The White Lotus: Season 3 Episode 1 – Recap/ Review

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Episode Details

Episode Title: Same Spirits, New Forms
Air Date: February 16, 2025
Network: HBO Max
Director(s): Mike White
Writer(s): Mike White

Recap

The Victory Tour: Sritala, Jaclyn, Kate, Laurie

With knowing her best friends since she was nine, Jaclyn coming into fame, money, and prestige seemed like the perfect reason to have a girls trip. Kate is doing well, married, with kids, has influence in her life, and Laurie is formidable in the corporate world. Now, of course, Khun Sritala, a co-owner of the Thailand White Lotus, only focuses on this group because of Jaclyn, but any attention of this kind is notable and enhances the experience, right?

Well, sort of. While Kate and Jaclyn can go back and forth with compliments, Laurie often seems to be the odd one out. She is the only one who is single amongst them, and while they are a group of friends, it could be submitted Jaclyn and Kate are far closer, and while an effort is made to include Laurie, she knows she is the odd one out.

What The Staff Are Doing: Mook, Gaitok, Belinda, Zion

Zion, before the episode flashbacks a week, has arrived to see his mother, Belinda, and is one of the first to hear gunfire and discover a dead body. But, before his arrival, things were peaceful. Belinda, who is supposed to be at the Thailand White Lotus for three months for cross-training, was being well taken care of and treated almost like a guest.

Now, would this mean she would ultimately avoid the gossip and drama, like Gaitok’s crush on Mook? Who knows. The only thing we know for sure is that Zion is the only one who survives the gunfire.

Business or Pleasure?: Chelsea, Rick, Chloe, Greg

Rick has an interest in Khun Sritala’s husband, Jim Hollinger, an American. It isn’t said why explicitly, but he has brought his young girlfriend, Chelsea, all the way to Thailand seemingly as a cover – for he seems to barely be interested in her at all. Which is fine. Chelsea makes friends with a girl name Chloe who happens to be with a man named Greg – Tanya’s ex-husband.

Halfway Across The World For An Interview?: Timothy, Victoria, Saxon, Piper, Lochlan

When we meet the Ratliff family, Timothy, Victoria, Saxon, Piper and Lochlan, they are a potential odd bunch. Timothy seems to be the breadwinner, with a job in finance, Victoria seemingly is a housewife, Saxon works for his dad, Piper is a student and Lochlan will be choosing what college he’ll be going to soon. Sounds pretty basic, right?

Well, Timothy potentially could be dealing with an investigation soon, Saxon seems like he is one HR report from his life being ruined, Victoria appears to be in a marriage that continues out of convenience, and as for Piper and Lochlan? Well, Lochlan is vulnerable and impressionable, and Piper is a bit reserved and emerging as the black sheep of the family. First, by not pursuing going to Duke, like her father, followed by her choosing a different religion, and if you go by Saxon, there could be her not having the expected libido. But, in her defense, Lochlan may not be straight and narrow either.

New Characters

Sritala (Patravadi Mejudhon)

Khun Sritala is a former singer who, after dealing with a auto-immune disease, switched her attention to health and wellness. Because of this, and marrying a notable American named Jim Hollinger, when she became the co-owner of The White Lotus Thailand, she heavily invested in it becoming a wellness retreat that is world renowned.

Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan)

Jaclyn is a American celebrity who has come to the White Lotus with her best friends Kate and Laurie.

Kate (Leslie Bibb)

Kate is the wife of a very influential man, and she herself has some power in her community.

Laurie (Carrie Coon)

Laurie is a single mom, the only single one of her friend group, who on top of working in the corporate world, seems to be the odd one out despite the tenure of her friendship.

Mook (Lalisa Manobal)

Mook is one of the greeters at The White Lotus – Thailand.

Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong)

Gaitok works at one of the gates doing what appears to be light security, and he appears to be crushing hard on Mook.

Zion (Nicholas Duvernay)

Zion is Belinda’s son.

Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood)

Chelsea is Rick’s girlfriend from Manchester, who tries to put a pep in Rick’s step.

Rick (Walton Goggins)

Rick is a suspicious kind of guy. He looks like he is always up to something, perhaps even using Chelsea as part of his schemes. Currently though, his aim is to get an audience with Jim Hollinger.

Timothy (Jason Isaacs)

Timothy is the patriarch of the Ratliff family who has a job in finance and appears to be a workaholic, to a point. In addition, it seems back home there is a scandal brewing.

Victoria (Parker Posey)

From what it appears, Victoria is Timothy’s wife who does her best to present her family as normal, despite the façade pulling at the seams.

Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger)

Saxon is Timothy and Victoria’s oldest and he works for his dad. He is also a bit of a creep who seemingly doesn’t believe certain subjects regarding his brother or sister, including their sex lives, should be casual conversation.

Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook)

Piper is the middle child of the Ratliff family and a growing black sheep. She didn’t pursue going to Duke, and instead went for Chapel Hill, where her mother went, and currently is a senior there, with a focus on Religious studies – specifically Buddhism.

Lochlan (Sam Nivola)

Like Piper, Lochlan is a senior, but while she is a senior in college, he is in high school, and right now he is torn between joining his mom and sister and becoming a Tar Heel, or eventually becoming an alumni at Duke where his father and brother attended. In many ways, this isn’t the only crossroad or split decision he is facing as you can see Saxon and Piper both having some level of influence over him and Lochlan unsure which direction to go.

Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon)

Chloe is Greg’s girlfriend who has been living in Thailand, assumingly with him, for a year.

Review

Highlights

• The Show Feels Formulaic, But New Actors Keep Things Fresh [83/100]
• Keeping One Or Two Characters From Previous Seasons [82/100]
• The Question Of Who Got Killed this time? [80/100]

Trajectory

Trajectory (81/100): Plateau

Let me begin by saying, I’m not against a show with a formula, like “The White Lotus” as long as it attracts the kind of actors it does. That, to me, is what will continually save the show from becoming stale, even if it uses the same setup over and over. Be it the dysfunctional family on vacation, the loveless marriage, the friends who lowkey may not stand each other, but because one side has money, they put up with them, and so on. It all feels very familiar but the actors, and the personas they bring, have the potential to keep it fresh.

With that said, if part of the formula is also keeping a character from a past season, I wouldn’t say Greg and Belinda would have been my go to choices, but that familiarity is welcomed in terms of finishing storylines that kind of petered off. Be it was Greg cheating or not, seeing what happened to Belinda after Tanya decided to withdraw from her investment in her, or just the general question if every White Lotus is a hot mess.

But, if we were to be honest, I do think one problem that will escalate over future seasons is caring about who lives or dies. With it being something to expect, it really puts heavy pressure to focus on the extremes, in my mind, of making people so unlikable you want them to get killed or so likable you hope they get spared. I worry the lack of middle ground will strip characters of seeming human and ultimately leave us with people who are excited to be on a prestigious show and network but whose characters will ultimately be forgettable.

“The White Lotus” Guide

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