Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for The White Lotus Season 3 Episode 5.
A missing gun looms over the newest episode of The White Lotus Season 3, as the closing scenes of the previous episode gave us a haunting close-up of the empty space where the weapon that would wreak havoc on the resort at the end of the week should be. The start of Episode 5 pivots from this macabre anticipation to the gruesome scene of Timothy (Jason Isaacs) lying on the floor of his villa in a pool of his own blood, leaking from the wound of a self-inflicted gunshot. Seconds later, Victoria (Parker Posey) comes running in, sinking onto her knees and wailing over the dead body of her husband, just as Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook) also walks into the grisly scene and screams. Then Timothy snaps out of his daydream.
Belinda’s Romance Heats Up in ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3 Episode 5

Image via Warner Bros.

The disappearance of the gun is most obviously felt by Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong), the security guard who was supposed to be in careful possession of it. Checking the security cameras, he sees Timothy quickly creep in and out of the booth after Gaitok had vacated it briefly to speak with Mook (Lalisa Manobal). As such, he spends the night furtively staring at Timothy from a distance under the pretense of watching Mook’s performance and even gently confronts him in the bathroom. When Timothy denies any knowledge of what Gaitok is talking about, the latter is forced to return to his station and nervously wait for another opportunity to retrieve the gun, all while smiling for his boss.
Belinda is also having issues with the same boss, Fabian (Christian Friedel). Her visual confrontation with Greg (Jon Gries) may have unnerved her, but when she finds out he has been asking about her, fear begins to take over. Learning that he may be a suspect in Tanya’s (Jennifer Coolidge) death makes her also fear for her own life. As such, she tries to apprise her boss of these events and concerns, only to be coldly shut down — the guests here don’t need to be reminded of their “colorful pasts.” Instead, she seeks comfort from Pornchai (Dom Hetrakul), who responds with compassion and warmth, strengthening the bond between them. They are briefly interrupted by a reptilian intruder, a lizard that may have been living with Belinda for a couple of days now, before they return to their tender romance that heats up into a steamy kiss.
‘The White Lotus’ Season 3 Episode 5 Features “Brotherly Love”

All the way in Bangkok is a determined Rick (Walton Goggins), who meets up with an old friend, Frank (Sam Rockwell), for a mysterious exchange. They meet in the lobby of the hotel Rick is staying at and Frank hands him a large bag before Rick invites him for a drink. When he finds out Frank is now sober, compared to the wild party animal he knew him as, he asks how this change had occurred, leading to one of the wildest stories in The White Lotus. Frank tells him he took partying as far as it could go, landing in Thailand with an abundance of money, free time, and an attraction to Asian women. After countless nights like this, a realization dawned on him about wanting to be an Asian woman. By the end of his journey, he was being “railed” by men who looked like him while hiring an Asian woman to watch them. Throughout this story, Rick nods politely.
While Rick hears about these eye-opening experiences, Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) keeps warding off flirtation attempts by Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) on the yacht. The four new friends, Chelsea, Saxon, Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon), and Lochlan (Sam Nivola), finally reach the full-moon party where they all take an unidentified drug, including Chelsea, who is sick of Rick ignoring her phone calls. What comes next is an esoteric and sensual montage of dazzling lights, fireworks, and sweaty bodies, intermingling with similar scenes from Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan), Kate (Leslie Bibb), and Laurie’s (Carrie Coon) storyline.
When the four return to the yacht, Chloe expresses her interest in Lochlan and his magic tricks (euphemisms and all), and encourages Chelsea to pursue Saxon. As a devout romantic, Chelsea declines, leading to Chloe ominously admitting that she believes Gary would kill her if he knew she cheated. Literally. Meanwhile, the boys formulate similar plans, with Saxon egging his younger brother on and being attracted to Chelsea’s perpetual disinterest in him. However, things take a turn during a game of truth and dare, which leads to the scene we all knew was coming. Minds muddled by the drugs and inhibitions lowered, Lochlan and Saxon kiss — no, make out. When Saxon was talking about their “brotherly love” in an earlier scene, he probably didn’t think it would end like this.

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Jaclyn Chases Youth in ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3 Episode 5

Image via Warner Bros.

Jaclyn, Laurie, and Kate finally get the wild night of clubbing they were looking for, as the three friends brazenly drink shots and dance with their new companions. Jaclyn, in particular, begins grinding between two men as she notices a group of younger women looking in her direction, almost as if she is competing against their youth. However, one of Valentin’s (Arnas Fedaravicius) friends, Aleksei (Julian Kostov), is confronted by three women, speaking in Russian but clearly in accusatory tones. While Kate suggests they wrap up the night, Jaclyn, who refuses to be an early-bird “old person,” and Laurie, who is beyond intoxicated, encourage the guys to take the party back to the hotel. The majority wins.
At the resort, the sequences continue in the same dizzying kaleidoscope of lights, except this time, floating underwater shots also join this The White Lotus montage as they jump into the pool. While Kate sits on the sidelines, Jaclyn dons her most flirty swimsuit and Laurie partially skinny-dips. It is a chaotic night filled with drunken laughter and showy muscles, until Kate firmly wraps it up after listening to Vlad’s (Yuri Kolokolnikov) tragic backstory. Before they leave, Laurie whispers something inaudible in Valentin’s ear, who was the staff member Jaclyn was so eager to set her up with. Then we see Valentin sneaking into Jaclyn’s room, who announces her intentions for the night as they are swallowed into the bedsheets.
‘The White Lotus’ Season 3 Episode 5 Explores Spirituality

Image via Warner Bros.

With Saxon and Lochlan gone, Piper is alone to face her parents during dinner, which is especially daunting because she needs to reveal the truth about why they are in Thailand. She explains that there is no thesis and that she wants to stay at the monastery for the next year. Timothy is still lost in daydreams of suicide after finding out his assets have been frozen, leaving the bulk of the reactions to Victoria. As Piper predicted, Victoria is far from pleased and has no trouble letting her daughter know what she really thinks about her decision and Thailand’s (sorry, “Taiwan’s”) culture. As Victoria rambles on about being normal, cults and becoming concubines to gurus, Piper can do nothing but stare incredulously.
By the end of the night, they reach a compromise of Victoria and Timothy surveying the monastery and talking to the monk before making any decisions. When Victoria retires to her room, Piper asks her father about his thoughts, to which he responds with a story about him being an altar boy when he was younger. Then he croons a song, signaling to Piper that he was better left alone. The morbid, dark closing scenes see Timothy with the gun in his hand, held to his head, and he takes a deep breath and puts pressure on the trigger. When Victoria interrupts this moment, asking him if he is alright, he waves her away and fervently prays to God for help.
New episodes of The White Lotus Season 3 premiere Sundays on HBO and Max.

The White Lotus

The White Lotus Season 3 Episode 4 is an esoteric look at sexual fantasies, skinny dipping, and brotherly love.

Release Date

2021 – 2024

Network

HBO

Showrunner

Mike White

Directors

Mike White

Pros & Cons

Parker Posey is a beacon of hilarity that is refreshing next to the sensuality of this episode.
The White Lotus succeeds in making this episode a disorienting, hypnotizing head trip.

While stunning, the slow-motion, enigmatic scenes drag the pace of the episode too much, reducing the sharpness of the show.