The White Lotus - Season 3 Finale

[WARNING: Spoilers Ahead]

Last Sunday, the Season 3 finale of The White Lotus aired. If you’re unfamiliar with The White Lotus, well, you probably should stop reading…seriously. The show follows a group of wealthy travelers who are on vacation at a chain of luxury, destination resorts called The White Lotus. The show opens with some sort of crime and the remainder of the season tells the story of how everything went sideways. It’s more of a social experiment than a narrative drama. If you’re looking for a new romance to ship, this is the wrong show for you.

Right off the bat, I have to say I think the art department deserves a major shout out. The title sequence, music, and set pieces this season were absolutely stunning. It’s clear people put a lot of thought into the details of this show.

Speaking of creative choices, the use of spy shots was incredibly effective, especially in the jungle setting this season. The shots created anticipation even when nothing was happening. Other times, the shots were used to advance the plot. These lurking shots are how we found out:

• Lochlan may be sexually frustrated, in denial about his sexual identity, crushing on his brother (it’s HBO), or possibly all of the above. 

• The group of girlfriends gossips about each other no matter who the target is.

• Victoria Ratliff knows about her husband's pending criminal charges and doesn’t care enough to address it.

We might as well talk about Lochlan first. This boy is not ok! From the time we see him staring at his brother in the bathroom to when he does much more on the boat, it’s clear Lochlan is working through some heavy stuff. I actually don’t think Lochlan is into his brother. It seems like maybe he’s just trying to work through a lot of repressed feelings. He’s a boy in a very conventional, Southern, WASP family. Lochlan seems like he’s struggling to come to terms with his sexuality. 

The whole protein shake regime seems like its about making himself more appealing to the male gaze. And he clearly has Best Little Boy Syndrome! This is a real theory that’s been studied by scientific researchers:

This syndrome can also extend to people in a young man’s life. The Best Little Boy wants to please the people in his life from whom he fears rejection. Sound familiar?

Lochlan tells Saxon during the morning after that he’s a people pleaser and just wanted to help his brother out. I think acknowledgement of his closeted queer identity adds a lot more depth to Lochlan. Maybe the reason he’s not irreparably attached to his family’s luxe lifestyle is because there would be less social pressure to maintain a fiction.

Of course, there’s a lot to make of the rest of the Ratliff family too. Victoria pretty succinctly explains their pathology in one line, “she needs to fear poverty like everyone else we know.” The other family members are just unequipped for life without the comforts of the 1%.

• Tim was overwhelmed by the expectations on him to be a success and seems pretty convinced that death was preferable to failure. 

• Saxon feels a similar burden to be successful, having made work his entire identity.

• Victoria openly admits she’d rather die than live without money. She spends a significant portion of the show complaining about how much she struggles to get through life, on vacation, without her bottle of Lorazepam. 

• And even with all the conviction in the world, Piper admits she’s dependent on the trappings of wealth after spending the night without organic food and AC in a local monastery.

These realizations made me sad for the Ratliff’s because they recognized that they’d trapped themselves into a sort of prison. And they had no plan to do anything about it. In their minds, the only thing to be done is enjoy the wealth because other people in the world aren’t as lucky.

Originally, I was upset when Tim backed out on the piña coladas and everyone woke up fine the next morning. Now that I’ve had time to think it over, I think this was the better outcome. The family will have to go home and face reality without their money, at least for a while. This has the effect of true consequences, rather than the Ratliff’s dying cluelessly in their sleep.

Another interesting theme this season was the reliance of white men in positions of power upon women and people of color to process their emotions though they consistently disregarded these same individuals and their practices. Hmm!

• Fabian was insecure about his talent and needed affirmation from Kate, Jaclyn, and Chloe.

• Rick was rude and dismissive when he was initially booked for stress management sessions. However, by the end of the show he was begging to talk to the treatment provider.

• Gaitok was robbed on-duty, at gunpoint, but when he solved the crime and confronted the Russian expat suspects they begged him to stay quiet so they could maintain their quality of life.

• Similarly, Gary bribes Belinda to help him cover up his murder to maintain his lavish lifestyle in Thailand. It only cost $5 million and her integrity!

• While at the monastery, Tim asks a monk to talk to him about death and figuratively talk him off the ledge. It seems to really make a difference, but it’s obvious if he weren’t at rock bottom Tim wouldn’t have listened to a word the monk had to say. How the turn tables…

• Do I need to bring the girlfriends into this too? Gary and Rick are clearly being regulated by the emotional labor they force on their trophy girlfriends. The least y’all can do is let them take out the boat and not trip! Respectfully.

I really enjoyed the choice to have Belinda’s son Zion to negotiate with Gary, even if they were discussing murder hush money. The scene was emblematic of the power of education to be a social elevator. Clearly Zion had some negotiation training and was able to advocate for Belinda to get her a better outcome. Quoting Langston Hughes in the middle of a murder hush money negotiation absolutely took me out! That line has Natasha Rothwell all over it.

In a warped way, there was an underlying lesson in this negotiation: asking for people to acknowledge your full value can be hard, but that doesn’t mean you’re not worth it.

Then, of course, there’s the monologue. Certainly, there’s still a lot of TV to get through this season, but Carie Coon may have secured the Emmy with Laurie’s speech. I think I held my breath the whole time she was speaking. There was a certain universality to it that made it so powerful:

Admitting when life sucks is hard, especially the further along you get in life and with the external pressure to always appear put together. Here’s to the friends who stick it out with us. Work fails. Love fails. But the people who go on the journey with us never have. We might go through this life apart, but we’re in it together. 

Finally, I just have to say when it became clear towards the end that the blender had been an important set piece and red herring I almost screamed. That was so creative! It was in front of us the whole time and there was even conversation around it, although we didn’t know what they meant. Saxon tells Lochlan, “no one’s going to make you a man.” 

It was almost like Saxon was trying to prepare his brother for everyone’s death. Or, alternatively, that Lochlan had to forge his own sexual identity. Crazy foreshadowing! It’s ironic that Lochlan ended up being the only one “man enough” to drink the poison. 

So, what did I miss? Let me hear your thoughts about this finale!

A “Good Hang" with Quinta Brunson

It is written, “the podcast circuit does giveth on occasion.” Last week Quinta Brunson hopped on Amy Poehler's pod, Good Hang. It was the perfect antidote to a morning that felt several days long.

This wasn’t the typical press tour stop. These two got deep, specifically about Quinta's tightrope walk with Jeanine on Abbott Elementary. Quinta talked about the pressure of making Jeanine feel real – flaws and all – when the representation of Black women in mainstream roles is still exceedingly scarce. Jeanine doesn't just get to be funny; she has to be everything.

This is a perfect example of privilege. A white man in the same role could just be funny. No one worries about whether Michael Scott, with his many flaws, sends the wrong message about the entire population of white men in America. Black folks in the same position as a white counterpart often have to juggle extra baggage. Then she layered on the reality of gender: men in comedy get to be messy. Their characters are revered for their idiosyncrasies. The rules change for women. The "flawed, funny, and presentable" cross-section of a Venn diagram is incredibly small.

What’s abundantly clear is that Quinta is no accidental star. This woman is methodical. She’s intentional about every little detail of Abbott. She also refreshingly doesn’t suffer from imposter syndrome. Her success? Earned, not stumbled upon.

One of my favorite parts of this interview was the time they spent dissecting Timothée Chalamet's SAG speech. This was a rare behind-the-scenes kind of candor that usually gets sanitized out of these interviews. It felt like I was at drinks with two of my funniest friends who just happen to have incredible pull in Hollywood.

There was also this incredible moment where Amy was playfully roasting Quinta's Emmy acceptance speeches (plural), and Quinta just leaned back and laughed in “rich lady.” Amy joined in. It was genuinely therapeutic to watch two comedy legends, who happen to be women, take a moment to acknowledge their success and celebrate each other at a time where the importance of representation is increasingly demeaned.

This also sent me down a rabbit hole when I remembered Amy never won an Emmy for Leslie Knope or Parks & Rec. (In large part she has Julia Louis-Dreyfus to thank for this. Her performance on Veep swept the category for 6 years!)

Quinta also got real about her online beginnings, admitting she didn't take it seriously until people started showing up to her improv shows because of her online shenanigans. She realized the internet is just another stage, and we should treat it with the same respect as stand-up or improv. Amy and Quinta both touched on how comedy has helped them to build the confidence that it’s ok to move on from a good idea because it won’t be their last one.

Sprinkled in was Quinta's hilarious confession, "I don't know white people… if they're not in comedy, I don't know." She has Barbara’s celebrity problem in real life.

In the spirit of unity, I’ll share too: I was DEEP into my twenties before I realized Country Grammar Nelly and Nelly Furtado were different people. I thought people just called him by his government name sometimes! You're not alone Quinta.

Ultimately, the pod reminded me that as realistic as it feels Abbott is just an entertaining story. It's easy to feel like we know Quinta. But seeing her in a long-form interview this way reveals a wonderfully silly person with a surprisingly dry sense of humor, a far cry from bubbly Jeanine. It's this captivating combination that makes it abundantly clear how she successfully established herself as the successful show-runner of a network sitcom.

Bottom line? If you get home and could use about an hour’s worth of laughter and passive-yapping, give this episode a listen. 

The Vortex of Doom (aka My 2025 Grey’s Anatomy Relapse)

Much to the profound disappointment of my friends (who have staged multiple interventions), myself (who should absolutely be catching up on new content), and even my dog (whose moody sighs are becoming increasingly more conspicuous), I've succumbed. Again. It's the Grey's Anatomy Relapse of 2025. There’s no known cure…EXCEPT, sun and nice weather 👀.

Right now, my brain is 70% medical jargon I vaguely understand and 30% genuine resentment towards fictional characters for their relationship decisions. All I can tell you is: the early seasons? Peak television. Rewatching is less so a choice and more of an annual requirement to keep my imaginary medical license from being revoked.

Currently, I'm marooned on the shores of Season 4, Episode 15. The landscape is bleak: Derek and Meredith broke up but are awkwardly co-parenting a clinical trial. Derek is dating Rose, the surgical nurse (who is so nice btw, which makes it even MORE annoying). Rebecca "Ava/Jane Doe" Pope is back and trying to trap Alex with a fake pregnancy. Fresh off the marriage he ruined because of boundaries with a coworker, George is getting problematically close to Lexie Grey. And Christina? The poor girl is doing everything she can for a scrap of Dr. Hahn’s affection after Burke left her at the altar, seemingly taking her future cardio career with him.

See?! Nobody does workplace dysfunction like Ms. Shonda. Now, I'm not suggesting you chain yourself to your couch for all 21-seasons. That would be crazy. (Please let me know if you do.) But a casual, couple-season binge? Clinically proven (probably, maybe, check with your primary care provider) to fast-track the banishment of winter weather.

Season Four finds Derek and Meredith consciously choosing to be apart. No cumbersome third parties, no dramatic misunderstandings – just a mutual, painful, realization that they're not compatible. They love each other, sure, but their relationship needs are wildly misaligned.

I hate to be the one, but phew because somebody had to tell them. It's obvious. Derek and Meredith are like sandpaper to each other's souls. Which brings me, dear Fanscape readers, to my hill. One I’m not willing to die on, but certainly where I’d take a substantive nap.

Remember McVet? Dr. Finn Dandridge? He was kind, stable, and was appropriately dazzled by Meredith’s brilliance. Oh, and he wasn’t  her teacher and workplace supervisor. Even more importantly, his "dark and twisty" vibes meshed with Meredith’s. Derek, bless his heart, hasn’t seen a boundary he won’t test with this power of his positive thinking.

Finn? Respected the boundaries. Offered unwavering support without an ounce of judgement. When Meredith chose Derek back in Season 3, even she admitted Finn might be the "better guy." Everyone was on the same page about this one. Fans, Derek, Meredith, and Finn all knew Finn was the better guy!

And yet… she picked McDreamy.

Fast forward and gasp their "epic" romance is riddled with communication problems and professional turf wars. It's like watching a slow-motion train wreck you saw coming from six seasons away.

Maybe I'm leading the witness here, but it’s OBVIOUS to me that Finn was the logical, emotionally intelligent, drama-reducing answer. Anyone, especially the world-renowned doctors, should have seen it.

Of course, I know why it didn't happen. Because "Meredith Chooses Stable Vet and They Live Happily Ever After" would have been a wildly boring show and likely wrapped up after 4 seasons. But still! I empathize with her friends. I’m tired of hearing about it. MAKE A DECISION ALREADY!

So, my fellow faux physicians, I beg of you: Am I insane? Should Meredith have picked Finn instead of longing gazes in the elevator? Let me know!

The Last Word

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