Warning! The next comprises spoilers for The White Lotus Season 3 finale. Learn at your individual danger!
The White Lotus Season 3 is over, and whereas some are already looking forward to the place Season 4 is about, I am nonetheless hung up on the finale. In a season the place the stress slowly constructed the whole season, and we did not get any decision till the finale, there was a variety of time to construct suspense. That sluggish burn labored effectively for lots of the storylines, however I am unable to assist however assume it did an incredible disservice to the one standard concept involving Rick that panned out.
Weeks earlier than the Season 3 finale was out there with a Max subscription, CinemaBlend wrote in regards to the concept that Jim Hollinger is Rick’s father, and it seems that concept was proper… I believe? Let’s get into the entire thing beneath, together with why I did not like how the scene performed out and would’ve moderately seen it lower completely.
The Reveal That Jim Hollinger Was Rick’s Father Got here All Too Late
When Sritala instructed Rick that Jim was his father within the Season 3 finale of The White Lotus, all I might consider was, “Huh?” Rick lastly will get his revenge on this man that killed his dad, and his spouse spews out some line about him being his organic father? I think about I had the identical face watching that Rick did as a result of I did not even know course of what I had simply heard.
I believe it is comprehensible, contemplating The White Lotus revealed that Rick was chargeable for the shootout that was teased firstly of the season. I used to be just a little let down that my concept that there have been a number of occasions unfolding without delay did not precisely play out, although I used to be on level about there being multiple gun within the combine. All that apart, the one factor on my thoughts was Rick capturing Jim and no matter was going to occur subsequent.
So the reveal is made, after which not lengthy after that, we see Chelsea die and Gaitok shoot Rick to demise. His story in The White Lotus ends there, as nobody else has a lot to do along with his arc.
I also needs to observe that we do not know if Jim Hollinger is telling the reality. All we have heard from Rick is what he is heard from his mom, and we’ve got no clue whether or not or not she’s a dependable narrator. The identical can be mentioned about Jim, who would not have flashed a gun at Rick within the buffet if he had no ailing intentions. Additionally, Sritala was simply duped into believing Rick was a film producer from the USA, so I believe it is truthful to take a position that Jim might’ve lied to her about a number of issues relating to his previous. The underside line is that we do not know on the time of the reveal if this data is correct, which kills its impression.
The Reveal Would’ve Hit A Lot Tougher If Executed Earlier
It is unusual that The White Lotus prioritized fleshing out the incest storyline effectively earlier than Rick’s, particularly once I take into consideration what might’ve been. For instance, think about if Jim had instructed Rick upon their first assembly that he was his son, and even once they met within the buffet line?
He nonetheless might’ve been simply as a lot of an asshole to him and kicked him out of the resort, however the viewers would’ve seen Rick reconcile with this new data he was given. This horrible man, who supposedly killed his father, is the dad he is been lacking this whole time? We do not even need to think about the emotional weight of that second; readers can simply hearth up Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Again with a Disney+ subscription and see it for themselves.
Think about how far more impactful it might’ve been had Rick identified that Jim was his father earlier than he shot him. He would’ve had time to weigh that data, digest it, and determine what he needed to do at that time. If every little thing after performed out the very same approach after with that exception, I believe the reveal would hit quite a bit tougher. It will be the alternative of what Star Wars did, by which the hero truly takes down the deserving villain that is not deserving of redemption. As an alternative, we received a complicated reveal that felt like there was extra to inform, and in contrast to Tanya McQuoid, I doubt The White Lotus will ever reference Rick once more.
For Me, The Reveal Killed A Nice Ending To Rick’s Story
Whereas I believe the reveal about Jim would’ve hit tougher had the viewers discovered it sooner, it would’ve been simply nearly as good had the road by no means been included. We have been so deep into the motion on what was Rick’s most important second in The White Lotus Season 3, and that slight detour did nothing however suck me out of the second completely. Receiving new data that wasn’t even beforehand hinted at within the season finale by no means appears like a great transfer, and this scene additional proved it.
Whereas Season 3 offered very life like situations with the three associates, it form of went off the rails with Rick’s story an excessive amount of. I used to be alongside for the experience till the reveal, and it simply gave me that very same feeling I would have if I have been watching a cleaning soap opera and a personality revealed that that they had an evil twin with a beard. It is actually not the kind of twist I might count on from an HBO sequence that has received six Emmys, however as Sport Of Thrones confirmed us a few years in the past, not each present is infallible with regards to dangerous story reveals and plot twists.
The White Lotus is on the market to stream on Max, and very like Rick’s reveal, there is no time to dwell on that as a result of the 2025 TV schedule is buzzing together with new reveals to take a look at. I am psyched in regards to the return of The Final Of Us for Season 2 and excited to see what else HBO has on faucet for the remainder of the spring schedule.