Welcome to Season 3 ofThe White Lotus. The rich and famous pack their bagsfor beautiful Koh Samui, Thailand, hoping to escape all the noise in the rowdy States. This particular branch of the White Lotus resort is special.Focusing on wellness and with strong ties to its local Buddhist culture, guests are expected to leave their worldly pleasures behind throughout their stay (a.k.a. their cellphones) and tap into their inner peace.
But let’s be real, these affluent guests are on the verge of a meltdown. Whether it’s baggage from back home or startling work-related news, it’s going to take a lot more than massages and pad thai for guests to let loose. Featuring a unique ensemble who all share a sense of culture shock in the Land of Smiles, they’re bound to find themselves in unfamiliar situations.Without further ado, here are the 10 bestThe White LotusSeason 3 quotes, ranked.
“Same Spirits, New Forms” (Episode 1)
The White Lotusdoesn’t shy away from taboo. In this case, it’s age gaps. Chelsea and Rick are the quintessential “older man with a controversially young girlfriend” couple that’s often seen in luxurious resorts like White Lotus.Although perceptions of these kinds of partners tend to be negative — the younger partner labeled as a sugar baby, the older guy being exploitative — these two seem to have a different dynamic.
For one, Chelsea isn’t obsessed with Rick’s money.She genuinely cares about his well-being.Her quips on either his appearance or brooding manner come off as sincere. Even when the much younger Saxon literally throws himself upon Chelsea, she remains loyal to Rick, who grows distant by the day because of his personal mission.
9“Just because people are rich, doesn’t mean they’re not trashy.”
“The Meaning of Dreams” (Episode 3)
During a family dinner at the resort, Saxon mentions that he secured an invitation to join a yacht cruise, much to Victoria’s annoyance. Although the party itself is lavish, and the guests are more or less within the top 1%, it only disdains Victoria more.This moment shows how Victoria perceives being upper class: it is not measured by the money you have, but how you use it well.
In Victoria’s little world, there are hierarchies between the rich. Think of it as Old Money (e.g. the Ratliffs) and New Money (e.g. Jaclyn and her gal pals.) Throughout the series,Victoria shows no interest in talking to their other rich folks, solely because she thinks that she, and her family, are better and more respectable than Jaclyn, who’s wealthy because of her profession as an actress.
8“God, I don’t think there’s a drug in the world that would make me get with my brother.”
“Denials” (Episode 6)
Following the events of the full moon party, Saxon wakes up with little recollection of what happened the night before.But as his memories slowly return, he remembers the shocking sexual exchange between him, his brother Lochlan (Sam Nivola), and Chloe.As he attempts to rationalize his act, Chelsea teases him about it, which only makes things worse.
As one of the more controversial moments inThe White LotusSeason 3,audiences start to see Saxon in a different light. After the incident, Saxon completely changes from his former self. He’s shattered and absolutely gutted.Sure, Saxon is initially obsessed with sex in the beginning, but that doesn’t exempt him from being a victim of an unwanted sexual act, especially since he was in a drugged-out state.
7“You have Paypal or Zelle? I really need help. CashApp?”
“Killer Instincts” (Episode 7)
Besides the Ratcliffs’, a trio of affluent best friends — Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan) Kate (Leslie Bibb), and Laurie (Carrie Coon) — are on a White Lotus girl’s trip.But their friendship isn’t all champagne and giggles. Failed corporate girlie Laurie has a hard time coping with her friends' successes.With Jaclyn being a famed actress and Kate married to a rich man, Laurie feels incredibly bitter and left out.
Pissed when Jaclyn has sex with Valentin, the Russian wellness guru that Laurie was supposedly being set up with, Laurie goes out to sleep with Valentin’s friend, Aleksei (Julian Kostov). Being Russian himself, and Laurie a New York girl, Aleksei playfully urges her to send him money or possibly bring him to the States.One may argue that this interaction gives off90 Day Fiancéenergy, but it’s also a reminder of how transactional and exploitative relationships can be between two people of different nations, especially when one has the higher privilege and entitlement.
6“I just don’t think at this age, I’m meant to live an uncomfortable life. I don’t have the will.”
Nobody wants to live an uncomfortable life, especially Victoria. She can’t settle for anything less than a mansion and a showering amount of money.She has no intention of being poor. In fact, she’d rather die than lose all her assets.With her kids already set up for life, Victoria aims to spend the rest of her years in complete, lavish comfort — or that’s what she thinks.
As the rest of the Ratliiffs enjoy their leisure time on the resort, Timothy has been struck by unpleasant news from work. Not only is bankruptcy in the picture, but he might actually go to prison.That’s the least of his problems — he has no idea how to break the news to his family,whose lifestyles are all reliant on his money.Dazed from the Lorezopam and guilt washing him, his mind takes him to very, very dark corners.
5“Scorpio. So secretive.”
“Snake Bites” (Episode 3)
Chelsea’s relationship with Rick is questionable at best, and toxic at worst. Besides their age gap, the two could not be any more different.Chelsea is the epitome of the White Lotus resort: warm, welcoming, and so full of light. On the other hand, Rick is brooding, apathetic, and mostly keeps to himself. It looks like the White Lotus is the last place he wants to be in.
There’s no better way to summarize a person’s personality than by looking at their zodiac signs — a very Chelsea thing to do.Rick is the typical Scorpio. He has a secretive nature but is deeply emotional. Meanwhile, the Aries Chelsea is all about impulsiveness and enthusiasm.Scorpio or not, Rick is the last person Chelsea should end up with. Yet, she stood by him until the very end.
4“Saxon doesn’t do drugs. I am the drug.”
“Full Moon Party” (Episode 5)
Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) is everything one might expectfrom the typical Wall Street finance bro. He works for his daddy, he gulps down protein shakes like it’s a religion, and he’s the epitome of toxic hypermasculinity. Surprisingly, he does have his limits.During a wild night out in Thailand, he initially refuses ecstasy offered by Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon), claiming that he doesn’t require drugs to keep him high.
However,even the mightiest of men fall into peer pressure.Saxon reluctantly takes the drugs to prove he’s not fussy, which leads to an unforgettable and regrettable sexual encounter.Moments like this show how vulnerable Saxon, the self-proclaimed Alpha male of the family, can be when he’s not following the status quo.
3“You don’t have enough Lorazepam to get through one week at a wellness spa?”
“Hide or Seek” (Episode 4)
One of the recurring themes inThe White LotusSeason 3 is Victoria Ratliff’s (Parker Posey) dependence on Lorazepam. Also known as Ativan, this prescription drug is used to help with anxiety disorders, panic attacks, and insomnia. Although the effects provide a sense of calmness, unnecessary dependence on it can cause serious problems. But the real chaos happens when Victoria is forced to go cold turkey when her meds are all used up by Timothy Ratcliiff (Jason Isaacs).
There’s an irony between Victoria’s prolonged reliance on Lorazepam and the fact that she’s staying in the White Lotus.For one, it’s a wellness resort, and yet, no matter how many massages she gets every single day, nothing relaxes her more than a pop of her pill.No matter how rich people are, no amount of money can keep them immune from whatever’s going on in their heads.
2“You’ll notice a lot of bald, white guys in Thailand. The locals call them LBHs, losers back home.”
In the debut episode, Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) is bored out of her mind when her boyfriend Rick (Walton Goggins) doesn’t want to have fun. At the resort bar, Chelsea encountered Chloe, a foreigner living outside of the hotel with her boyfriend Greg (Jon Gries.) At this point, there’s a clear theme going on:in these touristy parts of Thailand, there’s an influx of bald, white men, which, according to Chloe, the White Lotusstaff refers to LBHs.
LBHs is inspired by a common phenomenon in Thailand, and also various parts of Southeast Asia. In densely tourist-populated spots, white, older, and Western men relocate to these places or go around looking for local women, thinking that they’d have a better shot. In reality, it reeks of privilege.It goes to show how easy it is for these men to go to “second-world” countries to start anew thanks to their strong passports and exchange rates, all while locals could barely afford a plane ticket.
1“They are sex cults, Piper…you could end up a concubine to some weird guru.”
Every family has a black sheep, and in this case, it’s Piper Ratliff (Sarah Catherine Hook).The reason why the Ratliffs are vacationing in Thailand in the first place is all because of Piper’s “thesis project” on Buddhism.In reality, Piper wants to check out a Buddhist monastery, which she plans on staying for a year after graduation. Her mother, Victoria, responds to Piper’s aspiration with shock and sarcasm.
Victoria’s single remark speaks volumes about her religious background, which is intertwined with her faith. The Ratliiffs are the good old rich family raised on proper Christian values and moral grounds (Victoria’s not a fan of Catholicism either.)That being said, Victoria’s hilariously shallow remark about Buddhism reflects how her perception is built upon nothing but sheer prejudice.
The White Lotus
The White Lotus is a television series that explores the interactions of guests and staff at an upscale tropical resort. Premiering in 2021, the narrative unfolds over a week, revealing underlying complexities and tensions among the resort’s seemingly ideal travelers and employees.
