Warning! Spoilers ahead for ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3 – including the season finale
In the age of binge-watching, it’s rare for a show to become the focal point of the internet’s virtual water-cooler conversation every week. ‘The White Lotus,’ now in its third season, is particularly ripe for this weekly-release format – with each season following the loose structure of opening with an unidentified dead body, before jumping backwards to see how things unfold.
This time, viewers join Michelle Monaghan, Lalisa Manobal (BLACKPINK’s Lisa), Walton Goggins, Aimee Lou Wood, and more, at The White Lotus Thailand. Season 3’s gargantuan amount of clues, metaphors, and symbolic messaging was about as subtle as a gun (of which we counted at least five across all eight episodes). Despite its attempt to throw practically everything at the wall to see what sticks, this season of ‘The White Lotus’ ultimately felt rather hollow.
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Say Sawadee Ka To An Uneven Season
A biting satire on money, class, and privilege, this season of ‘The White Lotus’ doesn’t shy away from the distinct ways people experience and use Thailand to serve their own desires. Whether giving into hedonism, exploiting spirituality, or corrupting their morals, many of those checking into The White Lotus Thailand – including the hotel workers – exploit parts of themselves. However, many narrative nuances fizzle out due to the season’s predictability, heavy-handedness, and uneven pacing – with some episodes sagging under the weight of unnecessary filler.
Viewers could easily sniff out several “plot twists” well before the finale – such as troubled Rick’s (Walton Goggins) revenge quest against hotel owner Jim (Scott Glenn) for his father’s murder, only to reveal that Jim is actually his father (cue gasps). Meanwhile, the build-up of who eventually meets their demise falls victim to the trap of doing too much. In line with ‘The White Lotus’ entering its third season, the number three is an ever-recurring motif. There’s the three Ratliff siblings, three childhood friends on a girl’s trip, three robbers – and, of course, the rule of threes.
Chelsea’s realisation that she’s already experienced two incidents (1. witnessing a robbery, 2. being bitten by a poisonous snake) based on the rule that bad luck comes in threes, is the first of many clues suggesting she won’t survive the trip. These initial signs, including Chelsea describing her and Rick’s relationship as a yin/yang war of pain and hope, could have sufficed as a metaphor for the couple’s inevitable demise. But when the proverbial optimist starts explaining how her and Rick’s fates are tied together and that they’ll be together forever? Chelsea might as well be placing herself in a body bag right there.
Memorable Performances & Breakout Stars
Perhaps the main reason this season of ‘The White Lotus’ remains on the tip of everyone’s tongue – besides building weekly theories – is the colourful cast of characters. As an anthology series notorious for crafting consistently stacked casts, Season 3 can thank the phenomenal performances from its actors for coming through when things fell short narrative-wise. Parker Posey, in particular, exploded online for her audacious portrayal of Victoria, the Lorazepam-popping matriarch of the Ratliff family – complete with a truly unforgettable North Carolinian drawl.
However, the brightest breakout star of the season was undoubtedly Aimee Lou Wood as Chelsea. Much of the finale’s emotional weight hinges on viewers falling in love with the Mancunian free spirit – a feat Wood deftly pulls off with sincerity and authenticity. Patrick Schwarzenegger also emerges as one of the season’s most unexpected revelations. Playing an easily unlikeable finance-bro douche, Schwarzenegger portrays Saxon Ratliff’s significant character growth naturally – with an especially remarkable sequence during the finale.
Some of the season’s funniest and most complex moments stem from the relationship between longtime childhood friends Kate (Leslie Bibb), Laurie (Carrie Coon), and Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan). Praised by both viewers and critics for portraying realistic – and sometimes dreadful – aspects of female friendship, scenes of different pairings from the trio talking behind the other’s backs are riveting. Although some bemoaned that the friends reaffirming their love for each other after a trip full of resentment, jealousy, and gossiping felt like a cop-out, female friendships are, after all, anything but simple.
What Falls & What Evolves?
While the ultimate payoff in the finale (Rick murdering Jim before getting into a shootout) ends up being quite predictable, other plotlines were given half-hearted conclusions. Timothy Ratliff’’s ongoing struggle to tell his family that they’ve lost their money is left unresolved – as is his shift from a murder-suicide plan to nearly poisoning his son. Yet, the most egregious oversight by ‘The White Lotus’ is failing to show the Ratliffs’ reaction to this life-altering news, depriving viewers of a potentially legendary outburst from Victoria.
In a season more disheartening than the previous two, hope is ultimately struck down by pain, corruption, and cowardice. On top of Chelsea and Rick’s tragic fates, other characters once steadfast in their morals descend into vices. Season 1 fan-favourite Belinda decides not to report Greg/Gary for his role in his ex-wife Tanya’s murder, in exchange for USD $5 million. Meanwhile, the kind-hearted security guard Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong) doesn’t merely abandon his commitment to non-violence for professional and romantic desires, he does so by shooting an unarmed Rick (carrying a dying Chelsea) in the back.
In the closing sequence, guests wave goodbye to the hotel staff as they depart, offering no hint that they’ve just experienced a mass shooting – a fitting conclusion to a perplexing season of ‘The White Lotus.’
Born in Korea and raised in Hong Kong, Min Ji has combined her degree in anthropology and creative writing with her passion for going on unsolicited tangents as an editor at Friday Club. In between watching an endless amount of movies, she enjoys trying new cocktails and pastas while occasionally snapping a few pictures.
