Key Points
- The White Lotus season 3 finale aired Sunday night, revealing who bit the dust and who pulled the trigger(s).
- Fans got justice for Tanya — but in a roundabout way.
- The 90-minute finale is currently streaming on Max.
Sunday night’s The White Lotus finale began with a monologue that set the stage for a tense 90 minutes. “Sometimes we wake with anxiety,” says Buddhist monk Luang Por Teera (Suthichai Yoon). “An edgy energy. What will happen today? What is in store for me?”
Season 3 of Mike White’s Emmy-winning series thrust viewers into a monkey-infested pressure cooker with a thorny ensemble of Southern elites, incestual siblings, back-stabbing besties, Russian thieves, and lovestruck resort staffers. They longed for peace but only found chaos, which came to a head in last night’s finale.
The episode’s climactic splash of violence was teased in the season’s opening sequence, when Zion’s (Nicholas Duvernay) meditation was interrupted by the sound of gunshots. Now we know who was pulling the trigger — and who was floating lifelessly next to him as he prayed for his mother’s safety.
Read on as Entertainment Weekly unpacks The White Lotus season 3 ending. Who died? Who thrived? And was there justice for Tanya?
Who died on The White Lotus season 3?
Fabio Lovino/HBO
Walton Goggins and Aimee Lou Wood in ‘The White Lotus’ season 3 finale
Three major characters died on the White Lotus season 3 finale: Rick (Walton Goggins), Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood), and Jim (Scott Glenn). (Didn’t someone warn us about bad things coming in threes?)
Rick appeared to find some kind of enlightenment after he confronted White Lotus owner Jim in last week’s episode, accusing him of killing his father. Sadly, that peace was short-lived. When Rick runs into Jim back at the resort, Jim calls Rick’s mother “a drunk and a slut,” then goes on to say that Rick’s father was “no saint” and that he “didn’t miss out on much.” He also flashes a gun in his jacket, warning Rick against trying anything.
When Rick returns to Chelsea, he’s riddled with anxiety and rage. Chelsea does her best to redirect his emotions.
“Forget about him, okay? You’re free, remember? You’re over it,” she says.
“How can I get over everything he’s taken from me?” he replies. “He took my whole f—ing life.”
“Stop worrying about the love you didn’t get,” she pleads. “Think about the love you have. I love you. I’m right here. Please don’t do something stupid.”
Rick tries to walk himself back from the edge. He even attempts to meet with an anger management specialist he saw earlier in the season, but she has to honor an existing appointment with Zion.
A spiraling Rick finds Jim and Sritala (Lek Patravadi) taking a photo with actress Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan). He pulls Jim’s gun off him and fires two shots into the old man. This gives way to a shootout with Jim’s hired security, and poor Chelsea is caught in the crossfire.
As Rick carries her limp body away from the tumult, Sritala orders security guard Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong) to kill him. Gaitok obeys, shooting Rick and sending Rick and Chelsea’s bodies tumbling into the water. These were the bodies Zion saw floating near him in the season’s opening flash-forward.
What happened to the Ratliffs?
Stefano Delia/HBO
Jason Isaacs in ‘The White Lotus’
After finding out his business was in shambles and that he may be facing prison time back in the States, Ratliff patriarch Timothy (Jason Isaacs) spent most of the season in a Lorazepam haze while dreaming of murdering his family.
He prepared to do it, though he spared his youngest, Lochlan (Sam Nivola), the only one who believed he could live without the family’s wealth. Timothy thus ground up poison seeds from the fruit growing outside their villa and mixed them into piña coladas for his loved ones. At the last minute, however, he relented, smacking the glasses from their hands.
Unfortunately, he left a small pool of the toxic mixture at the bottom of the blender. When Lochlan made himself a protein smoothie the next morning, he used the dirty blender and was subsequently poisoned.
Stefano Delia/HBO
Sam Nivola and Jason Isaacs on ‘The White Lotus’
Lying by the pool, vomit bubbling in his throat, Lochlan envisioned himself in a deep pool of water, staring up at a light and four shadowy figures looking down at him. This moment harkens back to Timothy’s meeting with the monk, who told him that when you die, “you land back into the water.”
Thankfully, Lochlan didn’t die. As if by miracle, he awoke in Timothy’s arms.
Who was Rick’s father?
Fabio Lovino/HBO
Walton Goggins on ‘The White Lotus’
As many online had theorized ahead of the finale, it turns out Jim didn’t kill Rick’s father; he was his father. Srilata revealed as much to Rick as her husband died in her arms.
Do Gaitok and Mook end up together?
Fabio Lovino/HBO
Lalisa Manobal and Tayme Thapthimthon on ‘The White Lotus’
Yes, though she was ready to drop him when he said he was considering quitting his job as a security guard. Mook (Lalisa Manobal) wanted him to embrace the high stakes of his position rather than succumb to fear and uncertainty.
After shooting Rick, we see that Gaitok has been promoted to one of Sritala’s personal bodyguards, impressing Mook.
Was there justice for Tanya?
Fabio Lovino/HBO
Jon Gries on ‘The White Lotus’
That depends on your definition of justice.
The White Lotus season 3 saw the return of Belinda (Natasha Rothwell). In season 1, she formed a friendship with late millionaire Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge), who was set to invest in Belinda’s potential wellness business before reneging. In Thailand, she runs into Gary (Jon Gries), a.k.a. Greg, Tanya’s ex whom she suspects may have contributed to her death.
Last week, Gary/Greg offered Belinda $100,000 in hush money framed as a posthumous business investment from Tanya. Belinda was ready to turn it down, but Zion played with fire and demanded a $5 million payout from Gary/Greg. It took some clever negotiating, but Gary/Greg eventually decided her silence was worth the price and wired the cash.
Fabio Lovino/HBO
Natasha Rothwell and Nicholas Duvernay on ‘The White Lotus’
With millions in tow, Belinda leaves the island with a piece of Tanya. But she unwittingly evokes her former would-be benefactor by reneging on her own promises to wellness expert Pornchai (Dom Hetrakul). After connecting romantically, the pair planned to start their own business. Now that her “circumstances have changed,” though, she leaves Pornchai in the dust.
What does the White Lotus season 3 ending mean?
Fabio Lovino/HBO
Aimee Lou Wood and Walton Goggins on ‘The White Lotus’
The season’s broader themes can be found in Luang Por Teera’s opening monologue: “Sometimes we wake with anxiety. Edgy energy. What will happen today? What is in store for me? So many questions. We want resolution, solid earth under our feet, so we take life into our own hands. We take action, yeah? Our solutions are temporary. They are [a] quick fix. They create more anxiety. More suffering. There is no resolution to life’s questions. It is easier to be patient once you finally accept there is no resolution.”
Most characters on this season of The White Lotus came to understand this, if not literally then ambiently.
Jaclyn, Laurie (Carrie Coon), and Kate (Leslie Bibb), for example, allowed their petty squabbles and superficial differences (and the pain accompanying them) to evaporate during the final night of their trip. When Laurie says, “I don’t need religion or God to give my life meaning, because time gives it meaning,” she’s speaking not just about her own life, but also her bond with Jaclyn and Kate. Time gives their relationship meaning, and that transcends fights over hunky Russians.
Even Timothy gets it. His “solution” — killing his family — only created more anxiety and suffering. When he hands them their phones on the boat ride back home, he knows they’re about to find out about his sins. All he can do is accept the uncertainty.
Fabio Lovino/HBO
Aimee Lou Wood on ‘The White Lotus’
Tragically, it was Chelsea who understood this lesson most of all. She even talks to Rick about it after he returns from Bangkok, asking him if he knows the meaning of the Latin phrase “amor fati” (which is also the name of the episode).
“It means you have to embrace your fate, good or bad. Whatever will be, will be,” she explains. “And at this point we’re linked, so if a bad thing happens to you, it happens to me.”
Rick is the one person who can’t embrace his fate, not even after Chelsea tells him to “stop worrying about the love you didn’t get” and “think about the love you have.” His inability to let go of his anger results in not just his own death, but also that of his girlfriend and estranged father.
Where can I watch The White Lotus?
Fabio Lovino/HBO
Patrick Schwarzenegger on ‘The White Lotus’
All three seasons of The White Lotus are currently streaming on Max.
Sign up for Entertainment Weekly’s free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
