This episode is aptly named as many at the White Lotus are struggling to acknowledge their actions. With one episode to go after this, there’s lots to resolve and I can’t wait to see where Mike White takes us. Season four has already been confirmed, so you know I’ll be here for every juicy moment. Now there’s just the speculation of where we’ll go next. If season one in Hawaii was about money, and season two in Italy was about sex, and season three here in Thailand is about death, what might be up for discussion and where? For now, we’ll ruminate and dive into this utterly jaw-dropping episode. But seriously, Mike, go to therapy.
“It’s gonna be okay.”
Mr. Ratliff (Jason Isaacs) is dead. No, wait, I’m just kidding. He’s only imagining scenarios. Pretty grim and sobering to acknowledge to yourself what will happen after your suicide. The true depth of your actual presence that sometimes people don’t fully realize or feel. He puts the gun away…for now. But the next step is going to see this program where Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook) wants to spend a year after graduating. But the boys aren’t back yet…“I have to say something.”
Kate (Leslie Bibb) is up early, on the phone likely with her husband in Austin. She spies with her little eye Valentin (Arnas Fedaravicius) leaving Jaclyn’s (Michelle Monaghan) suite. And being a little shit stirrer, she tells Laurie (Carrie Coon) who obviously is hurt. Sounds like this is familiar territory in the friendship triumvirate. Kate tries to play it like it is supposed to be funny. Oh please, Kate. You’ve been on the same vacation, you’ve seen how Jaclyn kept pushing Laurie to hook up with him only to fuck him herself? That’s shitty. And then to not come clean about it? She’s all about the spotlight and attention until someone calls her on it; then, she can’t handle the heat. Not to mention cheating on her husband. But it is humorous watching Laurie give Valentin the cold shoulder when he stops by. So petty; I love it.
“You’re wasting your life.”
Meanwhile, the Ratliff boys are waking up on the yacht and boy howdy, it is quite a wake up for one of them. Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) did say that he doesn’t do drugs and I don’t recommend you use them again. You kept pushing your brother to be a man, all this alpha bro shit. How do you feel about that now, given that you’ve engaged in incest? I would hope it would make you reevaluate your life choices. Maybe consider therapy. But Lochlan (Sam Nivola) doesn’t remember…yet. They make it back to the hotel and Saxon gets weirdly protective over a sister he’s been talking shit about all season. I know you love her because she’s family, but you clearly don’t like her. Anyway, he wants to stay back, but Lochlan agrees to go see the monastery.
And then we can’t forget about Belinda (Natasha Rothwell) and Pornchai (Dom Hetrakul), who ended the last episode a little horizontal. I just want her to be safe and happy. If she dies, I won’t be able to handle it. Not only has her son Zion (Nicholas Duvernay) finally arrived in the most hilarious way, but Pornchai has asked her to stay and create a spa here with him. Woah, buddy, it was one night of sex. Let’s not get too hasty here. Not to mention Greg (Jon Gries)…I mean, “Gary” is onto her being onto him and invites her to a dinner party. With everything in me, I hope she doesn’t go, even if Zion is encouraging her to go. Because this just spells disaster, especially if he’s asking for help from Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon) as a sort of blackmail, given she had sex with the Ratliff boys.
Speaking of the Ratliff boys, Saxon stays behind while the rest of the family go to the monastery. He’s panicky and anxious. Chloe and Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) take to teasing him and he’s not handling it well. Yep, you committed incest with your brother. Now you have to live with that. Also, Chelsea finally speaks with Rick (Walton Goggins) though he’s still vague about what’s happening in Bangkok. Obviously, she’s still worried. And he’s telling Sritala (Patravadi Mejudhon) about his “director friend” who wants to get her for a movie, but he needs to see her in her habitat first. This being the role play he asked Sam Rockwell for. There’s a brilliant use of Sam Rockwell for this little bit part, trying to keep his friend from making a huge mistake. Liar said he wouldn’t bring the gun…
“If that strange man is going to have my baby, he better be the best damn Buddhist in China.”
The Ratliffs, minus Saxon, make it to the spot. Mom (Piper Posey) is embarrassing in the way only a mom can be. Piper admits to the monk that she’s feeling lost and she believes this place can help her. Dad has a meaningful conversation regarding life and death. Mom agrees to sign off on the place if Piper spends the night. Mom already discussed it with them. Lochlan agrees to stay the night too, offering her the support he revoked last night. But once there, Lochlan begins opening his mind, and everything comes back. So what to do with that now?
With all the Ratliffs away, Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong) can play. Or rather search for his missing gun. He manages to find it and we get a sweet piece of cinematography as he passes the returning Ratliff parents. Finally, he has the gun secured again and I’m assured Mr. Ratliff can’t off anyone now. Yet, the gun does come back out later when Gaitok takes it to the shooting range with his superior. Seemed like a pretty decent aim. There were a lot of shots in the flashback. A secondary gun? Another theft? Could my friend’s theory be correct, and a monkey goes on a mad shooting spree? Please, oh please, be true. There’s quite a sense of randomness to the deaths (Murray being stabbed, Tanya and the boat), so there’s a possibility for quite anything. Knowing Mike White, there will be a decent level of drama. I cannot wait.
