The White Lotus
HBO
The White Lotus has gone some weird, dark, amusing, somewhat horrifying places over the last three years, but last night it tread into territory that confirmed a thought many have had this season, “Are they really doing this?”
They were, in fact, really doing it.
While there were other storylines throughout the night, Frank’s Bangkok trip, Gaitok getting his gun back, Piper at the monastery, of course the most significant one was the aftermath of the boat party with Lochlan, Saxon, Chloe and Chelsea where a particular situation involved three of those four.
Forbes‘The White Lotus’ Season 3, Episode 6 Recap And Review: Killer InstinctBy Erik KainChloe did what Chloe was always going to do, hook up with a brother, but as it turned out, both of the brothers, in a way. That was the culmination of many episodes of teases about a weird tension between Lochlan and Saxon (who as far as we know, are in fact biological brothers, not step brothers), and in a drug and alcohol-induced haze, during the Chloe encounter there was indeed a sexual act with the two of them as well. I’m not sure how much more detail I can go into here in polite company, but if you saw, you saw.
The White Lotus
HBO
This is the first time this has fully been played for laughs, as obviously sick as it may be. Saxon slowly remembers what happened, then is pushed over the edge by Chloe into remembering the entire encounter with his brother. Lochlan says he blacked out, but through meditation at the temple, remembers the event in full.
Both brothers are horrified, as even under the spell of some mystery party drug Chloe gave them, now that they both remember? Well, that relationship is probably going to be awkward for decades to come now. This was the first time this storyline went actually comedic rather than purely creepy (of course it’s very gross), and this feels like the furthest The White Lotus has ever pushed a storyline, and that’s saying something, given the events of the past two seasons.
Where do things go from here? My current theory is that at least most of the Ratliffs will end up staying in Thailand along with Piper, so Timothy can avoid arrest in the US like so many other middle-aged men hiding out there. I think they might all stay maybe minus Saxon, who if he’s not implicated in his father’s crimes, could go back to America and get some other business job. And at this point, be far, far away from Lochlan.
There are only two episodes left to resolve all this. Now, there’s a dinner party that Greg is throwing next episode that will include his cheating girlfriend, one of the guys she hooked up with and probably the woman who knows his dark secret. It feels like a mass casualty event already. But I’m not sure anything is going to top that Saxon-Lochlan storyline this season.
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