I’ve enjoyed all three seasons of The White Lotus, but I have also complained about all three seasons. They are extremely compelling to watch, but also frustrating. Season 3 has several plot lines.
The 3 female friends reconnecting was a good storyline. It felt simplistic. There was a clear arc from beginning to end.
The Ratliffs were the most interesting. There was a lot going on with that family. It gave me the most to think about. They were the ones that kept me engaged and looking forward to the next episode. Tim was a compelling character, but he started taking pills and kinda checked our for several episodes. His plot had a ton of time dedicated at the beginning and then was put on ice until the very end. We just got a lot of staring into the distance and fantasizing about death.
Rick & Chelsea were the biggest letdown for me. I was excited to see Walton Goggins in the show. His performance was great. I liked both of those characters. However, the plot was nonsensical. I couldn’t think about it without seeing holes and contrivances. In the end angry and brooding Rick took down sweet and hopeful Chelsea. Her story was the more compelling one, where Rick seemed to be used just for shock value at the end. Great acting, but frustrating arc.
The other storylines were fine. I didn’t find myself thinking about them too much through the course of the show.
So lets talk more about Tim Ratliff. He seems to have a great life, but you can tell he’s completely disconnected from it all. His fantasies about ending it all aren’t just for shock; they feel like the only way he can imagine escaping the weight of his own life. It’s not that he wants to die, necessarily—it’s that he feels powerless, like he’s just floating through a version of success that doesn’t actually mean anything to him. There’s a mix of emptiness, guilt, and maybe even shame buried underneath his calm exterior. It’s one of the clearest examples this season of how privilege can make people feel totally lost—and how the pressure to appear happy and successful can become its own kind of prison.
Tim is clearly upset by the idea that his family might be unable—or even unwilling—to live a life without their wealth. His daughter seemed to be on a path toward spiritual enlightenment, but after spending just one night away from their extravagant bungalow, she gave up. Tim is wrestling with disappointment and disillusionment over the possibility that he won’t be able to provide this lifestyle anymore, and that his family simply won’t be able to handle the change. I guess, in his mind, the logical conclusion is that he needs to kill them all?
I never fully understood what he was so afraid of. He couldn’t bring himself to be honest with his family, doing everything he could to keep the truth from them. I took that as shame. When he prodded them for thoughts on what life without wealth might look like, he interpreted their responses as proof that they cared more about the money than about him. That seemed to push him further into despair—so far, he apparently decided the only way out was to end it all.
It was interesting that Tim planned to spare Locklan. What kind of life would he have had after witnessing the death of his entire family? It didn’t seem like Tim gave that part much thought. And then there’s the blender. It’s still bizarre that he decided to use a dirty one—it would’ve taken seconds to rinse it out. That odd little detail ended up being the main thing people talked about online after the finale.
The White Lotus season 3 was still a great watch for me. The characters were compelling, the performances were strong, and every shot looked beautiful. I genuinely enjoyed spending time in this world again. But I was let down by the season as a whole. Several characters felt under-written, like they had more to say but never got the time or space to say it. There were glimpses of deeper stories that never fully formed. I wish the show had been more focused—more interested in following through on its strongest threads rather than juggling so many at once. As much as I enjoyed the ride, I couldn’t help but feel like it could have been something sharper and more complete.
Filed Under: Drama, HBO, The White Lotus