Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for The White Lotus Season 3 Episode 1.
We’ve docked at the sunny shores of Hawaii, driven a moped through the bustling streets of Italy, and now we’re finding peace in the tranquil, leafy greens of Thailand, as The White Lotus returns with its third season. The successful HBO show welcomes another round of filthy-rich hotel guests in its premiere, which falls back on the same formula as the previous two seasons. We dive straight into the opening sequence that is set at the end of the guests’ week-long stay, where the sound of gunshots interrupts a meditation session between staff member Amrita (Shalini Peiris) and her client (Nicholas Duvernay). While Amrita runs away in panic, her client jumps into the surrounding lake and wades across the water, praying his mother remains safe in front of a statue of Buddha. Like the water-related deaths of the previous two seasons, the guest comes across a floating corpse in the lake, kicking off that sense of foreboding as the episode cuts away to the start of the week.
‘The White Lotus’ Season 1’s Belinda Returns to the Series

Image via Warner Bros

Of all the faces on the boat to the Thailand resort, Belinda (Natasha Rothwell) is the most striking as a returning cast member from The White Lotus Season 1. She is the head of the spa center at the hotel in Hawaii, where she had previously connected with the now-deceased Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge), but had also been burned by the self-absorbed, flaky would-be business investor. Belinda arrives in Thailand, excited to learn Eastern wellness practices for the next three months to apply them to her own facility in Hawaii.
In a new place with far fewer responsibilities, Belinda is also much more relaxed than she was back in Season 1 and excitedly learns about Buddhism while exploring the tropical landscapes of the hotel. During dinner, she is also pleased to notice other Black guests, waving happily to them and even mentioning the fact to her son on the phone. She is staying in one of the luxurious villas in which there are two beds, one for her son, Zion, who will be joining her soon and is likely the client we saw in the opening scene.
Season 3 of The White Lotus also dips into the lives of other hotel staff members, including “health mentor” Mook (Lalisa Manoban) and security guard Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong). Gaitok gives Mook a ride to the resort and seethes in jealousy when she talks to the owner’s personal bodyguards, signaling his affection for her. Mook never overtly reciprocates, rebuffs, or really acknowledges these romantic feelings, and instead is friendly towards the reserved security guard. She herself is bubbly and helpful with the guests, who constantly comment on how pretty she is.
The Hotel Guests Settle Into ‘The White Lotus’ Thailand

Image Via HBO

On the boat, we meet three distinct sets of guests, including a mismatched, age-gap couple, Rick (Walton Goggins) and Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood). Rick is grouchy, smokes despite the discomfort of the people around him, and rarely has anything nice to say to his girlfriend, while Chelsea is the epitome of sunshine and optimism. It is clear that the affection is one-sided, as Chelsea suggests going to the spa so he can release his tension or having a couple of drinks to wind down, but he rudely rebukes them all. We learn that it was Rick who suggested coming to Thailand, and he secretly has a keen interest in the resort’s owner, Sritala Hollinger (Patravadi Mejudhon) — or specifically, her husband. We are yet to learn his connection with them, but it is clear they are the reason for his current foul mood, if not his generally sour personality.
While Chelsea tries to stay upbeat, her discouraging dinner with Rick leads her to seek the bar alone afterward, where she’s nursing martinis when a stranger sits next to her: Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon), a model who lives locally with her boyfriend and is experiencing the same romantic issues. In fact, Chloe is at the resort with said boyfriend now, who she carelessly points out, leading to the first jaw-dropping surprise of the season and a second returning character: Her balding, older, rich boyfriend is none other than Greg (Jon Gries). He has made appearances in each season of the show, first as a mysterious stranger who dates Tanya, then as her husband who allegedly orchestrates her death in The White Lotus Season 2 finale. His appearance suggests we may be getting more answers to the previous scheme throughout this season.
Fake Friendships Already Run Amok in ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3

Image via Warner Bros

The second group of hotel guests consists of a trio of long-time best friends who are overly nice and gushy, hiding their true feelings about each other out of sight. Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan), Kate (Leslie Bibb), and Laurie (Carrie Coon) arrive at the shores of Thailand, where Sritala eagerly welcomes them to the resort. She is a fan of Jaclyn, who is an actor, and assigns them the most attractive usher for their girls’ trip. There is a friendly atmosphere between the three as they choose their rooms and unpack while fawning over the monkeys they see in the trees — but something is not quite right about their dynamic.
Before dinner, the trio pop champagne and toast one another, spurting out egregious compliments and constantly squealing about how long they have been friends. Jaclyn and Kate get into a back-and-forth about each other being the prettiest person, asking about their doctors and giggling over facial features, before absurdly addressing Laurie’s looks as a conciliatory afterthought (ouch). It all feels disingenuous, as if Jaclyn and Kate have a strange competition about who can be nicer with sugarcoated barbs and composed smiles. This dynamic continues through dinner, where Laurie perhaps drinks a bit too much and leaves early. As she looks back at her friends from across the yard, the first shred of true emotion appears as her expression twists into a sob.

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‘The White Lotus’ Season 3: Everything We Know About the Show’s Trip to Thailand

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‘The White Lotus’ Season 3 Premiere Hints at Haunting Secrets

The final group of guests introduced in The White Lotus Season 3 premiere is a family of five, comprised of the successful businessman Timothy (Jason Isaacs), his ever-sleepy wife Victoria (Parker Posey), his eldest son Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger), who works for him, his studious daughter Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook) and his reserved youngest son Lochlan (Sam Nivola). As part of her thesis on Buddhism, Piper wanted to visit Thailand and arrange a meeting with a monk, which she hadn’t quite done yet, and thus the family decided to make a vacation out of it. However, they are not fully committed to the wellness aspect of it, as Timothy refuses to give up his phone as suggested and continues to take calls and work on the resort, despite Piper’s embarrassment.
Much of Victoria’s role so far involves taking naps and comforting everyone in her Southern drawl, while her husband increasingly becomes concerned about a mysterious issue he keeps getting phone calls about. A journalist from Wall Street is writing a piece about one of Timothy’s associates and asks about a fund called “Show Cal” and his connection to the government of Brunei, something Timothy says he knows nothing about. However, it seems that the call hits a nerve as he becomes antagonistic towards Rick, who is nearby having a smoke, and remains on alert for the remainder of the episode. At night, he also projects his frustrations on Rick, complaining about him to Victoria, who in turn claims Rick is just jealous of their perfect family.
During the day, Lochlan is torn between his two siblings in The White Lotus Season 3, splitting his time between the two. He visits the temple with Piper, who is too reverent and nervous to go inside and arrange a meeting, then spends the rest of the day with Saxon by the pool. Saxon is completely in his element, shamelessly leering at and hitting on other women while passing on guidance to his brother about it being a “numbers game.” When they share a room together, he continues his lecture about getting what you want while also inquiring about the kind of porn Lochlan likes to watch. Struck by a thought, Saxon wonders how he is supposed to masturbate in the shared room, then decides to go to the bathroom. Butt-naked, he saunters off and closes the door, all while Lochlan stares at his brother for far too long.
New episodes of The White Lotus Season 3 premiere Sundays on HBO and Max.

The White Lotus

The White Lotus Season 3 takes us to the wellness centers of Thailand, where fake friends, secret desires and haunting pasts begin to take root.

Release Date

2021 – 2024

Network

HBO

Showrunner

Mike White

Directors

Mike White

Pros & Cons

The White Lotus sweeps us away with the anticipation of a familiar setup and delicious drama.
A surprise character hints at the promise of an exciting and perhaps more substantial link to previous seasons.
The cast immediately captures our attention with their respective characters.