Nelson Morales

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A scene from 'The White Lotus'Season 3

<div><strong>WARNING: Spoilers ahead.</strong></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17403813664942025022407020_Contributed photo_The White Lotus season 3 episode 1.webp" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="A scene from &#x27;The White Lotus&#x27;Season 3"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">A scene from &#x27;The White Lotus&#x27;Season 3 </span></span></span></div><p>The much-anticipated third season of “The White Lotus,” TV’s best whodunnit, has finally arrived, and if the pilot episode, &quot;Same Spirits, New Forms,&quot; is any indication, creator Mike White is doubling down on everything that made the series a cultural phenomenon: sharp satire, biting class commentary, and a deliciously chaotic ensemble of the rich and ridiculous.</p><p>But first, let’s talk about the crime that happened before the episode even started: the theme song was changed. No one asked for it, no one wanted it, and yet here we are, forced to endure the auditory equivalent of a resort renovation no one booked.</p><div><strong>Monkey business </strong></div><p>Thailand, with its lush landscapes and mischievous monkeys, serves as a fitting metaphor for this season’s unraveling drama. Just as monkeys symbolize playfulness, unpredictability, and trickery, the wealthy guests at this White Lotus resort embody the same qualities. They swing from indulgence to insecurity, arrogance to fear, blissfully unaware of the forces about to upend their carefully curated lives.</p><p>The season opener leans into this metaphor, tapping into the Buddhist concept of the “monkey mind” — restless, undisciplined, and in constant search of gratification. These vacationers might think they’re in paradise, but their unsettled minds and unfulfilled lives suggest otherwise.</p><div><strong>Meet the monkeys</strong></div><p>A fresh batch of privileged vacationers checks in: volatile businessman Rick Hatchett (Walton Goggins) and his much-younger British girlfriend Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood); financier Timothy Ratliff (Jason Isaacs), his wife Victoria (Parker Posey), and their grown children — Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger), Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook), and Lochlan (Sam Nivola); and TV star Jaclyn Lemon (Michelle Monaghan) and her longtime friends Kate (Leslie Bibb) and Laurie (Carrie Coon).</p><p>From the jump, tensions simmer beneath the resort’s postcard-perfect tranquility. The Ratliffs, ostensibly here for Piper’s Buddhism research, are immediately at odds with their retreat’s WiFi-free, wellness-focused ethos. Meanwhile, Rick’s barely restrained aggression flares up on the boat ride to the resort, nearly escalating into a full-blown fight with Timothy and Saxon, a clear sign that the trip is only heading for disaster.</p><div><strong>Murder mystery</strong></div><p>“The White Lotus” thrives on its signature whodunnit mysteries, and this season is no different. It might be too early to place bets, but if I had to pick a suspect, my money’s on Laurie.</p><p>No season of “The White Lotus” starts without a bang — literally. Season 3 premiere kicks off with chaos: resort employee Amrita (Shalini Peiris) greets a new guest, Zion (Nicholas Duvernay), when gunshots suddenly shatter the tranquility. Panicked vacationers scatter, and Zion dives into a lake, only to make a grim discovery — a floating body. The camera lingers for a beat before police sirens rip through the silence.</p><p>From there, the episode rewinds a week, teasing out the slow-burn mystery that will inevitably spiral into full-blown disaster. Who’s dead? What led to the gunfire? And which privileged guest holds the key to it all?</p><p>If early clues mean anything, Laurie is worth watching. After an evening of alcohol and thinly veiled condescension from her friends, Laurie excuses herself from the table, seemingly retreating for the night. But instead of leaving, she lingers, silently watching them. We catch her observing from a distance — like the resort’s wild monkeys perched in the trees, studying the tourists who don’t even notice them. Her presence is a reminder that she is both part of their world and entirely separate from it. “The White Lotus” loves a misdirect, but something about Laurie feels less like a red herring and more like a storm gathering on the horizon.</p><div><strong>Unfinished business</strong></div><p>Two returning characters add to the intrigue. First is Belinda (Natasha Rothwell). We last saw her in season one, a hopeful spa manager who was strung along by Tanya’s (Jennifer Coolidge) empty promises of funding her wellness business. Now, she’s back for an extended work-related research trip, a return that suggests unfinished business. Or does it? Given the season’s ominous opening, we have to ask: is she here for the long haul, or just long enough to end up face-down in the water?</p><p>Then there’s Greg. What role will he play in this season’s drama? Last seen in season two, he orchestrated Tanya’s demise with the kind of casual treachery that still stings. (We’ll never forgive and forget, Greg!) The man pulled off a high-society hit job, turned a yacht into a crime scene, and walked away unscathed. Now he’s back, slipping into another luxury vacation like he didn’t bankroll a murder.</p><div><strong>Rick’s ruse</strong></div><p>Rick didn’t pick Thailand for the scenery. Chelsea might have thought this was just another luxury getaway, but from the moment they arrive, it’s clear Rick has unfinished business, specifically with Jim Hollinger, the sickly husband of Sritala, one of the resort’s owners. Jim never appears in the episode, but his presence looms large, especially when Rick’s reaction to his name is anything but casual.</p><p>Rick doesn’t explain why Australia is off-limits for him, but when Chelsea jokes about a possible arrest, he doesn’t deny it either. His interest in Jim isn’t friendly curiosity. When a staff member mentions Jim is away in Bangkok, Rick fixates on the information. Later, in their hotel room, he secretly looks up photos of Jim and Sritala, his expression unreadable. And then there’s dinner. The moment Rick spots Sritala making her rounds, he abruptly gets up and leaves, visibly rattled. Whether Rick is here to settle a score, reclaim something — or someone — from his past, or tie up loose ends, one thing is clear: this isn’t just a vacation.</p><div><strong>A family affair </strong></div><p>Few moments in the premiere feel as deliberately provocative as the dynamic between Saxon, Piper, and Lochlan. “The White Lotus” has always flirted with taboos, but this season leans in unapologetically. Early on, Piper casually offers to share a bed with Lochlan, which might have seemed innocent if Saxon hadn’t pointed out that siblings shouldn’t sleep together after puberty.</p><p>The discomfort only builds from there. Saxon bluntly calls Piper “hot” and speculates that she hasn’t had sex yet, adding an unsettling charge to their interactions. Later, when Lochlan joins him at the pool, Saxon casually drops, “Those long plane rides make me so f****** horny,” as if it were the most normal observation in the world. </p><p>Then comes the most skin-crawling moment: Saxon, completely nude, pulls up porn on his iPad and asks Lochlan about his favorite kind. He wonders aloud where he can masturbate before walking naked into the bathroom, leaving the door slightly open. Lochlan watches through the crack, his expression unreadable, heightening the scene’s eerie tension.</p><p>But don’t worry, this is just a “normal” family, as Victoria so sweetly puts it. And if that’s normal, well, maybe the real privilege is getting to redefine the word however you want.</p><p>Considering HBO’s history with taboo family dynamics — most infamously, the Lannister twins in “Game of Thrones” — I’m more surprised that a lot of people are acting surprised. “The White Lotus” is playing with fire, but this isn’t exactly uncharted territory for the network. Have we really forgotten how mainstream incest storylines have been before? The real question is whether this is a genuine critique of privilege’s moral decay or just another provocation designed to spark discourse.</p><div><strong>A vacation to die for</strong></div><p>“The White Lotus” formula remains the same: put the rich in paradise, let their ugliness surface, and count the bodies later. But this season’s opener feels meaner, hungrier, more willing to take a knife to its own satire. Forget slow-burn tension; this episode makes discomfort its primary language. The show trusts you to feel the sickness beneath the surface without pointing neon signs at it.</p><p>And that’s where “The White Lotus” is at its best — when it stops winking at its own cleverness and simply lets the rot set in. These guests think they’ve escaped the real world, but like the monkeys lurking in the trees, watching with dark, knowing eyes, the chaos is always waiting. The question isn’t who will die. It’s how long we can watch before we realize we’re part of the spectacle, no different from the animals circling their prey, drawn in by the chaos, unable to look away.</p><p>Ralph Revelar Sarza is a film and TV critic. A version of this review is published on his website, <a href="https://www.walphs.com/2025/02/review-the-white-lotus-season-3-episode-1.html">WALPHS.com</a>.</p>

<p>The much-anticipated third season of 'The White Lotus,' TV’s best whodunnit, has finally arrived,.</p>

The much-anticipated third season of 'The White Lotus,' TV’s best whodunnit, has finally arrived,.

Review: ‘The White Lotus’ season 3 pilot goes bananas

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Review: ‘The White Lotus’ season 3 pilot goes bananas

Ralph Revelar Sarza

Published Feb 24, 2025 03:16 PM PHT

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