Well, that was something. The White Lotus concluded its third season with a supersized episode that tied up loose ends, terminated some characters’ journeys, and sent others on to a new beginning. Set in Thailand, season 3 features an all-star cast and follows a group of characters staying at a luxury resort while dealing with personal issues, self-discovery, childhood trauma, and regret against the country’s spiritual and religious background.
Although it remains one of the best shows on HBO, Season 3 of The White Lotus was more divisive than previous seasons — it was also longer, with eight episodes. However, it brought things to a satisfying conclusion in the final episode, which, like previous offerings from writer and director Mike White, featured the perfect blend of bittersweet losses for some characters and satisfying victories for others. Here is a full breakdown of what happened during the final episode.
What is The White Lotus season 3 about?
As previously mentioned, season 3 of The White Lotus is set in Thailand at the titular luxury resort and follows several characters during their week-long stay. The Ratliff family finds itself on a journey of self-discovery as the patriarch, Timothy (Jason Isaacs), finds out he’s about to lose his fortune and possibly end up in prison. Meanwhile, three lifelong friends — Laurie (Carrie Coon), Kate (Leslie Bibb), and Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan) — go on vacation to reconnect but soon find themselves at each other’s throats. The tortured Rick (Walton Goggins) travels to Thailand seeking closure for his childhood trauma, accompanied by his doting and much younger girlfriend, Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood).
Elsewhere, Belinda (Natasha Rothwell), the spa manager introduced in Season 1, goes to Thailand as part of an exchange program only to meet Greg (Jon Gries), the widower of the late Tanya McQuoid (Jennifer Coolidge), who is seemingly behind her death in Season 2. Finally, the woefully out-of-his-league guard Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong) tries to climb the ladder at the hotel while wooing health mentor Mook (Lalisa Manobal).
What happens in episode 8 of The White Lotus?
Throughout the season, Timothy has been spiraling down after learning of his impending financial ruin. Realizing his family is utterly incapable of living without the wealth and privilege he has gotten them used to, Timothy toys with the idea of killing them, first with a gun he stole from Gaitok and then with a supposed poisonous fruit. Episode 8 sees him actually go forward with the plan after learning that his daughter, Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook), is not staying in Thailand at a meditation center because she is also too attached to her privileged lifestyle. Only his youngest son, Lochlan (Sam Nivola), seems willing to live without money.
Thus, Timothy prepares a batch of piña coladas laced with the seeds from the poisonous fruit. Timothy attempts to poison his wife, Victoria (Parker Posey), and their two oldest children while sparing Lochlan. However, he backs out at the last minute, but leaves the poisonous seeds in the blender. The next morning, Lochlan prepares a protein shake in the same blender, collapses by the pool, and seemingly dies. When Timothy finds him, he mourns beside his unconscious body, only for Lochlan to wake up. On their way out of the resort, the family finally learns of their impending ruin, with Timothy drawing a hopeful smile while looking at the ocean.
The relationship between Laurie, Kate, and Jaclyn reaches a boiling point in previous episodes after Kate tells Laurie that Jaclyn slept with Valentin (Arnas Fedaravicius), a health mentor who had been flirting with Laurie. As Laurie acts out, both Kate and Jaclyn try to make up with her. During their last dinner, Laurie breaks down and confesses that she has been looking for her life’s meaning, only to realize that it’s not love, work, or religion that provides it, but time itself. The three make up, reaffirming their friendship.
Belinda and her son, Zion (Nicholas Duvernay), meet with Greg, who had previously offered to buy Belinda’s silence with $100,000. However, Zion counters and asks for $5 million, which Greg eventually agrees to. Now a wealthy woman, Belinda and Zion leave Thailand the following day, while Greg continues with his life without “getting it,” as Jennifer Coolidge had previously hoped for.
Rick’s story sees him go to Thailand to confront Jim Hollinger (Scott Glenn), the hotel’s owner and the man who he believes killed his father. Rick is unable to kill him and instead just pushes him to the floor, returning to Chelsea as a seemingly changed man, ready to turn a new leaf. Things get more complicated when Jim and his wife, Sritala (Lek Patravadi), go to the hotel and Jim confronts Rick again, taunting him about his plot and insulting his mother.
An increasingly unhinged Rick steals Jim’s gun and shoots him twice, killing him, only for a crying Sritala to reveal that Jim was actually Rick’s father. A shootout ensues between Rick and Jim’s bodyguards, whom he successfully kills, but not before Chelsea is caught in the crossfire and dies. A regretful Rick carries her lifeless body, only to be shot in the back by Gaitok on Sritala’s orders. Rick dies with a gentle smile on his face, and Gaitok becomes Sritala’s new bodyguard.
What’s next for The White Lotus?
The White Lotus is a big success for HBO, dominating awards season and earning stronger ratings with each new entry. Logically, a fourth season has already been greenlit, with Mike White hinting he’d like to do an all-star chapter with the show’s most famous characters.
Are we possibly in for a season where Parker Posey’s Lorazepam-filled Victoria interacts with Aubrey Plaza’s cynical Harper? Might we see Carrie Coon’s Laurie have a heated debate with Connie Britton’s high-powered Nicole Mossbacher? Only time will tell. For now, we know a fourth season is on the way, but when and how it will arrive remains a mystery.
All 8 episodes of The White Lotus Season 3 are now available on Max.
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