Life&Style’s Carly Cannarozzo sums up the weird and the wonderful of The White Lotus season three
The following article contains spoilers for The White Lotus season three.
At long last, the third season of HBO’s hit show The White Lotus premiered its season finale, and the explosive ending (a feature that’s quickly becoming a series staple) once again left audiences asking: What did I just watch—and why did I love it so much?
The White Lotus follows a chain of luxury hotels, with each season set in a different iconic vacation spot (Hawaii, Sicily, Thailand). While the location and most of the cast change each season, the general framework remains the same: the first episode reveals that someone has died at the hotel, but the victim’s identity is not revealed until the end.
“What did I just watch—and why did I love it so much?
Season three takes us to the lush and vibrant shores of Thailand, where we are introduced to four groups of guests we’ll follow throughout the series: The Ratliffs, a wealthy North Carolinian family flush with old money, a bubbly blonde with an affinity for fate encounters and her sketchy older boyfriend, a wickedly toxic friend group made up of three childhood best friends, and a familiar face from season one, visiting to learn about the hotel’s wellness program and bring that knowledge back to the White Lotus in Hawaii.
At first glance, the plot and characters seem unassuming, but that is part of The White Lotus’s signature narrative style—it draws you in quietly and then refuses to let go. After just one episode, you start to realize that the show is not just darkly humorous in its absurdity and outlandish characters; it is also a masterclass in pacing, dialogue, and character building.
“It draws you in quietly and then refuses to let go
Each season, I find myself picking a favourite group of guests. (In Hawaii, it was Jake Lacy’s character, Shane Patton—God, I loved to hate him. And in Sicily, it was definitely the two couples. Aubrey Plaza plays the mildly jealous, obnoxiously self-aware wife so well it was addictive.) But this time around, each group had me hooked from the start. I genuinely couldn’t decide who to root for.
The Ratliffs are immediately both hilarious and deeply annoying. I loved the dynamic between the three siblings: Piper’s commitment to the nonmaterial, Saxon’s grating male entitlement, and Lochlan’s desperate need for his siblings’ attention (perhaps to a fault—if you know, you know) made the trio impossible to look away from. Victoria was pitch-perfect as their blasé mother, and her hilariously accurate accent softened the blow of Donald’s legal troubles as he faces embezzlement charges. While I said I could not pick a favourite this season, the Ratliffs are definitely top contenders. Watching each sibling morph into what they claim to despise felt like pure genius. Victoria cracked me up the entire time, and the tension between Donald and that gun had me wishing I had a Lorazepam handy. (Side note: I would pay good money for a post-credits scene of Victoria finding out she’s about to be poor. I deserve it after that yacht scene.)
“Impossible to look away from
As brilliant as the Ratliff storyline was, it was Chelsea and Rick who completely stole my heart. Oh, Aimee Lou Wood—the woman you are. I felt awful for Chelsea at first as she wandered about, endlessly professing her loyalty to Rick. What did Victoria say to that girl with the ancient boyfriend in episode seven? “Why are you with this middle-aged weirdo?” And yet, their relationship ended up surprising me in the best way. I loved how genuinely tender they became, and how the show resisted the tired age-gap trope where one partner inevitably strays. Instead, their loyalty felt fierce—despite more than a few opportunities to let go. Even with Rick’s gloominess, Chelsea is so the sun to his rainy day, and I was completely infatuated with them.
Now, where do I even begin with the toxic blonde trifecta? Laurie, Kate, and Jaclyn were a true masterclass in writing a horribly relatable female friend group gone sour. Watching their slow descent—through barely concealed jealousy, misinterpreted glances, and selfishness disguised as altruism—was both deliciously entertaining and deeply realistic. While I enjoyed all three, Laurie was my absolute favourite. She sealed it for me when she ran from that gun like a true New Yorker: no hesitation, just an immediate full-body sprint in the opposite direction.
“Female friend group gone sour
As for the finale, it was good—just not as good as the previous two. Rick’s father reveal felt a little too “Luke, I am your father”, and Chelsea honestly deserved more. Slightly predictable and mildly disappointing. Then again, the past two finales were technically perfect in my opinion, so the show was bound to fumble somewhere.
Overall, this season is an absolute must-watch, packed with twists and turns, jaw-dropping moments, and brilliant writing. I’m already theorizing where season four could go. Honestly, I’m so hooked it could be set at a Hilton Inn in Cleveland, Ohio, and I’d still be glued to the screen.
“An absolute must-watch
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