‘The White Lotus’ Review: Monkey See, Monkey Do

As Season 3 of HBO’s hit series “The White Lotus” relocates to Thailand, it follows its established formula: a cold open at inevitable death — gunshots interrupt a meditation session — followed by a week-long rewind introducing a fresh batch of privileged, often oblivious guests. This season’s debut feels especially sharp, wasting no time in finding its footing.

The show’s new credit sequence provides a roadmap for the season’s themes. It features serene, colorful images of Buddhist shrines, followed by unsettling images of devoured and maimed bodies. This slow corruption of paradise is familiar territory, yet the first episode sets up a fresh narrative. The revamped title sequence itself reminds viewers that although the world of “The White Lotus” looks the same in its first episode’s structure, things are also ominously new, with an undercurrent of danger that is waiting to rise to the surface.

An opening shot of “The White Lotus” premiere frames the three Ratliff siblings in an almost eerie tableau, setting the tone for yet another season of luxurious discontent. Much of the intrigue rests with the Ratliff family, particularly Tim (Jason Isaacs), a high-strung Southern businessman, who is beginning to unravel under the weight of looming scandal and possible financial ruin. Tim clashes immediately with Walton Goggins’s character Rick, another hyper-masculine figure who, despite his laid-back facade, is just as performative in his machismo. Alongside Rick is his hilarious and slightly eccentric girlfriend, Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood), whose astute observations seem to hint at the season’s overarching motifs.

Parker Posey delivers a stunningly meme-able performance as Victoria, a Southern mother perpetually teetering between poise and prescription-induced drowsiness. Her interactions with her children — sex-obsessed nepo-baby Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger), spiritually curious Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook), whose thesis research about Buddhism is the reason for the family’s trip, and much sought-after Lochlan (Sam Nivola), caught in an incestuous tug-of-war between his siblings — add depth to an otherwise surface-level nuclear family. “We’re a normal family, you’ll see,” says Victoria to one of the hotel staff as they settle into their room; it is clear that the Ratliffs are most likely anything but.

Elsewhere, Belinda (Natasha Rothwell) makes a long-awaited return, this time navigating the world of high-end wellness training. Her presence —though welcome —feels vastly empty thus far. Notably, her phone call with her son towards the end of the episode ironically highlights the show's lack of Black characters. “I saw two Black people tonight,” Belinda observes, “ane they weren’t staff.” The line resonates even more given the season’s release during Black History Month. The show’s chronic lack of Black characters remains evident, making Belinda’s presence — and her son’s foreshadowed presence in future episodes — all the more significant.

As in past seasons, guests arrive by boat, echoing the colonialist undertones of wealthy outsiders “settling” into unfamiliar lands. The local staff in Thailand, including the flirty pair Mook (Lalisa Manobal) and Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong) add a layer of tension that underscores the social and economic hierarchies at play at the resort. Mook’s attention drifts away from Gaitok’s wooing toward the more “masculine” and better-paid security guards who work at the hotel — a dynamic that seems poised to spark an arc of self-discovery for Gaitok. In moments like those between Mook and Gaitok — where the facade of subservient hospitality fades — the show raises deeper questions about the ethics of tourism and the power imbalances it perpetuates.

One would be remiss not to mention what can be described as the season’s evil triplets — a name that encapsulates the simmering toxicity within their friendship, and their insistence on reminding everyone, including themselves, that as children they were constantly mistaken for one another. The trio consists of perpetual third wheel Laurie (Carrie Coon), famous actress Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan), and appearance-obsessed Kate (Leslie Bibb), indulging in a midlife girls’s trip. The animosity and envy between them is palpable, with their every conversation dripping in thinly veiled resentment. Though they grew up together, their childhoods seem to provide the bulk of the happy memories they share. As Jaclyn and Kate sideline a wine-guzzling Laurie in nearly every conversation, the old axiom rings true: “There’s a duo in every trio.” Who needs enemies with friends like these?

Lastly, the unexpected return of Greg (Jon Gries) — widowed after the death of Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge) in Season 2, in which he had a hand —adds a sinister layer to the episode. Whether Greg’s reappearance will provide further connections to the second season remains to be seen.

The premiere establishes many compelling dynamics, with a pacing and tension that makes it just as, if not more, gripping than its predecessors. With seven more episodes ahead, “The White Lotus” continues to prove why it remains one of HBO’s sharpest social satires — dark, delicious, and impossible to look away from.

–Staff writer Jorden S. Wallican-Okyere can be reached at jorden.wallicanokyere@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @jordensanyyy.