The White Lotus viewers react to ‘incest’ storyline in episode two
Viewers are responding to a storyline in The White Lotus season three, episode two. (HBO/Max)
The White Lotus is back for season three, and viewers have thoughts on an apparent “incest” storyline in episode two.
Series three sees Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) and Lochlan Ratliff (Sam Nivola) checking into the White Lotus Thailand for a family holiday, to help their sister Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook) while she writes her university thesis on Buddhism.
But the dynamic between the brothers took a “very odd and weird” turn, as per viewers, when one scene showed Saxon strutting around naked and loading up pornography in front of his brother – who also has a nude moment later in the series.
Towards the end of episode one, Saxon and his youngest sibling Lochlan (Eileen star Sam Nivola) are in their beds in the hotel room at the Thailand-based White Lotus resort.
Saxon has spent the episode acting eerily possessive of Lochlan, as he opted to join his sister and religious studies student Piper (Cruel Intentions’ Sarah Catherine Hook) on a trip to a Buddhist temple.
After a creepy and totally inappropriate conversation about “what kinda porn” Lochlan likes, Schwarzenegger’s nude scene ensues. The actor strolled into the bathroom to load up pornography. His backside is on show, as is his penis in the bathroom mirror, and while audiences at home are looking respectfully, we’re sorry to report that so too is his brother.
While episode two of The White Lotus thankfully moves away from their bizarre relationship, an opening scene does see Lochlan’s eyes staring at Saxon’s bare bum.
Fans now believe the series is headed into a full-on incestuous relationship between the pair. It wouldn’t be too far-fetched for Mike White’s show, considering season two saw Essex lad Jack (Leo Woodall) having sex with the man everyone thought was his uncle Quentin (Tom Hollander).
“Everytime on the white lotus is stressing me out,” one viewer wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “The incest family. The homoerotic female friend group. The evil sugar daddy. EVERYONE.”
“This family in White Lotus S3 is so f***in weird and the incest thing is not the most bothering thing somehow. The mom. The mom is so insidiously weird wth,” another echoed.
“this incest plot line in the white lotus is so insane…”, wrote a third. “what is happening with this gay brother storyline in white lotus mom pick me up im scared,” a fourth viewer added.
The three Ratliff children are parented by their endangered father Timothy, and their Southern matriarchal mother Victoria (a Jennifer Coolidge-esque Parker Posey), so it’s likely season three is going to get very wild and very weird, very quickly.
Episode two of The White Lotus season three is available to watch on Sky and streaming service NOW in the UK, and on HBO in the US. Episode three is set to air on 3 March.
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