The White Lotus: Full-Moon Party

March 16, 2025 7:21 PM - Season 3, Episode 5

As a yacht party extends into the night and friends explore Bangkok's clubs, parallel stories unfold with family disagreements over future plans and mysterious happenings at a nearby hotel.

"Watching Laurie drone on about her palimony payments, I cringed — not just at her, but at every boring story I’ve ever told tipsy. It was excruciating to watch Jaclyn seduce Val — not because I care about her, but because it reminded me of the shame that follows being carelessly selfish. The White Lotus is at its best when it shows you something so ugly and so relatable that you find yourself reaching for the remote, fighting the unbearable urge to switch it off. It makes your TV into a mirror.”—from Amanda Whiting’s 5-star recap for Vulture.

"Can't Belinda have a win? Yes, she can. Jaclyn isn't the only one getting a house call in episode 5, as Pornchai (Dom Hetrakul) and Belinda share a lovely kiss after she asks him to spend the night in case of lizards (or LBHs). The pregame was invigorating, the party was a blast, so I guess that means next week on The White Lotus is the hangover. Better take some Lorazepam, if there's any left.”—from Zachary Moser’s recap for ScreenRant.

posted by bcwinters (24 comments total)

The dancing-pool-party scenes were very stressful!
posted by bluedaisy at 12:13 AM on March 17 [5 favorites]

I was sure Jaclyn was being set up to appear in the tabloids. The strobe lights at the club looked like camera flashes. And we all know by now not to leave our doors open in case of lizards-- or paparazzi hiding in the bushes.
posted by BibiRose at 4:36 AM on March 17 [1 favorite]

Agreed BibiRose - really feels like pics are going to go viral or something.

Did the gun just click? I couldn't tell if it misfired or if it was just the noise of him trying to quickly put it away when Victoria interrupted him.

I figured things would get weird this week but I didn't have Sam Rockwell on my bingo card.
posted by jquinby at 6:24 AM on March 17 [1 favorite]

Greg/Gary has been very absent from on-screen time, what is his deal? Why, if he is gay (is he really gay?), does he need a beard in Thailand? I really hope Pornchai is somehow not involved with Greg/Gary. That would be too much like the Tanya storyline in Season 2, so I am wildly hoping Belinda has a happy ending. Has anyone actually had a happy ending in The White Lotus? Maybe Valentina from Season 2? The Italian hookers? Is it a coincidence that Valentin and Valentina have the same names?

I think things are going to get really ugly with the trio, Jaclyn has essentially stolen Valentin from Laurie. That has the potential for a very bad ending.

One scenario was never concluded, what happened with the foursome on the boat? Saxon seems to be having some kind of drug-induced wake up, I wonder if he is going to be the one who leaves the fold...?
posted by nanook at 7:55 AM on March 17 [2 favorites]

if he is gay (is he really gay?)

Was this implied at some point? I don't remember much about Season 2 at all other than broad strokes.
posted by dusty potato at 10:24 AM on March 17

I remember Tanya seeing a photograph of young Greg and Quentin together while she is visiting Quentin's villa in Italy. Wait, reddit says that Quentin says he was in love with a straight cowboy, which I think was Greg. So maybe not? Greg apparently has been married four times.

So that would be a new twist. Now I am wondering if Greg/Gary really is actually interested in Belinda, romantically? He supposedly has lost interest in Chloe? And we are being made to believe his interest in Belinda is nefarious? This seems far fetched but anyhow...
posted by nanook at 10:44 AM on March 17 [1 favorite]

This was weirdly satisfying, while not what I was expecting based on the setup.

Rick in Bangkok listening to his friend's exploration of whether he has an inner Asian "girl" inside him was just one kinda hilarious series of Rick trying to maintain composure without spitting his drink out after another.

It made me think about somewhere in the early part of the show, there's a reference about people, particularly white tourists, coming to Thailand to discover who they are. So far this show feels like it's somewhat centered around that with the white characters. Rick is trying to figure out who he is with regard to the man who allegedly killed his father (or is this a Darth Vader scenario as some have suggested already?), Piper is the illustration in the dictionary for this, her father is being revealed as a criminal, the three friends...well they kind of speak for themselves, and Saxon is sitting there egging his brother to be who Saxon thinks he should be, but I think, to a degree it's about him (Lochlan) discovering who he is. If you're not white, then you're just dealing with problems white people created for you, like stealing your pistol or being angry you've discovered their secret identity in a secluded corner of a tropical getaway.

Regarding the boat ride folks, I have this weird horrible feeling the morning after might reveal a threesome or something with the brothers and one of the women. Or maybe foursome. But whatever the result, it's going to freak out Saxon at minimum. I don't know where things will stand for Chelsea. I feel she remained loyal to Rick as she seems to care about him. Loved her line to Chloe, "What do you mean worse than that?"

I'm expecting Piper to be shut out with the Temple's program, much to her mom's delight. If you didn't think Parker's character wasn't a rich, racist, snob, yet....then this clarified things. Speaking of the family, I'm guessing suicide is off the table if he's shifted to praying to God for what he should do next.

Mook. It took you way too long to go to the video. Then you had enough courage to approach Timothy, but then backed down. I'm not counting out Mook rising to the moment during the shoot out and being a hero...but right now, he may be the one floating in the water.

The three sisters, so to speak, was kind of stressful. Jaclyn seriously had a major thing for wanting to make the women watching at the dance club jealous, which indicated she wanted attention and also I think, the power? After her partner ghosted her back in the USA. As much as I'm not Team "They're good people" Kate, I think she was picking up on vibes that something was amiss in the situation. The real mystery is the whisper by Laurie to Val. Was she inviting him to go to Jaclyn's place on behalf of Jaclyn? Was she making her own invitation? I kept waiting for some weird sex dynamics to kick in with the swim party, especially as we were cutting back and forth with Rick and his buddy.
posted by Atreides at 10:53 AM on March 17

Ugh. Possible (accidental/careless) spoiler buried in the NYT recap, if you’re trying to avoid those.
posted by blue suede stockings at 12:03 PM on March 17 [1 favorite]

Mook. It took you way too long to go to the video.

That's Gaitok. Mook is the woman he's interested in.
posted by supercres at 2:01 PM on March 17 [2 favorites]

So little happens. At least we got 2 hookups and whatever is happening on the yacht.
I'm still astonished at how little they're doing with Mook/Lisa.
posted by signal at 6:57 PM on March 17 [3 favorites]

When Sam Rockwell was doing his monologue about Asian women I had really strong deja vu of watching him give another monologue about good/evil, where he was maybe the villain. Anyone know what movie or show I might be thinking about? I looked at IMDB and he's been 181 shows.
posted by MadMadam at 7:18 PM on March 17

I hope Pornchai is not involved with Gary/Greg either, though I have a suspicion Gary/Greg may have been one of the middle aged white guys Frank mentioned.
posted by subocoyne at 10:20 PM on March 17 [1 favorite]

Thanks, supercres, not sure why I got my wires crossed, but appreciated the heads up to avoid it in the future.

I don't think Pornchai is involved, if only because Gary/Greg seemed caught by surprise that Belinda was present in the first place. So unless he approached Pornchai afterward, there likely isn't a connection.

What was Greg/Gary's reason for not going on the boat trip? Wasn't feeling the vibes? Freaked over Belinda?
posted by Atreides at 10:37 AM on March 18

I don't know what exactly to make of the Rockwell monologue. Is The White Lotus really getting philosophical on us? His ongoing journey didn't impress me much, but at least he introduced another gun into the picture.

It was sweet to see Belinda warm up to Pornchai, consent and all. How could this possibly go unpunished?

I couldn't decide if Laurie was fixin to get laid before conking out, or something else. But Jaclyn seemed more about power play and assuaging her own ego more than anything. Regardless, it's more and more plain that these three old buddies have long since shed anything that kept them bound as friends.

The Ratliff boys just get weirder and weirder. Lochlan seems to oddly have a significantly more dominant role this evening than his brother. I don't know where this goes, not sure I want to know.

Mama Ratliff had me howling. Despite her ignorance (or indifference), she seems to have a clearer take on Piper than Piper herself. Maybe she'll be the one to go on a shooting spree when she finds out how her old life is over.

I think Papa Ratliff resorting to prayer means he'll no longer have a need of the pistol. Which would put it into play for other characters and motivations.
posted by 2N2222 at 7:32 PM on March 18 [1 favorite]

I couldn't decide if Laurie was fixin to get laid before conking out, or something else.

When the Russians leave the villa, Laurie whispers into Valentin's ear and we don't hear the dialog. I believe it was after the Russians mentioned the Muay Thai fight the next night. I took Laurie's actions as telling Valentin that he should be ready for her the next night. Which adds to the Jacklyn's betrayal.
posted by mmascolino at 7:41 PM on March 18 [1 favorite]

The Ratliff boys just get weirder and weirder. Lochlan seems to oddly have a significantly more dominant role this evening than his brother. I don't know where this goes, not sure I want to know.

100% believe Lochlan used sleight of hand to make it appear like he took the drugs, but didn't, leaving him more in control than everyone else.
posted by Atreides at 8:00 AM on March 19 [5 favorites]

That's funny. My first reaction to that scene was that he didn't take the drug, but it didn't even register as slight of hand so much as bad acting. Looks like Lochlan got me too.
posted by 2N2222 at 9:33 AM on March 19 [1 favorite]

You're totally right. I went and had another look and it's not so much sleight of hand as sleight of tongue: the actor makes a very subtle movement in his cheek as if he's hiding the pill.
posted by Flashman at 10:44 AM on March 20 [2 favorites]

I think the stealth protagonist of the episode, perhaps the series, are the 3 russian girlfriends who yelled at Valentin's friends.
posted by signal at 2:57 PM on March 20 [2 favorites]

Sam Rockwell’s character Frank basically gave Rick a sex addiction recovery program first step presentation. And Rick did a great job of being a supportive, non-judgmental listener.
posted by larrybob at 4:34 PM on March 20 [2 favorites]

I don't know what exactly to make of the Rockwell monologue. Is The White Lotus really getting philosophical on us? His ongoing journey didn't impress me much, but at least he introduced another gun into the picture.
I like the show's juxtoposition of Piper's ambitions to learn about herself by means of adventures in Thailand - and Sam Rockwell's characters's account of having actually done so - albeit through rather different means.

{I don't know if I am the only one who feels bowled over by the quality of the sound design on the show - notice how we can hear the sound of the lizard in the room corner - and also the sound of a Thai nightclub in deafening full swing - then notice how we can hear everything we are supposed to hear -and can be confident enough to we were not meant to hear that whisper. Notice how there is a musical soundtrack that plays behind us, before or or all around us. I am watching this show in parallel with the BBC's Industry - which tries similar tactics and is only about 40% intelligable - so I appreciate the contrast}
posted by rongorongo at 11:09 AM on March 21 [5 favorites]

Also: Do you fall for the woman beckoning you and doing suggestive things with a conch shell …or your brother? #LochlansDilemma
posted by rongorongo at 9:27 AM on March 22

Apparently Mike White went on transphobe Andrew Sullivan’s podcast and Sullivan framed his question of Sam Rockwell’s monologue around the transphobic theory of autogynephilia (AGP). I’ve heard the excerpt on Reddit, and White fumbles around but eventually uses the term as well. This Newsweek article says that White refused to talk to them, but Newsweek did get a quote from Julia Serano, who wrote The Case Against Autogynephilia, published in the International Journal of Transgenderism in 2010.
posted by larrybob at 7:13 AM on April 2 [2 favorites]

Yes that aspect of it was gross, and it's gross that anyone talks to Andrew Sullivan. (I'd forgot he even existed.)

Of course I don't expect much from White Lotus. It has some good aspects but it's still got a kind of "Californication" filter of cynical reductive horny trash.

It's fun sometimes. Not so much this season, which feels really lifeless to me. A lot of scenes don't go anywhere and feel underwritten. I'm not sure if it's worse this season or if it's just always been like this, but this time around none of the stories grab me to pull me through the dreary buildup.
posted by fleacircus at 5:30 AM on April 5