Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for The White Lotus Season 3 finale. Since the premiere of The White Lotus Season 3, which started with a shocking off-screen shootout, fans have been engaged in endless speculation about which characters from the new ensemble cast might meet their demise. As the season unfolded, two characters that appeared to be prime candidates for death were Lochlan (Sam Nivola) and Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood). Their potential fates seemed to be foreshadowed in the opening title sequence, featuring art that depicted scenes of death alongside their names. However, despite Tim’s (Jason Isaacs) persistent contemplation of suicide throughout the season, all five members of the Ratliff family manage to survive, while the beloved Chelsea tragically succumbs to a bullet. In the extended season finale, creator Mike White leads us on with two near-miss moments involving Chelsea and Lochlan, but neither delivers a satisfying payoff, leaving these pivotal story arcs unresolved.

Why ‘The White Lotus’ Should Have Fully Explored Lochlan’s Death

The White Lotus has consistently hinted at the potential death of at least one member of the Ratliff family throughout the season. Among the male members—Tim, Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger), and Lochlan—each seemed likely to meet their end for different reasons. Tim’s suicidal tendencies stem from his financial misdeeds, Saxon faces the aftermath of sexual trauma, and Lochlan, the most earnest yet impressionable character, embodies the complexity of family dynamics. After Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong) retrieves the firearm from their room, Tim desperately seeks an alternative method to end his own life and that of his family, realizing that they, aside from Lochlan, would struggle to survive without their wealth. He considers using the poisonous seeds from the fruit of the pong-pong trees surrounding the resort, attempting to poison his family through their piña coladas, but ultimately backs out, swatting Saxon’s drink away and declaring, “the coconut milk is off.”

White artfully misleads us twice regarding the fate of the Ratliff family. Initially, it appears Tim might indeed kill himself and his family, and then we are once again led to believe Lochlan might face his end the following morning. Season 3 introduces not merely Chekhov’s gun, but also Chekhov’s poisonous fruit and Chekhov’s blender, all of which come into play when Lochlan makes a protein shake to prove his masculinity to Saxon. Unfortunately, this setup falters, as it strains credulity; surely an 18-year-old boy, even one as pampered as Lochlan, would have the presence of mind to clean or at least rinse a dirty blender from the previous night, especially following his father’s alarming warnings regarding coconut milk. Instead, the toxic seeds inadvertently mix with the liquid and protein powder, leading to Lochlan’s apparent demise while the rest of the family departs for breakfast. Tim discovers his son unresponsive on the floor, but the moment lacks gravitas as Lochlan’s eyes flutter open at the last second. Although Lochlan didn’t deserve such a fate, his death would have profoundly impacted Tim, who wished to protect him, showcasing the severe consequences of his reckless behavior.

Chelsea’s Death: A Predictable Tragedy in the Season 3 Finale

Among the three significant deaths in the Season 3 finale, Chelsea’s tragic end was both predictable and seemingly unavoidable, especially given her repeated remarks about the notion that bad things tend to occur in threes. Alongside Parker Posey, who brought her delightful southern charm as Victoria Ratliff, Chelsea emerged as one of Season 3’s standout characters thanks to Wood’s infectious charisma, heightening the emotional weight of her demise. Chelsea’s narrative largely focuses on her turbulent relationship with Rick (Walton Goggins), whose obsessive quest for vengeance against the individual responsible for his father’s death brings her considerable turmoil. Her end feels inevitable, primarily due to Rick’s reckless decisions, even as White leads us to believe that Rick achieves a measure of closure during his visit to Sritala (Lek Patravadi) and Jim Hollinger’s (Scott Glenn) residence in Bangkok, only to reveal dramatically that Jim was indeed his father after Rick had already shot him.

Similar to Lochlan’s near-death experience, this narrative twist fails to resonate effectively, particularly because the earlier confrontation between Rick and Jim had already established tension. It’s illogical for Jim to conceal his identity as Rick’s biological father when confronted at gunpoint in his own home. Jim’s subsequent visit to the hotel, where he insults Rick’s mother, was utterly reckless, putting himself in danger despite the presence of witnesses. This revelation comes too late for both Jim and for Rick and Chelsea, who face dire consequences stemming from Rick’s inability to manage his emotions and move forward, as Chelsea urged him to do throughout the season.

The finale of Season 3 of The White Lotus, despite achieving record-breaking viewership, has elicited mixed responses from both fans and critics, and the reasons are apparent. Both instances of misdirection concerning Lochlan and Chelsea’s deaths resulted in unsatisfactory conclusions for two of the season’s most critical storylines, unnecessarily eliminating one character while preserving another whose death would have significantly impacted the narrative.

All episodes of Season 3 of The White Lotus are currently available for streaming on Max in the U.S.

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