Review | Resolution was never the point in ‘The White Lotus’ season three finale
Photo Collage by Emily Paris, Photo Editor
Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for season three of “The White Lotus.”
Season three of “The White Lotus” is officially over, and the final episode had me squirming for the entire hour-and-a-half runtime.
“The White Lotus” came and went in eight long episodes, and this season was driven by symbolism and metaphors; most questions were answered only by our own analyses of each moment. The season required more attention to detail on the part of the viewer than the previous two, but its messages were still conveyed perfectly.
I thought the lesson of this third season could be summed up in two ways: in the final words of the finale’s opening monologue and in the episode's title.
“It was easier to be patient once we finally accepted there was no resolution.”
These words — spoken by Luang Por Teera (Suthichai Yoon), the Buddhist monk, in the first few minutes of the finale — paired with the episode’s title (“Amor Fati,” which means “love of fate”) set the tone for the rest of the episode. It became clear quickly that there would be no resolutions, no happy endings and a whole lot of dissatisfaction, but that is what series creator Mike White is known for.
For starters, Piper Ratliff (Sarah Catherine Hook) came to Thailand intending to live in a Buddhist monastery and defy her parents' materialistic ways, but after living there for just one night, she reverted back to her privilege in a heartbeat. The hug she shared with her mother, Victoria Ratliff (Parker Posey), captured this so perfectly. They even looked like the same person — emphasizing that they had become one once again.
As the last moments of escapism in Thailand took place in the finale, Tim Ratliff (Jason Isaacs) continued to come to terms with his life when he got back home. His entire family, except his youngest son Lochlan Ratliff (Sam Nivola), revealed that they would be absolutely nothing without their wealth. Even though he made it clear to his father that he could live with nothing and was initially spared from his father’s poisoned piña coladas plan, Lochlan was still met by his own fate and almost died anyway. After watching all three seasons, I realized that no one ever got what they deserved
The familial murder attempt by Tim was a hard watch. His psychological unraveling over each episode was brutal, ultimately driving him to try to poison his own loved ones so that they wouldn’t have to live a poor life. If anyone valued money over love, it was this family.
Most of the social media posts I had seen about the show were focused on how excited people were to finally see the falling out between the show's famed trio: Laurie Duffy (Carrie Coon), Jaclyn Lemon (Michelle Monaghan) and Kate Bohr (Leslie Bibb).
What happened instead was a very fake exchange, where Jaclyn and Kate tried to convince themselves and each other that their girl's trip was an absolute success. Like a true New Yorker, Laurie was the only one who kept it real. Her truthful monologue was the embodiment of the idea of no resolutions, and the trio was a perfect portrayal of the complexities of female friendships. Though the three of them have been friends up to adulthood, they still bickered and gossiped like teenagers on this trip.
“I’m glad you have a beautiful face, and I’m glad you have a beautiful life and I’m just happy to be at the table,” said Laurie after she came to terms with the fact that while her life isn’t perfect, she is lucky to have these friends alongside her.
The women’s relationship with Valentin (Arnas Fedaravičius) and his friends was an entertaining watch, but the storyline felt incomplete after Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong) found out that they were the ones who robbed the hotel in the season’s second episode.
Though I had expected the discovery to impact the plot directly, it inadvertently forced Gaitok to confront his morals. Realizing he’d let an inside man slip past, he finally saw himself as a failed security guard. This moment sparked his transformation, as he abandoned his beliefs for a promotion and a girlfriend, proving how greed and power could change anyone.
Every TikTok I had seen involving the Belinda Lindsey (Natasha Rothwell) storyline said that Belinda turned into Tanya McQuoid (Jennifer Coolidge) from the series’ first season by abandoning Pornchai (Dom Hetrakul) once she became rich. I got the criticism, I did, but I thought she did what needed to be done for her own well-being. The point was that money always came first, no matter how good the person was. Could you blame her?
Once Rick Hatchett (Walton Goggins) returned from Bangkok as a changed and content man, White emphasized that Rick and Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) were, in fact, in love. They shared a handful of heartfelt moments, with Rick even confirming that they would be together forever. That was the moment that I knew one of them would be dead by the end of the episode.
When Rick went off the rails and started a shootout in the hotel, he ultimately killed the two people he loved most: his dad and his girlfriend. The symbolism of the scene was hard to miss — from Rick’s long-standing vendetta against his father ultimately leading to his girlfriend’s death, to him repeating that he and Chelsea would be together forever as she lay lifeless in his arms. That was when I realized it wouldn’t just be one of them who died, but both.
The way that their bodies landed in the pond, forming the shape of a yin-yang, was a haunting visual callback to what Chelsea had said earlier in the season.
“It’s like we’re in this yin and yang battle, and I’m hope and Rick is pain and eventually one of us will win.”
While neither of them won the battle, they balanced each other out once and for all and moved on together.
I had predicted in episode one of this season that Rick wasn’t as ignorant and naive as the rest of the guests at The White Lotus. For that reason, he was one of the three who ended up dead.