The Reel Review
An exclusive resort hotel in Thailand is the source of drama, intrigue and death as vacationing guests and employees navigate spiritual needs with more primal desires, in this third installment in the dramedy anthology series from creator Mike White.
There are two things that stand out about Season 3 of The White Lotus – the beautiful, exotic locale and Parker Posey, as the Lorazepam-popping, North Carolina socialite Victoria Ratliff, taking the reins from Season 2 standout Jennifer Coolidge with meme-worthy one-liners and a crazy accent that is as much fun (“Piper, nooooooo!”, “Taiwan?”, “Tsunami!”) as Jason Isaac’s is painfully bad. Sam Rockwell’s sex soliloquy in Episode 5 is also a jaw dropper.
Some of the story lines (the three girlfriends who talk smack about one another anytime one leaves the group, the envelope-pushing incest angle between the Ratliff brothers) are more compelling than some others which fall into the show’s now predictable formula, which includes brief glimpses of full frontal male nudity. After such a big buildup, the predictable yet still unrealistic finale is a bit lackluster compared to the much stronger Season 2.
REEL FACTS
• The White Lotus has been renewed by HBO Max for a fourth season, with showrunners saying the next destination will likely be somewhere in Europe. (Croatia or Greece, anyone?)
• The White Lotus creator/director Mike White says he chose the series title because of references in Lord Tennyson’s poem “The Lotus Eaters,” white supremacy and his own last name. A finalist in Season 37 of Survivor, White has cast several of his Survivor castmates in small roles each season.
• Woody Harrelson was originally tapped to play Rick Hatchett in Season 3, but was replaced by Walter Goggins after Harrelson balked at Mike White’s same pay for every single cast member rule.
Video & Photo
