Season 3 of HBO’s class commentary, The White Lotus, is barely underway, but it’s already getting hard to defend, thanks to this seriously disturbing subplot involving the Ratliff siblings.
Oh, The White Lotus. Usually, I would follow you anywhere. But after two seasons of death and debauchery, I might have to draw the line here.
For the most part, I have a strong stomach when it comes to media that dips into uncanny valley territory—axe murderers, witch cults, and even walrus body horrors haven’t stopped me yet. However, I’m struggling to understand why Mike White & Co. included a subplot that sees rich boy Saxon Ratliff (Patrick Schwarzenegger) seemingly wanting to bone his brother Lochlan (Sam Nivola) in the newest season of The White Lotus because it’s not exactly subtle.
The strange thing about the Ratliffs
Season 3 of The White Lotus premiered on Sunday, February 16, and so far, it looks like we’re in for more of our typical White Lotus antics. Belinda (Natasha Rothwell) is back, and this time, she’s training with a wellness program at the Thailand resort, where she’ll eventually be joined by her son, Zion (Nicholas Duvernay). Trouble in paradise surely awaits this season’s odd couple, Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) and Rick Hatchett (Walton Goggins), while a toxic friend group embarks on a girl’s trip that will probably end in disaster—and maybe a rosé-induced screaming match or two.
But the most intriguing family on the island is the Ratliffs, southern elites who have reluctantly made their way to Thailand at the request of their daughter, Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook), who’s writing a paper on Buddhism for her college thesis. Matriarch Victoria (Parker Posey) and white-collar crime lord Timothy (Jason Isaacs) aren’t exactly on board with the whole wellness and spirituality thing, and eldest son Saxon is more interested in checking out bikinis and getting drunk by the pool.
This leaves the youngest member of the Ratliffs, Lochlan, a kind of shy, nervous teen that his siblings tend to use as a pawn in their game. Upon arriving at the resort, Saxon and Piper bicker over who gets to share a room with Lochlan, leading to an extremely NSFW conversation about genitals that comes from way out of left field. Other notable moments: Saxon calling his sister “hot,” asking Lochlan about what kind of porn he watches, and even getting naked in front of his baby bro while he … watches?
Incest once again makes its way to The White Lotus, but what does it mean?
There’s definitely a vibe here between the Ratliff brothers, and it sure seems like The White Lotus is going There with an incest storyline. Thanks, I hate it! While I trust Mike White to find some way to pull a nuanced social commentary out of this, I can’t help but wonder: Why? Maybe there really is too much of a good thing when it comes to The White Lotus‘ crazy shenanigans because, seriously, who asked for some brother-on-brother action? Is this truly the razor-sharp critique of “man versus nature” the series thinks it is?
Obviously, Saxon is a power-hungry sociopath who wants to groom his brother and mold him in his image. Lochlan has some big decisions to make, after all, which will determine his future and what kind of man he’ll become. The brothers’ relationship says a lot about power and perceived masculinity, as well as abuse within wealthy families, but I’m not sure if we strictly needed the whole Incest Thing to get us there—we already explored similar themes in season 2 when Jack (Leo Woodall) was caught getting, ahem, friendly with his “uncle” Quentin (Tom Hollander). There’s also the matter of Piper, who wants to protect Lochlan from Saxon’s influence. But could her intentions also be in the wrong place?
It’s worth noting that White himself seemingly confirmed the underlying sexual tension between Lochlan and Saxon while speaking to The New Yorker, telling the publication that this season includes a gay relationship that is “truly Satanic” and “not all harmless,” which is definitely … something? This season’s incestual undertones may just be a misdirection, but given that The White Lotus is all about the world’s worst people surrendering to their most primal instincts, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the dynamic between Saxon and Lochlan get a whole lot weirder as the season progresses.
