The White Lotus Didn’t Earn It

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Spoilers follow for The White Lotus season-three finale, “Amor Fati.”

The most poignant moment in the third season of The White Lotus might have been when Laurie delivered her heartfelt speech. During their final dinner on their girls’ trip, Laurie, portrayed by Carrie Coon, listens as Jaclyn and Kate express their joy over how wonderful the vacation has been. However, Laurie doesn’t share their sentiment. “I’ve just been so… sad,” she admits when it’s her turn to speak. She confesses that she lacks a belief system and the trip has made her question her past decisions. “Work was my faith for years, but I definitely lost my belief there,” she shares. Love didn’t provide the answers either, nor did motherhood. But Laurie finds new insight. “I don’t need religion or God to give my life significance, because time gives it purpose. We began this journey together,” she says, looking at her friends, “and I feel like our lives have meaning.

In essence, the pivotal moment in The White Lotus’ third season could serve as its powerful and poignant thesis statement. It suggests that despite having diverse values and aspirations, these three women, who’ve spent considerable time together, can still provide solace for each other. However, this insight doesn’t erase Laurie’s sadness, nor does it offer a satisfying conclusion to their relationship that has grown apart. In an ideal season of The White Lotus, this idea could have echoed through the main storylines, becoming not just a poignant thread but also a beautiful reflection of the viewing experience. But a thesis statement alone doesn’t ensure a well-constructed TV series, and even if it rings true, a monologue like Laurie’s may fall flat in episode eight if the preceding episodes haven’t been crafted to set up this emotional payoff.

Struggling with mutual disdain, apprehension, and animosity, the Ratliff family concludes their season, surprisingly developing a fresh admiration for the strength of familial bonds. This revelation comes from realizing that Timothy, the father, embezzled all their assets. Although this truth sparks a glimmer of hope in his heart regarding their future, he considers eliminating them all – everyone except Lochlan, his wayward youngest son. At the brink of administering poisoned piña coladas to them, Timothy falters. Instead, it’s Lochlan who accidentally drinks a contaminated protein shake from the Bosch blender, rendering him unconscious. This sight is what stirs clarity in Timothy, making him understand that their lives are worth more than any material possessions Victoria clings to.

Simultaneously, Rick fails to grasp this very truth and meets a sad, unfortunate demise. He’s enraged because Jim Hollinger, a wealthy hotelier, allegedly stole his fatherly bond during childhood. In retaliation, he murders Hollinger, unaware that Hollinger was actually his own father. Tragically, Rick has lost his father not once but twice, and to add insult to injury, his loving girlfriend Chelsea, who’s always appreciated the good in him, gets entangled in the chaos. Ultimately, both Rick and Chelsea end up lifeless amidst the White Lotus’ water lilies, a result of Rick’s refusal to acknowledge the goodness in his life.

The basic structure of the storyline appears logical, but in execution, each of the three plotlines are flawed by missed chances and errors. Remarkably, the Ratliffs, who were subtly poisoned, manage to depart on their boat without delay, leaving them stranded right as they discover Timothy’s indiscretion, a moment that could have made their tales captivating. Characters like Piper and Timothy undergo significant changes throughout the season, but Saxon, Lochlan, and Victoria remain puzzling figures for both each other and the audience. Initially intriguing, Saxon’s character is largely sidelined in the final episode. What thoughts, desires, or emotions are coursing through Saxon after that critical encounter? Will Victoria manage without her luxuries? Can Lochlan still attend universities like Chapel Hill or Duke now that the family’s finances have been devastated? In the opening scene of the episode, a monk advises that there is no such thing as conclusion. However, The White Lotus evades more than just a resolution for the Ratliffs; it skips over the story it initially pledged to narrate.

In this season, Laurie, Jaclyn, and Kate are the characters making the biggest impact, yet it’s challenging to weave them into the red herring robbery storyline while also developing each character individually. One might question if the show needed to delve so deeply into Muay Thai or the struggles of the sad Russian men avoiding deportation. Despite these questions, the quality of the characters is generally commendable. However, when Laurie has her dinner revelation, it lacks any hint of how she arrived at this fresh, more insightful perspective on her life. In previous seasons, “The White Lotus” was known for lengthy, emotional shots as characters discovered something new, such as Tanya scattering her mother’s ashes or Harper watching Daphne discuss her feelings about marriage. Although there’s a brief scene of Laurie looking at her friends in the pool, she has just experienced a humiliating sexual encounter, been intoxicated throughout the week, and grown increasingly frustrated with her friends. On the balcony, it’s unclear what internal transformation she’s undergoing. We only understand this change in hindsight, once it’s been packaged as a trite piece of advice.

Rick and Chelsea are portrayed as having minimal impact in the earlier episodes, with their roles often overshadowed by other characters or plotlines. Rick’s character is initially preoccupied with a mission in Bangkok, and although he and Chelsea cross paths with the central Belinda/Greg storyline during the season, they ultimately play minor roles. Instead, Chelsea spends most of her screen time expressing affection for Rick, reassuring both him and the audience that she loves him, is there for him, and encourages him to abandon his quest for revenge as it won’t bring him happiness. Aimee Lou Wood’s performance breathes life into Chelsea’s character, but she remains one-dimensional, often simply echoing “Where’s Rick? I love Rick!”

Regardless of how well Rick’s narrative fits within the thematic structure provided by Carrie Coon’s monologues, the lack of meaningful development for both characters can feel tedious. The intended shocking twist at the end – that Hollinger was Rick’s father all along – falls flat because it is so glaringly obvious from the outset.

In the finale of ‘White Lotus’, there are several profound themes that surface. One of them is the idea that wealth has a corrupting influence, exemplified by Belinda’s choice to accept Greg’s money, disregard Tanya’s death, and repeat Greg’s actions towards Pornchai, mirroring what Tanya did to her earlier. Another theme is the impact of violence on individuals, demonstrated through Gaitok’s act of shooting Rick, a move that led to his success but at the cost of his humanity. These insights offer thought-provoking material for ‘White Lotus’, and certain scenes, such as Lochlan’s near-death experience and Laurie’s speech, suggest that a more balanced and consistent approach could have resulted in a more profound season. However, the third season of ‘White Lotus’ lingers excessively, saving too much for the end, which ironically, is the very lesson that Laurie’s monologue aimed to convey. The series seems to overlook the fact that the joy lies not just in the climax or the unexpected twist, but in the journey itself.

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2025-04-07 08:54