Amor Fati

The White Lotus for the third season Mike White takes us to Thailand for a whole new cast of narcissistic characters who think they are privileged. We first meet the Radliff family headed by Jason Isaac, his wife Parker Posey and their kids Lochlan (Sam Nivola), daughter Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook), and Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger). At first Patrick's character was self confident and full of himself but by the end his brother was viewed as a better person and Patrick lost himself along with his attitude. Over the course of this season we learn Jason is about to lose his company and spends most the time drugging himself and being out of touch from his family while Parker is the most annoying character who feels so privileged that she can't see herself living any other way except for her current life. We then meet lifelong friends Leslie Gibbs, Michelle Monaghan who plays a famous actress along with Carrie Coon. The ladies are mischievous and backstabbing especially against each other, but they are their to forget but we learn they carry their baggage with them wherever they go. Walton Goggins and Aimee Lou Wood are there to find one another but Walton has other ideas. He meets up with his friend Rick (Sam Rockwell) to try to get close to the owners of the hotel to bring meaning to his life and to learn what happened to his real father. The owners were played by Scott Glenn and Lek Patravadi who helped set up the heath wellness program at the hotel. On a side story Tayme Thapthimthong plays a security guard at the hotel who is in love with Mook (Lalisa Manobal) a talented actress who entertains and guides guests on the property. The only two recurring characters were Jon Gries who is trying to stay away from drama and Natasha Rothwell who is back from the first season. This season was dragging and there isn't one character you would root for. The ending became predictable but the one thing I can take away from this show is that life is precious and should be looked at as a single drop of water till we return to the ocean.

To start of with the positive: This season definitely was the most suspenseful of the three. The tone and feel of it was great, from the scoring to the beautiful shots, to the good acting. I watched the finale on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happened. But while the conclusion of all the subplots initially seemed satisfying, it all rings a bit hollow when reflecting on it.

The previous two seasons provided great social commentary and felt like they had a real distinct 'point' to make. This season feels like it wanted to do just more of the same thing. That's not necessarily bad, but as often happens with sequels without a new idea, the writing becomes a bit stale.

As other reviewers have commented, you had to suspend your disbelief quite a lot this season for all the plot points to work. I won't spoil it, but at the end it all just doesn't really fit together. This season definitely got the style, but lacked substance. Still, a very enjoyable season and looking forward to the next.

The melodic atmosphere that develops and help carve out the specific emotions are totally ON POINT!

I felt every scene, every emotion, the anxiety, the chaos. I found at one point i was literally on the edge of my seat, eyes WIDE OPEN, and mouth agape. I was sooo overwhelmed trying to process everything that was being thrown in my face at every turn. There were no real slow parts, every scene was the culmination of the entire season and ended in a pure emotion crescendo of WTF!

Brilliant season and I hope this show never ceases to create new seasons.

Maybe ill write a larger more concise review, but im still running on adrenaline.

Watch it now!

After the build-up all season, was that it? When comparing this season finally to the end of seasons 1 and 2, this one feels like something is missing. The end of both the other seasons was wild and seemed to come out of left field. However, this finally was strangely predictable. Like I guessed the big twist 2 episodes ago, and the death that the show is built around was pretty predictable too. The characters were a little more bland this go around as well. The three women still seem toxic, and I wonder if anything was learned. The highlight of this episode was Jason Isaacs, and seeing him struggle with whether or not his family was really interesting. It was heartfelt but also had a hint of dark comedy to it. And even that storyline was painfully predictable. If we do get another season, I hope the writing will be better. Maybe next season, we will get more Sam Rockwell! That alone would be a treat, as his character, who probably only had like 30 minutes total, stole the show. All in all, season 3 was okay but a big step down from one and two.

This series has now settled into an identity. Each season is a sort of trial for the visitors to a White Lotus resort, a kind of chi-chi Twilight Zone with tropical drinks.

You may find love or you may lose it. You may be given the chance to work through old grudges and resentments. You could emerge as a better person for your experiences. You could hit the jackpot financially. Your life as you know it could be destroyed. You could wind up dead. Maybe the Crypt Keeper should be on the beach, greeting guests.

There is no moral framework governing this lottery. Good people are not rewarded and bad people are not punished, unless by random chance.

This results in a common complaint the series is garnering, that the characters are unlikable, the stories are unsatisfying and the whole thing feels pointless. Once you understand that pointlessness is the point, it might come off better. At minimum, it's fun to watch.

At this point the whole White Lotus chain should go bankrupt after hosting so many bizarre fatal scenarios that of course have gone wildly viral. Who's going to vacation at the Resort of Death? Some people would find it a bonus, and that might make a good season of the show in itself but I doubt they'll ever break the fourth wall like that.