Five episodes in, The White Lotus Season 3 is finally starting to peel back its silken layers of opulence and dysfunction, revealing something even darker and more transgressive than fans may have expected. Yet, despite the bombshell teased in the final seconds of this week’s episode, much of the narrative still feels bogged down in slow, murky pacing. The show’s signature brand of dark satire, sharp characterisation, and moral decay is all there, but its plot machinery remains frustratingly sluggish. This was a party episode—but one with undertones of incest, death wishes, and rising tensions that promise volcanic eruptions.
The Kiss That Launched a Thousand Think Pieces
Did They Really Go There?
In a show built on moral ambiguity, class satire, and boundary-pushing discomfort, it should be no surprise that The White Lotus would eventually flirt with incest. And yet, when it finally arrives, it’s almost underwhelming in its delivery. In the final moments of the episode, viewers are treated to a fleeting yet charged moment: Saxon and Lochlan, members of the enigmatic Ratliff family, share a kiss during a drinking game.
It’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it brief, but its implications are colossal. The show has been teasing something unseemly in the Ratliff dynamic for weeks now, and while the scene technically stops short of confirming anything definitively incestuous, the narrative tension surrounding their closeness has finally tipped into explicit territory. Is it for shock value? Or does Mike White have deeper commentary in mind? Either way, he’s succeeded in getting people talking.
Spectacle Without Resolution
What’s most notable is how anticlimactic the moment feels. After weeks of building speculation and Reddit theory-crafting, the kiss lands more as a provocative afterthought than a climactic reveal. The decision to underplay such a loaded moment speaks volumes about the show’s strategy: unsettling us not with melodrama, but with casual depravity.
Koh Samui Shenanigans: Party on Greg’s Yacht
The Yacht Party From Hell
The Ratliff crew—Saxon, Lochlan, Chloe, and Chelsea—continue their rich-kid romp aboard Greg’s luxury yacht, indulging in everything from champagne-fueled antics to questionable flirtation. Chloe, it turns out, is eyeing up Lochlan, despite her current entanglement with older boyfriend Gary. Her breezy dismissal of Gary’s potential rage (“Gary might kill me. I honestly think he’s capable of it”) underscores the show’s ongoing commentary on how the ultra-privileged regard consequences: abstract, improbable, and mostly beneath them.
Layers of Toxicity
Even more unsettling is how the quartet’s night devolves into a vortex of sexual tension, entitlement, and blurred moral lines. Chloe doesn’t flinch at the idea of cheating; Chelsea plays the passive observer; and Saxon and Lochlan continue to exude an eerie, almost twinned synergy that makes viewers increasingly uncomfortable.
The Bangkok Detour: Rick’s Dead-End Quest
Revisiting Old Ghosts
Meanwhile, Rick ventures to Bangkok in a subplot that, at least so far, feels like narrative dead weight. His journey to confront the possible killer of his father yields little more than shots of Rick looking forlorn in hotel rooms and cryptic conversations with an old friend—played with effortless sleaze by Sam Rockwell—about his sexual conquests in Thailand. The discussion veers into uncomfortable territory, with implications of role-playing and queasy power dynamics.
A Misdirected Mission
Despite being rich in cultural texture, this storyline struggles to integrate with the main narrative. Rick’s father-related mystery remains emotionally inert, and the tonal dissonance it brings to the otherwise hedonistic chaos of Koh Samui feels disjointed. It’s a subplot that seems to be waiting for a payoff that may never arrive.
Gunplay and Breakdown: Tim’s Spiral
The Gun Returns
One of the more intense story arcs centers on Tim, played with fragile dignity by Jason Isaacs. Gaitok’s frantic search for a missing firearm adds a thriller-like undercurrent to an otherwise languid episode. Of course, viewers already know who has it: Tim himself. As it turns out, he intends to use it to end his own life, facing a grim financial reckoning with the FBI.
A Ticking Time Bomb
In one of the episode’s most harrowing moments, Tim prepares to pull the trigger, only to be interrupted by his wife. Though the moment is averted, the danger is clearly still present. Tim is teetering on the edge, emotionally and literally. The use of the gun, still unrevealed to other characters, continues to dangle over the narrative like a Chekhovian blade.
Belinda’s Long-Awaited Spark
A Brief Respite
After several episodes on the sidelines, fan-favorite Belinda finally catches a break—romantically, at least. She shares a passionate kiss with a handsome masseuse, giving viewers one of the few tender moments in an otherwise tension-heavy episode. But, this being The White Lotus, it likely won’t last long.
Trouble Brewing
Greg is hot on her trail, and the show’s tendency to turn moments of serenity into horror makes us wonder how long her reprieve will last. For now, though, Belinda’s happiness offers a rare moment of sweetness amid the storm.
Piper, Posey, and Parental Disasters
The Meditation Bombshell
Meanwhile, Piper, in a bid for independence or perhaps simply escape, drops a bomb on her parents: she wants to attend a meditation retreat. Victoria, horrified, reacts with a blend of incredulity and performative liberalism that’s become her trademark.
Posey’s Delicious Insanity
Parker Posey continues to be a source of both confusion and joy. Her portrayal of Victoria—equal parts Southern belle and unhinged narcissist—remains one of the season’s most entertaining elements, even if we still know frustratingly little about her true motivations. Her drawled declaration that “Organised religion and deviant sex can go hand in hand!” is the kind of line only The White Lotus could pull off without seeming completely absurd.
A Study in Stasis: Is It Worth the Wait?
An Episode of Table Setting
Despite a handful of jaw-dropping moments, this episode ultimately serves as connective tissue. The real drama still lies ahead, and Episode 5 spends much of its time arranging the chessboard rather than moving pieces. The incestuous kiss, the suicidal ideation, the slow-burn interpersonal decay—they’re compelling, but they’re also unresolved.
Where’s the Fireworks?
Mike White has built a reputation for masterfully slow builds that culminate in explosive finales. Still, even his most loyal fans may be wondering whether the delayed gratification is worth the drag. This episode, while brimming with narrative threads, offers more promise than payoff.
Conclusion: Setting the Stage for Chaos
Episode 5 of The White Lotus Season 3 feels like a prelude—an elegant, unsettling waltz before the storm. Between incestuous implications, suicidal crises, and slow-moving subplots, the show teases a grand unravelling but hasn’t quite delivered it yet. With only a few episodes left, the groundwork is laid for a spectacular implosion. We just have to hope the show doesn’t run out of time before it lights the fuse.
One thing is certain: the next episode needs to bring the fire. We’re ready for the hangover. Let’s hope it delivers the bang we’ve been promised.
