Our stay at The White Lotus has come to an end. From the very first episode, we knew the story would lead to violence and the death of a hotel guest — this is the modus operandi of Mike White’s Emmy-winning show, after all. A shootout kicked off the season, and it was only fitting that the same shootout would bring the story to a close.
So, who died? Like all of you, I’ve wondered which direction the show would take. The Season 3 finale, Amor Fati, answers that question and more. Twists and turns are revealed throughout the 90-minute episode, ultimately pointing to the same theme: accepting one’s fate.
Rick’s (Walton Goggins) mission of revenge against Jim, the man he blames for his father’s death, always felt as if it wasn’t going to end well. Timothy Ratliff (Jason Isaacs) teeters on the edge, with the very real potential of dragging his entire family down before they even learn about his crimes — and the fact that their privileged lives are about to become a lot less posh.
Spoiler warning: I’m just scratching the surface here, and before I delve any deeper into the craziness that unfolds in this jam-packed episode, consider this your last chance to turn back if you haven’t caught up on the season. Seriously, there are massive story spoilers below.
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So, who died?
I had a sneaking suspicion that the White Lotus would claim multiple victims, and I was right. Going into the episode, I had pegged Rick or Timothy as the ones who would meet their maker. I was sort of right (yay, me!). Rick doesn’t survive the trip, but he’s just one of multiple guests who checks out of the hotel in a body bag instead of on a boat.
Rick was the catalyst that set everything into motion. After confronting Jim, he came back to the hotel feeling lighter and with a smile on his face. It felt like he and Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) would get their happy ending. But vengeance isn’t an «all’s well that ends well» situation. Rick’s happiness is shattered when Jim confronts him on his last day at the hotel and lays into him with colorful insults about his mother.
The old man reveals he is armed before Rick can do anything about all of this, leaving him scrambling to find some sanity amid this mental maelstrom. Welp, he didn’t find the salvation he was looking for. When the opportunity suddenly presented itself, Rick charged Jim, stole his gun and shot him dead — only for Jim’s wife, hotel owner Sritala (Patravadi Mejudhon), to reveal that Rick had just killed his own father.
It’s a predictable story twist, but the fallout after this bombshell drops on him closes the loop on Rick’s personal Greek tragedy. Chelsea caught a bullet — because bad things happen in threes and she already survived a robbery and snake bite — leading Rick to face the consequences of his actions and come to terms with his fate that, much like his girlfriend, he would not be leaving this place.
The one to finally put him down is Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong), a man torn between his nonviolent Buddhist beliefs and the duty that comes with being an armed security guard. Needless to say, he chooses the latter and shoots Rick down, which leads to his own status upgrade in becoming Sritala’s new bodyguard (Rick killed her old ones) and finally winning the affection and approval of potential girlfriend Mook (Lalisa Manobal, aka Lisa from K-pop girl group Blackpink).
What about the Ratliff family?
I said earlier that I pegged Timothy as a goner, as well. Since the first episode, Timothy has been grappling with the knowledge that some shady business dealings he was involved with will now lead to prison. What’s worse, at least for his family, is that all their money will go away and their quality of life will take a nose-dive.
His wife, Victoria (Parker Posey), previously states she couldn’t survive being poor. Their eldest son, Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger), has thrown all his professional eggs into his dad’s business, so he’s probably going down with the ship. And Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook), the reason they all went to Thailand in the first place, came to the tearful realization that, as much as it pains her, she can’t give up the comforts of their lifestyle to move into a Buddhist sanctuary for a year.
The only Ratliff that seems to have his head on correctly is Lochlan (Sam Nivola), and he nearly perishes in the finale. But doesn’t.
Timothy has been toying with the idea of putting his family out of their misery. While deeply selfish, he sees it as a way to spare them from the pain he knows is coming. At first, he planned to use a gun — but that never happens.
Then, he remembers the suicide fruit that was pointed out by the hotel concierge earlier in the season. The seeds are poisonous, he was told. So, like any rational dad would, he gathers up as much of the fruit as he can find, extracts the seeds, blends them into a powder and mixes them into celebratory piña coladas that he serves to everyone, except Lochlan.
They never finish their drinks because Timothy finally comes to his senses. But he also doesn’t wash out the blender, and the following day, Lochlan makes a protein smoothie with it and collapses by the pool after downing the whole thing. He doesn’t die, though. Instead, he comes to in his father’s arms and claims he saw God.
Belinda got her happy ending
After Belinda (Natasha Rothwell) recognizes Greg (Jon Gries) and realizes he is probably responsible for the death of her old friend Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge), he makes her a $100,000 offer to keep her mouth shut. Her son Zion utilizes his deal-making skills to bump that amount to $5 million. And, surprise, he pays up.
The season opened with Zion (Nicholas Duvernay) seeking shelter as a shootout unfolded just off-camera — raising immediate concerns about whether he’d survive. But alas, mother and son make it out of the White Lotus. And considering her newfound riches, I’d wager she’ll never visit this hotel chain again.
Wait, what about Jaclyn and her friends?
They made up and went home. That about covers it.
