Warning: This article contains major SPOILERS for The White Lotus season 3, episode 5.
The latest episode ofThe White Lotusmade me more anxious than I thought it would, even though nothing actually happened.The White Lotusseason 3, episode 4established that Tim Ratliff had stolen Gaitok’s gun from the security office, Greg was looking into Belinda after she recognized him, and various groups were gearing up to party. With episode 4 marking the halfway point of the season,The White Lotushad set up various characters to die, but thanks to the reckless behavior of many characters, it is still unclear who the victim will be.
Now, episode 5, “Full Moon Party,” has just added more complexities to the characters' stories that could see several of them headed down a very dark path. Jaclyn, Laurie, and Kate continued their partying with Valentin and his friends, while Chelsea, Chloe andthe Ratliff boys did some drug-induced partyingof their own. For the entirety of the episode, the relationships between the characters got incredibly tense (for better or worse), but season 3, episode 5’s ending pulled back just in time for none of the extreme consequences to show up yet.
The White Lotus Season 3, Episode 5 Was Incredibly Tense Viewing
The White Lotushas always been great at creating tension between characters and building up to big moments and season 3, episode 5 is a perfect example of this. There were a couple of true reveals between the characters during the episode. Notably,Belinda tells Fabian about Greg/Garyand later shares a moment with Pornchai, and Piper tells her parents that she plans to stay in Thailand. However,most of the episode actually raises tension through the fact that the characters are hiding things rather than telling them.
The pacing of their scenes makes it feel like something bad is about to happen to the friends, but it simply never does.
In particular, the two groups who go out partying always seem like they are on the verge of disaster. Jaclyn, Laurie, and Kate seem to be having a good time with Valentin and his friends, but Kate quickly becomes overwhelmed and clearly wants the men to leave their villa. The pacing of their scenes and the difference between Kate’s attitude and her friends make it feel like something bad is about to happen to the friends, but it simply never does. The night ends peacefully, and the group goes to bed, thoughJaclyn’s decision to sleep with Valentin sets up a bigger confrontation in the future.
What Song Tim Sings In The White Lotus Season 3, Episode 5 & What It Really Means
A scene in The White Lotus season 3, episode 5 has Tim sadly singing a song, begging the question of what it is and what it truly means.
Likewise, Chelsea and Chloe’s adventures with Lochlan and Saxon grow increasingly chaotic as the group becomes drunker and higher throughout the night. WhileLochlan and Saxon’s kissis undeniably disturbing and the pair will certainly be dealing with the ramifications in the future,nothing bad happened to the four of them as a group. Even Timothy, who was planning to commit suicide, stopped when his wife entered the room and later began to pray, indicating that he had changed his mind.
It’s Good The White Lotus Season 3, Episode 5 Did This
The White Lotus’s Pacing Is Great For Creating Suspense
Though it can be frustrating in the moment to not have any of the tension pay off at the end of the episode, it is actually so much better thatThe White Lotusis not showing all its cards too soon.Episode 5 did such a good job at creating a sense of uneasethat something terrible was just waiting to happen. However, the second thatThe White Lotusreveals too much or shows one character go too far to come back, it could become too obvious who is going to die.
Right now, it still feels like tensions could boil over at any minute or things could change and highlight someone else as marked for death, since many of the characters are in perilous circumstances. This uncertainty is great for keeping audiences on our toes, and it makes for a more exciting watch. Since episode 5 provided a lot of great set-ups for bad things to happen following a night of partying,The White Lotusseason 3, episode 6 will certainly be another great one with characters likely facing consequences.
