The White Lotus Review: Season 3 of HBO’s Luxury Vacation Dramedy Gets Weird, But Feels Familiar

You know that saying “Wherever you go, there you are”? That definitely applies to the pampered hotel guests on HBO’s The White Lotus, who bring all of their flaws and dysfunction with them to whatever exotic locale they’re visiting. But it also applies to the show itself, which returns this Sunday at 9/8c for Season 3 (I’ve seen the first six episodes) and goes back to a lot of the same character archetypes and themes we saw in the first two seasons. The formula still works, though, and with Season 3 offering an extravagant buffet of standout performances and shocking plot twists, I’m more than happy to take the trip — even if the sights look familiar.

Season 3 takes us to Thailand, following a fresh crop of messed-up rich people as they spend a week at the White Lotus resort there. The season centers on three sets of guests: a wealthy Southern family led by parents Jason Isaacs and Parker Posey; a couple played by Walton Goggins and Aimee Lou Wood who have a major age gap and an even bigger personality gap (she’s sunny, he’s grumpy); and a trio of female pals played by Carrie Coon, Michelle Monaghan and Leslie Bibb who gush about their longtime friendship but still find ways to poke at each other. Plus, Natasha Rothwell’s Belinda returns from Season 1, eager to leave her woes behind and learn new techniques for her spa… and maybe make a new connection or two.

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Series creator Mike White puts the location to good use, weaving Buddhist ideas about the pitfalls of desire into his storylines. (And Thailand looks gorgeous here, of course.) Still, it’s easy for a White Lotus fan to start slotting these characters into roles we’ve seen before on the show. Jason Isaacs’ Timothy is a family man in emotional freefall like Season 1’s Mark, and Patrick Schwarzenegger’s Saxon is an ultra-masculine douche in the vein of Season 2’s Cameron. It feels at times like White is telling the same stories about upper-class angst and the corrupting power of wealth, just with different characters. (And yes, Season 3 serves up another dead body at the start, leaving us to puzzle over who it could be.) But White is awfully good at this, too, crafting dialogue that sounds real and conflicts that ring true.

White also has a knack for assembling fantastic casts, and he’s done it again here, with Posey stealing scenes and making memes as proudly old-fashioned matriarch Victoria, who pairs an airy superiority with a taste for prescription pills. Schwarzenegger does make a terrific douche as her son Saxon, firing off wildly offensive observations about women while guzzling protein shakes, and Coon, Monaghan and Bibb find a fascinating dynamic between the three ladies, so happy to relive their glory days together… but so eager to tear each other down, too. Rothwell finds new notes to play as Belinda as well, exuding a radiant eagerness to learn and grow while still being anchored to the past, whether she likes it or not.

That brings us to a key question: Does Season 3 miss Jennifer Coolidge? Her dizzy socialite Tanya brought a hilariously chaotic energy to The White Lotus’ first two seasons, and without her, things do get a little darker and more thoughtful in Season 3. (It’s funny: I wasn’t sure whether I wanted Coolidge to return for Season 2, and then I found myself missing her in Season 3.) Still, the new season finds plenty of laughs, with Posey taking over as the resident one-liner machine. And Tanya’s legacy does live on, courtesy of an intriguing connection to her storyline that I can’t reveal here.

Season 3 gets off to a slow start, and it’s tempting to feel like it’s just covering old ground at first. (The hotel staff takes a backseat this season, aside from a cute romance between staffers played by Lalisa Manobal and Tayme Thapthimthong.) But the season gains momentum as it goes on, eventually throwing a number of truly wild twists at us. (You’ll know what I mean when you get there.) In Mike White’s hands, The White Lotus remains a beautifully insightful satire with lots to say about money, power and true happiness. I could see these five-star vacations getting old at some point… but they haven’t gotten old yet.

THE TVLINE BOTTOM LINE: Season 3 of The White Lotus covers familiar territory, but it still delivers top-notch performances and some wild twists.   

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