The White Lotus is back for season three. Here’s what we made of episode one.
The third White Lotus season rinses and repeats – and thank God for that. Turns out there is enough comedic and dramatic juice in resort-set ensemble satires on privilege in the modern world, with an updated riff on upstairs-downstairs, to fill any number of ostentatious swimming pools. From the ornate opening credits, complete with intoxicating music and beguiling fever-dream detail, this Thai-set installation unfolds as did the first two: a flash-forward death followed by a parade of incoming guests, with characteristics ranging from the awkward to the grotesque, sometimes both.
In moments the first episode feels excessively expository, but I remember feeling much the same in season two, and that was quickly forgotten – there’s a lot of plot to unfold, and there seems to be more backstory to unpack here than previous seasons, too, with the whiff of organised crime and financial investigations already stinking up the wellness incense. Whether or not I can get used to Parker Posey’s Big Performance (hoping to fill the gap left, perhaps, by Jennifer Coolidge) I’m less sure. But these are quibbles. It’s a joy to have White Lotus back; every scene is exquisite. / Toby Manhire
I kept waiting for the beat to drop on the new theme song so it would become a tuuuuune like season two’s – you know, when you have no choice but to start dancing like this or this or this. But it didn’t. Which distracted me from the quite beautiful and no doubt clue-filled opening credits. Not a hell of a lot happened in the first episode, to be honest (too much nice Thai scenery, not enough action? Just the right amount of monkeys though). But I’m certainly intrigued enough to tune in next week. Early pick for favourite character: Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood from Sex Education). I’m looking forward to seeing her on the lash with Chloe, who seems promising – she’s the girlfriend of the dastardly Greg (who made a shock return at the end of the episode – I had a feeling that bastard would be back). Hopefully they’ll be this season’s version of iconic season two duo Lucia and Mia. Early pick for most unpleasant and therefore probably most entertaining character: Saxon the sex pest, who shares some decidedly creepy energy with his siblings. / Alice Neville
That was just alright. The thing that’s so great about White Lotus is how on the nose all of the social commentary is, to the point of it all being a bit campy (see Tanya season one and two). Now it feels a bit too self-aware and desperate to be like “hey, these rich people are really shallow and bad, did you ever think about that?” – like Parker Posey’s character falling asleep at the dinner table because she’s too drugged up because, duh, she’s a wealthy mother, or every conversation between that friend group of three beautiful, rich white women being about how much they envy and secretly hate each other, because that’s what beautiful, rich white women do. There’s the classic couple with the dysfunctional relationship that they can’t leave, because who else will take them on a nice holiday to the White Lotus? Fuck, I really hope those weirdo siblings don’t do some weird incest shit to each other.
Otherwise, the show at least looks delicious. I love the soundtrack. I love how every other shot is of Thailand. I love Natasha Rothwell returning as Belinda (justice for her!!!!!). I am yet to be bored by the monkeys. / Lyric Waiwiri-Smith
Mix Master Mike (White) is back to surprise and delight us with his casting genius in the third season of HBO’s mischievous and misanthropic hit show. Walter Goggins, Parker Posey, nepo-babies Patrick Schwarzenegger and Sam Nivola are some new faces this season. A trio of “cougar” friends, played by Leslie Bibb, Michelle Monaghan and the world champion of barely concealed emotion, Carrie Coon, are an early favourite for me, rivalled only in the promise of a great unravelling by the Ratliff family. By the end of the first episode, Coon’s character has already broken, wailing in her villa, Saxon Ratliff is altogether too cocky, and the Ratliff mother, Victoria (Posey with another brilliant North Carolina accent), is either about to become most beloved of the season or most hated.
As always, White has something to say about entitlement and our false sense of control. Within minutes of the opening sequence, a monkey is perched in a tree looking pissed off or ambivalent about our illusory dominion over the environment, as a meditative therapist helps Belinda’s son relax by telling him to calm his “chattering monkey mind”. Cannot wait to find out which of these deliciously unlikable characters is dead, and who might have done it. / Anna Rawhiti-Connell
Brave disclosure: I have never really “got” The White Lotus and I truly just watch it because everyone else watches it and I don’t want to feel left out. It makes me yawn! Maybe it’s because reality television has poisoned scripted shows about bad people forever for me – find me more jaw-dropping rich drongos than The Kardashians, or more toxic character reveals than at a Married at First Sight dinner party? Nevertheless, what has stuck after the first episode was Parker Posey doing the hugest swing since she lost the Busy Bee in Best in Show (interestingly, another character acting entitled in a hotel). I’m also still thinking quite a lot about the trio of old girlfriends hellbent on one-upping each other in terms of their careers, their plastic surgeons, and how close they are with Queen Bee famous actor Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan). After droning on about how incredible, gorgeous, stunning each other looked, the moment that Jaclyn and Kate (Leslie Bibb) turned to less-glam lawyer Laurie (Carrie Coon) and said “…and the work you do is so hard” really ached. No doubt they will completely fall apart, along with everything and everyone else. / Alex Casey
First things first: we need more Pam. Loved seeing New Zealand actor Morgana O’Reilly (Friends Like Her) pop up in episode one as the patient hotel staffer who could barely hide her contempt for the unsettling Ratliff family, even if it was for just a few brief minutes. The Ratliffs quickly set a high bar for dysfunctional behaviour (eldest son Saxon already seems to have hit peak creep, not sure I want to see where his storyline goes), but I loved the simmering tension between the three long-time girlfriends (Carrie Coon’s drunken blubbering was a delight) and enjoyed Chelsea’s frenetic outsider energy. At times it felt like the show almost revealed too much, too soon, so fingers crossed there’s still some unexpected mysteries to unfold about these characters through the season. Last night’s episode was beautifully lush and rich, all thick tropical forest and suffocating air, and while it mostly set up the drama to come, I’m already invested. Bring on next week. / Tara Ward
New episodes of The White Lotus come to Neon every Monday.