The night we’ve all been waiting for has finally come! The White Lotus Season 3 premiered on Feb. 16, and it did *not* disappoint. I don’t know about you, but after that first episode, all I can think is “WTF.” Spoiler warning: Spoilers for Season 3, Episode 1 of The White Lotus follow.
Episode 1, opens in true White Lotus fashion, a death being teased after a character hears gunshots during his meditation session and inevitably comes across a floating body in the pond. Directly bringing us out of this moment, we meet our newest vacationers, a couple, a girl’s trip friend group, a family of 5, and our favorite Season 1 character, Belinda! All have some “quirk” or trope about them and as the episode progresses, viewers discover a lot more than they anticipated.
The couple, Rick and Chelsea, is the quintessential grumpy and sunshine trope. Rick is very stern and secretive about his true intentions and thoughts, whereas Chelsea airs out all her business and is very nice — almost *too* nice.
Meanwhile, the friend group, which consists of Jaclyn, Katie, and Laurie, are long-time besties who have evident jealousy not only towards each other but specifically Jaclyn, who’s a successful actress. With each going through their own problems, they don’t necessarily dive into anything in Episode 1, but it is *very* clear that tensions are building and someone is going to explode at some point during the season (probably Laurie).
Now onto the Ratliff family, which includes Piper, Timothy, Lochlan, Victoria, and Saxon. This is a family dynamic not fully evident, but definitely one with sexual tension and ties. It becomes clear that Saxon is very sex-oriented, making almost all of his conversations with his little brother and about women, including their sister. Similarly, their mother, Victoria, seems to have some *very* strong feelings for Saxon, who’s her oldest Um, weird.
All in all, there was a lot that happened in Episode 1, which left me with a ton of unanswered questions.
What is Gary doing in thailand?
Though Episode 1 primarily focuses on familiarizing viewers with the vacationers, a familiar face makes a surprise appearance in the last few minutes — and it’s none other than Gary! I screamed when I saw him and I’m sure you have just as many questions regarding Gary’s intentions in Thailand. Though it’s revealed that he’s living somewhat of a remote, excluded life from civilization in Thailand, I can’t help but ignore the fact that Belinda is also staying at the resort and is bound to recognize him from her deep-rooted connection to Tanya from Season 1. Gary’s story in Season 2 revealed some shocking details about his connection with the Italian men, so I can’t help but wonder if that will be brought up and if this new relationship he has is a façade, much like his past with Tanya.
Why was Rick looking for Jim Hollinger?
Not long after Rick and Chelsea are shown their villa, he asks Mook (BLACKPINK’s Lisa) if the owner, Sritala, is married. Mook confirms that Sritala is, in fact, married to an American man named Jim Hollinger. Rick then asks if Jim is at the resort, but Mook tells him Jim got sick and went back to Bangkok. Rick then walks away cursing, which makes viewers wonder: Why was he looking for Jim?
Who was that new character in the opening scene?
After meeting this character in the opening scene, I can’t help but wonder who exactly he is and when he’ll come into play. Thinking back to Season 1, Belinda would occasionally call her son through her work day and update him on Tanya’s empty promises of helping her build her own wellness spa, so *I* believe the guy we see at the beginning of Season 3, Episode 1 is him, especially after he brought up his mom’s push to get him into meditating and panicking when he heard gunshots because he was separated from her i.
Why didn’t Piper interview the monk for her thesis?
A huge plot point in Season 3 is that Piper and her family traveled to Thailand for the sake of her completing a thesis on Buddhism and gaining hands-on experience with it while staying at the resort. Piper and Lochlan even go to the temple where she plans to interview a monk but she immediately decides against it upon arriving. Piper then sends Lochlan away, leaving her there but not interviewing the monk, which is interesting. Maybe she’s lying about this thesis and has a deeper reason for wanting to go to Thailand.
Why was there so much sexual tension between the Ratliff siblings?
As soon as we meet Saxon, it’s clear that he’s the stereotypical frat guy in the way he carries himself. However, no one could have expected him to make things so overtly sexual. He not only sexualizes women at the resort but also his sister Piper, who seems very closed off and the direct opposite of Saxon. But when the two siblings fight over who Lochlan gets to share a room with in their villa, it was pretty evident that there’s a weird, sexual dynamic between them.
But it didn’t stop there. Later in the episode, Lochlan took a *very* long look at his naked brother
What’s the *actual* friendship dynamic between the three women?
When we first met Jaclyn, Katie, and Laurie, they just seemed like old friends who were spending time in Thailand as a way to catch up with each other. But it soon becomes clear that their friendship is a bit strained as Laurie, especially, seems to hold a lot of resentment towards Jaclyn. After their dinner when Laurie decides to retire early, she returns to her room and cries when looking at Jaclyn and Katie. Does Laurie hold resentment toward Jaclyn or she she jealous that Jaclyn appears to be closer to Katie? We can assume that this isn’t a picture-perfect friendship whatsoever.
The one-a-week episode release is definitely killing me because I still have so many unanswered questions unanswered. Though all will be revealed in due time, The White Lotus loves to tease fans with plot points and this season already has me hooked, to say the least.