WARNING: The White Lotus season three finale spoilers ahead!
Multiple seasons of unforgettable characters, cringeworthy dynamics and monologues of uncomfortable truths have come and gone on The White Lotus. But what it leaves behind, as we check out of the hotel series for the third time, is a global conversation about relationships and the ties that bind us.
It’s this unapologetic tone and narrative set by creator and writer Mike White that keeps fans hooked from the start – and for stars Leslie Bibb and Natasha Rothwell, it’s the reason they signed on. In the finale of the Thailand-set season, the fractured female trio of Kate (Leslie), Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan) and Laurie (Carrie Coon) comes to a resolution with the women capturing the comparative nature that comes with a decades-old friendship and how it often holds a mirror up to our own lives.
While the “frenemy” storyline, as it was touted on the internet, resonated with people worldwide, Leslie and her co-stars were concerned the storyline would be “mundane” compared to the other arcs.
“The three of us didn’t look at it [their friendship] as toxic, we were playing the stakes of relationships and had our whole backstory figured out – how old we were when we met, where we met etc,” Leslie tells TV WEEK. “But I do remember wondering whether this is going to be boring as there are a lot of dramatic storylines on the show.
“One day, one of the guys from the crew came up to me and said, ‘the girl’s storyline is my favourite’. And he’s a dude. So, I thought maybe something is going to break through, and the fact that it did is cool. It’s not just about women, it’s about all human relationships.”
As a veteran to the show, Natasha Rothwell wasn’t sure what would happen to her returning character, Belinda, after she was left high and dry by Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge) in season one. Like any other fan, she watched along and audibly gasped at Tanya’s tragic demise at the hands of her husband Gary (Jon Gries) – and soon reached for her phone.
“I texted Jennifer and Mike when she fell of the boat to say, ‘Oh my God! Why didn’t you tell me?’ she says with a laugh. “But I read all the scripts [for season three] in one sitting and called Mike immediately who was in Thailand at the time. I was going off saying how cool it was [to see her storyline arc]. To see so many different sides to her this time around has been really cool.”
In the finale, however, Belinda was faced with an ultimatum: turn Gary over to the police or accept his “blood money” and leave Thailand. The latter would also see her turning her back on Pornchai (Dom Hetrakul) and her promise to run a business together – a betrayal not dissimilar to her own at the hands of Tanya. But will Gary ever pay for his crimes?
“The world want vengeance,” Natasha says. “And Jennifer does not wish him well either.” [laughs].
“The fact that he’s been there for three season is crazy. He’s like a cockroach, he won’t go away,” Leslie adds.
While the shock factor of The White Lotus is what keeps fans coming back time after time, it’s the quiet parts of us, the things we don’t say out loud that resonate the most. Leslie likens it to Sam Rockwell’s character, Frank, whose sex and alcohol addiction is aired in unfiltered honesty.
“Sammie’s monologue is seemingly shocking because you’re hearing all these words put together and you’re like, ‘Woah!’ But I don’t think what Mike’s saying is shocking, it’s very deep and interesting,” Leslie, who’s been with Sam Rockwell for 17 years in real life, says. “It’s someone living in their truth and unapologetically.”
Natasha adds that Frank’s bold nature is brutally honest and invites viewers into his inner thoughts.
“Frank is saying the quiet part out loud, so audiences are watching it and saying, ‘Oh, we’re doing that now? We’re being honest?’” she says. “The truth can be that shocking and when someone says it that plainly and with a steady hand, you know they’ve been through something.”
In their own lives, Leslie and Natasha have their own gasp-worthy shows on the box. For the Palm Royale star, Game of Thrones will forever hold a spot in her mind.
“The Red Wedding episode gagged me. I realised that no one is safe!,” Leslie says.
“Oh that’s good,” Natasha replies. “For me, I had some pretty gasps at Severance recently. It’s similar in to Lotus in that you’re trying to figure it out and get ahead. You want to figure out what’s happening but you can’t.”
“Kind of like Mike White,” Leslie notes.
With next to no scenes together, Leslie and Natasha often enjoyed learning about their characters off-set, almost as fans themselves. But Natasha did take a sneak peek.
“Here’s a secret I haven’t told you…” she says to Leslie. “The day after I got to Thailand, I went down to set and you were shooting the breakfast scene with Carrie and Michelle — I do that a lot, I did it for season one, because a lot of time the storylines don’t interact…
“So I texted Mike [White] to see who was filming and he said Leslie, Carrie and Michelle. And I said, ‘On my way!’ If you think the tension was high on screen, I was in the room going, “Ahhh!” It was just so good.”
“Oh really? I always want to go but I’m too shy,” Leslie adds. “In fact, Carrie did it once and Mike kicked her out because she started talking about global warming!” [both laugh]
“You’re voted off the island!” Belinda jokes, referencing Mike White’s stint on reality series, US Survivor.
With both Belinda and Kate still in play – neither of them died in the shootout episode that saw multiple people die including fan favourites Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) and Rick (Walton Goggins) – there’s always the potential to see them again in season four. But where in the world will the notorious hotel be found this time around?
“It’s like the Olympics!” Natasha says with a laugh. “Everyone is trying to get it [the show] to come to their city!”
Stream three seasons of The White Lotus on HBO’s Max in Australia.
