5 Star Hotel, One Star Morals
Undeniably lush, exotic and alluringly sinister, “The White Lotus” has returned to Max for its third season. For lovers of dark humour, clever social commentary and suspicious characters, the overdone depiction of the obnoxiously wealthy, chaotically beautiful scenery and fresh mimosas clearly sanction this melodrama as the next watch. Each chapter takes place somewhere new—Hawaii in season one, Sicily in season two and the captivating but extremely tense atmosphere of Thailand in the newest season. The “White Lotus” resort is meant to act as a sanctuary for its guests, though it’s anything but restful.
The very first scene starts off with a bang, literally. At the resort, an unidentified young man is meditating with his instructor, and gunshots are heard. The two run separate ways and it follows the young man hiding, and praying that his mom is safe, wherever she is in the resort. Then it transitions to a week before the incident, and it is now a matter of time to see the lead up of events that result in the shooting.
This production explores the gruesome side of wealth, and complicated relationships taking place in a luxurious resort. Season three introduces a whole new cast, besides a couple recurring faces. A trio of extravagant middle-aged women (Carrie Coon, Leslie Bibb, and Michella Monaghan) who are lifelong “friends” bring hushed gossip sessions supported by numerous bottles of overpriced wine, adding an addictive, passive aggressive element that makes it hard to hit pause. Who could forget about Chelsea (Aimee Lou Woods) and Rick (Walton Goggins), a couple with a curious night and day dynamic. Woods' character is an optimist, while Goggins’ is perpetually annoyed; their banter is so awkwardly conducted, but just as thought-provoking. Creator Mike White mastered the uncomfortable bond that will hopefully pander to the sheer absurdness of it all, but also cater to the most vulnerable intricacies of a relationship.
Shifting focus from the nonmarital, a family of five is unveiled: the Ratliffs. Featuring a vapid presenting mother (Parker Posey), and boasting “alpha male” father (Jason Isaacs) with three kids in different teenage stages. The oldest son, Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger), is 19 and shows to be a little too self involved while the 16-year-old, Lochlan (Sam Nivola) proves to be the opposite, presenting as quiet and withdrawn. Yet, the 17 year old daughter, Piper (Morgana O’Reilly) stands out; even though the family's trip is to celebrate Piper writing her thesis, there's a collective underlying resentment towards her. A potential reason is that Piper is supposed to be interviewing a monk for her thesis, but never really seems to take any action into making progress, despite presenting herself as being very invested.
The real star of the show is music composer Cristobal Tapia de Veer. The eerie yet atmospheric soundtrack is all thanks to him, tailored for every twisted moment. Starting off with a somewhat soothing tune, it matures into one that feeds a river of worry for what will happen next. Bewildering shots of Thailand's serene landscape, combined with the music, provide an unbearable sense of anticipation mixed with a skewed harmony.
Jon Gries returns as Greg, which is like a car crash that nobody can manage to look away from. He was a malicious, gold-digging husband in the first two seasons and is now deceiving another new woman in Thailand. Gries effectively puts everyone on edge with his off-putting demeanor and his aggressive hairlessness. He helps bring the show that almost intentional discomfort, maintaining his level of unpredictability.
In the second episode of the new season, the guests are accommodated on the island. Dreamy montages give a glance into the effort of maintenance of the hotel. Piper Ratliff comments about the appearance of the hotel to her parents.
“It’s like a Disneyland for rich bohemians from Malibu in their Lululemon yoga pants,” Ratliff says.
The family goes through their first wellness treatments, all unsatisfied in their own ways. Victoria said her massage made her anxious, therefore, she takes another tranquilizing pill; her character has been abusing pills at every opportunity of distress. Saxon, who grapples with some toxic “my way or the highway” mindset, is upset that his massage didn’t go hand in hand with his expectations. The father, Tim, gets a call from an old colleague, Kenny, warning him that he will soon be caught for a money laundering scheme played off years before. The characters are written brilliantly, so accurate to everyday people, but still interesting to watch. The childhood friends Laurie, Jaclyn, and Kate are discussing potential mates at the resort, as well as making snide comments towards each other's body fat percentage. Their deepest conversations equate to a middle school girl's sleepovers; it is as if they are waiting for the first person to fall asleep so they can finally talk behind their back. The couple, Chelsea and Rick, are business as usual so far with Chelsea trying to bring some life back into the dismissive Rick. Curiosity is rising to see how things unravel for the travelers.
The third episode opens with an uncanny sight: the Ratliff mom, Victoria, is shown holding a pill bottle, presumably the one she takes every day. There is a blue haze, and it is obvious this is set in her dream. With the dark color scheme, she is engulfed in blankets by hotel staff and stands in front of her house in America, a tsunami brewing. Soon after the scene, she discusses the dream with her family, and Piper brings up tsunamis as warnings in dreams. It’s clear that her nightmare is meant to allude to her husband’s legal issues, which she and the rest of the family have yet to know about. These unnerving instances reappear throughout the whole episode. One of the three girlfriends, Kate, admits to being a Trump supporter and is subtly shunned by Laurie and Jaclyn. Rick attends a poisonous snake exhibit, and tries to release all the snakes from the cages. The biggest “Oh my god” muttered was watching Greg get recognized by one of the transferred Hawaiian staff from season one, Belinda (Natasha Rothwell). He shadily brushed her off and left, even though she knew he wasn’t who he claimed to be. It’s clear that by episode three, all the visitors emit total anxiety.
The fourth episode reveals a lot of things that have been pondered over the week. The Ratliff family’s legal issues are still clouding the air, and are only getting worse. Greg, or now Gary, has officially been discovered by Belinda, who put the pieces together that he killed his wife for her money in season two. All the big secrets that had been fed so far were debunked, and Rick finally confesses his reason for coming to Thailand.
Season three of “The White Lotus” is an absolute must-watch. The show continues to solidify itself in the industry with its cutting-edge commentary on privilege, relationships, and overall human nature. This season is as addictive as the last, if not more so. It’s a beautifully disturbing turn of events that is nearly impossible to stop watching. Not thriving in Thailand? Watch something that’ll make anyone feel like they're right there, tanning with the trust-fund nihilists.