{"id":2273,"date":"2025-04-07T13:13:31","date_gmt":"2025-04-07T13:13:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nichesitetool.com\/?p=2273"},"modified":"2025-04-07T14:40:40","modified_gmt":"2025-04-07T14:40:40","slug":"if-you-hated-the-white-lotus-season-3-youre-missing-the-point","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.nichesitetool.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/07\/if-you-hated-the-white-lotus-season-3-youre-missing-the-point\/","title":{"rendered":"If you hated The White Lotus season 3, you\u2019re missing the point"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\"CARDINAL\t<\/div>
This is most pertinently explored in the toxic friendship between Laurie, Jaclyn and Kate (Picture: HBO)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The reception to the final episode of The White Lotus<\/a> season 3 has been more of a massacre than its brutal ending<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Spoilers ahead. <\/em><\/p>\n

Forget the shootout<\/a> that erupts throughout the luxury Thai resort in the show\u2019s final moments, there have been more shots fired by critics.<\/p>\n

The series finale was deemed a \u2018crushing disappointment\u2019 and a \u2018waste of time\u2019 for Forbes writer Erik Kain, while Adam White in The Independent said it was a \u2018bad\u2019 season.<\/p>\n

Viewers also accused The White Lotus of being \u2018boring\u2019 <\/a>because of its slower pace.<\/p>\n

But everyone who falls into the \u2018hater\u2019 camp is missing the prestige drama\u2019s point entirely.<\/p>\n

The White Lotus, even though it is sometimes billed as such, is not intended to be a thriller with implausible plot twists and cliffhangers like a Scandi Noir or any Harlan Coben show on Netflix. It is, at its heart, a character study.<\/p>\n

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Arguably, not much happens with them aside from catty comments and an epic bender. <\/p>\n<p>Yet in the final\u2019s stand-out scene, Laurie, out of the blue, announces their holiday has made her feel \u2018so sad.\u2019 It dawns on her that her life has just been one bad decision after the other. <\/p>\n<p>She expresses regret for devoting her soul to a career that hasn\u2019t loved her back and for previously committing to a long-term relationship with the wrong man. It is time, she says, that has ultimately given her life meaning. <\/p>\n<p>Time to make mistakes, learn, take accountability and ultimately live. It\u2019s a deeply human monologue and one all viewers can relate to.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/02\/11\/white-lotus-season-3-instantly-made-eat-words-22536352\/\">The White Lotus<\/a> also examines the corrupting effects of wealth, power and greed on the human psyche, and this is aptly illustrated by Belinda\u2019s (Natasha Rothwell) character arc. <\/p>\n<p>In season one, we saw her life in tatters after Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge) offers to change her life by funding a salon business, only to U-turn at the eleventh hour.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"431\" src=\"http:\/\/www.nichesitetool.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SEI_239365752-f91a.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22537054\" alt=\"This image released by HBO shows Natasha Rothwell in a scene from "The White Lotus." (Fabio Lovino\/HBO via AP)\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Belinda goes in hard asks Greg for even more dosh: $5million, to be precise. (Picture: HBO)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In season three, she has returned as a lowly-paid therapist, but this time she has a bargaining chip. After questioning the morality of accepting cash from Greg (Jon Gries) in exchange for her silence over his involvement in Tanya\u2019s murder, she goes in hard and asks for even more dosh: $5million, to be precise. <\/p>\n<p>Having been slighted herself, does she then use that money for good? No. Like Tanya before her, she swiftly tells her lover, fellow therapist Pornchai (Dom Hetrakul) that she no longer wants to go into business with him and the betrayal is worse given Belinda\u2019s backstory and her romantic intimacy with Porrnchai. <\/p>\n<p>The White Lotus puts forward the deeply uncomfortable truth that most people, no matter how good, will compromise their morality for the right price.<\/p>\n<p>The other major complaint levelled at The White Lotus\u2019s third season lacks entertainment value.<\/p>\n<p>But this is wrong. While the final episode is the length of a feature film, it packs all the punches of a Shakespearan tragedy.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"431\" src=\"http:\/\/www.nichesitetool.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SEI_243971215-98a5.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22742046\" alt=\"The exploits and misadventures of various guests and employees at a tropical resort over the course of one week.\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>It is great TV and I won\u2019t hear otherwise (Picture: HBO)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"363\" src=\"http:\/\/www.nichesitetool.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SEI_246631539-f069.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22862026\" alt=\"CARDINAL MARKETING NEW YORK, NY ??? April 6, 2025: The White Lotus ??? Season Finale The exploits of various guests and employees at a tropical resort over the span of a week Set in a White Lotus resort in Thailand, it follows the exploits of various guests and employees over the span of a week. Photograph:??HBO "Disclaimer: CM does not claim any Copyright or License in the attached material. Any downloading fees charged by CM are for its services only, and do not, nor are they intended to convey to the user any Copyright or License in the material. By publishing this material, The Daily Mail expressly agrees to indemnify and to hold CM harmless from any claims, demands or causes of action arising out of or connected in any way with user's publication of the material."\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Lochlan unknowingly drinks from the spiked cocktail and collapses by the pool (Picture: HBO)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This is keenly felt in the Ratliff family\u2019s final day at The White Lotus. We have suicidal father, Jason Isaacs\u2019 Timothy, nearly killing off every member of his family, bar his hapless son Lochlan (<a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/03\/16\/white-lotus-star-sam-nivola-also-a-famous-parent-22734740\/\">Sam Nivola<\/a>), with a poisoned pina colada to spare them the pain of being poor after his secret bankruptcy. <\/p>\n<p>After their first sips, panic clouds Timothy\u2019s face, and he smacks the drink out of their hands. Except the next day, Lochlan unknowingly drinks from the spiked cocktail and collapses by the pool.<\/p>\n<p>It is great TV and I won\u2019t hear otherwise. All the elements are there: A ridiculous family murder-suicide plot, death by a darkly hilarious means and a father\u2019s anguish at unwittingly killing the one person he sought to save. <\/p>\n<p>Yes, Lochlan eventually survives, but his near-death is a gripping narrative device. He is the ultimate red herring for the real deaths to keep viewers guessing until the final moments.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"363\" src=\"http:\/\/www.nichesitetool.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SEI_246631410-e701.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22862024\" alt=\"CARDINAL MARKETING NEW YORK, NY ??? April 6, 2025: The White Lotus ??? Season Finale The exploits of various guests and employees at a tropical resort over the span of a week Set in a White Lotus resort in Thailand, it follows the exploits of various guests and employees over the span of a week. Photograph:??HBO "Disclaimer: CM does not claim any Copyright or License in the attached material. Any downloading fees charged by CM are for its services only, and do not, nor are they intended to convey to the user any Copyright or License in the material. By publishing this material, The Daily Mail expressly agrees to indemnify and to hold CM harmless from any claims, demands or causes of action arising out of or connected in any way with user's publication of the material."\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>At least Rick is put out of his misery (Picture: HBO)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When you do learn that in the body bags are doomed couple Rick (Walton Goggins) and Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood), it\u2019s an emotional suckepunch.<\/p>\n<p>Rick finally avenges his father\u2019s murder by shooting who he thinks is his killer Jim (Scott Glenn), only to learn that he is his father. To add to his agonising pain, Chelsea gets fatally wounded in the subsequent crossfire just hours after they proclaimed their \u2018forever\u2019 love to each other. <\/p>\n<p>At least Rick is put out of his misery, as he also gets shot to death with Chelsea\u2019s lifeless body scooped up in his arms.<\/p>\n<div class=\"metro-poll\" id=\"1744029757045-22864856\" data-option1=\"Loved it\" data-option2=\"Hated it\" data-url=\"https:\/\/api.metro.co.uk\/polls\/v2\/\" data-track-module=\"poll\">\n<h3 class=\"metro-poll__title\">What did you think of The White Lotus’ finale?<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"metro-poll__list\">\n<li data-option=\"option1\" class=\"metro-poll__option\">\n<div class=\"metro-poll__score-bar-wrapper\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-poll__content\">\n<div class=\"metro-poll__text\">Loved it<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-poll__score\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-option=\"option2\" class=\"metro-poll__option\">\n<div class=\"metro-poll__score-bar-wrapper\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-poll__content\">\n<div class=\"metro-poll__text\">Hated it<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-poll__score\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"metro-poll__share\">\n<div class=\"metro-poll__share-buttons\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"metro-button share-button facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmetro.co.uk%2F2025%2F04%2F07%2Fhated-white-lotus-season-3-missing-point-22864856%2F%3Fito%3Darticle.desktop.share.poll.facebook\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-platform=\"facebook\" data-vars-position=\"poll\" data-share-type=\"facebook\" rel=\"noopener\"><title>Share on Facebook<\/title><span>Share your results<\/span><\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"metro-button share-button twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmetro.co.uk%2F2025%2F04%2F07%2Fhated-white-lotus-season-3-missing-point-22864856%2F%3Fito%3Darticle.desktop.share.poll.twitter&text=&via=MetroUK\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-platform=\"twitter\" data-vars-position=\"poll\" data-share-type=\"twitter\" rel=\"noopener\"><title>Share on X<\/title><span>Tweet your results<\/span><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>It is a devastating ending and all the more so because Chelsea, with her goofy charm, is The White Lotus\u2019s most likeable character to date. <\/p>\n<p>The key to any successful drama is to make viewers care and I was in tears as the life extinguished out of her. While it is painful to say, the right people died for the purposes of gripping television. <\/p>\n<p>No one would\u2019ve cared if any of the other characters had died. I would have instantly forgotten the show if finance bro Saxon (<a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/03\/24\/white-lotus-fans-finally-convinced-twisted-storyline-gone-far-22777169\/\">Patrick Schwarzengger<\/a>) had popped his clogs, for example. Creator Mike White crafted the conclusion expertly for dramatic effect.<\/p>\n<p>Sure, The White Lotus\u2019s ending is unsatisfying in that the good characters become bad, and the morally bankrupt always get off scot-free, but it holds up a mirror to a society that is more often than not cruelly unjust. That, I think, is the point of the show.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Do you have a story you\u2019d like to share? Get in touch by emailing <a href=\"mailto:jess.austin@metro.co.uk\">jess.austin@metro.co.uk<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Share your views in the comments below.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"text-justify mb-2\" >This is most pertinently explored in the toxic friendship between Laurie, Jaclyn and Kate (Picture: HBO) The reception to the final episode of The White Lotus season 3 has been more of a massacre than its brutal ending. Spoilers ahead. Forget the shootout that erupts […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2275,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.nichesitetool.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2273"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.nichesitetool.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.nichesitetool.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.nichesitetool.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.nichesitetool.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2273"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.nichesitetool.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2273\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2281,"href":"http:\/\/www.nichesitetool.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2273\/revisions\/2281"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.nichesitetool.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.nichesitetool.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.nichesitetool.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.nichesitetool.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}