THAT Ratliff Brothers Twist Officially Makes The White Lotus Season 3 The Most Twisted One Yet

adminMarch 24, 2025

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WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for The White Lotus season 3, episode 6.

That Ratliff brothers’ twist in The White Lotus season 3, episode 6, “Denials” has officially made the latest season of the hit HBO series the most shocking one yet. Now well into its third season, The White Lotus has upped the ante in many aspects with its third season set in Thailand. With arguably the greatest ensemble cast out of any previous season, The White Lotus season 3 has pushed its own boundaries to create more conversation pieces and unforgettable moments for its dedicated audience. After episode 6’s major WTF moment, “Denials” has set a new bar for twisted characters and storylines.

Outside the dysfunctional Ratliff family drama, The White Lotus season 3, episode 6 also saw ripples in other major character dynamics, particularly between Jaclyn, Laurie, and Kate. Longtime friends who can’t help but gossip, the “victory tour” trio has turned out to be playing for separate teams, with Jaclyn’s obvious one-night stand with Valentin furthering the divides in that friend group. Meanwhile, Rick finally meets Jim Hollinger, the man he believes killed his father, at the end of episode 6 and will have to choose whether or not he has it in him to pull the trigger.

The Ratliff Brothers’ Incest Story Makes The White Lotus Season 3 Far More Twisted Than Seasons 1 & 2

No Other Previous Characters Or Storylines Have Been Nearly As Twisted

Saxon Ratliff (Patrick Schwarzenegger) and Lochlan Ratliff (Sam Nivola) looking for girls to flirt with in The White Lotus Season 3 Ep 1 — Image via Max

While previous seasons of The White Lotus have featured some pretty corrupt characters and twisted storylines, none of them even comes close to the incestuous hookup between Lochlan and Saxon, two biological brothers. Since the beginning of the season, red flags have been flying from both brothers’ unusual behavior. Saxon is obsessed with the toxic masculine concept of “scoring chicks” to boost his own fragile ego, while Lochlan has been making some seriously questionable glances at his big brother, particularly when Saxon was naked in their shared bathroom. As if this wasn’t creepy enough, season 3, episode 6 happened.

While the damage was sealed with a bizarrely passionate kiss between Lochlan and Saxon in season 3, episode 5, episode 6 really went there by showing Lochlan giving Saxon a handjob while having sex with Chloe. Saxon peels back the layers of his blackout, whereas Lochlan claims he has no memory whatsoever of most of their night. While there were drugs and alcohol involved, reaching that level between siblings is simply unbelievable and appalling. Series creator Mike White has certainly outdone himself when it comes to shocking content in his beloved series and I hope it reaches some sort of meaningful end.

Lochlan & Saxon’s Incest Makes One Of The White Lotus Season 2’s Weirdest Stories Seem Tame

Lochlan Ratliff (Sam Nivola) looking at himself in the mirror in The White Lotus Season 3 Ep 2 — Image via Max

The whole “yeah, so you f–k your uncle?” thing from The White Lotus season 2 with Leo Woodall and Tom Hollander’s character seems like a tepid test drive compared to the full-blown incestuous madness in season 3. What’s more, it turned out that Woodall’s Jack and Hollander’s Quentin weren’t actually related, meaning that season 2 didn’t actually dive into an incest story, while season 3 really does.

These types of characters actually make a lot of sense for a series like The White Lotus, which dissects and highlights some corrupt and strange behavior of wealthy individuals and families from a variety of angles.

While downright gross, these types of characters actually make a lot of sense for a series like The White Lotus, which dissects and highlights some corrupt and strange behavior of wealthy individuals and families from a variety of angles.

Halfway Through The White Lotus Season 3 Every Victim Ranked

Now We’re Halfway Through The White Lotus Season 3, Here’s Every Possible Victim Ranked By Likelihood Of Dying

No characters have died yet at the midpoint of The White Lotus season 3 but that is certainly about to change in the latter half of the HBO series.

The biggest wildcard in The White Lotus season 1 was certainly Armond, the manager of The White Lotus Hawaii Resort, who crossed just about every personal and professional boundary in the book. Still, Armond’s impact in season 1, which culminated in a hilarious encounter with Luke Gage’s character before being accidentally killed by the insufferable Shane, would hardly be felt in The White Lotus season 3. This season of The White Lotus has done a remarkable job of shifting the main focus of each major storyline. Tim’s money-laundering scheme has taken a backseat only for Lochlan and Saxon’s to be seen front and center.

The White Lotus Season 3 Is Already Way More Stressful Than Past Seasons

The Latest Season Has Been Exceptional At Building & Maintaining Suspense

All this building drama between the Ratliffs, the “victory tour” trio, Rick and his old pal Frank, and even Belinda encountering Greg aka Gary, has made for the most suspenseful and stressful season of The White Lotus yet. In past seasons, some characters and storylines were more entertaining to watch but not constantly anxiety-inducing. Even poor Gaitok’s storyline, which started out tamely between him and Mook, took a turn when Timothy stole his newly issued work gun. The White Lotus season 3 has been exceptional at balancing all of these intertwining dramas, which should lead to the best season finale of the series.