Death, Poison, Blackmail & Incest: The White Lotus Answers Our Questions In The S3 Finale

Season three of The White Lotus has officially wrapped up with another hectic finale.

Viewers from around the world tuned in overnight to see just what would happen to the latest round of guests as things wrapped up in Thailand.

As per usual, The White Lotus team kept us all surprised.

How did The White Lotus finale end?

As with any season of The White Lotus, there was a lot going on from the start.

Each season always begins with a sneak peek at the tragic events that take place at the end of the season before winding right back to the start to find out how it all went down.

Certainly the most controversial of the groups in the season was the Ratliff family.

This wealthy southern family featuring parents Timothy (Jason Isaacs) and Victoria Ratfliff (Parker Posey) and their children Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger), Lochlan (Sam Nivola) and Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook) held the focus of viewers all season.

Between the spiralling Timothy Ratliff who grappled with his financial life falling apart back home and the pill popping Victoria these two struggled to hold their family together on their luxury holiday.

But the most attention was focussed on brothers Saxon and Lochlan after their infamous kissing scene, which led to the two doing more during a hot and heavy threesome.

Meanwhile youngest child Piper was throwing her mother into a spin as she revealed she wanted to stay with a buddhist monastery for a year.

The season finale saw the brothers finally acknowledge their bedroom incident.

As Lochlan attempts to reconcile with his brother Saxon tells him “No one’s gonna make you a man, you gotta do it yourself.”

“It’s ok to worship me but not like ‘worship’ me” he says pointing to his crutch.

Lochlan explains to his brother that he was only trying to not make him feel “left out” and that he is just always trying to be a people pleaser.

“I just wanna give everyone what that want, and I’m in a family full of narcissists” he says.

#TheWhiteLotus spoilers

Lochlan saying this and then almost dying because his dad has a god complex and the rest of his family was too self-absorbed to even notice something was wrong with him pic.twitter.com/isOjpQ70lQ

— rachel🦋 (@greyjedireylo) April 7, 2025

It’s an interesting closure to their story line, but ultimately wraps up the controversial relationship between the two.

What will become of the Ratliff’s?

Meanwhile Piper, after returning from her night at the monastery and refusing Lochlan’s offer to return with her, has a break through with her mother.

Seeming proving Victoria right Piper confesses she never really wanted to stay there, citing her motivations at her guilt for their privileged life.

However the most powerful scenes featuring the Ratliffs occur when father Timothy ultimately reaches his final breaking point.

After weeks of spiralling, including graphic visions of him killing his family to save them from the pain and suffering that awaits them at the news of his financial misfortunes back home, Timothy finally makes a decision.

Collecting the poisonous seeds of the local fruits trees Timothy Ratfliff prepares a toxic cocktail to serve to his family and himself, excluding Lochlan.

However a last minute moment of regret seems him whisk the drinks out of their hands, claiming the coconut milk was bad.

Seemingly having saved the family Timothy has resigned himself to their fate back home.

However the next morning Lochlan finds himself in the crosshairs of his fathers failed plans, using the blender still containing the poison to make a protein shake, Lochlan succumbs to the poison and collapses by the pool.

As visions of the monks he visited cloud his brain all seems lost for the youngest of the Ratliff’s.

However as Timothy finds him unconscious by the pool he ultimately wakes in the arms of his sobbing father, narrowly avoiding the fate of his father’s mistake.

“you die, you land back into the water.”
Lochlan was seeing what the Buddhist monk told Timothy…one of the most beautiful scenes in this entire show imo#TheWhiteLotus #whitelotus pic.twitter.com/sRREyxBppu

— fellfromthecliff (@bylerrainkiss24) April 7, 2025

The group are seen returning on the boat the following day where Timothy finally confesses that life will be much harder when they get home, but they’ll get through it.

Jaclyn, Laurie and Kate Reunite

After Lauries drunken bedroom encounter in the previous episode she reunites with Kate and Laurie for their final dinner before they depart.

The fractured trio have what many consider an unexpected reunion, with others praising Laurie’s speech that ultimately brought them all back together.

“I don’t need religion or god to give my life meaning… because time gives it meaning” is one of the greatest lines of dialogue ever written. Run Carrie Coon her Emmy now. #TheWhiteLotus pic.twitter.com/T4DWSRe4Hk

— Karl Delossantos (@karl_delo) April 7, 2025

Belinda and the tainted money

Belinda was the crossover storyline from Season two, as we saw her venture to the Thailand resort in the hopes of learning the skills she needed to set up the massage business Tanya promised her in the previous season before her untimely death.

Viewers were gagged when Belinda spotted Gary, the ex husband of the now dead Tanya and watched all season as Belinda grappled with the knowledge that the man who possibly killed her friend was hiding in plain sight.

Her morals were tested when Gary tempted her with the offer of $100,000 for her silence, which she was ultimately set to refuse.

But it was her son Zion who helped push the boundaries of her morals when he stepped in counter offering Gary with a request of five million dollars for their combined silence.

When the money arrived in her account Belinda crossed the line from hero to villain as she pocketed the money and escaped the island with Zion in tow.

Will we see Belinda in a future season? There’s every possibility we could.

Who dies in The White Lotus finale?

The biggest question viewers were faced with was just who was going to survive the season.

Opening scenes featuring gun shots and chaos left the doors wide open for just who was going to make it out alive in the end.

However in the end both halves of the complex couple Chloe and Rick didn’t survive another night at the iconic hotel, all thanks to Rick.

As the season progressed it revealed Rick’s true motivations for arriving on the island, a complex back story about the death of his father.

After leaving to hunt the man down, Jim Hollinger, who was married to the owner of the resort, Rick ultimately left him alive after threatening him and returned to the resort.

Unsurprisingly Jim followed to the resort confronting Rick and ordering him to leave.

When it seemed all was settled Rick faced a change of heart, once again confronting Jim who had insulted his mother, ripping his gun from his holster and shooting him in the chest.

Not Carrie Coon delivering that Emmy-worthy monologue about friendship only to leave them to die once the shooting started lmao #TheWhiteLotus pic.twitter.com/joee9JQwl2

— xule (@20051628lch) April 7, 2025

As she holds him dying in her arms hotel owner Sritala reveals to Rick that Jim was actually his father.

However more tragically Rick discovers Chloe has been caught in the crossfire from Jim’s guards, who he successfully shot.

As he carries her body away from the scene Gaitok, the overlooked guard searching for his bosses approval, follows Sritala’s orders and shoots Rick dead.

Ultimately this gives Gaitok the approval he has been seeking as we see him drive away as the guard to Striala when the episode draws to a close.

Fans have generally reacted positively to the finale with many praising the final performances and moments from the stars across social media.

The White Lotus has officially been renewed for a fourth season, however few details are available at this stage.