Hide or Seek

After three mini-developing and uneventful appetizer episodes, we are starting to be served with a choice of main meals, some a little bland, some tasty piquant and some even spicy sweet.

So far, the main problem with this season are the unlikable and uninteresting guests. Think of them as dead old flowers genus turned dry, put them in a bright sunny environment and make them artificially twist and twitch. All you'll be achieving is the dried flowers, some with thorns "dancing" and being shaken.

Now imagine fresh colorful flowers in a rainy, gray and grim weather with gusts of wind making them move wildly around. All you'll pay attention to is the flowers and their colors, you'll soon forget about the depressing weather.

As much as this season tries, until the end, we would only see the first scenario with some twists and turns, cause we are offered with "decaying" characters from the get go.

That said, I truly would have loved for the foreigners to be at least thrice as large, have a SWAT team ready on the resort (hidden of course), some clouds of electrifying danger and tension gathering above their heads and for Belinda to be bitten repeatedly but surviving.

Viva Lorazepam mixed with scotch!

• Screenplay/storyline/plots: 7
• Production value/impact: 7
• Development: 7.5
• Realism: 6.5
• Entertainment: 7
• Acting: 7
• Filming/photography/cinematography: 8.5
• VFX: 8
• Music/score/sound: 7
• Depth: 5.5
• Logic: 3
• Flow: 7
• Dark comedy/adventure/satirical drama/slight mystery: 7
• Ending: 6.

Top-notch cinematography, engaging story, well-developed characters, soundtrack... I mean, it's all perfect.

For me, this was the best episode of the entire series so far.

This series is about feeling things, it is able to communicate with emotions, which is very difficult to find something similar.

I feel sad seeing so many bad and cliché series getting so much recognition, while something good like White Lotus is criticized as "boring". Have people become so stupid, so used to the same old thing? It seems that only a few can see how extraordinary this series is, at least with the comments I see online.

Congratulations to Mike White, you are a true genius of audiovisual art!

I was surprised this episode was the lowest-rated of the season so far. I liked how the Ratliff family, Rick & Chelsea, and "Greg" all came together in this episode to intertwine their stories. The yacht led to some awkward but hilarious interactions between the groups. I feel for the father of the Ratliff family, but he continues to sink into bigger trouble with the controversy. This was also my favorite episode with the three women. Instead of being catty with each other and talking behind their backs, it was refreshing to see them let loose and look for ways to mix up their fun. This was probably the funniest episode of the season, and I'm glad the season is slowly getting better. 3.5/5 stars.

I see much criticism to the pace, while for me the rhythm of this season is actually an advantage. If nothing overdramatic is happening, it is an opportunity to watch the scenery and the dynamics between the characters (actors are amazing, so different and so complex in their anxieties and internal conflicts) with more attention.

And some questions from last seasons are waking up: Who is Greg after all and what is his biggest problem after his cancer and money issues got, it seems, resolved? Where did Belinda's ambitions shift? How can a dysfunctional family resolve a crisis if they spend a week 24/7 together? To which extent friendship can become dead or reborn if there are political and philosophical differences?

There is no need for innumerable cliff hangers every episode to look forward to the continuation. Drama is actually often happening inside us not outside.

If there's one thing "The White Lotus" understands better than any other show, it's that vacations aren't about relaxing. At least, not in the way we like to imagine. In Mike White's world, taking a few days off at a luxury resort doesn't mean disconnecting from reality-it means stepping into a black hole of self-discovery, where all the comfort, sunshine, and overpriced cocktails serve only to strip away the last layers of denial the characters have about themselves. And this episode takes that dynamic to an even more dangerous level, playing with the idea of escape versus confrontation in a way that already has me anxious (and maybe even a little terrified) for what's coming next.

The big question hanging over the characters is this: are they hiding from something, or are they searching for something? For Timothy, the answer is clear-he wants to hide. The problem is, he's failing miserably at it. Dodging phone calls about his financial ruin is no longer enough, so now he needs something stronger. Enter Lorazepam, which he shamelessly steals from Victoria, throwing himself into a chemical haze that sends him spiraling into increasingly reckless behavior. And his escape isn't just psychological-over the course of the episode, Timothy gets himself into a massive mess by, of all things, stealing a gun, making it painfully obvious that he won't be leaving this resort the same way he arrived. If he leaves alive, that alone will be a miracle.

Jaclyn, Kate, and Laurie, meanwhile, are fully committed to proving that the hotel's concept of "wellness" means absolutely nothing to them. This trio has already cemented itself as one of the best dynamics of the season, and they shine even more here as they decide to ditch the resort and look for some "real fun." The scene where they throw themselves into the chaos of Songkran (Thailand's New Year festival, famous for its massive water fights) is a blast because it perfectly encapsulates what these characters are all about-women desperately trying to feel young and free, even though deep down, they're just as trapped as every other guest at the White Lotus. The way they shift between exhilaration and discomfort in this hyperactive setting is comedy gold, especially when their wild night unexpectedly leads them into the company of two extremely shady Russians...

And speaking of "illusionary fun," we have the yacht storyline, where the Ratliff family embarks on a trip that's practically doomed from the start. Saxon is in peak scumbag mode, trying to turn Lochlan into a mini version of himself. And while Lochlan is your typical awkward teenager, no one could've predicted the revelation that he actually has a talent for magic tricks-something that unexpectedly makes him the star of the group, even catching Chelsea's attention. This seemingly harmless detail says a lot about how "The White Lotus" approaches sibling dynamics and how much the show loves to subvert expectations. While Saxon spends the entire episode trying to force Lochlan into being a "real man," it's actually the kid's natural weirdness that makes him stand out.

But what really makes this episode one of the most intense of the season is the growing sense that all this "fun" is just a smokescreen for something much darker. Timothy, drugged up and armed, is clearly headed down a one-way road. Rick finally reveals the real reason for his trip-to avenge his father's death. And there's yet another ticking time bomb just waiting to go off... The show has always been brilliant at turning internal conflicts into full-blown disasters, and this episode feels like the ultimate setup for the storm that's clearly brewing.

At the end of the day, this episode just reinforces the idea that no one actually relaxes at the White Lotus. Every single character is trapped in a cycle of denial, guilt, and failed attempts at control, and the show has way too much fun pulling the rug out from under them at the worst possible moment. The scariest part? Even with all the warning signs staring them in the face, the characters still think they're just enjoying a vacation. But we know better-this is all leading straight to disaster...