The White Lotus season 3 has officially started, and while we only have one episode it hasn’t stopped viewers from dissecting every last detail. Mike White’s award-winning show is back with a bang, and that one short-and-sweet hour has already spurred a thousand and one questions. Yes, we all want to know who has been taken out in this season, but, importantly – will Chelsea’s boyfriend ever crack a smile? Where the hell did Greg come from? And what is up with the strange dynamic between the Ratliff siblings?
An interesting theory has surfaced about Saxon, Piper and Lochlan over the last few days, and it makes a lot of sense. One Redditor, howiemandelrey, has pointed out that an image of the siblings on the boat draws parallels to the ‘three wise monkeys’, a Japanese maxim symbolising the rejection of negative thoughts, words and deeds in Buddhist tradition. The theory goes: “The still of the three siblings sitting on the boat is see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil (Saxon with sunglasses, Piper with headphones, Lac mouth covered by drink).”
However, in the West, the three wise monkeys has come to take on a different meaning, and is often interpreted as willing ignorance towards bad behaviour. Are they potentially choosing not to see, hear, or speak about a family secret, or evil deeds within their own circle?
Monkeys have already appeared as an ongoing motif in The White Lotus season 3; as well as populating the opening credits, we’ve seen a number of cinematic shots of them around the Thai hotel in the first episode. The characters have also acknowledged them in various scenes; Belinda is seen darting back to her villa when she believes one is in the tree above her, and when Zion is distracted during his meditation session his wellness facilitator says: “Let us calm our chattering monkey minds.” There’s also a a moment when Kate, one of the guests on a girls trip with her two friends, states: “Just don’t feed them… Monkeys can be aggressive.”
It’s undeniable that these The White Lotus monkeys are making their presence known, so the link between the motif and Ratliff siblings feels significant. But there is another way to look at this connection. Could it allude to their own self-destructive behaviours? We can already gauge that Saxon appears not to see things through any lens other than his own, Piper seems to block out the noise of those around her, and Lochlan is evidently struggling to say what he wants, finding himself caught in the middle when it comes to both his siblings and his parents.
Let’s see what episode two brings…
The White Lotus season 3 episodes will be released every Monday until 7th April 2025, and UK viewers can watch with a Now TV subscription, or via Sky.