Diksha Sundriyal
Tensions flare up for the guests in the second episode of HBO’s ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3. The thin masks they donned during their arrival at the resort start to peel away, and the ridiculousness of some things begins to remind us why the show has remained such a lovable feast to the senses since the first season. The dynamics established within the first episode are expanded upon, and the superficiality of some characters comes to light while also shedding light on some critical plot points. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Facade of Jaclyn, Kate, and Laurie’s Friendship Starts to Slip
Jaclyn, Kate and Laurie are childhood best friends who have come to Thailand to spend some quality time together. However, on the first day itself, it becomes clear that all is not as well as it seems between them. At the end of the first episode, a clear disconnect appears between Laurie and her two friends, and the second episode further digs into that dynamic. We find Kate and Jaclyn caught up in a conversation that easily veers into Laurie’s personal life. They begin by complimenting her, saying how much they love her and how great she is. But once they start to poke at her personal life, they also become rather crude in the discussion.
It seems that Laurie has had a bad divorce. Her husband was bad as is, but the terms of the divorce were set such that she now has to pay palimony to him. The separation has also had a bad impact on her daughter, who has become a bit violent. It turns out that she is a biter and a bruiser and has already changed enough schools to turn heads. What’s worse is that Laurie’s professional life also seems to be at a bad point. It looks like she didn’t get the promotion she had been vying for, which is sad because she gave her entire life to that firm.
The conversation ends suddenly when Laurie bangs the door, revealing that she had forgotten her bag with the charger in it. Her sudden reappearance leads Kate and Jaclyn to fall back into “we love Laurie” mode. The next morning, the women have an odd interaction with the Ratliffs when Kate tries to talk to Victoria Ratliff. Kate remembers meeting her at a common friend’s baby shower, and while she makes an effort to have a conversation, her advances are rebuffed by Victoria, who doesn’t care one bit about anything she says. Things get a bit better when their health mentor, Valentin, shows up. Kate and Jaclyn encourage Laurie to indulge with him, considering that she is the only single one in the group.
Later, Laurie spends some time with Valentin, and he tells her that her vitals are so good that one could say they are of a person half Laurie’s age. However, it turns out that he says that kind of thing to everyone. Jaclyn also has some tests done, and it turns out that Valentin may have reused the same lines he used on Laurie. The conversation also leads Jaclyn to talk about her boyfriend, Harrison, who is a decade younger. She talks about how they are addicted to each other and can’t get enough of one another, but there is a sense of security lurking beneath her words, and Laurie and Kate are quick to notice it.
Later that night, when Jaclyn is in another room, Kate and Laurie talk about how vain and superficial she is. They talk about how she has had some work done on herself, and how she always has to compete with the other person, in this case, Sritala, who gave a beautiful performance during dinner. They also share their doubts about Harrison and how things might not be as good as Jaclyn makes it out to be. This conversation makes it clear that Kate likes to talk behind the backs of both her friends. More importantly, it makes the audience wonder when Jaclyn and Laurie will get the chance to bitch about Kate and unravel her facade of a perfect life.
A Robbery Shakes Things Up at the White Lotus
Halfway through the second episode, a strange thing happens at the White Lotus. At the time, Chelsea is at a jewelry shop with Chloe and has her eyes set on a snake bracelet when a masked man barges in, breaks the glass, fills his bag with the jewelry, and runs away. He flings around his gun to keep Chelsea and the woman at the shop quiet. What’s more interesting is that no one seems to notice the robbery in action, even when there are quite a few people outside the shop. When the robbers, one of whom stays in the car all this while, get to the gate, Gaitok tries to stop them, but he is beaten up, and the robbers escape. This physical injury, however, does not stack up to the heartbreak he comes close to when he tells Mook how he feels about her, and she tells him to stop joking. Later, she comes to check up on him, and that soothes his wounds more than any medicine could.
The robbery shakes up Chelsea, who thinks that she could have died, and while people keep telling her that she couldn’t have, there is no saying how such situations could escalate. Fortunately, things are much easier for the rest of the day, and what really perks things up is the dynamic between Chloe and her boyfriend, Gary (who is actually Greg). Chloe and Chelsea met each other the previous night when both of them were being ignored by their boyfriends. They decided that the four of them should have dinner the next evening. Rick is not happy about it, but he has to go forward with the plan, just like he has to attend the stress management session with Amrita, which was booked for him by Chelsea.
At the session, Rick talks about his parents. His mother died of a drug overdose when he was ten, and his father was murdered while his mother was still pregnant. This trauma explains a lot of things about him, but more importantly, it might explain why Rick is looking for the owner of the White Lotus in Thailand. At dinner, he overhears Sritala talking about going to Bangkok to be with her husband, who has recently been discharged from the hospital. So, Rick decides that he will be going to Bangkok for the next couple of days.
Another interesting thing to happen at dinner is the revelation about Chloe and Gary/Greg’s relationship. At Chelsea’s behest, Rick tries to indulge him in a conversation, but Gary doesn’t seem interested at all. When asked how he and Chloe met, he says that it was through a matchmaking service in Dubai. To Rick, this is a clear indication that Chloe is a sex worker and she is not really in a relationship with Gary. What makes it clearer is when Gary says that Chloe is French when she is actually French-Canadian. This leads them to have a minor row, which becomes a source of entertainment and brings a sense of levity between Chelsea and Rick.
Tim Ratliff Hangs by a Thread While His Family Remains Blissfully on Vacation Mode
Tim Ratliff brings his family to the White Lotus resort to relax and enjoy, but he does not relax or enjoy wiht them. A major reason behind this is the things unraveling back at home. It seems that Tim was a part of some shady pyramid scheme that he got involved in through Kenny Nguyen. Now, the media has a wind of it and won’t leave Tim alone. In the previous episode, he gets a call from the Wall Street Journal, where he is told that they will publish the article within the week. This time, Tim discovers that his office got a call from the Washington Post as well. He is frustrated by not being able to talk to Kenny, but when it finally happens, he realizes just how bad things are.
It seems that the Feds have raided Kenny’s home and taken everything with them, some of which also contain the evidence that is sure to implicate Tim. Meanwhile, his family is completely unaware of what’s going on with him. His wife continues to pop her pills and is zoned out most of the day. His son, Saxon, is unhappy that he didn’t get a happy ending during his massage session, not realizing just how uncomfortable he made the other person. Further, Lochy and Piper have a chat where he tells her about Saxon’s comment, which makes her understandably uncomfortable. She calls out Saxon about it, but it has no effect on him.
Meanwhile, Belinda begins her first day in the program. To start, Pornchai reveals that he would be giving her his signature massage, showing her exactly what he does and how. In return, she could show her signature massage to him. Both sessions leave Belinda was strange feelings about Pornchai, but in a good way. For most of the episode, she remains away from the action, but an interesting thing happens at dinner. She notices a familiar face in the crowd, though it seems she is not able to place it. It will eventually come to her, and that’s something worth waiting for.
Read More: Is The White Lotus a Real Luxury Resort in Thailand?
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