From Maui to Italy, The White Lotus Resorts are home to equally disturbing and odd events. In Mike White’s black comedy, absurdist characters on vacation showcase their wildly entertaining yet concerning lives.
In season one, we visited Maui. In season two, Sicily. Now, we arrive in Thailand on the island of Koh Samui. If you didn’t have the chance to sit down and watch the premiere episode, don’t worry.
Here’s a rundown of everything that happened in episode one. Spoiler alert — it’s already crazy.
We begin with a flash-forward of a meditation session with Zion, season one Belinda’s (Natasha Rothwell) son. Zion, played by Nicholas Duvernay, explains to his wellness instructor that his mom, who aspires to open a spa, sent him to visit her on her three-month wellness training program.
However, Zion and his instructor are rudely interrupted when they hear nearby gunshots. The instructor runs away, but Zion, scared for his mother’s safety, begins to run toward the action.
As he wades through the water that surrounds the meditation spa, he comes across a Buddha statue and prays for his mother’s safety. Then, in classic White Lotus fashion, an unknown dead body begins to float into the frame. Is it Belinda? Of course, we’ll have to wait until the end of the season to find out.
Then, suddenly, we flashback to a week prior. The new families, couples, and friends of Season 3 are aboard the iconic sailboat approaching the resort.
WHO ARE THE CHARACTERS?
We first meet Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood), and Rick (Walton Goggins), who are immediately portrayed as an unhappy couple.
Chelsea is a cheery, bright-eyed former yoga instructor from Manchester, while Rick is several years older, standoffish, and rude. His favorite saying is “Please stop talking.” When Rick finds out that the husband of the hotel owner, an American named Jim Hollinger, is not currently at the resort, his demeanor becomes even more insufferable and unpleasant. Right now, it’s unclear who Jim Hollinger is, but chances are that Rick is involved in suspicious business.
Tired of trying to calm Rick down, Chelsea walks away from him at dinner and heads to the bar. While waiting for a drink, Chelsea meets and makes friends with Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon), a young woman who is also in a fight with her moody boyfriend.
The camera pans to reveal that the so-called moody boyfriend is none other than Greg (Jon Gries), the con man from seasons one and two, who plotted Tanya McQuoid’s murder. We can assume that Greg (now going by Gary) is living off of the late Tanya’s fortune — we just can’t get rid of him!
Following Chelsea and Rick, the Ratliff family arrives at the resort. At first glance, the Ratliffs seem like a picture-perfect Southern family. Timothy (Jason Isaacs), the father of the family, is a wealthy businessman who resists the resort’s suggestions to have a device-free vacation.
However, it’s looking like Timothy might regret this, as the Wall Street Journal keeps calling and prying for information about a mysterious Kenneth Nyguen, who Timothy once worked with. My guess? Timothy knows what they’re trying to get out of him.
Timothy’s wife, Victoria (Parker Posey), tells him not to worry about it and reminds him that their family is perfect in her over-the-top Southern drawl. No issues with Victoria yet, although she can’t seem to shake her “jet lag,” as she keeps falling asleep at dinner.
The Ratliff children consist of Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger), Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook), and Lochlan (Sam Nivola).
Saxon, the eldest of the family, is a finance bro and daddy’s boy who hits on every woman in his line of sight. He also talks to his little brother like a pledge-master would to his pledges.
“Getting what you want in life — that’s happiness, bro,” Saxon tells Lochlan.
On the surface, Saxon could seem like a regular frat man. However, he’s a little too concerned with his brother and sister getting “laid.”
Piper, a graduate student, is writing her thesis on Buddhism, which her parents blatantly disapprove of. She and Lochlan seem to have a close bond, while she despises Saxon. Lochlan, the youngest of the three, is quiet and observant, the buffer between his siblings’ drastically different personalities.
Next, we have a group of three childhood best friends who are on a girls’ trip. Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan), a famous television actress, has funded the trip for Kate (Leslie Bibb) and Laurie (Carrie Coon).
Like true wine moms, the three friends reminisce about old childhood memories and compliment each other every second they can. However, it seems Kate and Jaclyn often forget to give praise to Laurie and exclude her from conversations about beauty, success, and social status. We get a glimpse of how this affects Laurie, as she heads to bed early and cries alone in her room.
Lastly, we have the White Lotus workers, including Mook (Lalisa Manobal), a young health mentor, and Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong), a security guard. The two of them are close friends, as Gaitok helps Mook get to work after her motorbike breaks down.
Gaitok is intimidated when he sees Mook talking to two other male employees. Perhaps there’s a budding romance, or it’s just a one-sided crush.
The hotel owner, Sritala (Lek Patravadi) is a glamorous older woman, who was especially excited to meet Jaclyn when she quickly shooed away the Ratliff family to meet her.
There are few details about the awkward hotel manager, Fabian (Christian Friedel), and other wellness mentors including Pornchai (Dom Hetrakul), Valentin (Arnas Fedaravicius), and Pam (Morgana O’Reilly). Although, I’m sure their stories will be intertwined with the guests soon enough.
It looks like we’ll be in for a wild ride for season three of The White Lotus, and I can’t wait. Mike White consistently exceeds expectations through his writing and exploration of greed and morals — or lack thereof —while also making audiences laugh at the absurdity of it all.
Season three of The White Lotus is available on HBO Max, with new episodes every Sunday at 9 p.m.
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