This post contains spoilers from The White Lotus season 3 premiere from this point forward.
Cheers to a new season of The White Lotus, but don't get settled in just yet. The season 3 premiere episode started with a bang, introducing a new collection of hotel guests and employees that unpacked their drama upon arrival. But the characters aren't the only ones keeping secrets. HBO managed to keep a surprise casting under wraps until season 3 premiered.
So far, there's a trio of besties that seem more like frenemies (even though they won't admit it), an age-gap couple that doesn't really get along, a returning season 1 character looking for some peace (good luck!), and a dysfunctional family who have brought all of their dysfunction with them on vacation to Thailand. Let's take a closer look at The White Lotus season 3 premiere!
Belinda's back and her son knows who dies this season
Keeping with tradition, The White Lotus season 3 opens with a scene one week into the future that reveals somebody has died. In the scene, a character played by Nicholas Duvernay meditates with a guide, but he's distracted when he hears gunshots. He's worried about his mother, who's still in the resort and too close to the erupting gunfire for comfort.
When he jumps into the water find his mom, a face-down body floats past him and he panics. We don't know who the body belongs to just yet, but we can definitely make some guesses. They might have brown hair? Possibly male? We'll have to wait and see, but Duvernay's character is the son of Belinda (Natasha Rothwell), a White Lotus employee from Hawaii visiting the Thailand location. She seems to be the only guest willing to accept the peaceful retreat the resort offers.
The Ratliff family comes in like a wrecking ball
Again, as is tradition, some tension between the guests begins on the boat ride to the resort, as Timothy Ratliff (Jason Isaacs) clashes with Rick (Walton Goggins) over his cigarette smoke. But the family continues to make their presence known once checked into their villa. Timothy and Victoria (Parker Posey) decline the wellness measures the resort employs, like going phone-free for their stay.
See, the Ratliffs decided to make their trip a family excursion because their daughter, Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook), is writing her thesis on Buddhism and needs to visit a temple in Thailand. The parents seem to be rethinking their decision after arrival, especially since Timothy receives a phone call from The Wall Street Journal seemingly asking about a scandal that's about to hit the press.
There's even more weirdness between the three siblings. Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) is the all-American son who works for his father's business and basically just wants sex. Meanwhile, everyone wants something from the youngest son, Lochlan (Sam Nivola). Piper wants him to go to the temple with her, Saxon wants him to swim with him (and share his room), his dad wants him to go to Duke, and his mom wants him to go to Chapel Hill.
Lochlan continues to be something of a pawn in the Ratliff family. Saxon, who struck out on multiple occasions when hitting on women by the pool, speaks openly about sex and porn with Lochlan while they're both in their respective beds shirtless. Saxon's willing to help guide his brother through life, then quips that he's unsure how he'll masturbate on this trip with Lochlan in the bed next to him.
When Saxon gets out of bed with his iPad to do what he needs to do in the bathroom, he's completely naked. Lochlan watches him strut into the bathroom and choose his video, and Saxon notices his younger brother watching him in the mirror. Saxon turns around, Lochlan still watching him, and slides the bathroom doors shut. So... that's awkward!
There's tension between the besties
On the surface, the trio of women on vacation together for a girls' trip seems like there's no issues. They've been friends since childhood, they're each thriving in their own lives (or so they say), and they're having fun on their trip. But dig a little deeper, and there is some inherent conflict between them that they don't talk about and will inevitably boil over in ugly ways later on in the season.
There's already a power imbalance between the friends. Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan) is a rich and famous actress who's footing the bill for the whole trip to Thailand, though Kate (Leslie Bibb) offers to pay for spa treatments. Laurie (Carrie Coon) often appears to feel left out of Jaclyn and Kate's banter, though she doesn't communicate it. Let's give them two more episodes before the you-know-what really hits the fan!
Something's not right with Chelsea and Rick
In addition to some romance heating up between some of the employees, like Mook (Lisa Manobal) and Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong), there's one particular pairing that checks into the White Lotus in Thailand that actually has everyone raising their eyebrows. Rick and his much younger girlfriend Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) arrived, and their attitudes couldn't be more different. Rick can't be bothered with anything, but Chelsea's reveling in the magic of their trip.
The first episode doesn't reveal much about Rick and Chelsea's backstory or really anything about their relationship. All we know is that he's not as interested as she is, mostly because he's distracted and needs to speak with the hotel owner's husband. He's up to something sketchy, and that could also include being up to something sketchy with Chelsea.
When Chelsea visits the bar alone, she meets a woman (Charlotte Le Bon) who's also less than thrilled with her boyfriend. They have been living in Thailand for a year and eat dinner at the hotel. Her boyfriend? Greg (Jon Gries), Tanya's (Jennifer Coolidge) husband from the first two seasons. Surprise! He looks depressed and worse for the wear.
Watch The White Lotus only on HBO and Max.