Just two weeks ago marked the season finale of what I’d argue is one of the most cinematic shows of the past decade.
“The White Lotus” has become a staple in my weekly routine over the last two months — a motivator to finish all my work on Sundays and something to look forward to at the end of the week.
Why? It’s like watching a masterclass in storytelling, a series that unpacks the lives of privileged, wealthy guests staying at the White Lotus resorts and the staff who navigate their demands.
Immediately after each episode, I’d dive into video breakdowns of each scene, overanalyzing dialogue, trying to predict what it could all mean for the next week. I watched for what wasn’t said — reading into reactions and pauses.
Each season is located at a different White Lotus resort, featuring an almost entirely new cast, but the core concept remains the same.
It’s a study of wealth, sex and power, with something darker lurking beneath the surface. A kind of inverted murder mystery, the show explores the cost of unchecked privilege. It leaves you unsettled, surprised, entertained and appalled all at once.
This season, set in Thailand at a luxury wellness resort, leaned heavily into themes of spirituality — from reaching enlightenment to exploring death and reincarnation. In Thai and Buddhist culture, the lotus flower symbolizes purity, faithfulness and spiritual awakening.
To fully capture what this season achieved, it needs to be broken down into different sections — spoiler alert ahead.
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT & DYNAMICS
Season three sees characters confront their own mortality, make life-altering decisions and navigate complex relationships.
This season introduced 28 characters to keep track of — while there wasn’t one central protagonist, some characters were more prominent than others.
Over the course of their weeklong stay, the guests underwent major transformations.
The Ratliffs — a wealthy family from North Carolina — have always lived a comfortable life, shielded from suffering, trauma or tragedy. Until now.
Mike White, the creator of “The White Lotus,” is known for his Easter eggs and hidden meanings. Many fans have connected the Ratliff siblings — Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger), Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook) and Lochlan (Sam Nivola) — to the “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” proverb, represented by the Three Wise Monkeys.
This metaphor, typically used to encourage focusing on the good and avoiding negativity, also reflects willful ignorance. That sentiment is woven throughout the season as we see the siblings start to face truths they’ve long avoided.
Saxon undergoes one of the most surprising and moving character arcs, largely due to another guest, Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood).
Deeply spiritual and guided by the belief that everything happens for a reason, Chelsea is one of the few people who truly “sees” Saxon. She calls him “soulless.” At first he’s defensive, but her words stay with him. He begins to internalize the criticism and question his own values.
Saxon likes being seen by Chelsea — even if it’s harsh, even if it’s brutal.
Another group of guests — childhood friends Jacklyn (Michelle Monaghan), (Kate Leslie Bibb) and Laurie (Carrie Coon) experience a vacation that tests the foundation of their friendship.
Their dynamic explores the toxic elements of female friendships, particularly ones that span decades. Cracks begin to show. Resentments build. They speak about one another behind each other’s backs.
But what seems like surface-level envy and passive-aggressive competition slowly evolves into something deeper.
On the last night, Laurie delivers a speech that is vulnerable and refreshingly honest — a powerful insight into the complexity of long-term friendships.
After a week of highs and lows, she confesses to feeling an overwhelming sadness. She’s spent her life searching for meaning and happiness through work, love and motherhood but finding no fulfillment.
She realized what matters is time; time gives her life meaning. “And, I’m just happy to be at the table,” she says.
Through the mess and heartbreak, she’s grateful to be there with them — moving through life on separate paths but still being able to be with each other, just like when they were girls.
WHAT’S LEFT BEHIND — THE CHOICES WE MAKE
One thing about “The White Lotus” is that we rarely get full closure. Outside the retreat, we’re left to wonder what happens to characters — unless, of course, they die.
The last episode was a bloodbath. We saw characters choose ego over love, control over connection.
Rick (Walter Goggins) chose vengeance and lost Chelsea, the one person who offered him love he had been chasing his whole life.
Rick and Chelsea are opposites, a yin and yang, if you will. Rick carries so much hate and pain. He is the darkness and she is the light. But their bond goes deeper than the tired trope of an older man with money and a much younger woman on his arm.
I had predicted Chelsea would die. Her spiritual nature, her promise to follow Rick through every lifetime — it felt like foreshadowing. She tied her fate to his and made it her purpose to save him. Instead, she ended up saving Saxon, the one she called “soulless.”
She believed in the idea of “Amor Fati” — embrace your fate, good or bad. What will be, will be.
Rick was the architect of his own downfall. His obsession with revenge cost him the one person he’s ever really loved. And it cost him his own life.
He became the very man who ruined him — the one who killed his father.
The finale wasn’t about who died. It was about what we let die within ourselves.
Belinda (Natasha Rothwell), a recurring character from season one, travels to Thailand not for a vacation but to learn from a local healer, Pornchai (Dom Hetrakul), and bring those practices back to the White Lotus resort in Maui.
She’s also the only person who knows what really happened to Tanya McQuoid (Jennifer Coolidge). She ends up using that information to her advantage and blackmails Greg (Jon Gries) for a fortune, enough to fund her own wellness empire.
But success has its price. I wouldn’t be surprised if Belinda becomes increasingly materialistic, her sudden wealth shifting her values.
Belinda chose to put her and her family first, accepting “blood money” over any chance of avenging Tanya. In choosing self-preservation, she becomes complicit.
She chose what would protect her peace.
PARALLELS BETWEEN SEASONS
One popular fan theory is that each season of “The White Lotus” corresponds to one of the seven deadly sins. Each sin represents a fundamental moral failing and is often seen as the root from which other sins emerge.
Over time, these concepts have been ingrained in Western culture as a way to pinpoint immoral behavior — reflecting the darker urges of human nature.
Season one (Hawaii) explores greed, focusing on wealth and entitlement. Season two (Sicily) delves into lust, examining sexual politics and desire.
Now, season three centers on gluttony — exploring wellness and indulgence in pursuing enlightenment and confronting inner demons.
Across all seasons, the show critiques the impact of tourism through a Western lens. It unpacks how white privilege manifests — not just in wealth and class, but in how it interacts with history, culture and even faith.
Beyond these themes, the series features recurring characters and recycled behavior.
In season one, Belinda is a wellness worker at the White Lotus resort in Hawaii. She meets Tanya, who clings to her as a source of stability and healing following her mom’s death.
Tanya doesn’t see Belinda as a full person; she sees her as a tool for her own emotional recovery. At one point, Tanya even suggests investing in Belinda’s wellness practice, raising Belinda’s hopes — only to back out. That decision is ultimately driven by Tanya’s desire to please Greg.
Just as Tanya once dangled opportunity and visibility in front of Belinda and then backed out, Belinda now does the same to Pornchai, and while he initiates the partnership, she leads him on.
She puts herself first, leaving him emotionally and financially vulnerable.
This season, some characters found peace while others fell deeper into delusion, but no one was left untouched. It is a study of transformation — how people break or bloom under pressure.
Season three brings together threads from past seasons and deepens the idea of morality and identity.
