition to be eligible. The team will likely face an uphill endeavor to seek authorization from a school district that's historically been opposed to expanding the number of charter schools. In the absence of the San Francisco Unified School District opening a K-8 Mandarin immersion school, Hollinger said he and other parents feel they have no choice but to serve unmet needs of hundreds of parents who couldn't secure one of the coveted K-5 spaces. SFUSD has two Mandarin immersion elementary schools and one middle school. Both elementary schools have long waitlists for every grade for the upcoming school year. With only 66 seats in the incoming Mandarin immersion kindergarten classes at Starr King and Jose Ortega elementary schools, about two-thirds of which are reserved for proficient speakers, parents say that's far from enough in a city where 22% of residents are Chinese and where Chinese languages are by far the most widely spoken after English. 'If you're thinking of equity, people who can afford Mandarin immersion daycare in preschool have a massive leg up in getting into Mandarin immersion,' said co-organizer Brian Grech, who has three boys in Mandarin immersion, two at Starr King and one in preschool, because their kids can test into the spots reserved for proficient speakers. There were 174 kindergarten seats for immersion in Cantonese, the most common Chinese dialect spoken in San Francisco, at four elementary schools, which also have waitlists, and 163 for native Cantonese-speaking kindergarteners who may not speak English. By contrast, San Francisco Unified School District had almost 400 Spanish immersion kindergarten seats even though there are more than twice as many Chinese speakers with limited English proficiency in San Francisco than Spanish speakers with limited proficiency. San Francisco Unified School District spokesperson Hong Mei Pang said the district is 'supportive of expanding SFUSD language immersion programs as a strategy to increase enrollment options for families while improving student learning and outcomes,' including the possibility of a Mandarin immersion K-8 school, and that the district is engaging experts to determine next steps. District spokesperson Katrina Kincade said that an additional kindergarten classroom could fulfill the existing demand for the 2025-26 school year. She said there are vacant seats in the middle school Mandarin immersion program. 'Public school language immersion programs are a key priority for Superintendent Su,' Kincade wrote in a statement as they 'strengthen enrollment in SFUSD.' Kincade said as the district prepares for the upcoming budget cycle, 'we will be sharing plans to enhance and grow our acclaimed immersion offerings.' Hollinger said the idea that an extra kindergarten class could a meet the exploding demand for Mandarin immersion schools reflects the district's lack of understanding. Hollinger said numerous private Mandarin immersion schools are entering the market, including one called Hiba Academy opening in fall 2026, showing how high demand is. Dragon Gate Academy would adopt a similar immersion model to SFUSD, where kindergarteners receive 80% of teaching in Mandarin and the rest in English, scaling down to 50% by fourth grade. Research has shown K-12 Mandarin immersion has enabled students to achieve extremely high levels of Mandarin proficiency while performing on par with or better than peers in English and math. But a key difference is the K-8 throughline. SFUSD's Mandarin immersion middle school, Aptos, is on the opposite side of the city from Starr King, one of its two immersion elementary schools, creating a 38-minute round trip drive that parents said is inefficient and impractical, especially if they have kids in both schools. Grech's oldest son is expecting to enter sixth grade at Aptos next year. His middle child is at Starr King. Grech is bracing for a commute of over an hour, with traffic, from his home to each of his children's schools, putting his oldest on a long bus ride, or enrolling him in another middle school altogether 'It was obvious that the entire Mandarin immersion program, broadly, was an afterthought in the way it was constructed by SFUSD,' Grech said. 'While I'm very thankful all those programs exist, it should be rethought, in my mind, in a more coherent way that serves the interests of parents across all kinds of demographic groups and every single neighborhood and city.' The organizers envisioned a centrally located school and proposed co-location with an existing, underused SFUSD school, paying rent to the district to share a building. Non-native speakers would have 41%of seats reserved for them. The goal, according to the charter petition, is to mirror the diversity of the district, through an open lottery admissions process with no quotas or preferential admissions and outreach to underserved communities. Hollinger said he started having concerns when he heard in fall 2023 that the Mandarin immersion teacher for seventh and eighth graders at Aptos Middle School had resigned at the start of the school year. 'That was the first, 'Oh my gosh,'' Hollinger said. 'What is the path for the kids if the district isn't supporting the program enough to get a teacher?' It would be months before the position was filled, said Sherry Lin, a parent of two Aptos middle schoolers, who organized parents at the time. From September until March, Lin said her seventh-grade daughter was taught by a rotating cast of substitutes, including many that Lin said did not speak Mandarin proficiently. 'It took the wind out of their sails,' Lin said. The proposed charter school will have to be supported by a majority of the school board, which can, by law, reject it for a host of reasons, including that the district is not positioned to absorb the financial impact of the proposed charter school. Dragon Gate Academy will likely face opposition, especially from the teacher's union, which opposed expanding charter schools in its public education pledge. At least four current San Francisco school board members are listed as having signed it. Neither the union nor the school board members responded to a request for comment. Charter opponents say charter schools siphon funding away from district schools as they attract students who would otherwise have enrolled in district schools. California state funding for schools is allocated on a per pupil basis — about $22,000 per student. Hollinger has argued that Dragon Gate Academy could attract some students who otherwise would have left the district to enter private schools or move out of San Francisco, and therefore doesn't subtract from the district's coffers as much as opponents might think. One such parent is Kailee Boyce, who has two kids in Mandarin immersion preschool and an eight-month-old baby. Neither she nor her husband are or speak Chinese, but they wanted to give their children the benefits of language immersion, including cognitive benefits and cultural exposure. Her older daughter's first word was in Mandarin. ' Gou,' she had said, seemingly pointing to the sidewalk, Boyce recalled. Her daughter was pointing at the dogs on the sidewalk. 'My son was like, 'No Mommy, she means dog, you don't know Chinese,'' Boyce recalled. 'I felt just proud.' But when she started researching elementary Mandarin immersion schools for her four-year-old, she said a parent at Jose Ortega told her that unless they had a sibling already enrolled, the chances of getting in were almost zero. Starr King, located in Potrero Hill, is a 25-minute drive from her younger children's Sunset District daycare. It wouldn't be logistically possible, she said. She's betting on Dragon Gate Academy to succeed. 'If the charter school doesn't get traction,' Boyce said, 'I think we would probably leave San Francisco.'
New York Times
11-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Why the Suns have a case to trade Devin Booker. Plus, the NBA playoffs are near!
The Bounce Newsletter | This is The Athletic's daily NBA newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Bounce directly in your inbox. Next time we speak, the regular season will be over. We'll officially know half of the playoff matchups. And we're going to start trying to figure out the Play-In Tournament. We made it, folks! The playoffs are just around the corner. Enjoy this weekend! Should Phoenix deal its all-time leading scorer? As we've been tracking here for a few weeks, the Suns (35-45) officially became the most expensive failure in NBA history this week when their $366 million roster ($152 million luxury tax bill) was eliminated from even making the Play-In Tournament. John Hollinger wrote a devastating and scathing article about them yesterday, obliterating their impatience since Mat Ishbia purchased the franchise in December 2022. Advertisement Ishbia took a team a year removed from a NBA Finals berth and got super aggressive. His organization traded a lot of picks with Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson for Kevin Durant. It was justifiable on so many levels, but you can question if it's an overpay. Then, the Suns got very brash, moving for Bradley Beal to create a big three in an era of collective bargaining agreements designed to knock that idea down. It was an impulsive risk, rather than a calculated one. I don't mind impatient risks. They're fun, they're bold and they don't affect me, my job status or my bottom line. That's not the case for the Suns. They have no light at the end of the tunnel that isn't a massive oncoming train made of luxury tax penalties and mediocrity. I like swinging for the fences instead of overvaluing draft capital, but there is a line to it. The Suns crossed it long ago. In Hollinger's piece, he suggested the ultimate move of patience: don't just trade KD this summer — trade Devin Booker too. Why? The Suns don't have control of their first-round pick until 2032. 2032! Cooper Flagg might be supermax eligible by then! And Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison will be telling some team not to give him the money! Not only that. The Rockets, through shrewd, patient moves, have the option to swap for Phoenix's picks this year, in 2027 and in 2029. Utah gets their pick in 2031. The Wizards have control of Phoenix's picks in 2026, 2028 and 2030. Here's the kicker. When they finally have their pick in 2032, it'll likely be 'frozen' (can't be traded) and dropped to the end of the first round, as part of the penalty of being over the second apron two out of the next four years. Hollinger suggested moving Booker, starting all the way over, waiting out Beal's next two years of $110 million and no-trade clause, and doing a proper, patient rebuild. He even suggested dangling KD and Booker to the Rockets for Jalen Green and all of Phoenix's picks back. Hollinger (feel free to read!) described that as the best-case scenario! Ruh roh! How did Denver inform best player of firings? 👂 Heads-up. Nikola Jokić says he was told right before Michael Malone was fired. Big Honey accepted it. 🙅 Access denied. Fred Katz has come up with the newest fake award out there. Best perimeter defenders. 🏀 It's tough. Most NBA teams actually aren't tanking, but being on the verge of contention? It's no picnic. 🎧 Tuning in. Today's NBA Daily previews the final week of the NBA's regular season. 📺 Don't miss this game tonight. Bucks (46-34) at Pistons (44-36), 7 p.m. ET on NBA TV or Fubo (try it free!). Detroit must win in order to have a chance at the No. 5 seed. 📺 Don't miss this game tonight either! Grizzlies (47-33) at Nuggets (48-32), 9 p.m. ET on League Pass. Both teams are trying to avoid the Play-In. Memphis is on a back-to-back. How could a Devin Booker trade look? Above, we laid out how bleak this Suns situation appears. Remember those trade ideas? What if the Suns decide to move Durant and Booker in separate deals? Booker makes $53.1 million next season and has three years, $171 million left after this season. What would the current market/move for Booker possibly look like? Guess what! I asked John! This was his idea on a potential Booker trade: Hollinger: 'The obvious answer here is to get three unprotected or lightly protected firsts from the Detroit Pistons. Booker grew up in Michigan, rocks a Tigers hat in post-game interviews and would have an obvious fit in Detroit both in terms of the Pistons' timeline and his place on the roster as a wingman for Cade Cunningham. The story of the greatest players in NBA history. In 100 riveting profiles, top basketball writers justify their selections and uncover the history of the NBA in the process. The story of the greatest players in NBA history. 'Meanwhile, Detroit has the salary flexibility to absorb his contract and offer Phoenix some cap relief, and could easily put multiple firsts into a deal. For instance, a package of Tobias Harris, Jaden Ivey, Bobbi Klintman, Simone Fontecchio and a signed-and-traded Lindy Waters, plus first-round picks in 2026, 2028 and 2030 for Booker and Grayson Allen would get the Suns out of the second apron and restock some of their draft and prospect equity. Advertisement '(Detroit could do a similar deal with a signed-and-traded Tim Hardaway Jr. in the place of Harris, by the way; Phoenix could legally acquire Waters in a sign-and-trade by shedding more money in a Kevin Durant trade with another team to get below the first apron). 'The Pistons have enough cap space and flexibility that they could execute such a deal and still re-sign Malik Beasley at a market rate, either with cap space or their nontaxpayer midlevel exception. On the draft compensation, I threw out three firsts as a starting point; the protection and quantity on the picks would likely involve some haggling by both sides, but it seems to me zero or limited protection would be the endgame based on other comparable recent trades.' Knicks might be tanking as West remains a mess If you're hoping to watch NBA basketball on Saturday, you're out of luck. We're getting all 30 teams playing tonight, and we're getting all 30 teams playing during the day on Sunday to finish out the season. We don't need to focus on the 10 teams already eliminated from next week's action. We hope your tanking brings you what you need. We can also recognize the Cavaliers, Celtics, Thunder and Rockets have no real reason to play their main guys. They'll have plenty of rest next week, and risking injury to any of these guys would be pointless. But their resting could have some consequences on some playoff positioning. Here are the races to watch. Eastern Conference Are the Knicks tanking to the No. 4 seed? Curiously, the Knicks sat a couple starters last night, played Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns both under 30 minutes, played PJ Tucker 27 minutes (he's played 32 minutes the last two seasons) and lost to Detroit. It happened the same night Indiana beat Cleveland (resting their guys). The Pacers are now a game back of the Knicks for third. The Knicks play Cleveland tonight and Brooklyn on Sunday. Indiana plays Orlando tonight and Cleveland on Sunday. Really, none of the Knicks' or Pacers' opponents have anything to play for this weekend. Their fates are set. So, we could see the Knicks trying to avoid the Celtics for as long as possible, and try their hands at dropping to the No. 4 seed and hoping Cleveland is all regular season, no gas. Advertisement Who wants the No. 5 seed? The Pistons host the Bucks tonight, and they're in Milwaukee on Sunday. If they win both of those games, they take the No. 5 seed. Lose one or both of them, and they're locked into sixth. East Play-In: Orlando is locked into seventh and will host the 7-8 matchup. Atlanta is in Philadelphia tonight. If they win that game, they're locked into eighth and will face the Magic for the No. 7 seed. If they lose and Chicago wins at home against Washington, then the Hawks need to beat the Magic on Sunday or have the Bulls lose to the 76ers on Sunday. For Miami to move up to ninth, the Heat need to beat the Pelicans tonight and the Wizards on Sunday with the Bulls losing both of their games. Western Conference Race for the No. 3 seed: If the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Rockets tonight or the Blazers on Sunday, they win the Pacific Division and therefore lock up the No. 3 seed no matter what. They'd have tiebreakers over the Nuggets and the Clippers. Let's tackle 4-8 in the West: Let's assume the Lakers win one of those games and lock up the No. 3 seed. We've still got this tight race with the Nuggets (48-32), Clippers (48-32), Warriors (47-33), Grizzlies (47-33) and Wolves (47-33). Currently, the Grizzlies are sitting in seventh and the Wolves are in eighth because of the tiebreakers. First, let's hit you with the schedules of these five teams: The winner of Denver and Memphis tonight will take the tiebreaker in their season series. If Memphis wins that game and then somehow all five teams end up with the same record at the end of the season, Minnesota would finish fourth, the Clippers would get the No. 5 seed, the Warriors would get the No. 6 seed and Memphis would host Denver in the Play-In to play for the No. 7 seed. This stuff can get a little complicated with the tie-breakers, so if you want to play the home version of this, here's a little cheat sheet for the season series. It reads left to right so the Nuggets were 2-1 against the Warriors and 0-4 against the Wolves. Or … you just wait for the standings page to update! West Play-In 9-10: The Kings play the Clippers and the Suns. Win one of those games, and they'll host the Mavericks for the chance to play for the No. 8 seed. If they lose both games, the Mavs have to win both of their games (home to Toronto, at Memphis) to host that matchup. Advertisement 📬 Love The Bounce? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters. Streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
USA Today
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Who died in the White Lotus season 3 finale?
Who died in the White Lotus season 3 finale? The third season of the wildly popular Max series, The White Lotus, wrapped up on Sunday night. Over the course of seven episodes, tension built as to which character -- and how many -- would not make it through the eighth and final episode. WARNING: SPOILERS FOR THE WHITE LOTUS SEASON 3 FINALE TO FOLLOW! WHITE LOTUS MEMES ARE EVERYWHERE: Thanks, Walton Goggins There were at least two deaths this season, with a likely third character's death extremely likely but unconfirmed. After parting ways during last week's episode, Rick (Walton Goggins) seemed to find peace with the situation around the man he thought murdered his father. That was until Jim Hollinger (Scott Glenn) returned to the resort. Things went off the rails, with Rick confronting Hollinger and shooting him twice in the chest before being informed that Hollinger was his father. A shootout ensued between Rick and security, which ended with the lovely and delightful Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) getting killed in the crossfire. But they weren't done yet. After Rick realized what had happened, he scooped up his girlfriend and started to walk out of the resort. Instead, security guard Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong) shot Rick in the back, sending both into the lily pad covered water. It wasn't fully clear if Hollinger died, although all signs pointed aggressively to yes. There was a moment during the episode where it looked as though Timothy Ratliff (Jason Isaacs) was going to avoid his troubles back home and take out his entire family -- minus youngest son Lochlan (Sam Nivola) -- with a smoothie made from deadly fruit seeds. Instead, he came to his senses and stopped them before the damage was done. But Lochlan, who apparently can't clean a blender, made himself a morning smoothie complete with poison remnants. He recovered, but things looked dicey for awhile. Now, the Ratliff family has to go back to North Carolina to face with Tim's business problems.
CNN
05-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
7 serious and unserious ‘White Lotus' theories ahead of the Season 3 finale
'The White Lotus' Season 3 finale is upon us and, of course, there are some wild theories floating around the internet that may come to pass during Sunday's finale. Some of those theories border on full-throttle conspiracies, others are just straight-up ridiculous, and the rest just may wind up ringing true. Regardless, all of them are endlessly entertaining, giving viewers something to speculate about before the finale airs. Here's just some conjecture to dive into as we reluctantly prepare to check out of the White Lotus resort & spa in Thailand on Sunday. There is a contingent of viewers that have been speculating about a 'Star Wars'-inspired twist as it pertains to Jim Hollinger (Scott Glenn) and Rick (Walton Goggins) ever since it became clear that Rick had taken a special interest in Sritala's (Lek Patravadi) husband. Rick confronted Hollinger at his home during last week's episode, but what was left out of the scene was any explanation from Hollinger about what actually happened or how they're linked, at least according to him. As the theory goes, the finale will bring more closure for Rick with Hollinger following him back to the resort to pull a Darth Vader-style 'Rick, I am your father' declaration. Since the very first episode, people online have been speculating that the monkeys often seen in ambient shots of Thailand's nature are to blame for the ultimate shootout teased in this season's opening scene. While many have enjoyed the theory, actress Michelle Monaghan, who plays Jaclyn Lemon on the show, debunked it last month during an appearance on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' where she declared, 'The monkeys did not do it!' It seems that creator Mike White is leaving the gun-slinging to the humans. This is another theory that's been floating around since the first episode, when hotel staffer Pam (Morgana O'Reilly) warned the Ratliffs not to eat the fruit rolling around their hotel villa's pool deck because it's poisonous. It's a topic that has since held strong in conversations about the show online, with each passing episode leaving viewers wondering when those pesky poison fruits may come back into play – especially with Saxon's (Patrick Schwarzenegger) obsession with making a noisy, daily smoothie. Based on the promo for the finale episode, it looks like Timothy (Jason Isaacs) is holding the toxic fruit in his hand while asking Pam to remind him about its dangers. Is it ominous foreshadowing or a red herring? Either way, careful what you gulp. In one of Victoria's (Parker Posey) most memorable scenes early on this season, she unapologetically snubs the gossip-monger known as Kate (Leslie Bibb) after she recognized her from a baby shower the pair both attended in Austin. Victoria barely muttered a word to Kate, who approached the Ratliffs during a meal, making the exchange extra awkward. This feels like one of those loose ends that still needs to be tied up, and that there's a reason for establishing this connection. Perhaps Kate connected with their friend in common while at the resort to tell her that she ran into Victoria in Thailand? Remember, the Ratliffs don't have their phones so they (seemingly) aren't aware of the state of Tim's financial woes, but Kate and Victoria's mutual friend back home may have heard. Will this come back to bite Tim, knowing his location could be compromised leading to law enforcement getting involved? Or will Kate be the one to tell Victoria about the allegations against her husband? Piper's (Sarah Catherine Hook) storyline about wanting to stay in Thailand is a callback to Season 1, when Quinn Mossbacher (Fred Hechinger) wound up staying in Maui as the rest of his family made their return trip. It was hard not to think about Quinn after Piper revealed her master monastery plan to stay, but with those shots of bare bones living quarters and seemingly inedible food during her overnight at the meditation center, it begs the question of whether Piper is really ready for the no-frills commitment. Especially after her confusing reaction to Lochlan (Sam Nivola) wanting to stay abroad with her, it seems like Victoria's prayers may just be answered and Piper will head back home to North Carolina. Put on your tin foil hat because here's a doozy. Some have speculated that hotel manager Fabian (Christian Friedel) dismissed Belinda's concerns about Greg/Gary because the two men are nefariously working together, but this new theory suggests otherwise. 'White Lotus' costume designer Alex Bovaird said in a recent interview that she dressed some characters – including Fabian – in costumes designed by Thai brand Jim Thompson. Legend has it that the brand's namesake was a textile factory owner in Thailand, as well as a CIA spy, and he mysteriously disappeared in 1967. Bovaird teased that this connection holds meaning in Season 3, and some viewers think Fabian is that thread. The theory is that Fabian is working with authorities to take down Greg/Gary, which could offer an alternate explanation as to why Fabian was so quick to dismiss Belinda's (Natasha Rothwell) very legitimate concerns about him. The hotel manager/spy probably has it handled, ok? We're just as stressed about this theory as you are, but it has to be said: earlier this season, Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) got bit by a venomous snake and was a victim of the hotel boutique robbery. She brushed death twice and even said it herself, 'Bad things come in threes.' Let's just hope that third bad thing isn't Chelsea floating in the water near Zion(!). 'The White Lotus' Season 3 finale episode will air on Sunday on HBO and stream on Max. (HBO and Max, like CNN, are properties of Warner Bros. Discovery.)
CNN
05-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
7 serious and unserious ‘White Lotus' theories ahead of the Season 3 finale
'The White Lotus' Season 3 finale is upon us and, of course, there are some wild theories floating around the internet that may come to pass during Sunday's finale. Some of those theories border on full-throttle conspiracies, others are just straight-up ridiculous, and the rest just may wind up ringing true. Regardless, all of them are endlessly entertaining, giving viewers something to speculate about before the finale airs. Here's just some conjecture to dive into as we reluctantly prepare to check out of the White Lotus resort & spa in Thailand on Sunday. There is a contingent of viewers that have been speculating about a 'Star Wars'-inspired twist as it pertains to Jim Hollinger (Scott Glenn) and Rick (Walton Goggins) ever since it became clear that Rick had taken a special interest in Sritala's (Lek Patravadi) husband. Rick confronted Hollinger at his home during last week's episode, but what was left out of the scene was any explanation from Hollinger about what actually happened or how they're linked, at least according to him. As the theory goes, the finale will bring more closure for Rick with Hollinger following him back to the resort to pull a Darth Vader-style 'Rick, I am your father' declaration. Since the very first episode, people online have been speculating that the monkeys often seen in ambient shots of Thailand's nature are to blame for the ultimate shootout teased in this season's opening scene. While many have enjoyed the theory, actress Michelle Monaghan, who plays Jaclyn Lemon on the show, debunked it last month during an appearance on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' where she declared, 'The monkeys did not do it!' It seems that creator Mike White is leaving the gun-slinging to the humans. This is another theory that's been floating around since the first episode, when hotel staffer Pam (Morgana O'Reilly) warned the Ratliffs not to eat the fruit rolling around their hotel villa's pool deck because it's poisonous. It's a topic that has since held strong in conversations about the show online, with each passing episode leaving viewers wondering when those pesky poison fruits may come back into play – especially with Saxon's (Patrick Schwarzenegger) obsession with making a noisy, daily smoothie. Based on the promo for the finale episode, it looks like Timothy (Jason Isaacs) is holding the toxic fruit in his hand while asking Pam to remind him about its dangers. Is it ominous foreshadowing or a red herring? Either way, careful what you gulp. In one of Victoria's (Parker Posey) most memorable scenes early on this season, she unapologetically snubs the gossip-monger known as Kate (Leslie Bibb) after she recognized her from a baby shower the pair both attended in Austin. Victoria barely muttered a word to Kate, who approached the Ratliffs during a meal, making the exchange extra awkward. This feels like one of those loose ends that still needs to be tied up, and that there's a reason for establishing this connection. Perhaps Kate connected with their friend in common while at the resort to tell her that she ran into Victoria in Thailand? Remember, the Ratliffs don't have their phones so they (seemingly) aren't aware of the state of Tim's financial woes, but Kate and Victoria's mutual friend back home may have heard. Will this come back to bite Tim, knowing his location could be compromised leading to law enforcement getting involved? Or will Kate be the one to tell Victoria about the allegations against her husband? Piper's (Sarah Catherine Hook) storyline about wanting to stay in Thailand is a callback to Season 1, when Quinn Mossbacher (Fred Hechinger) wound up staying in Maui as the rest of his family made their return trip. It was hard not to think about Quinn after Piper revealed her master monastery plan to stay, but with those shots of bare bones living quarters and seemingly inedible food during her overnight at the meditation center, it begs the question of whether Piper is really ready for the no-frills commitment. Especially after her confusing reaction to Lochlan (Sam Nivola) wanting to stay abroad with her, it seems like Victoria's prayers may just be answered and Piper will head back home to North Carolina. Put on your tin foil hat because here's a doozy. Some have speculated that hotel manager Fabian (Christian Friedel) dismissed Belinda's concerns about Greg/Gary because the two men are nefariously working together, but this new theory suggests otherwise. 'White Lotus' costume designer Alex Bovaird said in a recent interview that she dressed some characters – including Fabian – in costumes designed by Thai brand Jim Thompson. Legend has it that the brand's namesake was a textile factory owner in Thailand, as well as a CIA spy, and he mysteriously disappeared in 1967. Bovaird teased that this connection holds meaning in Season 3, and some viewers think Fabian is that thread. The theory is that Fabian is working with authorities to take down Greg/Gary, which could offer an alternate explanation as to why Fabian was so quick to dismiss Belinda's (Natasha Rothwell) very legitimate concerns about him. The hotel manager/spy probably has it handled, ok? We're just as stressed about this theory as you are, but it has to be said: earlier this season, Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) got bit by a venomous snake and was a victim of the hotel boutique robbery. She brushed death twice and even said it herself, 'Bad things come in threes.' Let's just hope that third bad thing isn't Chelsea floating in the water near Zion(!). 'The White Lotus' Season 3 finale episode will air on Sunday on HBO and stream on Max. (HBO and Max, like CNN, are properties of Warner Bros. Discovery.)
