The finale came with chaos, trauma, and some truths we don’t always like to face.
*Spoilers ahead. Go watch it first — I’ll be right here when you return!
How did we get here already? One minute, I was squinting at the “The White Lotus,” premiere, trying to piece together those cryptic gunshots and wondering what was up with the monkeys. The next thing I know, it’s already time for the finale: Episode 8, titled “Amor Fati.” I guess time moves differently when watching rich people spiral in slow motion.
After a wild season of resort-core dysfunction, passive-aggressive poolside conversations, Lorazepam dependency, and that uncomfortable incest storyline, I settled down for one final, fateful day at the Thailand resort.
I was obviously in for a ride from the preview, but I had no idea how intense and introspective things would get in the finale. Here are the five things the finale got right—and why they hit so close to home.
Being a people pleaser is the worst
Anyone who’s watched previous seasons of “The White Lotus” knows the show has never shied away from portraying some of the more questionable human behaviours. But season 3? Whew. It said, let’s go there—and then somehow went even further. The internet collectively gasped during that brother-on-brother incest moment between Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) and Lochlan (Sam Nivola). The finale offers some context when the two brothers finally discuss their taboo sexual encounter.
Lochlan reveals that he only did it to make his brother feel included because he’s a pleaser. All season, he’s twisted himself into knots, trying to be whoever he thinks people want him to be. And honestly, haven’t we all been there—saying yes when we want to scream no, laughing at jokes that aren’t funny, squeezing into lives that don’t quite fit?
It makes you wonder: how far would you go to be liked? Hopefully, it doesn’t take a threesome with a relative on a yacht to realise it’s time to start living for yourself.
Maybe we do all grow up to become our mothers after all
After dragging her entire family all the way to Thailand to forsake her parents’ luxurious way, become a Buddhist and be a better person, Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook) finally admits that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Her spiritual awakening hits a bit of a speed bump when she realises she misses the finer things of life — her AC, organic vegetarian food, and the other privileges she’s grown accustomed to. She is her mother, Victoria (Parker Posey). Same core. Same cravings.
It’s a reminder that no matter how much we try to rebel, there’s always a piece of our mothers in us. I know I see my mum in me all the time. (Thank goodness mine’s a gem and doesn’t rely on Lorazepam to get through the day—love you, mummy.)
Loving someone shouldn’t mean losing yourself
If there was ever a cautionary tale about tying your identity too tightly to someone else, Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) delivered it. All season, we’ve watched her try to “save” Rick (Walton Goggins) from his demons, convinced that her love can somehow undo his self-destruction. Spoiler alert: It doesn’t.
Despite Rick’s warnings for her to stay away, her love for him results in her getting shot and bleeding out. They end up dying together and hopefully going into the afterlife together as Chelsea has always hoped because a distraught Rick gets shot while carrying her body. The star-crossed lovers end up in the pond, their blood muddying the water as Rick’s body floats with his lifeless eyes facing the sky.
Yes, it’s poetic. Maybe even beautiful in a twisted way. But mostly, it’s terrifying. I believe in soul mates and in going the distance for the ones we love. However, in the finale, I couldn’t help but wonder where we draw the line between standing by someone and standing in the line of fire. Love shouldn’t cost you your life—literal or emotional.
You don’t really know who you are until you are faced with a hard choice
Belinda (Natasha Rothwell) is no longer the spa therapist stuck in the shadows of wealthy guests we met in season one. This time, she’s faced with a classic ethical dilemma: take the moral high ground and avenge her friend’s death or take the money. $5 million, to be exact.
Greg (Jon Gries) offers her hush money to stay quiet about a murder plot. At first, Belinda seems hesitant—maybe even guilt-tripped by her son Zion (Nicholas Duvernay). But when push comes to shove, she leans all the way in. After the deal, she visits her lover and potential business partner Pornchai (Dom Hetrakul) and tells him she won’t be going into business with him any more. Why? “Circumstances have changed,” she tells him. It’s the same line Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge) used to dump her in season one.
It turns out it’s easy to seem good until life throws you a briefcase full of blood money. Belinda’s final move reminds us that we don’t always know who we are until we’re faced with a hard choice.
Uncomfortable, honest conversations are the key to long-lasting relationships
Laurie (Carrie Coon) has stood out all season for never backing down from the tough conversations (confrontations) with her longtime friends Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan) and Kate (Leslie Bibb). Where others dodge, she dives in, seeking the truth, and in the finale, she gives us a monologue that hits you right in the chest.
After a rollercoaster week of fights and fragile truces, the friends gather for one final meal. Kate and Jaclyn talk and smile about how fun and meaningful their trip has been. It could have ended there, but Laurie does what she does best. She makes a memorable speech that is raw, ultimately offering an important insight into the complexity of long-term friendships.
It’s not always fun being the one to push the tough talks, but Laurie reminds us that vulnerability is the price of genuine connection. Her speech clearly does the trick, as the night ends with ladies bonding. Hopefully, they carry on the tradition of honesty wherever TV characters go when an anthology series ends. I know I will.
“The White Lotus” season three did what it always does best: hold up a mirror to the messy, morally murky parts of humanity.
