This review contains spoilers.
The recent season of “The White Lotus” was pretty hard to ignore. Major publications like The Hollywood Reporter and Forbes extensively covered the show and its iconic ensemble cast, TikTok flooded with trending soundbites and everyone and their mom took to X to debrief each week’s new episode. “The White Lotus” captivated a significant chunk of consumers despite intense streaming market saturation, outpacing viewership of its second season by at least 78%, and its finale attracted 6.2 million viewers the night of its release.
Each season of “The White Lotus” follows a week at the expensive White Lotus hotel, documenting the stays of the ultra-wealthy guests and hotel employees. The comedy-drama is a satire on the rich, mocking the frivolous lives of the insufferably spoiled. Despite the largely different cast of characters each season, all remain intertwined through the actions of sketchy businessman Greg Hunt (Jon Gries).
Shock factor played an integral role in this season’s widespread success. Perhaps the most insane arc of the show occurs between brothers Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) and Lochlan (Sam Nivola), specifically when they commit a sexual act together. Their incestuous moment undoubtedly made the show stand out. I mean, how many TV shows these days feature incest on screen?
Showrunner Mike White is never afraid of shocking audiences, but always has a method behind his madness, using the brothers’ dynamic to call attention to their family’s dysfunction. Saxon, Lochlan and their sister, Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook), belong to the wealthy Ratliff family. The patriarch, Timothy (Jason Isaacs), fuels the family’s exorbitant lifestyle with his loyal wife, Victoria (Parker Posey), by his side. But the family is unstable: Timothy is under investigation by the FBI for a money laundering scheme, Victoria pops lorazepam like candy and Saxon, a fitness-bro horndog, hopes to make Lochlan a man by force-feeding him protein shakes. Lochlan and Saxon’s incestuous incident is just further evidence that wealth does not supplement a family’s emotional stability and reveals that Saxon successfully passed his hyper-masculine, sex-addicted habits to his younger brother. By the end of the series, Saxon embarks on a newfound path to enlightenment, cleaning himself of his dude-bro ways, only for Lochlan to take on his curse.
The complex family is a joy to watch on screen. Posey’s portrayal of Victoria, including her iconic southern drawl, makes her the ideal comic relief. Her delivery of wildly out-of-touch lines provides a perfect window into her warped reality, like when she tells her family that “no one in the history of the world has lived better than we have.”
Beyond Victoria, every character in the show is masterfully written and portrayed. Walton Goggins and Aimee Lou Wood, who portray Rick and Chelsea respectively, are electric onscreen. As a romantic couple, the pair has undeniable chemistry. Chelsea’s pure heart shines, making her a fan favorite and a much-needed contrast to the other characters. Their dysfunctional but adorable dynamic makes their deaths even more depressing.
Rick’s demise is smartly foreshadowed with the “Asian girl” monologue, another ultra-viral moment from the season. In a jaw-dropping moment delivered by Frank (Sam Rockwell) to Rick, Frank explains how his obsession with Asian women led him down a deep spiral of sex addiction. Beyond its surface, the monologue captures how obsessive desire can lead to insanity. While Frank desires sexual satisfaction, Rick desires to avenge his father, which ultimately leads to his death.
Similar to hotel guests like Rick, the possessiveness of desire and greed is evident through returning character Belinda (Natasha Rothwell), a masseuse from the hotel’s Hawaii location from season one. She comes to Thailand and meets masseuse Pornchai (Dom Hetrakul), and the two discuss plans to open a spa. But that business quickly dissolves when Greg offers Belinda a $5 billion bribe for her silence around his wife’s untimely death, an unsolved murder from season two. This season ends with Belinda and her son riding a fancy boat into the sunset, leaving Pornchai behind.
Belinda’s ending is conflicting. It’s significant to see the only Black woman in the show finally beat financial insecurity, but disappointing to watch her treat Pornchai just like previous White Lotus guests treated her in season one. Wealth changed Belinda, forcing the viewer to evaluate what they’d do in her situation. Affluence is acquired through a sacrifice of morality — Belinda is merely a victim of a system that requires her to compromise her consciousness for a better life. The inherent evils of desire is what keeps the audiences coming back to “The White Lotus,” and they just can’t seem to get enough.
Contact Annie Emans at [email protected].
