How ‘White Lotus’ Season 3 Portrays a Couple Coping with Cancer

Although Season 3 of “The White Lotus” captivated audiences on Sunday nights, for artist Shannon Carroll, the HBO series provided even more — a source of comfort and entertainment for her late husband, Craig Sinclair, during his last days.

In 2022, Sinclair was diagnosed with an aggressive bladder cancer and entered hospice care at the end of 2024. Throughout their challenging times, the unfolding season of “The White Lotus” offered the couple a sense of peace and anticipation.

Carroll, 37, penned a viral Reddit post sharing her experience, which drew millions of views. “White Lotus became his final obsession,” she noted in the post that received 600 heartfelt comments.

She shared with TODAY.com that by the second episode of the new season, they were completely captivated.

“It was just like — the vibe is right. It was a mind-blowing experience for both of us,” Carroll reflects. “After finishing the second episode, we looked at each other and said, ‘Wow. This is incredible.’”

Carroll mentioned that she and Sinclair recognized their own lives within the show’s themes. “You’re in this stunning, privileged environment, yet there’s also deep tragedy and darkness,” she explains about the HBO series, which delves into the concealed lives of guests at a luxury resort.

“One thing that resonated with us was that during such a dark time in our lives, there was still beauty,” she adds. “It was almost like a contradiction.”

Carroll describes Sinclair as an “incredible storyteller,” noting they met in 2011 and began dating in 2012.

“He was incredibly compassionate and enthusiastic about the world around him. He always used his intelligence to embrace others rather than shut them out,” she recalls. “Spending time with him was always a joy.”

Sinclair entered hospice care in December 2024 and was initially given days to live; he ended up staying for three months.

As “The White Lotus” episodes aired, Carroll shared that Sinclair would often “negotiate” his will to survive just long enough to watch the finale, expressing his “goal” was to see how the season concluded. However, by the time the fourth episode aired, it was evident that Sinclair wouldn’t survive to witness the finale on April 6.

On the morning of Episode 4, during a discussion with Sinclair’s palliative care team, Carroll made the choice to disconnect his IV nutrition.

“We ended up having a beautiful final day together, just the two of us,” she says. “In those final moments, it was just us, which felt destined. I spent the day giving him foot massages and playing his favorite music and movies — basically just trying to stretch out the time until ‘White Lotus.’ It sounds crazy, but it’s true.”

When 9 p.m. arrived, the couple tuned in for the new episode. “I made sure everything was perfect in the room, adjusting the lights and sound, and when we started, his eyes were glued to the screen,” she recounts.

After the episode concluded, Carroll rushed over to Sinclair, embraced him, and expressed her love for him. Just four hours later, in the early morning of March 10, Sinclair passed away at the age of 49.

In the weeks following, friends and family of Carroll and Sinclair gathered to watch upcoming “White Lotus” episodes, including the finale, in tribute to him.

“Before the episode, we raised a toast to Craig and read some of the Reddit comments,” Carroll notes. “It was incredibly special, and I’m so thankful we shared that.”

One of the comments that touched her deeply was someone who wrote, “So glad your love and some art were able to keep him around a little longer.”

“I was genuinely taken aback,” Carroll shares.

A week before Sinclair’s passing, he shared his last words with Carroll: “There is no final line. It’s just about storing up a lifetime of memories, and the most special ones were with you,” she remembers.

Carroll says this statement impacted her profoundly because their lives were “miserable” due to the cancer, yet she recognized how meaningful their time together was.

Carroll reflects that her relationship with Sinclair resembled that of Rick and Chelsea, a troubled couple from Season 3.

“It was more reciprocal, for sure, but I definitely would have followed Craig to the grave, without a doubt,” she shares. “Yet I survived, and now I get to narrate his story.”

The day after the Season 3 finale, Carroll returned to her art studio for the first time in months, stopping by a café on her way. There, she serendipitously encountered Alexandra Daddario, who portrayed Rachel in Season 1 of “The White Lotus.”

Carroll approached Daddario to share how “The White Lotus” had profoundly impacted her life and relationship (she and Sinclair had also binge-watched the first two seasons).

“She was incredibly gracious,” Carroll recalls. “She even asked me if I wanted to take a selfie with her, and I was like, ‘Sure!’ I also shared the (Reddit) post with her. I viewed this encounter as a sign from Craig.”

Carroll is now transforming the sorrow and grief from Sinclair’s cancer journey into a project called “A Drop in the Ocean,” inspired by Season 3 of “The White Lotus.”

“When you’re born, you start as a single drop of water, rising upward, separated from the collective consciousness. As you age, you descend back, returning to the ocean. You die, and merge back into the water, rejoining the oneness of the universe. No longer separated. No more suffering. One consciousness. Death is a joyful homecoming,” Buddhist monk Luang Por Teera (Suthichai Yoon) explains in Episode 6.

“Craig’s life was profound,” Carroll tells TODAY.com. “Now his energy, like his matter, is reintegrating into the universe.”