White Lotus’ Fans Have Major Theories About Security Guard Gaitok: Is He the Shooter or the Victim?

As The White Lotus season 3 nears its finale, fans have been debating theories about whether security guard Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong) becomes a shooter or the shooting victim that was seen floating in a pond in episode 1. Life & Style breaks down viewer speculation about Gaitok’s fate.

Who Is Gaitok on ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3?

Episode 1 kicked off on February 16, 2025, with what appeared to be a shootout going on at the White Lotus resort in Thailand, that resulted in at least one death. The show then backtracked to the events leading up to it throughout the episodes of season 3.

Gaitok was the first character introduced immediately after the shooting scene, where he picked up Mook (Lalisa Manobal) on his scooter on their way to work at the White Lotus. He was employed as the resort’s front gate security guard, while she was a health mentor.

Gaitok tried to pursue a romance with Mook throughout the season, but she was ultimately let down by his lack of ambition in finding a better job. “I never want to hurt people,” he told her about how he didn’t feel comfortable trying to be a bodyguard or in a position where he might have to use a gun. “I will never feel good about that.”

Why Was Gaitok Given a Gun on ‘The White Lotus’?

Gaitok unwittingly allowed armed robbers onto the White Lotus property in episode 2 when he was distracted at the security gate by health mentor Valentin (Arnas Fedaravičius). A black van sped through, but Valentin kept engaging Gaitok in conversation.

After a gunman robbed the hotel’s boutique of pricey jewelry, Gaitok tried to prevent the van from leaving, only to get pistol whipped by one of the robbers.

In the aftermath, Gaitok was given a gun by his boss due to the uptick in crime on the island. He later proved to be an excellent shot while at a gun range, but even his supervisor didn’t think Gaitok had it in him to actually use the weapon if he needed to.

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Gaitok Discovered Who Was Involved in the Robbery

On his first date with Mook in episode 7, the pair attended a Muy Thai fight following their conversation over dinner about how he never wanted to hurt people. In the audience, he saw Valentin with two friends, one of whom he realized was a man who pulled off the hotel robbery. It also hit Gaitok that Valentin had played him at the front gate through a distraction technique that allowed his friends to rob the resort’s boutique.

In a possible foreshadowing of things to come, Mook told Gaitok, “It’s human to fight!” while watching the Muy Thai battle and he realized he was in the presence of the people who victimized him.

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Fans Have Theories About if Gaitok Is the Shooter or Victim When the Gunfire Erupts in the Season 3 Finale

“My prediction for next week is that the violence erupts with the Russians and the owner’s bodyguards. Gaitok tries to prove himself and gets killed,” one user speculated on X on March 30, 2025, after the penultimate episode of season 3 aired. Another wrote, “I don’t think he dies, but rather kills someone innocent and that is gonna break him.”

“My money is on Gaitok being done with being a pushover and embracing his instinct to kill by attacking Valentin and his friends using the company gun,” a third fan wrote on X.

A fourth had an even more detailed prediction, sharing via X on April 4, 2025, “Gaitok wants to be tough for Mook and seeks revenge on the hotel robbers. He tries to shoot them all but ends up accidentally killing Laurie,” referring to Carrie Coon‘s character of Laurie Duffy, who was vacationing with two childhood friends at the White Lotus resort.

The White Lotus season 3 finale airs on April 6, 2025, at 9 p.m. ET on Max.