The White Lotus Season 3 TV Review: Mike White’s series is darker and funnier with it’s best ensemble cast to date

Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Michelle Monaghan, Carrie Coon and more headline the darkest and funniest season of the HBO series.

Plot: This social satire is set at an exclusive Thai resort and follows the exploits of various guests and employees over the span of a week.

Review: It goes without saying that The White Lotus is one of the best shows on television. Originally envisioned as a limited series, the critical response to Mike White’s dark comedy earned it a second season. Transformed from a standalone tale to an anthology that travels to different global locales, The White Lotus uniquely connects certain characters and plot threads through each season while introducing all new characters with their own complex storylines and motivations. The third season follows the Hawaii and Italy set chapters before it and explores the patrons of the titular resort’s Thai location. Led by an ensemble packed with talent, including Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Michelle Monaghan, Carrie Coon, Leslie Bibb, and Walton Goggins, the third volume of The White Lotus is a fantastic continuation of the series that packs tons of shocking moments that are both hilarious and profound.

The third season of The White Lotus opens much like the first two seasons: with a dead body. While seasons one and two were set as the victims were discovered, this season starts as the act has just been committed before flashing back to the week before the murder takes place. Arriving at the Thai White Lotus resort, we meet the three primary character groups. Jaclyn Lemon (Michelle Monaghan) is a famous television actress enjoying a girls’ trip with her childhood friends Kate (Leslie Bibb) and Laurie (Carrie Coon). Rick Hatchett (Walton Goggins) is a reluctant traveler with his younger girlfriend, Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood), who has ulterior motives for being in Thailand. The wealthy Ratliff family, led by finance expert Timothy (Jason Isaacs) and Victoria (Parker Posey), are visiting as daughter Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook) writes her college thesis on a local Buddhist monastery, along with their sons Saxton (Patrick Schwarzenegger) and Lochlan (Sam Nivola). All three groups cross paths at various times during their stay, which, as in prior seasons, involves sex, drugs, and secrets coming to the surface.

The season also spends time with the staff of The White Lotus, though not as much as in prior seasons. Hotel general manager Fabian (Christian Friedel) is not as key as season one’s Armond (Murray Bartlett) or season two’s Valentina (Sabrina Impacciatore), but hotel owner Sritala (Lek Patravadi) and her husband do factor in. Other employees of the hotel include health mentors Valentin (Arnas Fedaravičius), Mook (Lalisa Manobal), and security guard Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong). We also see the return of Natasha Rothwell as Belinda Lindsey, the spa manager who befriended Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya McQuoid back in the first season. Belinda is in Thailand as part of an exchange program where she is learning from Pornchai (Dom Hetrakul). Belinda’s presence is key to connecting the seasons of The White Lotus together, which is done intriguingly, and audiences will discover it when they see the series.

While the first season comprised six episodes and the second had seven, the third season expanded again with eight total episodes. Having seen the first six, I am still unsure who or what led to the death teased in the first episode, but I have many theories. The fact that each hour-long episode can pack in so much focus for each character arc is impressive, and it presents so many characters that I would love to see unravel during their stay in paradise. Walton Goggins and Carrie Coon, both of whom are constantly working in other series and films, are phenomenal in very different ways. Goggins plays an emotionally broken man who must deal with a needy girlfriend as well as a traumatic purpose for being in Thailand. Carrie Coon gets to share time with Leslie Bibb and Michelle Monaghan as three close friends who squabble in secret and share unspoken animosity towards one another. Equally good is Jason Isaacs, whose storyline I cannot spoil here but is fascinating to see unfold.

Reflecting on the episodes I have watched, there is so much going on that I cannot divulge here that could easily have warranted a season on its own. The dynamic between the Ratliff siblings, played by Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sarah Catherine Hook, and Sam Nivola, emulates a realistic family dynamic that takes a twisted turn that may be shocking for some viewers. There is also a fair amount of overlap between the various characters, which exceeds what we have seen in prior seasons, in which only a couple of cast members are connected with the other narrative arcs. This season puts many of the characters in the same setting, with a fair amount of tension between them building throughout the season towards what I am sure will be a jarring season finale. Adding other supporting players like Scott Glenn, Charlotte Le Bon, and some unannounced cast members makes this the biggest ensemble The White Lotus has had yet.

Mike White once again serves as the sole writer and director for the entire season of The White Lotus. He proves he is masterful at harnessing voices across generations, gender, sexuality, and country of origin. The three primary character groups are all American in origin, but the global cast, including native Thai actors, all get their due through the season. White added several characters in the second season who served the overall narrative of the season but did not get the same development as the main cast. This season, even the smallest roles are given solid screen time. The balance seems to favor the guests rather than the hotel employees, which is the only distinction between this and prior seasons, but it does not deter the overall consistency. While Mike White has spent his time between seasons of The White Lotus scripting family fare like Despicable Me 4, Migration, The Emoji Movie, and The One and Only Ivan, his grasp of adult themes and complex subject matter continues evolving each season.

From the haunting opening credits and third iteration of the theme song to the plot’s darker dramatic and comedic elements, The White Lotus is as good, if not better, than it has ever been. Not as laugh-out-loud funny as the first season, the new season of The White Lotus continues to mine the darkly dramatic side of secrets and lies that friends and family keep from one another for a masterful season of storytelling. If you loved the first and second seasons of The White Lotus, your jaw will drop when you watch this new season. I don’t know how Mike White continues to improve on an already brilliant series, but season three is the best yet, and I cannot wait to see how it ends.

The White Lotus premieres on February 16th on HBO.