Read episode 1 here and episode 2 here and episode 3 here and episode 4 here and episode 5 here and episode 6 here and episode 7 here.
Also… read my thoughts on how The White Lotus inspired my interior design projects here.
Sunday morning, I had this weird feeling in my stomach that Mike White was just gonna kill EVERYONE. And, honestly, I would have been into that… as long as Chelsea remained safe. I told people this. Keeping Chelsea alive was of the utmost importance.
She was the only “hope” in the series. Everyone else felt doomed in some way.
Welp. Maybe I have a fucked up relationship with hope cause Chelsea did NOT survive, and almost everyone else did. The other thing that was almost more important to me than anything else is that Gaitok was removed from all of the violence, either causing it or being the victim.
Again… welp.
I don’t want to start with the big finale, though; I’d rather talk about how some of those other characters ended up.
Let’s start with Saxon, shall we? That kid has swerved a bit from the sheltered, assy fella we met in Episode 1.
I recognized this raw, painful energy in him, and I was totally invested in his arc. Remember, earlier in my babbling, I predicted that Saxon might be the one to experience the most growth this season. And guess what? I was right. Or, at least, he’s on his way! The finale really solidified that Saxon is a guy who can feel… he’s both a mess and a raw, emotional being, and he finally understood he was more than the mask he wore the whole season.
The Ratliffs? Yeah, I’m not gonna lie, I expected at least one of them to die. I thought it would be the obvious move of all of them, but in a brilliant twist, none of them did.
When Timothy started making and then SERVING the Pina Coladas, I felt myself getting actively angry. Not because I didn’t want the Ratliffs to die, but because it seemed like a cop-out.
Mike White didn’t let me down, though. And we even got a little almost-poisoning with Lochlan’s dirty blender trick, but he made it through.
I did have a weird thought that maybe Lochlan DID die, and everything we saw afterward was nothing more than a dream sequence. But then, who dreams about other people that much?
Also, that’s not Mike White’s style.
His style is more about watching these people teeter on the edge of self-destruction, and I love how he used that to keep me hooked.
Oh, and in case you don’t obsessively read about the show like I do, Mike White cut a scene that showed a sexy rendezvous between Piper and Zion. That was the reason she was glowing on the boat.
And just look at this switcheroo from the first episode’s boat shot. Saxon and Lochlan have switched places and now Lochy’s the one with the sunglasses on. Lochy also has a more closed body posture, while Saxon seems open and ready for what the world is gonna give to him.
Oh, and in conclusion, on the Ratliffs… when I heard Mike White cast Parker Posey in this season, the first thing I thought was, “It’s going to be so much fun to watch her campaign for an Emmy.” Oh yeah, she’s 100% getting a nomination. I can’t wait until September to watch it all unfold!
Belinda… what can I say. My jaw DROPPED when Zion asked for $5 million dollars. I felt like $1 million would have been reasonable. But also, yeah, Tonya was a Billionaire, or at least a half of one, if I remember correctly, so that’s a drop in the bucket.
I was thrilled to see the money in her account, but I was also really rooting for her and Pornchai. I know two fucks ain’t much in the grand scheme, but it really felt like they had some sort of connection. Maybe he was just using her as some sort of escape, much like she was using Tonya in the first season. Which is why Belinda’s near echo of Tonya’s words felt like such a sting to Pornchai.
Now, let’s talk about the trio of Laurie, Jaclyn, and Victoria. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure what to make of these three at first, but their story was engaging throughout. Laurie was the one who stole the show for me (big surprise since I am obsessed with Carrie Coon), and I found myself rooting for her despite everything. Her big ol speech at the end had me feeling, y’all.
Gaitok might’ve had his “killer instinct” finally activated (BOOOO), but, to me, he was no hero in the end. Instead of the redemption arc I had hoped for where he figures out he doesn’t need to do violence to fall in love, he becomes a villain in his own right. Killing Rick, and perhaps believing himself to be justified in it, was a terrible choice. This is the dark side of Gaitok’s character we’ve been seeing building all season, and in the end, he takes full control of his fate in the most violent way possible.
Also, Sritala’s bodyguards were TRASH.
That final confrontation? Woah. You could almost see it coming, but Mike White played it so perfectly that it hit with the force of a gut punch. I hated it. But at the same time, Chelsea was already gone… so it didn’t really matter to me. I was already crushed.
In the end, pain won over hope, and it was just so unnecessary. Chelsea kept warning Rick and he didn’t listen. But then, she didn’t listen either because she didn’t remove herself from the situation. She walked towards it… repeatedly.
And now, let’s address the theme that popped up all season: quieting your chattering monkey mind. This phrase kept coming up, and in the finale, it all came crashing down. There’s something so deeply spiritual about the way Mike White weaves these existential threads through every character. The characters that seem the most in control? Yeah, they’re the ones losing it by the end. And it’s just so beautifully tragic that it forces us to confront our own lack of control in life.
In the end, I was left feeling like I had just witnessed the most beautiful, frustrating, and tragic symphony of characters who, despite all their faults, remain incredibly human. Mike White has created a masterpiece that both satisfies and disorients, leaving us with the unsettling feeling that no matter how much we try to “quiet our minds,” we’ll never really find peace.
But, then, I still have that lil glimmer of Chelsea hope (r.i.p.), so I keep trying.
Oh, and in conclusion… what a massive baller move for The White Lotus marketing team to team up with Coffeemate to make a Pina Colada creamer. I didn’t understand the significance at first, cause it wasn’t a tropical drinks kind of season, but what a massive reveal being in our faces this whole season.
Just fucking gorgeous work, y’all.
