In a twisted penultimate episode, HBO’s dark dramedy dives into violence, moral collapse, and a haunting build-up to the final showdown in Thailand. Who survives The White Lotus season 3?
Dallas [US], March 31: The White Lotus is shedding its glossy vacation vibes for a dark, tension-fueled spiral. In the penultimate episode of Season 3, violence lurks behind every opulent corner of Greg/Gary’s cliffside mansion as the HBO anthology veers into thriller territory.
The episode opens with layers of dread: Walton Goggins’ Rick is grappling with the trauma of his father’s death, Jason Isaacs’ Timothy Ratliff is contemplating murder-suicide, and Tayme Thapthimthong’s Gaitok uncovers the truth behind the hotel robbery—all while attending a Muay Thai match with Mook (played by Lalisa Manobal).
Meanwhile, Jon Gries’ Greg—yes, the same Greg who plotted Tanya’s demise in Season 2—is hosting a lavish gathering with his sugar baby Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon), inviting a mix of familiar faces to a party that spirals into disturbing territory.
At the heart of the tension is Natasha Rothwell’s Belinda, who is offered a cool $100,000 by Greg to keep quiet about his murky whereabouts. But the hush money comes with sinister strings. Rothwell explains in the episode’s featurette:
“We know she knows. He knows she knows. That’s when things get tense. She realizes she’s not holding a secret—she is the problem to be handled.”
Greg’s motivations, as Gries puts it, are chilling in their simplicity:
“He just wants to uncomplicate his life. Smooth everything out… even if it means removing people.”
Belinda’s son Zion (Nicholas Duvernay) becomes an emotional pawn, with Rothwell noting that her character’s moral compass is compromised by maternal responsibility:
“She wants to be an example. But it could cost both their lives.”
Elsewhere, Patrick Schwarzenegger’s Saxon recoils from Greg’s incest-tinged fantasy involving Chloe. And in Bangkok, Rick confronts his past by visiting the home of his abuser, Jim Hollinger (Scott Glenn), the elusive White Lotus Thailand owner. In a cathartic moment, Rick forgoes violence and simply topples Hollinger’s chair before vanishing into the night with Frank (Sam Rockwell) to get drunk.
At the temple, Sam Nivola’s Lochlan and his sister Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook) take refuge following a bizarre encounter with their older brother and a night of debauchery.
And Gaitok? He finally discovers that the hotel was robbed by the Russians—Valentin, Vlad, and Aleksei—during a climactic Muay Thai match. Meanwhile, Timothy Ratliff finds his stolen gun missing, hinting at ominous events to come.
As alliances crack and everyone’s motives blur, viewers are still haunted by the season’s opening scene: someone is shot, but who pulled the trigger?
In the words of Rothwell:
“No one’s 100% right or wrong. Everyone is drowning in gray.”
The finale promises resolution, retribution, and maybe… another body.