Speaking of dead dads…Rick’s whole “deal” came into greater focus when he finally admitted to Chelsea that the reason they’re in Thailand is because he believes that Jim Hollinger, the owner of this White Lotus resort location, killed his father. Let’s put a big, fat emphasis on “believes” because Rick hasn’t given us much reason to believe his grumpy ass is rooted in reality. However, it’s become increasingly clear that neither is Chelsea. I think a tarot card psychic must have told her that she and Rick were twin flames or something woo-woo like that—that’s my best guess on their partnership. The brief satisfaction of learning why Rick’s been so insanely distracted was immediately replaced by the concern—vocalized by Chelsea—that he’s going to pull a, “You killed my father, prepare to die thing?”
Meanwhile, Belinda got on her damn laptop to finally Google what happened to the woman who promised to fund her spa vision and learns that Tanya is dead through mysterious circumstances and that Greg aka “Gary” isn’t cooperating with the authorities. The way I would have had a bitter Google alert set on my would-be investor from Day 1…alas! Glad she knows now what went down. Hopefully, she can fine-tune her detective work to discover what’s also right in front of her…Pornchai’s interest in her!!
All of these encounters pull us closer to discovering who might be killed or doing the killing this season. Yet the most intriguing and distressing rumination on death came from someone who didn’t pick up a gun or speak of revenge at all: Jaclyn. The episode opened with her leaving a voicemail for her younger boytoy of a husband, leading her and us to start wondering if he’s behaving as younger boytoys are wont to do: lecherously with other and perhaps younger women. The creeping fear of no longer being able to hold his interest results in her requesting Valentin lead the trio of blondes to a more lively scene than the peaceful, albeit monotonous, White Lotus resort. (This move reminded me of Daphne in Season 2 staying overnight in Noto to drum up some intrigue within her own marriage.)
Valentin, for whatever reason, sends the women off to a nearby resort that Jaclyn quickly dubs “a bargain hotel for retirees.” Despite her impressively maintained body fat percentage, “sandblasted” skin, and daily yoga practice, Jaclyn has been grouped with a bunch of loose-skinned widows. Her nightmare. Because the only thing scarier than death to Jaclyn is what precedes it: aging! L’horreur!!!
Her subsequent panic attack felt just as harrowing as Timothy’s discovery of Gaitok’s gun. Both show a delusional person unable to face the realities in front of them. Jaclyn might as well be dozed out on Lorazepam if she thinks she’s avoiding death any more successfully than her normie, non-famous friends. Speaking of, this new window into her fearful brain brings her obsession with Laurie hooking up with Valentin into a new light. What initially felt like a promotion of some reckless fun feels more sinister, driven by a dread of passivity. I feel for Laurie in those moments. How obnoxious is it when you’re the one single friend your unhappily coupled friends are trying to vicariously live through?
Jaclyn’s discomfort (hopefully) won’t result in an untimely death like Timothy’s might, and Greg might have to finally reckon with the one he’s responsible for if Belinda decides to be more confrontational. At one point in the episode, Timothy tells Greg that it seems like, “People who move to Thailand are either seeking for something or running away from something.” In this episode that “something” is certainly death. We’re officially halfway through this third season (and finally picking up some steam, thank god) and halfway through this week-long vacation from hell. Our guests are settling into their respective midlife and mis-season crises, and whether they’re seeking or running from it, death (or at least their 50s) awaits.
