This article contains spoilers for the final episode of the White Lotus season three. Do not read on if you have not seen episode eight.
In the opening scene of The White Lotus finale, a Buddhist monk warned: “There is no such thing as resolution.” Perhaps it was a warning ahead of a disappointing denouement.
Grumbles have been growing louder over the past eight weeks that this third instalment of the HBO hit wasn’t a patch on its two predecessors. And a climactic episode full of loose threads, damp squib deaths and predictable plot twists won’t do much to silence the naysayers.
Sure, this series had its meme-able moments (mainly thanks to Aimee Lou Wood and Parker Posey) and standout scenes (the incest! The penis flash! Sam Rockwell’s speech!). However, it meandered rather than motored along, while its ideas often felt like retreads of the first two, superior seasons.
So where did it all go wrong for the HBO wealth satire? Here are the 10 biggest disappointments …
1. No reaction from the Ratliffs
A storm had been brewing for the Ratliff family. Why didn’t we get to see it break? On the verge of financial ruin, patriarch Timothy (Jason Isaacs) realised exactly how spoilt his brood were. He hatched a hare-brained scheme to harvest fruit from the “suicide tree” and poison everyone with spiked piña coladas, only to chicken out at the last moment. The next morning, hapless Lochlan (Sam Nivola) made a protein smoothie in the unwashed blender with leftover toxic mulch in the bottom – who wouldn’t rinse it out first? – before collapsing at poolside. His near-death experience was a further wake-up call for Tim.
Yet when they got their phones back and discovered they were broke and disgraced, cameras cut away. The near fatal poisoning was never mentioned. Resident douche Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) was given nothing to do, except read self-help books. We never saw anyone’s reaction to the scandal – especially Victoria’s, which surely would have been priceless (“Accountant, nooo!”). The script skipped straight past the juicy bit, leaving only a sense of anticlimax.
2. The toxic trio’s truce
The girls’ trip gone wrong was arguably the most fascinating subplot all series. Jealousies simmered. Resentments surfaced. Home truths were told. Forget whether the blond triumvirate would sit together on the flight home. Would they even make it to the departures lounge alive?
Well, that Songkran festival where they were sprayed with water pistols didn’t turn out to be foreshadowing. Things between Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan), Kate (Leslie Bibb) and Laurie (Carrie Coon) somehow came full circle. Despite Laurie’s verging-on-profound monologue at their last dinner, they bonded again. That smug #friendshipgoals pic was probably posted on Insta after all. To turn such a promising dynamic into a bland paean to female friendship felt unearned, rushed and a little lame. Side note: why did Victoria Ratliff awkwardly pretend not to recognise Kate from a baby shower? And why was this never mentioned again?
3. Top talent wasted
Playing health mentor Mook in her acting debut, Lalisa Manobal (AKA Lisa from Blackpink) was given laughably little to do. All series, her main job was telling lovelorn colleague Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong) to toughen up. He eventually obeyed but it was hardly a meaty role for the A-list K-popper.
Similarly underutilised was Christian Friedel as ass-kissing resort manager Fabian. He’s worked with Michael Haneke and played Rudolf Höss in The Zone Of Interest. However, his main jobs here were simpering, bad singing and a pratfall into a pond.
4. Predictable paternity twist
Rick Hatchett (Walton Goggins) returned from Bangkok a new man and was sweetly reunited with girlfriend Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood). That is, until owner Jim Hollinger (Scott Glenn) arrived back at the hotel – criminal mastermind Rick was hardly lying low – and confronted him again. This time, he told Rick that his late mother had been “a slut, drunk and liar” and that his father was “no saint”.
In a fit of rage – if only counsellor Amrita (Shalini Peiris) had been able to fit him in – Rick snatched the old git’s gun and shot him. Cue the revelation that Jim hadn’t killed Rick’s father. He actually was Rick’s father. It was the stuff of Greek tragedy (or The Empire Strikes Back) but might have been more impactful if everyone hadn’t seen it coming weeks ago.
5. Gaitok went to the dark side
Violence can turn a good man bad but the narrative journey of sweet-natured Gaitok was still dispiriting to witness. His Buddhist faith meant he was reluctant to hurt people and was on the verge of quitting his security guard post. However, urged on by Mook and bloodthirsty Sritala Hollinger (Patravadi Mejudhon), he eventually took up arms and gunned down Rick.
Not only did he shoot an unarmed man in the back but Rick was carrying an innocent victim who may well have still been alive. Gaitok was duly promoted to become Sritala’s bodyguard and seemingly won Mook’s heart. However, his “happy” ending came at the cost of his humanity. Sad to see.
6. Pace was all over the place
The debut season in Hawaii was a tight six episodes long. The Sicily-set sequel grew to a seven-parter. The third season was the biggest so far at eight episodes, with the longest finale – a feature-length 90 minutes. All that extra screen time only led to saggy plotting and pacing.
The series dawdled and dragged. Several episodes seemed to keep the storylines in a holding pattern. We got repetitive scenes of a spaced-out Jason Isaacs, Aimee Lou Wood pleading with Walton Goggins, and the three women giving side eye. Compared with the first two, this season lacked drive. The narrative stumbled around like it had been slyly popping Victoria’s lorazepam.
7. Chelsea’s death was hard to take
With her Mancunian bluntness, wide-eyed optimism and, yes, much talked-about teeth, Chelsea has been arguably the most likable character all series – and actor Aimee Lou Wood its breakout star. Hence it was devastating when the hippy-dippy dreamer got caught in the crossfire and flown home in a body bag.
There have been subtle clues about her fate, from Stay Gold jewellery (Johnny Cade’s dying words in The Outsiders) to recurring serpent symbolism. After being held at gunpoint and bitten by a snake, she predicted that “bad luck comes in threes”. But we still weren’t ready for it when she was struck by a stray bullet.
She’d told Rick to “embrace their fate” (“Amor Fati” was the episode title) and said “if a bad thing happens to you, it happens to me”. They wanted to be together forever. Now they were. The cursed couple ended up among the water lilies, looking up at the sky, finally at peace. It’s just a shame Chelsea had to die, rather than one of the many more deserving hotel guests.
8. Did off-set tensions affect on-screen quality?
News emerged last week of an alleged fallout between show runner Mike White and composer Cristóbal Tapia de Veer, along with other rumoured behind-the-scenes clashes. Did such tensions ultimately affect the quality of this third season?
The Emmy-winning theme music, such a key component of the first two series, didn’t have nearly the same impact this time. De Veer hinted that unhappy compromises were made. Actor Jason Isaacs compared the intense seven-month shoot to Lord of the Flies after relations soured between some of the cast. You can’t help wondering if this discord made it on to the screen. Compared to its superlative predecessors, this season felt uneven and lacking joy.
9. Villains got off scot-free
Jennifer Coolidge’s legions of fans never got to see her killer get his comeuppance. Leathery lech Greg AKA Gary (Jon Gries) managed to hush up having his ex murdered. He was last seen watching girlfriend Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon) recruit a new young stud to fulfil his voyeuristic Freudian fantasies.
Valentin (Arnas Fedaravičius) and his Russian accomplices also got away with armed robbery. We glimpsed them targeting a new group of gullible tourists to fleece. Nasty old Jim was the only one wrong ’un to be punished. Unjust and annoying.
10. Belinda becoming Tanya was bittersweet
“Can’t I be rich for five fucking minutes?” She’s been the moral centre and fan favourite for two seasons. Now we saw that even saintly Belinda (Natasha Rothwell) has her price. Her savvy son Zion (Nicholas Duvernay) haggled up her hush money payout from a measly $100K to a whopping $5m. No wonder Belinda spat out her whisky in shock.
There was a neat circularity to it when Belinda pulled the same trick on Pornchai (Dom Hetrakul) as Tanya McQuoid once did to her – saying her “circumstances had changed” and ruthlessly reneging on their business proposal. Yes, money corrupts but it was still heartbreaking to watch her wave goodbye as they sailed off into the sunset. Belinda deserves it. But perhaps poor Pornchai does too. Kop khun ka.
