S03.E07: Killer Instincts

[RedHawk]

22 minutes ago, chitowngirl said:

I hope so…it’s the last episode! 😃

And I read somewhere that it’s 80 minutes. Can’t wait!

[QQQQ]

Rick's nemesis should have been played by Anthony Stewart Head (to be Murray Head adjacent). For that matter, he should have been played by Murray Head.

If Victoria finds out Tim is broke and about to be bring scandal to the family, that her two beloved boys are much closer than she could ever imagine, all while thinking her daughter is moving across the globe... it's going to be poisoned smoothies for the entire family 😅

Edited Tuesday at 02:42 AM by QQQQ

[SoMuchTV]

23 hours ago, BC4ME said:

Again with the million screen shots :(

Maybe we could ask @Snazzy Daisy if they would consider putting the multiple screen shots within a quote block so those who have problems with it can choose to not expand it?

[peeayebee]

4 hours ago, slowpoked said:

FWIW, I think Kate has the best line of the night:

That was what made Laurie finally say “fuck it, I’m going all out tonight”. It wasn’t Jaclyn attacking her as “life’s victim.”

I thought each of the three friends said very truthful things about the other.

3 hours ago, Snapdragon said:

Fabian is my guess for the shooter (if it's not a monkey, which I hope it's not as that would be beyond ridiculous.  One, that a monkey could actually operate a gun and two, that if it did fire a gun, it would then fire multiple rounds, instead of running in fright after the first one). 

Maybe it's an army of monkeys. An army of armed monkeys.

[AntFTW]

4 hours ago, chitowngirl said:

I hope so…it’s the last episode! 😃

It could have been this episode.

I think episode was a lot of filler.

[edhopper]

Potential characters involved in the shooting. Some more likely than others.

Gary/Greg at Belinda

Gaitok and the Russians

Jason Isaacs in a murder-suicide

Scott Glenn going after Rick

Russian Guy going after Laurie because she saw the jewels

Russian Guy's girlfriend going after Laurie.

 

[T Summer]

On 3/31/2025 at 7:28 PM, QQQQ said:

If Victoria finds out Tim is broke and about to be bring scandal to the family, that her two beloved boys are much closer than she could ever imagine, all while thinking her daughter is moving across the globe... it's going to be poisoned smoothies for the entire family 😅

Yep, as my mind wanders  I  think about Tim being alone planning to  to take himself out with a suicide tree fruit smoothie and  leaving the blender for a minute,  Saxon comes in and chugs it!

all the better if  mum is around and he shares it with her 😈

 

Lochlan and Piper could return to the states, get jobs and  books on  Buddhism?

 I see some therapy sessions  in  Lochlan's future, too.

 

Seriously, IDK what I'm hoping happens here? I'd love for Saxon and Victoria to get their comeuppance, but perhaps death is a bit much. Maybe  Saxon's psyche is damaged enough by recent events to lead him to  live out the rest of his days as a Buddhist  monk!

 

I guess I hope:

Belinda remains unharmed

Chelsea comes to her senses and dumps Rick*

Frank gets back on the wagon so he doesn't continue damaging the women of Thailand

I couldn't give a damn what Chloe and Gary do, just as long as  they don't involve others

those 3 American women are never changing

 

 

*nothing says the sun is setting on your transactional relationship like your life partner leaving you with the words "maybe you'll meet a rich guy. Richer than me, so you can sponge off him."

 

 

 

Edited 4 hours ago by T Summer
changed lie off to sponge off correcting quote

[peeayebee]

Saxon is an interesting character. In the beginning of the season, he was the worst of the worst. He earned a bit of respect from me when he refused drugs. Of course peer pressure got him, and he took it. And then in this ep he recoiled from having sex with Chloe so Gary/Greg could watch. I was worried he would give in, but he held his ground. So, he has some pretty admirable standards. He's still flawed in many other ways, but he's gotten more complex.

Why doesn't Gary just hire some guy to screw Chloe while he watches? I suppose his fetish is partially a power thing, and maybe it would be ruined if he needed to pay for it.

[lovett1979]

21 hours ago, Blakeston said:

I don’t know if Lochlyn is outright sexually attracted to her or not, but there’s something that goes beyond pure sibling affection. I think Lochlyn is there to show us that a certain incestuousness arises from Victoria’s “everyone is beneath our family” mindset.

In the first episode, I thought there was a suggestion of something between Lochlan and Piper. And then the same episode had Saxon talking about all the siblings' sex lives and then jerking off in front of Lochlan. And then we know what happened between the brothers on the boat.

I think "our family is super special" was also the reasoning behind Cercei's incestuous relationships on Game of Thrones. So you might be onto something there.

19 hours ago, Snapdragon said:

Fabian is my guess for the shooter (if it's not a monkey, which I hope it's not as that would be beyond ridiculous.  One, that a monkey could actually operate a gun and two, that if it did fire a gun, it would then fire multiple rounds, instead of running in fright after the first one). 

More ridiculous than Tanya shooting a tiny pistol blind while screaming "these gays are trying to kill me" and then falling off a boat and hitting her head?

[Night Cheese]

I understand that from a storytelling purpose, Chekov's poisonous fruit adds suspense/intrigue/drama, but seriously, why would a health spa have any poisonous vegetation on the property that is very easily accessible to guests? It completely takes me out of the scene.

[Aim123]

On 3/30/2025 at 8:07 PM, QQQQ said:

Giving direction to Jason Isaacs (Tim) must have been a cakewalk for the past 6 episodes. "In this scene you're zonked out of your gourd on prescription drugs and contemplating murder-suicide."

The one thing I wish they would've directed him on though... You don't have to throw your head back each time you take a pill. It takes me out of the scene when he does it-- it seems cliche

[peeayebee]

36 minutes ago, Night Cheese said:

I understand that from a storytelling purpose, Chekov's poisonous fruit adds suspense/intrigue/drama, but seriously, why would a health spa have any poisonous vegetation on the property that is very easily accessible to guests? It completely takes me out of the scene.

It's a pretty tree, or at least the blossoms are pretty. Maybe there were just so many where the resort was built that it wasn't feasible to remove them. Besides, the guests get a warning, so one couldn't eat the fruit accidentally.

Actually, I had forgotten about the mention of the fruit from ep 1 until reading the theories here. I maybe have to go back to that ep to remind myself. When and to whom was this said?

20 minutes ago, Aim123 said:

The one thing I wish they would've directed him on though... You don't have to throw your head back each time you take a pill. It takes me out of the scene when he does it-- it seems cliche

And yet, many people swallow their pills that way. I remember reading that it's more effective to swallow pills by bending your head down instead of throwing it back. I've tried that a couple of times, but it just feels more natural to do it the other way.

[Night Cheese]

43 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

Actually, I had forgotten about the mention of the fruit from ep 1 until reading the theories here. I maybe have to go back to that ep to remind myself. When and to whom was this said?

The woman who is overseeing the Ratliff's trip (a wellness concierge? I don't remember her name) warned them about it in the first episode when she was taking them to their suite. I think it was when she was explaining the no phones policy.

[T Summer]

I can't recall where I heard or read that a confrontation between Lochlan and Saxon was coming, but I find it disappointing it hasn't happened yet. I think they've been in each other's presence since the night of taking X, drinking and having sex with Chloe haven't they?  

If there's never any conversation between the two or examination  of Lochlan's motives, I'll find extremely frustrating and  I doubt I'll be watching any future seasons of TWL.

Not contesting anyone's views who are liking Saxon a bit better now than in the begining because everyone is certainly entitled to see it how they see it , but honestly if it's based on not taking drugs and not signing up for Gary + Chloe's crazy sexcapades the bar is pretty low. I'm remembering that the reason he was instructing his younger brother to stay clearheaded was to make it easier to prey upon the women who weren't.

I guess a point in his favor is that he was the one to finally notice something was off and ask his dad if he was OK, but it struck me that in that particular episode...6, I think? Tim  wasn't acting like he was impaired. He did seem so in the episodes before that one and since. As others have pointed out Saxon did pretty quickly bring the conversation  back to concerns about his own career.

@peeayebeeIn the scenes from next episode, the finale... a staff member is responding to Tim asking about the tree.  She tells him  they call it the suicide tree  because the fruit is poisonous and warns him not to eat it. You can practically see gears turning in his head.

Edited 4 hours ago by T Summer
coŕrected episode # 5 to 6

[Andyourlittledog2]

This bugs me and I have a theory. At the monastery Lochlyn spent the time meditating thinking about the sexual encounter with Saxon the night before and seemed shocked. Sure. But he also took the drug when offered quite easily and seemed at home in that world also. And he quite obviously hated the food served for dinner at the monastery. Yet suddenly he wants to join Piper for a gap year at the place. I don't think so. Obviously I can be wrong but could it be that Victoria bribed him to do this? She doesn't seem like the kind of person who doesn't hedge her bets when it counts. She's praying Jesus will save Piper from the Buddhists but also throwing Lochlyn into the mix to screw up Piper's plans because Victoria knows that Piper is just playing at Buddhist to be special or get back at Victoria (mother-daughter problems seem very probable in that family) or get away etc and isn't really a convert in the truest sense. Or hopes so anyway. If she's right Lochlyn declaring himself a tag along would ruin Piper's big plans. Because I don't think Locklyn is the confused innocent he's been playing in this family. At all.

Of course at the time I watched it I thought this was disrupting Piper's plans to leave the monastery once the family left her to it and join her secret boyfriend to kick around Asia for a year with her mother being none the wiser. But we have no set up for that so that's probably my desires at work there. 

[peeayebee]

2 hours ago, Night Cheese said:

The woman who is overseeing the Ratliff's trip (a wellness concierge? I don't remember her name) warned them about it in the first episode when she was taking them to their suite. I think it was when she was explaining the no phones policy.

I think her name was Pam. We haven't seen her in a while.

49 minutes ago, T Summer said:

I can't recall where I heard or read that a confrontation between Lochlan and Saxon was coming, but I find it disappointing it hasn't happened yet. I think they've been in each other's presence since the night of taking X, drinking and having sex with Chloe haven't they?  

Lachlan only remembered when he was in the monastery, so now that they both remember, it makes more sense for a confrontation. I mean, it's a very awkward thing to bring up, and I'm curious how it does come up.

Quote

I guess a point in his favor is that he was the one to finally notice something was off and ask his dad if he was OK, but it struck me that in that particular episode...5, I think? Tim  wasn't acting like he was impaired.

Maybe not, but Saxon had been noticing him earlier being off, like at Gary's party.

Quote

@peeayebeeIn the scenes from next episode, the finale... a staff member is responding to Tim asking about the tree.  She tells him  they call it the suicide tree  because the fruit is poisonous and warns him not to eat it. You can practically see gears turning in his head.

I purposefully skip the previews. Earlier today I was reading about the tree and the fruit. Very interesting. According to Wikipedia, in Hawaii the tree is used as an ornamental. The fruit has two seeds inside, and those are what's poisonous. 

Historically, it was used in trials by ordeal. If the accused survived eating the seed, innocent! As far as suicide, it's still used today. 

Quote

... a 2004 study found that it was responsible for about one suicide death per week between 1989 and 1999 in Kerala, India.

@Andyourlittledog2, I suppose it's possible that Victoria had Lochlan tell Piper that, but I'm leaning no. I do see him as basically an innocent. He dove into the booze, drugs, and sex because he wants to be a big boy.

Edited Tuesday at 09:26 PM by peeayebee

[T Summer]

In ep.6 when they woke up after the night of partying  Saxon and Lochlan were around  each other. Lochlan said he couldn't remember anything, but IDK if I believe that? 🤔 After all Lochlan didn't hesitate to take the X, suggesting maybe   he wasn't a first timer and could handle his high. Saxon who did remember, quickly added we both blacked out. They both had rather awkward expressions on their faces but no real discussion took place. Lochlan asked are you alright right before Saxon was sick to his stomach.

They were together walking back to the hotel where discussion about Piper's confession there's no thesis etc was going on. Saxon drank a smoothie and refused to make eye contact with Lochlan as he left saying see you later.

So as far as their not having seen each other since they both sorted through the sex haze... I don't know if I  believe Lochlan only became aware of what happened when he was at the monastary... but he did look a little startled, so maybe?

Prior to Gary's party, in ep.6 Saxon asked Tim if he was alright? It struck me as odd because there was Dad acting all sedated and out of it in eps 1-5 and then he seemed not to be in ep 6, except for mixing up the names saying  "Locher and Pipelan were at the monestary".

@peeayebee Thanks! I'd made a mental note to look up the suicide fruit trèe, and now I don't have to.

[T Summer]

It kind of bugged me when Lochlan agreed to stay the night with Piper at the monastery because it surely wasn't what Victoria wanted her daughter to get the feel of being halfway around the world, alone in rather austere surroundings, and among people who speak a different language and have different customs.

If I were Piper my brother staying overnight with me and possibly tagging along for my year stay at the monastery would make me feel very secure and protected. I'd be even more into going!

Well, unless I knew what he was getting up to with my other brother. 🫣

 

Actually the mystery of Lochlan's motivations where Saxon is concerned is the only interesting thing going on IMO. SICK!, but more interesting than the 3 women, Belinda and her ill advisedly letting Gary know she's onto him, or the borderline abusive relationships between Gary and Chloe  and  Rick and Chelsea. I cannot measure my indifference to the Frank distracting  Sritala with visions of restarting her acting career while Rick... 🥱🥱🥱 what is it Rick is doing, again?

The Ratliffe's Patriarch ceased to be interesting a while ago with all the imagined suicide  scenarios and contemplating just how many family members to take out.🤨

 

Someone a few posts back mused about Chelsea and Saxon getting together... When  teaching him to meditate he laid his hands on hers and she pulled back as though she'd been burned! Then threw the books at him  and dismissed him saying  the lesson's over. I suppose  this was the writer's not so  subtle way of telling us she's attracted to him after all. 🙄

 

 

 

[Blakeston]

19 hours ago, edhopper said:

Potential characters involved in the shooting. Some more likely than others.

Gary/Greg at Belinda

Gaitok and the Russians

Jason Isaacs in a murder-suicide

Scott Glenn going after Rick

Or Rick shooting at Scott Glenn's character. 

Rick found his peace, but maybe he'll lose it if/when he finds out that helpless old man is actually his father. I know Rick tossed the gun, but he could get access to another one.

[Makai]

8 hours ago, Night Cheese said:

I understand that from a storytelling purpose, Chekov's poisonous fruit adds suspense/intrigue/drama, but seriously, why would a health spa have any poisonous vegetation on the property that is very easily accessible to guests? It completely takes me out of the scene.

It’s not a fruit that someone can just bite into. It’s more like getting a coconut open. Only the seeds are poisonous and apparently they are very bitter. They are very common trees in Thailand. 

Edited Wednesday at 02:07 AM by Makai

[Conotocarious]

26 minutes ago, Makai said:

It’s not a fruit that someone can just bite into. It’s more like getting a coconut open. Only the seeds are poisonous and apparently they are very bitter. They are very common trees in Thailand. 

Apparently they wouldn’t blend well either. Very corky fruit.

[peeayebee]

11 hours ago, T Summer said:

Someone a few posts back mused about Chelsea and Saxon getting together... When  teaching him to meditate he laid his hands on hers and she pulled back as though she'd been burned! Then threw the books at him  and dismissed him saying  the lesson's over. I suppose  this was the writer's not so  subtle way of telling us she's attracted to him after all. 🙄

I may be misunderstanding what you're saying -- sarcasm? -- but I thought it was clear that Chelsea is absolutely not into Saxon. She is honestly devoted to Rick. She thought Saxon really was interested in meditating, so his touching her hands was an unpleasant surprise to her -- or a reminder of who she thinks Saxon is -- so she pulled away and tossed him the books, basically saying, "You're on your own."

[Conotocarious]

13 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

I may be misunderstanding what you're saying -- sarcasm? -- but I thought it was clear that Chelsea is absolutely not into Saxon. She is honestly devoted to Rick. She thought Saxon really was interested in meditating, so his touching her hands was an unpleasant surprise to her -- or a reminder of who she thinks Saxon is -- so she pulled away and tossed him the books, basically saying, "You're on your own."

No, it was not clear at all. Everyone has a different interpretation.

I personally thought she was beginning to crack. But then again I do not find Rick attractive in the slightest, he makes my skin crawl. I do not buy into the Chelsea and Rick fandom, and I think it’s clear they have a messed up dynamic.

[T Summer]

1 hour ago, peeayebee said:

I may be misunderstanding what you're saying -- sarcasm? -- but I thought it was clear that Chelsea is absolutely not into Saxon. She is honestly devoted to Rick. She thought Saxon really was interested in meditating, so his touching her hands was an unpleasant surprise to her -- or a reminder of who she thinks Saxon is -- so she pulled away and tossed him the books, basically saying, "You're on your own."

I thought that they were trying to convey that after all of Chelsea's rebuffing Saxon, calling him soulless and saying he just couldn't get it ... meaning her bond with her man...

It seemed she felt attraction when he touched her. I felt they were being anything but subtle conveying that, so that's what I was being sarcastic about.

Of course you may be right and I may be wrong... 🤔 History is on your side. lol

 

but if she was going to dismiss him quickly throwing some books at him, why would she have agreed when Saxon asked her to teach him what she knows about meditation and such? (and ostensibly becoming a better person). She could have just written down some book titles.

Why did she take him to a quiet place where they sat across from each other cross legged?  Saxon looked pretty surprised when she pulled back so suddenly and started throwing books at him. Didn't he ask if that was it?

So I think she planned to spend a bit of time and effort but cut it short when feeling something for him startled her.

I was also being sarcastic about someone above's suggestion they'd end up together. I'll just be pleased if either She rethinks her relationship with Rick or he starts being a whole lot nicer to her.

[RedHawk]

I suggested that Chelsea and Saxon might end up together because Chelsea would move on to another wounded man in order to "fix" him. Rick might come back all chilled out and changed through his encounter with Jim, and suddenly she isn't so attracted to him without "the sadness".

I'm just riffing on possibilities, however, I don't think Rick is "fixed" and that smile he gave at the end of the episode seemed almost evil to me. He dragged his buddy Frank Rockwell back into a lifestyle he'd given up and he was healthy and seemingly doing well sober.

I think Rick is still a mess and the encounter with Jim didn't give him peace. So he went on a bender and realized this is who he actually is, and it's all him, not something he does because Jim "ruined his life".

[chaifan]

1 hour ago, T Summer said:

So I think she planned to spend a bit of time and effort but cut it short when feeling something for him startled her.

I got the impression that she was willing to help Saxon learn how to meditate, but once she saw it was just his way of trying to get in her pants she threw him out with the books.  I didn't get the impression she was into him in any way.

 

 

[RunningMarket]

23 minutes ago, chaifan said:

I got the impression that she was willing to help Saxon learn how to meditate, but once she saw it was just his way of trying to get in her pants she threw him out with the books.  I didn't get the impression she was into him in any way.

This was my interpretation as well.

[Conotocarious]

22 minutes ago, chaifan said:

I got the impression that she was willing to help Saxon learn how to meditate, but once she saw it was just his way of trying to get in her pants she threw him out with the books.  I didn't get the impression she was into him in any way.

 

 

She has been calling him out left right and center this entire time. She has cut him down to size again and again. But this time she got flustered and just hurled a few books in his lap. That is not the usual dismissive disdain with which she treats him.

[KittyQ]

On 3/30/2025 at 7:58 PM, Madding crowd said:

I didn’t understand the scene in the monastery with Piper and Lochlan: he said he wanted to stay and I expected her to laugh or say you wouldn’t like it, but she looked scared and ran out of the room. What was that about?

I thought that perhaps she wasn't enthusiastic because this was supposed to be "her thing", away from the rest of her family and experiencing things on her own. Then her brother says that he's thinking of doing the same thing, which makes it less special for her. She didn't want to tell him that, though, because it might hurt his feelings, so she looked uncomfortable and left.

[KittyQ]

On 3/30/2025 at 8:40 PM, thuganomics85 said:

Honestly, Rick and Frank/Sam Rockwell's undercover gig was majorly flawed since they didn't seem to do any kind of research of any kind, but I guess it worked well enough that Frank has fallen back off the wagon, so I'm sure fun times will be had!

How did they not even discuss the particulars of what Rick said? That was a pretty lame exercise, although Frank and Sritala (?) watching her old movie was great! 

I was sad that Frank fell off the wagon, but he didn't stop with a couple of drinks - when he falls, he falls all the way! I was glad that Rick wasn't participating in the hotel hijinks, and I think he finally started to appreciate what Frank had told him about his previous way of life, happening right in front of him. 

[laurakaye]

 

On 3/31/2025 at 10:24 AM, CarpeFelis said:

As soon as Laurie and Alexei finished having sex, my husband said “He’s going to ask her for money.” Lucky for her his girlfriend showed up before she ran out of excuses for saying no! After she got away and was walking down a dark street alone I thought she’d get mugged or something, but no, a cab conveniently shows up.

And my first thought was - it's not a cab!  It's a trap!

On 4/1/2025 at 2:00 AM, edhopper said:

Potential characters involved in the shooting. Some more likely than others.

Russian Guy going after Laurie because she saw the jewels

 

Of all the theories, and there are many, this is mine.  I don't think Laurie makes it home.

Edited Wednesday at 06:44 PM by laurakaye

[JenE4]

How are we seven hours into this season and there’s been zero character development and hardly any plot development? Every fucking episode has every character doing/saying the same thing they did the episode before…and the episode before that…and the episode before that… Are we supposed to be shocked that Tim had yet another murder-suicide fantasy? Belinda’s still scared of Greg, the frenemies are still badmouthing each other, Gaitook still isn’t ambitious enough for Mook, Chelsea is still ominously predicting something bad is going to happen to her soulmate… We get it! This entire season could have been an hour and 45 min Lifetime movie. I feel like Mike White was probably pressured to deliver a new season after the roiling success of last season, but he just didn’t come up with enough material to work with.

[peeayebee]

8 hours ago, T Summer said:

Of course you may be right and I may be wrong... 🤔 History is on your side. lol

LOL is right. History is never on my side.

I've reached the point where I honestly believe anything can happen. I've had my opinions, and yet when I read discussion about something completely different, I think, Yeah maybe that's it. Only one ep to go, and I'm excited about seeing what happens.

[AstridM]

1 hour ago, JenE4 said:

How are we seven hours into this season and there’s been zero character development and hardly any plot development? Every fucking episode has every character doing/saying the same thing they did the episode before…and the episode before that…and the episode before that… Are we supposed to be shocked that Tim had yet another murder-suicide fantasy? Belinda’s still scared of Greg, the frenemies are still badmouthing each other, Gaitook still isn’t ambitious enough for Mook, Chelsea is still ominously predicting something bad is going to happen to her soulmate… We get it! This entire season could have been an hour and 45 min Lifetime movie. I feel like Mike White was probably pressured to deliver a new season after the roiling success of last season, but he just didn’t come up with enough material to work with.

If true - the joke’s on everyone who has continued to watch week after week. 🤷‍♀️

[Pi237]

I think, much like the heavy handed music cues that hint of a danger that never materializes, the actors playing Piper and Lochlan & Chelsea and Saxon, were intentionally given direction to play their scenes as ambiguously as possible, so we’d do what we’re doing now-making it out to be more titillating than it is. Then, as usual, it won’t amount to anything. 

[Madding crowd]

9 hours ago, KittyQ said:

I thought that perhaps she wasn't enthusiastic because this was supposed to be "her thing", away from the rest of her family and experiencing things on her own. Then her brother says that he's thinking of doing the same thing, which makes it less special for her. She didn't want to tell him that, though, because it might hurt his feelings, so she looked uncomfortable and left.

I’m sure that’s right but I think the direction is off in some of these episodes. It might be so people will talk so they make it ambiguous. To me, Piper looked scared and then she ran out of the room. Some people thought she looked scared, others thought she looked uncomfortable. She seems to be pretty close to Lochlyn so I think she would just talk to him rather than run away.

[JenE4]

9 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

I’m sure that’s right but I think the direction is off in some of these episodes. It might be so people will talk so they make it ambiguous. To me, Piper looked scared and then she ran out of the room. Some people thought she looked scared, others thought she looked uncomfortable. She seems to be pretty close to Lochlyn so I think she would just talk to him rather than run away.

Yeah, I agree the direction and/or script notes (plus the intense music) is just throwing off perspective. Everyone is so overwrought at all times! I know I just had a big rant above over nothing much progressing over 7 episodes. And I have to laugh how someone posted something about ok, Tim, look more high and distraught!! It’s been that way with every character and their one emotion they’ve held intensely for seven episodes. So maybe that’s why it’s suddenly striking that one character who maybe was in her own blissful bubble is finally reacting to someone else? Yeah, sure, this retreat is “Piper’s thing” to distance from her family. But I assume Piper’s reaction to Lochlan is supposed to mirror Saxon’s reaction to Lochlan, in that both wanted to drag him along and follow in their footsteps but then there’s that shock value when the student surpasses the teacher, or whatever that saying is. Lochlan suddenly became more sexually aggressive than Saxon and more devout and dedicated than Piper. I’m sure the direction given to both Piper and Saxon was something like look in shock and awe and disgust that you wanted to make your brother in your image, and now that he has, you see yourself and all your flaws reflected back at you—or something stupid like that. And before anyone thinks this negates my impression that there’s been little to no character/plot progression as posted above, lol, this dynamic was set up in episode 1 and obvious throughout.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 3/31/2025 at 1:03 PM, tennisgurl said:

Laurie's story could have gone so badly so quickly, but I think now she's going to "win" the vacation, she gets the best crazy story and it turns out she's not only hot and successful enough to get to have sex with the hot guy, she gets to be the one who gets targeted for a scheme.

I don't think she'd want to boast about a guy sleeping with her because he hoped she'd give him money afterwards.  It makes it sound like she had to pay for sex.

On 3/31/2025 at 2:01 PM, yesferatu said:

Florian is my favorite this season I absolutely adore the actor.

I don't know if people realize that the actor, Christian Friedel, played Rudolf Höss, the commandant of Auschwitz, in The Zone of Interest.  (He has such a babyface here.  And he doesn't have a Nazi haircut.)

On 3/31/2025 at 3:57 PM, peeayebee said:

He knew the name of Rick's mother, so this seems likely.

 Why do you think this?  He didn't seem to recognize her name at all.

On 4/1/2025 at 5:22 PM, peeayebee said:

I think her name was Pam. We haven't seen her in a while.

She's the same person who has their phones.

On 4/2/2025 at 11:51 AM, RedHawk said:

I think Rick is still a mess and the encounter with Jim didn't give him peace. So he went on a bender and realized this is who he actually is, and it's all him, not something he does because Jim "ruined his life".

He followed Frank around and certainly drank, but he declined the cocaine that Frank and the women were snorting, and probably won't be having sex with the latter, either.  He likely has a high tolerance for alcohol, so the bender may be mostly Frank's.

It doesn't mean that Rick isn't still a mess, though.

 

 

Edited Yest. at 04:21 PM by ItCouldBeWorse

[laurakaye]

12 hours ago, Pi237 said:

I think, much like the heavy handed music cues that hint of a danger that never materializes, the actors playing Piper and Lochlan & Chelsea and Saxon, were intentionally given direction to play their scenes as ambiguously as possible, so we’d do what we’re doing now-making it out to be more titillating than it is. Then, as usual, it won’t amount to anything. 

My friend and I discuss every episode and I had told her that I demand clarity and resolution for every member of the Ratliff family because they are so profoundly weird with each other, going back to their introduction scenes.  She said, don't be disappointed when you don't get that, because there are way too many loose ends to clear up with the one remaining episode.

It remains to be seen but I'll be pretty bummed if Mike White created such uniquely complicated characters, only to not fill in all, or most, of the blanks.  

[KittyQ]

2 hours ago, JenE4 said:

Lochlan suddenly became more sexually aggressive than Saxon and more devout and dedicated than Piper.

I'm not dismissing your comment, but these are so contradictory, or at the very least, if Lochlan is now sexually awakened, it won't help him live in the monastery where (I'm assuming), celibacy is part of removing oneself from worldly desires. 

Although, now that I think about it, maybe his experience with Chloe and Saxon scared him and now he's seeking a way to "undo" that. Living in a monastery might be just the thing.

[peeayebee]

3 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

 Why do you think this?  He didn't seem to recognize her name at all.

I'll have to rewatch that part because I thought when he repeated, "Gloria Hatchet?!" it was like he didn't understand why Rick was bringing her up. To me, he knew the name but was confused.

Quote

She's the same person who has their phones.

Oh yes, I know that. I was just saying that she's been absent for the last few eps.

[Snewtsie]

3 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

I don't know if people realize that the actor, Christian Friedel, played Rudolf Höss, the commandant of Auschwitz, in The Zone of Interest.  (He has such a babyface here.  And he doesn't have a Nazi haircut.)

OMG, I hadn't recognized him.  Thank you for pointing this out.  Wow, talk about a versatile actor!  His cold detachment gave me chills in that movie, and now in WL he is as tame as can be. 

[aghst]

18 hours ago, JenE4 said:

How are we seven hours into this season and there’s been zero character development and hardly any plot development? Every fucking episode has every character doing/saying the same thing they did the episode before…and the episode before that…and the episode before that… Are we supposed to be shocked that Tim had yet another murder-suicide fantasy? Belinda’s still scared of Greg, the frenemies are still badmouthing each other, Gaitook still isn’t ambitious enough for Mook, Chelsea is still ominously predicting something bad is going to happen to her soulmate… We get it! This entire season could have been an hour and 45 min Lifetime movie. I feel like Mike White was probably pressured to deliver a new season after the roiling success of last season, but he just didn’t come up with enough material to work with.

 

To be fair, they've only been at the resort about a week, maybe two weeks tops.

Some of the characters had some pivotal things happen to them or in the case of Rick, thought he was at some moment that he'd been waiting for all his life.

But really, how often do people have life-changing moments at a luxury resort over the course of a few days?

Yes, Chelsea's snake bite could have turned out more serious or Rick might have gone crazy and assaulted or shot the old man.

I think part of White's strategy is to show how these privileged and pampered people have some discontent, despite outward appearances, but a lot of their dramas are imagined or mostly in their heads, because of the narcissism some of them have.

It's not that they progress or regress during their vacation.  It's that not everything is about them. White isn't necessarily trying to have character development so much as character study or observation, how the wealthy behave, how they think. 

[chitowngirl]

28 minutes ago, aghst said:

To be fair, they've only been at the resort about a week, maybe two weeks tops.

Each episode takes place over one day, except for the day of the Full Moon activities. That was shown over 2 episodes, one for the day, one for the evening. 

[Cosmocrush]

2 hours ago, aghst said:

But really, how often do people have life-changing moments at a luxury resort over the course of a few days?

Point taken, but this isn't a reality show, it's a story Mike White created where these moments have happened for two other seasons now.  

I agree it's more of a character study/observation but it's lacking a story.  At least for me, not much has been added to even that since the second episode. 

 

[KittyQ]

5 hours ago, aghst said:

But really, how often do people have life-changing moments at a luxury resort over the course of a few days?

I haven't, but maybe the resorts I've stayed at were sub-luxury levels. :-)

[T Summer]

 

Belinda, of course thinks her life is in danger from a wife killer, so that's really out of the ordinary. Getting tiresome, but for her... pretty major.

Both Chloe and Chelsea  are with much older guys who treat them pretty badly... or at the very least dismissively and that's never addressed.

Re. the Ratliffes: Once they conveyed Timothy was so shook by his legal troubles that he considered offing himself, we get it. Time does not need to be taken up with him imagining all the various suicide scenarios and holding the gun, searching for the gun etc.

Victoria is wretched  😒 That whole happy marriage and family life are such a house of cards. Watching an earlier episode (2?) She entered the bdr and told Timothy she'd gotten a second wind, to which he said "oh shit". She replied  don't worry I took a Lorezapam.😯

Saxon having his younger brother perform any kind of sexual act on him while he's impaired from taking his first drug is a pretty major life event and it sure seems like some kind of discussion and questioning of Lochlan's motives would be  in order. That's a lot to let lie

I guess it's  nothing compared to incest or whatever you call sex play between brothers, but come to think of it why was Saxon so inappropriate with his siblings in the beginning?

I find it hard to care about whether Piper stays at the monastery  / with Buddhism... but I'll go with it for a moment. She seemed very relieved when Lochlan volunteered to spend the night along with her, then when he floated doing a year there she  looked to say the least... apprehensive.🤷‍♀️

Chloe and Gary are hard to care about, but I did think Gary's sudden urge to gather everyone he's had the slightest contact with at TWL in for a party was quite odd. He doesn't seem like that sociable a guy in the first place. Maybe he just wanted to observe the dynamic between his girlfriend and Saxon... but again,  that never happened.

I like Sam Rockwell and there are movies of his I'll watch whenever they're on TV, but I  could have lived my whole life without his character Frank's  oversharing of his journey to religion and sobriety  and seeing how little it took for him to return to   life as  a  sex tourist. I'm pretty sure using others in that way is   completely antithetical  to the teachings of Budda. And gross.

I don't think the writer succeeded in making the  3 American women, their dynamic or their escapades interesting, but hopefully others are enjoying them.🤔

 

 

The things the writer did choose to  explore in the time he had are annoying me! Why do we need to know about the staff member's Fabian(?) apprehension about performing?

Or Gaitok's competency with firearms being questioned by his supervisor and then his performance at the range? unless*

Or the American girls (well one) freaking out when they encounter older, not so fit folks on holiday?

and all those shots of the monkeys?

Lots and lots of time spent on meaningless BS while interpersonal relationships should  be developed beyond having laid the groundwork.

 

Maybe Mike White will sew this all up in an entertaining way in the 90 minute finale and I'll eat my words. I just hope the death is not *Gaitok shooting one of the  Russian thieves. 🙄 

Which hopefully is a distraction; otherwise Mook practically questioning his masculinity,    the supervisor doubting his proficiency with a gun and Gaitok recognizing one of the Russians from the robbery at the Thai boxing match makes this too obvious.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MicheleinPhilly]

I only started the season this week in anticipation of the finale. 

What a monumental bore. I don't know how any of you have stuck with it for 8 weeks. 

The monkeys and lizards are the best part. 

[JenE4]

2 hours ago, MicheleinPhilly said:

I only started the season this week in anticipation of the finale. 

What a monumental bore. I don't know how any of you have stuck with it for 8 weeks. 

The monkeys and lizards are the best part. 

OMG. I couldn’t imagine the tedium of binging this all in a row! At least we have a week in between to talk ourselves into thinking something different is surely going to happen this week! 

[chaifan]

20 minutes ago, JenE4 said:

I couldn’t imagine the tedium of binging this all in a row! At least we have a week in between to talk ourselves into thinking something different is surely going to happen this week! 

I agree - I actually prefer for shows to drop only one episode a week, and in this case TWL has surely benefitted from it.  If I were binging, even on a slow binge of an episode every day or two, I think I would have abandoned it by Ep 4.  

I also think this show benefits from dropping at 9pm on Sundays, when pretty much nothing else is on but I just want to be a couch potato and wind down before going to bed.  This is not "must see" tv.  This is "eh, might as well watch" tv.