The White Lotus is an HBO original series that premiered back in 2021. The series follows guests that come to stay at a resort called The White Lotus. Each season is self contained for the most part. This means that you can watch one season and not have to watch the rest of them to understand the story. This is not unlike the approach that American Horror Story took. If you have seen any of those seasons, this will feel very familiar in the way it’s presented.
Even though each season is self-contained, there are a few recurring characters and a few plot elements that carry over to the following seasons. The most prominent plot line is the character of Tanya dying who was played by Jennifer Coolidge. This character was in the first two seasons and dies at the end of the second season (at least I presume this to be the case). This element is touched on in the third season, but that’s about it.
So though there are recurring elements, each season is really it’s own mini show. I kind of like that for a series. So some plot elements continue on and some characters are recurring, but let’s explore a bit more of this season in particular.
So I won’t spoil much of this season for those that haven’t seen it yet. What I will say is that the series as a whole is really shot well. For this season at least, the creators show shots of Thailand where this season is based and it’s really kinda beautiful. I originally thought it was distracting from the show itself but the more they showed, the more I really appreciated this technique. It was a great use of the location and was nice to see natural animals and elements without them being an intricate part of the show or plot.
Speaking of the location, I am really glad that they chose to shoot this in Thailand instead of on a set and make it just look like Thailand. It really helped to sell the feel of the show taking place on a resort. This season was well shot and had a beautiful location, but how is the writing and the characters?
The characters are interesting and I like how each of them have unique story elements but at the same time can blend or bleed into each other when the plot calls for it. I thought it was a cool dynamic and use of character development. As for the writing, the show is very well written and easy to follow.
My only real complaint with the show at least for this season in particular is that it’s a relatively slow burn. While I appreciate the writing direction the show takes, I feel like the talking amongst the character groups are used as filler to pad out the season. This makes for long drawn out conversations that feel somewhat unnecessary and just kind of there. Almost like they didn’t really know what to do and wanted to just have something in place. That’s not to say that there isn’t plenty of action, because there definitely is.
Actually, there is one more complaint. The other complaint I have with this DVD compilation that was provided to us wasn’t put on Blu-Ray. I mean it’s 2025 and not a lot of people are going to want to pick this up on DVD. I am sure they would rather stream it at a higher resolution than DVD can provide. Other than the format, it has some good special features in the form of behind the scenes commentary and a look at the characters, it really is some good stuff they have put together for this DVD compilation. So not really much more to say about the DVD compilation, let’s continue to take a look at the show.
The show really can keep you on your feet and interested, as long as you can patiently wait through the long drawn out conversations. The White Lotus Season 3 is well written, interesting, and has some humorous elements. Never having seen the previous seasons, I can’t compare this third season to the previous two, but I have enjoyed my time with this season.
So if you have enjoyed the first two seasons, then I think there is definitely something here for you. Even if you’re like me and this is the first season that is introducing you to the series, I still think it’s worth watching. Though if you are going to watch it, I would suggest watching only a couple of episodes every couple days. Otherwise if you binge it, you may lose interest as this is a very slow, yet entertaining season.
Disclaimer: We were provided with the product for review purposes
In addition to writing articles, Ryan Byers also creates content for his YouTube channel called "Obscure Games and Consoles", collects video games, and dabbles in video game development.