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Yes, the theme tune is arguably a mistake – but nonetheless, our stay in The White Lotus Season 3 has started. We’re with the weirdest bunch of guests yet, and their problems are starting to unravel.
Thanks to the weirdest family of five from the deep south, an inappropriately matched age-gap couple, and distant best friends brought back together by the famous one’s wallet, The White Lotus Season 3 is teeming with issues. The upside is the stunning setting of Thailand – if your life is going to fall apart, make it somewhere nice.
Episode 1 teased their ulterior motives, from misogynistic habits to dodgy business dealings. There’s even a potential estranged father thrown into the mix, courtesy of one of the hotel’s co-owners.
But of course, nothing is that simple in that HBO show. The White Lotus Season 3 Episode 2 delves deeper into the mess, and it’s looking nasty. Warning: spoilers ahead!
The White Lotus Season 3 Episode 2 is giving two-faced from the jump
HBOWhen we start The White Lotus Season 3 Episode 2, we’re submerged in the ocean. It’s nighttime, and we’re looking at the beach from the water. We join Jac and Kate talking about Laurie’s divorce and how her daughter has allegedly been kicked out of two schools. Kate blames Laurie’s decision to raise her kid in New York, with Jac suggesting a work promotion to be made partner never materialized.
Just as Kate and Jac start to undermine Laurie’s character under the guise of love, she bangs on the window, scaring them both. She says she’s left her bag with her charger, with Jac saying they’ve been talking about her (obviously, leaving out almost everything they’ve actually discussed).
The next morning, Mook has her bike fixed, with Gaitok saying he wants to have lunch with her. Meanwhile, the Ratliffs are irritated – Timothy with not having got enough sleep, and Piper with Timothy’s behavior. Kate comes over at breakfast, recognizing Victoria. Kate thinks they’ve met at a baby shower, with Victoria either having no interest or recollection of meeting.
Rick’s mysterious past is revealed (almost)
HBOKate introduces the two groups to each other, which goes down like a sack of spuds. Jac and Laurie laugh, claiming Victoria “seems crazy.” Lochlan asks Victoria why she was rude, with Victoria replying nobody cares they met a decade ago. Saxon knows of Jac, with Victoria saying “actresses are all basically prostitutes.”
Chelsea has signed Rick up for a stress management course, which he refuses to do. She tells him about the new friend she met at the bar who ended up inviting the couple to dinner. While Belinda begins her training with Pornchai and our guests begin to get their personalized itineraries, Victoria is knocking back the lorazepam before her massage.
Timothy tries to find out if Kenny Nguyen has called his office back, learning instead another journalist from The Washington Post is also trying to get hold of him. Rick eventually attends his class, where we learn more about his background. His mother overdosed when he was young, with his father murdered before he was born. “I don’t need to detach, I’m already nothing,” he says.
Laurie and Jac basically hate each other
HBOFrom here, the rest of The White Lotus Season 3 Episode 2 plays out through the rest of the guests’ day. Belinda and Pornchai also demonstrate their signature treatments on each other, with Belinda finding Pornchai incredibly easy on the eye.
The trio of besties each get their readings done with Valentin, later debriefing on the beach. While Kate has scored averagely, Laurie and Jac are each told they’ve got the readings of someone half their age.
Jac is surprised that Laurie’s readings are basically the same as hers, which she struggles to hide. At dinner, all seems well until they get back to their room. Stritala continues to lavish Jac with extra attention, giving her a copy of her autobiography to take with her (which is pointless, as it’s all in Thai).
As Jac steps into her room, Laurie talks to Kate about her in a similar way to Jac and Kate’s earlier conversation about Laurie. Laurie thinks Jac is being too competitive with the readings, stating she always has to win everything that she does.
Kate doesn’t hesitate to switch sides, laying into different areas of Jac’s personal life – including her marriage to someone 10 years younger than her. Of course, when Jac comes back, it’s keeping up appearances.
The Ratliff family stay weridly incestuous and Timothy loses it
HBOExpectedly, the Ratliff family is behaving much more weirdly. Lochlan asks Piper if she’s ever had sex, stating Saxon claims it’s weird that Piper is so hot but is still a virgin. Rightfully creeped out, Piper snaps at Lochlan – and later Saxon, at dinner – telling the two to stay out of her personal life.
After going mental trying to find a blender for his “protein,” Saxon makes inappropriate jokes about the Thai performers, which Victoria merely laughs at. Piper calls him out for this, as well as his use of Adderall and steroids.
Timothy is in the biggest mess of all. After his second journalist phone call and many other missed calls from his secretary, he explodes at the family for being on the other side of the world, though won’t say why.
Later on, he manages to get hold of Kenny, who claims he isn’t worried about either article actually coming out. Why? 20 FBI have raided his office, and he’s lost everything. He threatens to take his own life, claiming the industry is at fault rather than him.
The answer is an obvious yes, which sends Timothy into an even greater rage. While Kenny tries to proclaim his innocence on the other end of the phone, Timothy says he was only sucked into a money laundering scheme thanks to Kenny, threatening to kill him. When Kenny says there’s no need because he’ll take his own life, Timothy encourages him to do it.
Chelsea gets held at gunpoint
HBOAfter his stress management session, tensions are frosty between Rick and Chelsea. Chelsea ditches him at lunch for Chloe, heading to the beach. Chloe says she’s had a huge fight with her boyfriend, leaving with his credit card. They head to check out the wares in the hotel store, which soon ends in disaster.
While Gaitok is talking to Valentin at the hotel entrance about a fight, an SUV barges past without being checked. A masked gunman gets out of the car and quietly enters the store, holding Chelsea and a staff member at gunpoint. They smash a bunch of cases and get away with a sack full of gold jewelry.
While Chelsea is incredibly shaken, Chloe misses the entire thing, having been in the changing room. As Rick comes to comfort Chelsea, Gaitok tries to confront the SUV as it leaves. The gunman gets out the car, whacking Gaitok in the head with the gun’s handle. There’s a second man who Gaitok confronts, but we don’t see his face. Ambulances and the police arrive, and an investigation begins.
Rick and Chelsea later have dinner with Chloe and her boyfriend, who is incredibly hostile to all three of them. Rick tries to put his best foot forward, feigning interest in Chloe. He learns she met her boyfriend on a matchmaking site in Dubai, prompting Rick to think she’s a “hooker.” Chelsea and Rick later reconnect in their hotel room, with Rick saying he’ll need to go to Bangkok for a few days. He doesn’t reveal the reason why, though we already know.
The White Lotus Season 3 is now airing weekly on HBO. While you wait, check out everything we know about House of the Dragon Season 3, if The Penguin Season 2 will happen, and more TV shows streaming this month.
English (US) ·