Season 3 of The White Lotus has broken hearts and left fans wanting more after its explosive season finale, but all eight episodes had something interesting going on. While the finale obviously tied up all the loose ends from the season, there were some strange details sprinkled liberally across every installment. From the Ratliff financial crisis to little clues about who was going to die, Season 3 had plenty of things to analyze from Episodes 1 to 8.
Some of these details didn’t make too much sense or were left as loose ends, which confused viewers. In other cases, some of these little plot points or Easter eggs added a lot of hidden depth and meaning to The White Lotus, giving viewers an insight into the characters and their fates on the show. These weird details made The White Lotus Season 3 even more intriguing to watch.
Victoria and Kate Had Some Clear History
But This Was Glossed Over and Never Brought Up Again
There was a rather hilarious yet awkward scene between Victoria Ratliff and Kate from the friend group, where Kate recalled knowing Victoria. They had met at a baby shower a decade ago, and Kate seemed to be a lot friendlier with Victoria than the other way around. This led viewers to believe that something significant had happened at this weekend that Victoria wanted to forget, and it would potentially have some effect on the present day.
However, this mystery weekend remained an unanswered question in The White Lotus, as it was never brought up again. It certainly was a weird plot point to throw in, as it added nothing to the show’s current narrative. Fans are still eager to know how Kate and Victoria had interacted so many years ago for the Ratliff matriarch to react this way.
Belinda Had No Idea About Tanya's Demise
She Must Have Heard About the Heiress' Death
Seeing Belinda again in The White Lotus Season 3 was quite a pleasant surprise, but it was a little odd that she did not know about Tanya’s death. Seeing how disappointed she was when the shipping heiress didn’t support her, one could assume that she would have looked her up time and again after she left the hotel. At the very least, the news of more deaths at a White Lotus hotel would have reached the years of other staff.
Instead, Belinda had no idea about it, which seemed a little puzzling. Employees are prone to gossip, and after Armond’s death, more deaths at the chain would have surely reached the ears of other staff. Her complete lack of knowledge about Tanya’s fate seemed a bit unrealistic, especially in the age of the internet.
Chelsea and Rick Resemble Yin and Yang In Death
Chelsea Had Mentioned This Earlier on In the Show
Plenty of hidden clues in The White Lotus pointed to Chelsea and Rick’s unfortunate death, one of which was her description of her and Rick as Yin and Yang. One symbolized hope, the other symbolized pain, and one of them was going to win over the other, according to Chelsea. Eventually, that was exactly what happened between Rick and Chelsea.
Rick’s pain won over the chance at a new life, and when they ended up in the lotus pond, Rick and Chelsea’s bodies resembled the Yin and Yang sign. It was definitely a sad and bittersweet moment to see their love come to an end, and the easter egg earlier on made the scene a lot more surreal. They were opposites who balanced each other out for a while, until they couldn’t.
The Hotel Never Caught On to Timothy's Frozen Funds
Timothy Was Told Early On That His Assets Were Frozen
Timothy learned early into his vacation that he was caught in a high-profile financial scandal, and the rest of his holiday was spent trying to figure out what to do next. He managed to hire a lawyer to fight his case, but he informed him very quickly that the Ratliff assets were frozen and could not be used anymore, as investigations were ongoing. However, the hotel never caught on to this.
This was odd, as even if Timothy had paid for the holiday in advance, the luxury resort would have asked him to put down a credit card for the rest of the stay. They should have caught on to the frozen assets very quickly, especially if they had tried the card, which would have been declined. In a weird twist, the resort never got wind of this, and the Ratliffs even left the resort without any issues, which made no sense.
All the Monkeys Led to Nothing
They Were All Over the Show
Since this season was set in Thailand, the monkey imagery was a given, but fans really thought that it would have more meaning. The monkeys were interspersed between most shots, and Belinda’s fear of monkeys also seemed to foreshadow a major plot twist that involved the monkeys. At one point, they were considered the possible killers before the season finale aired.
Even the Ratliff kids mimicked the three «see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil» monkeys when they first floated into Thailand. However, the monkey imagery turned out to be for nothing, and they had little to do with the plot. There is no denying that the animals were a part of Thai culture, but the emphasis on them raised expectations, but led to a kind of fake-out.
Chelsea's Snake Bite Is Foreshadowed In the Show
There Were Enough Details That Showed Her Fate
Chelsea kept saying that bad things happen in threes, and the first thing that happened to her was the robbery at the hotel jewellery store. She was admiring a necklace at the store when the thieves came in with a gun, and the necklace was a snake choker. This was a very direct foreshadowing of what would happen when Chelsea and Rick went to town for a snake show.
Rick decided to set the snakes free in a fugue of drugs and his own emotional turmoil, which turned lethal when Chelsea came out of the show to check on him. She got bitten on her leg as soon as she met Rick, which was foreshadowed when Chelsea nearly died in the robbery while looking at a snake necklace. Her fate was hidden in the details in The White Lotus all along.
Only The Ratliffs Were Given the Digital Detox
None of the Other Guests Were Offered This
The White Lotus in Thailand focused on wellness and health, and so every guest had a health monitor who would guide them through their wellness journey during their week there. Pam, the Ratliff guide, immediately offered the family a digital detox, where they had to put all of their devices into a The White Lotus sack, which would then be locked away by her. The Ratliffs first vehemently refused, but then were forced into it by Timothy.
However, none of the other guests were offered this particular wellness solution. Nobody else was told to get rid of their devices, and everyone from Rick to Chelsea had their phones on them at all times. It was quite weird that nobody else was given the digital detox, because some of them, like the three friends, could have used it.
Rick Returned to the Resort Owned By the Man He Had Threatened
He Should Have Left Directly From Bangkok
Rick’s life had revolved around vengeance for a long time, and he finally decided to act on it when he came to Thailand. He carried out an elaborate plan to fool Sritala into inviting him into her home, so that he could see Jim. When Rick did meet Jim, he didn’t kill him but roughed him up by knocking him off his chair.
At this point, Rick did tell him that he thought that Jim had killed his father, but Jim did not bother correcting him. When Rick left their home, he should have gotten straight out of Thailand, but he decided to go back to The White Lotus, which was owned by Jim. This was quite an absurd thing to do, as Rick should have left and asked Chelsea to meet him out of the country.
Saxon and Lochlan's Shorts Were Swapped
It Was a Strange Detail That Alluded to Their Activities On the Yacht
Saxon didn’t instantly remember what had gone down the night before on the yacht when he woke up, and Lochlan had blacked out completely. When Saxon woke up, he scrambled to put on shorts, unintentionally putting on the bird and flower-patterned one that was actually Lochlan’s. The striped one that Saxon had actually worn was forgotten by him.
As Saxon started remembering the night, bit by bit, the symbolism of swapping the shorts started making more sense to him. He realized that he and Lochlan had crossed boundaries under the influence of drugs, and they should not have done so. This detail may have been minor, but it indicated to something major.
Nobody Reacted to the Mass Shooting at the Resort
Even Saxon And Chloe Didn't Seem To Care
The ending of The White Lotus was very similar to previous seasons, but this time it felt a bit odd. There was a mass shootout in the resort, and nobody really seemed to be affected by it. Zion, who had been afraid for his mother, did not show any reaction when he left on a boat with her. Saxon, who had a soft spot for Chelsea, betrayed no grief for her death, and neither did Chloe, who was her friend.
Even the staff waved goodbye to the guests, having witnessed the shooting themselves. Fans expected a more somber tone to the show after the event, but that was not the case. Nobody reacted to the tragedy that had happened on the last day of their stay, which added to the bizarre vibe of the show.
