“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. (Read our recaps: Episode 1, Episode 2 and Episode 3.)
From the opening moments of Episode 4, the characters telegraphed duress through some phone calls. Whatever Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan) is feeling about her bestie Kate (Leslie Bibb), who might be a Trump supporter, takes a backseat when a call (and text) to her younger husband goes unanswered. Meanwhile, Belinda (Natasha Rothwell) connects with her son, Zion, as he prepares to board his flight to meet up with her: “Please be safe,” she tells him.
But it’s when genial hotel guard Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong) is given access to a gun and encouraged to familiarize himself with it after a robbery (and a lecture from his bosses) that the puzzle pieces seem to start locking into place.
This episode moves many of the characters outside the White Lotus resort. In an effort to keep from spiraling about her husband, Jaclyn rallies the ladies for a shift in scenery. But when another resort’s pool turns out, to Jaclyn’s extreme dismay, to be an oasis for older normies, she insists Valentin (Arnas Fedaravičius) take them on a better excursion. He obliges, leading them into the city center as Songkran, a celebration of the Thai New Year that involves water fights, is underway. In a moment crafted to provide us with endless GIFs, the friends are chased by kids armed with super soaker guns who hose the women in water, but you can’t wash away entitlement. They eventually meet up with Valentin and some of his friends at a party — what happens next remains to be seen.
However, the main event is a boat bash hosted by Greg/Gary (Jon Gries) and Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon), teased in last week’s episode. Despite Chelsea’s (Aimee Lou Wood) initial misgivings that something bad could await her there — “Things happen in threes. The robbery. The snake show. This could be some ‘Final Destination’ s—. Death is coming for me.” — she decides to attend after guilt-tripping Rick (Walton Goggins) into making an appearance before his flight to Bangkok. At the boat party, Chelsea manages to get Rick to share why he’s Bangkok-bound: “The dude who murdered my father owns this hotel,” he says.
Elsewhere, the Ratliff family continues to win the record for the most insane stories to share in therapy. Timothy (Jason Isaacs), who’s been self-medicating with Victoria’s Lorazepam, unintentionally flashes Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook) and Lochy (Sam Nivola) before breakfast — let this be a lesson to double-knot your robe belts, people. But the slip of skin didn’t derail the maritime festivities. At the boat party, Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) continues to be an ick monster and Tim winds up swiping Victoria’s entire bottle of pills. We also learn that Tim’s grandfather was the governor of North Carolina, his father was a successful businessman, and both his parents are dead.
Back on dry land, after Victoria (Parker Posey) stresses to Piper how lucky she is that, unlike the men on the boat, her father is a respectable man, Tim’s guilty conscience leads him to retrieve his phone from Pam. Messages come flooding in. And another phone call signaling doom takes place: Tim calls his attorney and learns that Kenny Nguyen, his associate in the scandal he is caught up in, is cooperating with the feds. Tim is advised to plead guilty to embezzlement and fraud so that he can cut a deal where, if he’s lucky, he’d only serve a few months in prison. “I would rather die. I would rather f—ing die. What am I supposed to tell my family?” he says. That’s when he spots the gun Gaitok left unattended in the nearby security shed.
Then there’s Belinda, who can’t shake the feeling she has about the ubiquitous rich bald guy. She does an internet search on Tanya McQuoid, which brings up news articles about her death and how authorities want to question Greg/Gary. In the episode’s closing moments, we see Greg/Gary scrolling through Belinda’s Instagram grid, stopping at a photo of her with her son. To quote Saxon, “S—’s about to get crazy!”
Before we begin this week’s analysis, we’re saying bon voyage to Meredith Blake, who has departed The Times after more than 12 years. Much like Tanya McQuoid, we won’t forget her. Now it’s time for Maira Garcia, this week’s sub-in, Greg Braxton and Yvonne Villarreal, platinum-status members of “The White Lotus” frequent guest program, to break it all down.
Who do we think is the corpse this week? Does the gun that’s loaned to Gaitok give us a clue?
Garcia: As much is at it would make sense to put my money down on someone from the Ratliff family, knowing how this show has played things in previous seasons, I’m not certain it’s one of them just yet. Tim is obviously experiencing a crisis, but Chelsea’s speech to Rick is awfully ominous. But that may also be too on the nose. Chelsea is very sweet and she appears to be benign compared to everyone else, but sadly, bad things happen to good people.
Braxton: I’m sticking with my previous pick of Victoria having a premonition. Although Chelsea’s mention of her possible “Final Destination” fear may ring true. It would be a cruel outcome. But those movies have no mercy.
Villarreal: I’m going to keep shifting my answer just so I can have a better shot of claiming that I guessed correctly. With that said, given all of poor Gaitok’s bad luck and this added detail about the gun, I thought maybe the dead body could be Mook in one of his blundered attempts to save the day. But with Tim taking possession of it, I don’t think that’s it. I also am skeptical the corpse was a victim of a gunshot. Maybe someone ate the fruit from the pong-pong tree, or suffered a snake bite, or a death glare from one of the monkeys was extra strong that morning.
It’s made clear again in this episode that Tim and Rick do not like each other. Is it just vibes or do you think there’s more to it?
Garcia: You know, I hadn’t given this much thought until you raised it, Yvonne. I think I’ve been more focused on the vibes between Rick and Greg/Gary, but I need to know what you think.
Braxton: Look at how Rick treats his girlfriend. Rick doesn’t like anybody unless they’re providing him with weed. He’s miserable, and sometimes misery does not love company.
Villarreal: Rick is very much the Hugh Grant of this trip — annoyed by everything around him in a way we can’t help but relate to — so I can see this tension stemming from something as slight as Tim breathing too loud or talking by speakerphone on his cell during that first boat trip to the resort. But it’s obvious we’re supposed to sense it, and I want to know why!
Speaking of Rick, what do you make of the story he tells Chelsea about his dad?
Garcia: It’s heartbreaking because I think he’s being truthful. As grouchy as Rick can be, he doesn’t seem like the type to lie, especially not to Chelsea. But you have to wonder whether his mother told him a tall tale as a child to comfort him. Trauma can be strange like that.
Braxton: That’s a hell of a burden to carry around all your life. I suspect the story is true, but I also suspect it goes deeper than that. That could definitely be revealed before we reach the end.
Villarreal: Not to throw his dead mother under the bus, but because this show makes me question everything it presents to me, I feel like maybe his mom told him that story on her deathbed to make him feel better about why his dad wasn’t in his life. Am I being too cynical?
Garcia: No, I’m with you on this.
Do you find it strange that Belinda hadn’t known about Tanya’s passing until now?
Garcia: Incredibly. Meredith raised this point in last week’s recap. Wouldn’t this have been news around work at least? I’d like to say most people scroll the news, but we know that’s not true [cries in falling subscription revenue]. That’s the only logical reasoning I can come up with.
Braxton: What’s bothering me even more is that Belinda recognizes Gary/Greg from two years ago. I can’t recall any significant interaction between then. One element of Jon Gries, which makes his acting and his character, is his physical ordinariness. Gary/Greg is a guy who could easily fade into the background in a crowded environment — there’s nothing distinctive about his look that would have set him apart from the hundreds of other ubiquitous bald guys who passed through the White Lotus where Belinda works. Walk into any supermarket and you’ll see at least five guys who look like Gary/Greg. Belinda’s nagging suspicion that she recognizes him is a stretch for me.
Villarreal: I don’t know that I agree with you on that, Greg. Women remember weird dudes. And Greg/Gary is a weird dude. I do find it strange that Belinda would not have heard about Tanya’s death through the work grapevine. I also definitely paused the screen. And the headlines about the death were from 2022, but there was one headline from CNN in the mix that was from 2024, which is clearly closer to when these events take place. So roughly two years have passed. And that CNN headline was about a Hollywood production company landing the rights to Tanya’s story — so I feel like that says this got enough public attention for that to happen? Maybe Belinda is just not doomscrolling like the rest of us. And if that’s the case, I need her master class on that now more than ever.
Jaclyn and her pals do not have a good experience when they finally venture outside the White Lotus. What is Mike White saying about culture clash and class?
Braxton: Although the women the trio meet at the other resort they visit are polite, they and the other guests are depicted as unattractive, almost grotesque. “Something is off,” Jacklyn whispers to her friends. They are way “above” these folks and can’t wait to get away from them. To me, it speaks to the elitism and shallowness of the trio that they are repelled by folks who are not as upscale as they are — they are repelled by “the great unwashed.” Their discomfort increases when they venture into town for Thai New Year. The native children sense their discomfort and escalate the watery attack, sending the women running for cover. Their horror indicates to me a rejection of the culture they have thousands of dollars to travel to. They are more comfortable being around the wealthy white tourists at the resort.
Garcia: And that scene at the other resort also reflects their ageism, a topic that came up in Episode 2 when Laurie and Kate talked about Jaclyn’s “waxy” face. We also know Jaclyn married a younger man, and she seemed aghast at being among older common folk. There are a few layers at work here, of course. These scenes were a vivid reflection of the show’s examination of race, culture and class.
Villarreal: Considering how much time White spent studying Thai culture and observing the kinds of tourists that visit, it’s exactly the depiction I’d expect of privileged travelers who want the photo op more than they want to explore the island and experience its offerings. They don’t care to actually understand another culture or truly bask in its surroundings, they just want to feel enough culture to post Instagram stories that will make you envious while you’re stuck at home.
Kate’s tight smile while being questioned about politics in last week’s episode was a masterclass in facial acting. But Chelsea’s sad face work with Rick over breakfast was just as inspiring. Do we need to start handing out Best Facial Expression awards?
Garcia: Only if I can give one to Mook for when she politely friend-zoned Gaitok.
Braxton: My candidate would be Amrita (Shalini Peiris), the spiritual counselor who always looks at Rick with interest and concern even as he is horribly rude to her. And when she tells him her story has touched his heart, it’s almost like she is smitten. If I were Chelsea, I’d keep a very close eye on her.
Villarreal: Chelsea’s pout to Rick was top-tier. But the one that had me cackling was Victoria’s reaction in taking stock of the odd couplings on the boat — the raised eyebrows, the sucking of her teeth and the sigh was an exquisite display of subtle judgment.
Greg/Gary somehow manages to feel even more dark and menacing. Why do you think he was looking at Belinda’s Instagram?
Garcia: OK, this gave me the heebie-jeebies. There was also that ominous shot of him on the boat looking down at the party. Dude’s nefarious and slimy and anything shady seems to have to do with him. With that said, Jon Gries’ talent is on full display in this role.
Braxton: Evil people often do research on their victims before laying the trap.
Villarreal: He’s definitely up to no good, trying to find her weak spot to keep her from gabbing to authorities. To quote Belinda, motherf—!
Who will party harder: our ladies Kate, Jaclyn and Laurie, or Saxon and Lochy?
Garcia: Nothing gives me more joy than seeing middle-aged women have fun, so I can’t wait to see how they party with Valentin and his crew.
Braxton: Girls just wanna have fun. They just wanna, they just wanna …
Villarreal: Let’s take notes for our next work lunch. Also, speaking of Saxon, how has Erewhon not announced a ridiculously priced smoothie in his honor by now?
Garcia: I hope you get a commission for this million-dollar idea.
Whose storyline do you find most compelling four episodes in?
Garcia: I’m going with Rick. He remains an enigma, though his revelation to Chelsea gives us more to look forward to. I want to know what he does, who he knows and whether he meets Sritala’s husband, who we’re being led to believe killed his father.
Braxton: I vote for Gaitok. He’s such a good guy, but a dark cloud is following him. The theft of the gun while he was out of the guardhouse will be another black mark. Things will not end well for him.
Villarreal: I’m with you, Greg. I want to protect Gaitok at all costs. But Rick’s troubled aura has me so intrigued. I want him to get the answers he needs to move on in life, but I worry he’ll get answers that will only do more to harden him.
