Now that the guests are all checked in and the holiday of dreams (or nightmares, depending on who you ask) has commenced at The White Lotus' Thai branch, it's time to let the theorising commence.
A case in point is one of the third season's first episode's most disturbing narratives that seemed to emerge, which involved Patrick Schwarzenegger, who plays the eldest son of a wealthy Southern family, Saxon Ratliff. The theme of the disturbing narrative — one of many to begin to form within the premiere — seemed ever-so-slightly incestuous (this is The White Lotus, after all).
FIND OUT MORE ON ELLE COLLECTIVE
Read Next
During the third season's premiere, which aired on HBO on February 16, Saxon referred to his sister Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook) as 'pretty hot' after he protested that Piper should not sleep in the same room as their younger brother Lochlan (Sam Nivola) as they have 'full grown genitals.'
Towards the end of the episode, with Saxon and Lochlan eventually sharing a room, Saxon made a series of remarks about his sister’s attractiveness and sex life before asking about his brother’s taste in porn. He then wondered how he’d be able to 'jerk off all week' with his brother in the room, before walking to the bathroom fully nude to do precisely that while Lochlan watched him.
It wasn't long before users flocked to social media to begin predicting what the Ratliff sibling's incestuous storyline may amount to. On social media, one viewer wrote: 'What the hell is happening with these brothers on the white lotus' while another noted,' while another added: 'The white lotus season 3 is off to a crazy start.. the shooting, Greg is back and after Belinda, the weird nasty incest storyline, the 3 white women who hate each other… and Lisa acting down.' Another wrote: 'this gay incest plot', while others — a common criticism — called Saxon 'creepy.'
Mike White, the creator of The White Lotus, has said that the third season is 'a satirical and funny look at death and Eastern religion and spirituality.'
Episodes of The White Lotus season three air weekly on HBO. Stream episode one on NOW TV.
ELLE Collective is a new community of fashion, beauty and culture lovers. For access to exclusive content, events, inspiring advice from our Editors and industry experts, as well the opportunity to meet designers, thought-leaders and stylists, become a member today HERE.
Naomi May is a seasoned culture journalist and editor with over ten years’ worth of experience in shaping stories and building digital communities. After graduating with a First Class Honours from City University's prestigious Journalism course, Naomi joined the Evening Standard, where she worked across both the newspaper and website. She is now the Digital Editor at ELLE Magazine and has written features for the likes of The Guardian, Vogue, Vice and Refinery29, among many others. Naomi is also the host of the ELLE Collective book club.
