No matter the season, there are a few things fans can be sure of when it comes to The White Lotus: a gorgeous location, an unknown corpse, and a giant ensemble cast of some of the best character actors in the game. Fans have a few other guarantees too, like those actors primarily playing rich people who fall somewhere between insane and insufferable on the out-of-touch spectrum, or mundane dramas and disagreements snowballing into death and disaster. With so many foolproof story beats, Season 3 easily meets (and sometimes exceeds) the expectations set by its predecessors, even if it hasn’t hit the heights of the Sicily-set Season 2 just yet.
Across six out of eight episodes (the final two were withheld from critics), the exploits of the guests and staff of Thailand’s White Lotus resort unfold. The hotel is wellness-focused, inspired by the nation’s spiritual culture and owner-slash-former starlet Sritala’s (Lek Patravadi) creative ideas. That’s perfect for some guests, who fly halfway around the world just for the exotic and expensive treatments, but others are far less interested in getting in touch with themselves. Case in point, the Ratliff family. Led by patriarch Timothy (Jason Isaacs), the North Carolinian clan is old money and proud of it. Wife and mother Victoria (Parker Posey) loves their lavish lifestyle, as does eldest son Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger), though young Lochlan (Sam Nivola) is less sure about his family’s focus. They’re semi-reluctantly in Thailand to support middle child Piper’s (Sarah Catherine Hook) college thesis about Buddhism, a subject Victoria finds less than decent. But while they’re stranded at their luxury resort, Tim learns that some of his dirty laundry (that is, his dirty business practices and his money laundering) is about to get aired out. His vacation is ruined, but he’s determined to hide his oncoming downfall from his family.
Of course, the Ratliffs aren’t the only ones living it up at the White Lotus. For one, returning face Belinda (Natasha Rothwell) is at the Thai branch for an exchange program; she’s here to learn a few new techniques and decompress from the whole boss-dying-tragically and Jennifer-Coolidge-leaving-her-high-and-dry ordeal. There’s also a trio of ladies there on a girls’ trip that is definitely not a band-aid for their respective midlife crises, made up of actress Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan), divorced lawyer Laurie (Carrie Coon), and businessman’s wife Kate (Leslie Bibb). They share decades of friendship, but at this point in their lives, the main thing they have in common is what they can say about each other when any given member of the group isn’t around. The guests are rounded out by grizzled and gruff Rick (Walton Goggins), who’s here on business he’d rather not discuss, and his much younger, dreamier girlfriend Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood).
Unfortunately, the staff factors into this season less than the previous ones. There’s no Murray Bartlett or Sabrina Impacciatore that pulls focus, with sweet hospitality rep Mook (Lalisa Manobal, better known as K-Pop star and Blackpink member Lisa) and unskilled security guard Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong) only really working in the background. Mildly pathetic hotel manager Fabian (Christian Friedel) pops up every now and then too, offering some scene-stealing comic relief, but it’s really the guests who are the stars of this season. That makes for less variety in the story, no matter how cute the subplot of Gaitok and Mook’s courtship is. There’s a chance that Gaitok may take on a more central role in the last two episodes, given that someone inevitably ends up dead on his watch, but it would be too little, too late for these characters.
That’s not to say that Season 3 suffers terribly in comparison to its earlier iterations. Creator, writer and director Mike White is as much of a sick genius as ever, his affinity for uncomfy sexual innuendos, icy interpersonal exchanges and laugh-out-loud comedic beats still pitch perfect. Babygirl looks downright PG compared to some of the moments this season, and the ridiculous desperation on display by so many of these rich folks never ceases to entertain.
This is helped in large part by the cast, and as can be expected, standout performances abound. Posey and Isaacs thankfully went to the Daniel Craig/Knives Out school of southern accents, and the former lays her ridiculous delivery on thick for her equally ridiculous lines—the way she says “lorazepam” justifies the price of an HBO subscription alone. Isaacs gets to give a more dramatically layered performance, as Tim is on the precipice of financial and reputational ruin; however the last two episodes unfold, he’s sure to have some kind of major emotional blowout. Schwarzenegger does very well as the prerequisite infuriating, idiotic white guy on the cast, upholding the legacy of Theo James and Jake Lacy before him, while Hook and Nivola somehow manage to cultivate a genuinely sweet sibling relationship amidst this mess.
Goggins is fantastic and unnerving, taking what could be a one-note mystery man role and making Rick a real source of intrigue; the reluctant chemistry he shares with the ebullient Wood is one of the meatier dynamics in the show, and he brings something special to Rick’s stoicism. Monaghan, Coon, and Bibb are also a consistent delight; compliments and concerns have never been so backhanded, and their group scenes always earn a laugh (or several).
The drama is very easy to get swept up in, even if it isn’t always the most focused. Belinda provides a connection to the past seasons and storylines in ways you may not expect, but at times that continuation comes at the expense of developing something new. Season 3 doesn’t have the narrative momentum of Season 2, an admittedly difficult standard to live up to. The White Lotus remains an exciting show regardless, packing a healthy dose of jaw-dropping moments and promising plenty more.
The first episode of ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3 debuts on Max on February 16th.
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