The White Lotus - series three - starts February 17th

[curiositykilledthiscat]

The Emmy-award winning HBO original series, which offers an inside look at the powerful and wealthy as they navigate complex personal dynamics and face potentially dangerous experiences while on vacation, returns for its third season this month.

"Seeking peace can be a trip," reads the tagline for this season, which was created, written and directed by former "Survivor" contestant Mike White.
This time around, viewers will be whisked away to an "exclusive" resort in Thailand, where an eclectic group of guests and resort employees will play, and likely misbehave, over the span of a week. "The White Lotus" Season 3 guests include a wealthy businessman and his family, three longtime friends who haven't seen each other in a while on a girls' trip and "rugged man with a chip on his shoulder" and his girlfriend, among others.

Anyone else looking forward to this? Starts on Monday and will be shown on Now and Sky. No watching on demand as all episodes will be dropped weekly.

I'm finding it all a bit aimless ATM.
The three friends' going to the 'old people' hotel and getting caught up in the water fight both came to nothing. In the water fight, we left them hiding, terrified, in the pharmacy and then when we next saw them they'd got out and were just carrying on as normal – a lot of build-up for not much pay-off.
And how come Valentin sent them to the old people hotel, presumably thinking that's what their age group wants, and then next minute is partying with them in a much livelier club? I don't know what the show was trying to say there.
I did love the moment when one of the guys puts his feet on the table and the other 'hard man' guy makes him take them off like bossy grandma

The incest thing I think is just deliberate provocation for the sake of it, It rings false to me.

I love Sam Rockwell (esp in Moon and Fosse/Verdon), but again I didn't see why he had that monologue really. It felt improvised, which is quite impressive, but it came across as looking to scandalise and as showboating for awards.

Belinda is infuriating; as others have said, is she not capable of calling Interpol herself? Then again, she didn't because the show needed her to be scared so that she'd ask whatsisname to stay the night.

Gaitok is also a wet lettuce extraordinaire; why on earth didn't he just confront Tim with the CCTV footage rather than spending the whole evening hanging about staring at him?

I've never understood the praise TWL gets for supposedly skewering society in all its bad behaviour and questionable morals etc, but Victoria Ratliff's rant about Piper moving to 'Taiwan', how they're not Christians, they don't 'even' speak English, what will people think if she moves there etc, was a seriously broad attempt at satire even by its standards.

Mike White's writing has definitely gone off the boil.

As to Belinda being infuriating … I’m not sure how many Black American women feel easy about contacting the police - that course of action doesn’t always end well. And Greg is rich. I would imagine that’s why she keeps confiding in people who she thinks might carry more persuasive weight with law enforcement agencies than she might. And who are less likely to find themselves becoming the accused if they make an accusation.

I'm not convinced by that as a backstory here, TBH. I think it's been contrived more to show that the people she tries to get help from, particularly the resort manager, are in thrall to their wealthy clients and don't want to rock the boat and risk losing money.

That makes sense @TheGlamour, I hope they address it explicitly.

Kathleen Stock's take. Interesting:

unherd.com/2025/03/white-lotus-is-a-houellebecqian-horror/?tl_inbound=1&tl_groups[0]=18743&tl_period_type=3&utm_source=UnHerd+Today&utm_campaign=18c42b1f23-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_03_21_09_28&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_79fd0df946-18c42b1f23-35098606

"Laptop class" is a phrase I'll be using from now on.

I love Sam Rockwell (esp in Moon and Fosse/Verdon), but again I didn't see why he had that monologue really. It felt improvised, which is quite impressive, but it came across as looking to scandalise and as showboating for awards.

Yes. It was clunky, just didn't work. It wasn't powerful, funny, interesting...just awkward. Better if he'd been a 'typical' closet case, I think. But I guess he'll get his Emmy - Variety described his performance as "next level". He should have won for Fosse/Verdon.

I thought the monologue went on too long. I wondered why someone who isn't even a main character was getting so much airtime.

If you goggle Leslie Bibb & Sam Rockwell it seems the monologue was quite a late addition to the show.

So we had another mostly dull episode this week apart from Saxon being wanked off by Lachlan.

Can’t recall if I said this before, but I think it’s leading up to Belinda’s son getting shot.

Eh?! Is this today's new episode?

Thought it wasn't on till tonight?!

Yes. Episode 6 which dropped earlier this morning.

Thanks for the spoilers.

They're not spoilers because the episodes that are on Sky Atlantic at 9pm every Monday are REPEATS. Episodes are dropped at 2am every Monday.

But lots of people watch it on Monday night, I think.

Yeah I don’t think we’re staying up until 2am on a Sunday night for it so not exactly a repeat.

Sure, but some other people have been posting on this thread about past episodes in this series in the morning and daytime before the repeat shows.

Maybe I wasn’t clear enough. It’s available from 2am every Monday, until April 7th.

How about a big discussion at 10pm?

I just stay off the thread until I've watched the episode, seems sensible rather than dictating when people can post?

Tbh I don't think there's many spoilers for this week anyway, nothing happened! Other than the brothers...not loving that storyline although I suppose it's attention grabbing.

I watch Monday evenings

Is that the two brothers doing that?! What a vile storyline

I was really excited for this week’s episode and it just felt like a total filler - sigh!

I think it’s building nicely. I don’t think BeIinda’s son will be shot as it was him who saw the body floating past in Ep1. I’m enjoying the spiritual/Buddhist storyline. I think it’s all going to kick off at Greg’s party.

To be fair it doesn’t say tv pace /no spoilers - I didn’t do the thread as I always put that in mine so people know

but mine records 2am so usually watch it nowish but also records at 9pm. Not sure how got both

but sometimes really late to it and watch it wed /thur

but yes I avoid thread till I’ve seen it

but think many watch at 9pm like I often do