‘The White Lotus’ Season 3 premiere: Get in the boat, we’re going to Thailand
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“The White Lotus,” Mike White’s black comedy anthology series, is back on HBO for a third season. Times staffers love an escape, but since we can’t take a trip to Thailand to stay at a luxury resort, the next best thing is to immerse ourselves in the new season. Follow along with us for each episode as we discuss theories, observations and our favorite moments leading up to the finale.
It has been more than two years since Season 2 of “The White Lotus” ended its run on HBO with a spectacularly meme-worthy finale that saw Tanya McQuoid head to that great luxury resort in the sky.
Now the wait is over and “The White Lotus” has finally returned, with a gorgeous new location; a fresh cast of rich, terrible people to obsess over; and lots of mystery to unpack.
The action has moved several thousand miles east to the lush island of Ko Samui in Thailand. Season 3, once again written and directed by Mike White, opens as we all knew it would: with a dead body. A young man named Zion (Nicholas DuVernay) is meditating with hotel staffer Amrita (Shalini Peiris) in a scenic pavilion when gunshots ring out. Zion takes cover behind a statue of Buddha in the lily pad pond, and a corpse floats by.
We cut to a week earlier, to what is by now a familiar sequence: guests arriving via boat (in this case, a red-sailed junk).
The first person we see aboard is Belinda (Natasha Rothwell), the unbelievably patient spa employee from Season 1 who almost went into business with Tanya. She’s in Thailand to learn about the resort’s wellness program. (Based on clues, it seems like Zion, from the opening scene, is her son.)
There’s also the Ratliff family, consisting of wealthy Southerner Timothy (Jason Isaacs), his pill-popping wife, Victoria (Parker Posey), and their three kids: obnoxious bro Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger), religious studies major Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook) and Lochlan (Sam Nivola), the youngest.
On board the boat, Saxon and Timothy clash with the grumpy Rick (Walton Goggins), who’s in Thailand for mysterious purposes with his younger girlfriend, the sweet, free-spirited Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood).
The final party on board are Laurie (Carrie Coon), Kate (Leslie Bibb) and Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan), childhood friends enjoying a girls’ trip on the other side of the world.
Once they arrive on the island, they meet the hotel staff, including manager Fabien (Christian Friedel), glamorous owner Sritala (Lek Patravadi), wellness consultant Mook (Lalisa Manobal, a.k.a. Lisa from Blackpink) and Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong), the security guard clearly crushing on her.
There isn’t a huge amount of action in Episode 1, titled “Same Spirits, New Forms,” but we are left with plenty of questions.
What shady business is Timothy up to, and why was he so rattled by that phone call from the Wall Street Journal reporter asking questions about a former colleague in Brunei? What’s going on with his eldest child, Saxon, a bully who is obsessed with porn and describes his own sister as “hot”?
Why is Rick so mean to Chelsea, and why is he so invested in tracking down Jim Hollinger, the resort’s American co-owner and Sritala’s husband, who is apparently recuperating in Bangkok?
How soon are the women on their “midlife crisis trip” going to turn on each other? What’s going on with Laurie, who ends the episode alone in her room, sobbing over a bottle of wine? And why do her old friends Jaclyn, a TV star, and Kate, who has married well, shower each other with compliments while conspicuously ignoring Laurie?
Most intriguing of all: What is Tanya’s husband Greg (Jon Gries), last seen in Season 2 abruptly leaving Sicily for a “business meeting in Denver,” doing in Thailand with a much younger girlfriend? And will Belinda, who spots Greg sitting across the restaurant, put two and two together?
Now it’s time for Yvonne Villarreal, Meredith Blake and Greg Braxton, platinum-status members of “The White Lotus” frequent guest program, to break it all down.
Where is this all heading? Any early predictions about who is going to end up as a corpse?
Blake: I have no idea who the person is, floating face down next to the lily pads, but I have a feeling that the fruit from the pong-pong tree will have something to do with it. Just like Chekhov’s gun, if there’s an extremely toxic fruit lying around, someone is probably going to eat it.
Villarreal: Yeah, that fruit will definitely cause some trouble. I’m just gonna guess for guessing’s sake and say the corpse is Walton Goggins’ character, Rick, because someone that cranky and sweaty seems destined for doom. But my fear is the corpse will be Gaitok, the sweet hotel worker who seems discerning and suspicious of the right people. I have no idea what lies ahead but I bet Jim Hollinger is going to regret being released from the hospital.
Braxton: I’m not totally convinced it’s a corpse. It’s such a quick glimpse. Maybe the show is throwing us a curve and it’s actually an alligator or a dangerous sea creature. But if it has to be a body, I will lobby for Greg. There needs to be justice and closure for the tragic death of Tanya.
How are we feeling about the new theme song and opening credits?
Blake: Honestly, I was underwhelmed by the latest theme song remix. But I did love some of the needle drops, like the song playing as the new guests are aboard the boat, which Shazam tells me is “Made in Thailand” by the group Carabao. A banger!
Villarreal: Yes, there was no eventual sway to the rhythms like I found myself compelled to do with the previous iterations. Cristobal Tapia de Veer is the composer responsible for the viral “White Lotus” themes. Season 1’s song, “Aloha!,” and the Season 2 intro, “Renaissance,” share a consistent melody with distinct instrumentation, a danceable beat and breathless vocals but are tailored to reflect the season’s location (Hawaii in Season 1 and Sicily in Season 2). I don’t hear that same throughline here, which should tell us something. Still, I can appreciate the calming and spiritual vibe of Season 3 — I mean, we kind of need it with this news cycle.
Braxton: The music has always been such an essential and valuable component of this series. Although the theme is not as immediately catchy as the previous seasons, it’s still very fresh. The verdict is still out for me as far as the needle drops.
Who stands out so far?
Blake: Mike White has an excellent track record of casting quirky Gen Z actresses in “The White Lotus.” (See: Haley Lu Richardson and Sydney Sweeney.) So far I am very into Aimee Lou Wood as Chelsea (whose style is almost as eccentric as Portia’s [Richardson]).
Villarreal: The monkeys. Eerie performances and brilliant side-eye delivery.
Braxton: In the previous seasons, there were at least one or two standouts, but all of the characters had some intriguing quirk or conflict that sparked interest on what direction they would go. Parker Posey is an amazing actress, but her comic energy so far is dialed down (jet lag?). The couples and families in Hawaii and Italy had their issues, but their back stories made their connection understandable and relatable. Here, it seems a bit more contrived. For me, the characters are all at the starting blocks, but the gun to start the race hasn’t fired yet.
How are we feeling about the hotel staff? Are any of these characters intriguing to you yet?
Blake: There’s no one quite on the level with the brilliantly memorable Armond (RIP) just yet. But I’m very interested in Sritala, who orders the arriving guests to cruise the bay for a few more minutes while she puts the finishing touches on her glam. A true diva.
Villarreal: I am a sucker for the will they/won’t they, so I am fully invested in Mook and Gaitok.
Braxton: For me, Sritala has made the strongest impression. And she can sing! I feel there’s a darker side that will be revealed.
What do we make of the Ratliff family accents?
Blake: I am sure there will be debate about the authenticity of Jason Isaacs’ accent, but I thought it was pretty good. Maybe I have watched too many true-crime docs, but his character is definitely giving me Alex Murdaugh vibes. On the other hand, I am not sure if Parker Posey is trying to sound crazy on purpose because her character is heavily medicated, or if she’s just really overdoing that drawl.
Villarreal: I can’t even think about the accents because I am focused on the bizarre vibes between the siblings.
Any theories about Greg?
Blake: We can be sure that Greg is more than just one of the many bald, aging “LBHs” (“losers back at home”) in Thailand. But assuming that this season is set after Season 2 — it could theoretically be earlier — it seems obvious that Greg has gotten his hands on some of Tanya’s fortune. How else is he sustaining his luxury lifestyle?
Villarreal: I hope he dies for what he did to Tanya.
Braxton: Anyone named Greg should always be regarded with extreme caution.
What is happening with the Ratliff siblings?
Blake: So far, Saxon reminds me of a fully evil version of Shane (Jake Lacy) from Season 1, with all the white male entitlement but none of the charm or occasionally sympathetic moments. Everything about this character is a red flag, from his name, Saxon — as in the early Germanic people known for raiding their neighbors — to his inappropriate interest in his siblings’ sex lives. I am also curious what’s going on with Piper. Is she really in Thailand to interview a monk?
Villarreal: The day I describe a sibling as “pretty hot” (in relation to an assessment of their sex life, no less) is the day I need someone to hit me on the head with the fruit from the pong-pong tree. So, yes, Saxon gives me the ick too, Meredith.
Braxton: Considering Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s sordid past, it’s a bit unsettling to see his son play someone who is self-absorbed and fancies himself a ladies’ man. But that could very well be a clue that things will not end up well for him when the finale comes around.
What’s your verdict on Episode 1? Are you hooked?
Blake: I, for one, am thrilled to be back at “The White Lotus.” I rate this stay three out of four stars. Yes, Episode 1 was a slow burn. But I am not worried. If you recall, Season 2 also started off quietly but ended in spectacular fashion. The new setting also gives us plenty of rich themes to explore — like embarrassing Westerners who travel to Asia seeking spiritual enlightenment — and beautiful scenery to look at. And that’s what we’re all here for, isn’t it?
Villarreal: I am ready to float on a lily pad the whole season. The episode did just enough to set the stage and provoke questions. And knowing Walton Goggins and Natasha Rothwell are part of the mayhem gives me some assurance that whatever awaits will be an enjoyable and meme-able ride.
Braxton: I’m going to be a bit of a spoiler here. “The White Lotus” set such a high bar in its previous seasons in every category — story, casting, direction, writing. Mike White is truly a force of nature and his development of all the diverse personalities is so precise and insightful. So I’m mildly disappointed that this beginning didn’t grab me as much. The slow burn is a bit too slow and undercooked. But I can be patient, putting my trust in Mike and the amazing cast that this season will ultimately be rewarding.
