As soon as the finale of the acclaimed dark comedy-drama The White Lotus aired, live reactions flooded social media. The third season, set in Thailand and just as full of sun, satire, and simmering tension, had viewers hooked from the opening scene, trying to guess which character wouldn’t make it out alive.
While many praised the finale as a triumph, others were far less impressed. Some called it “perfect,” while others felt it was a letdown. One viewer put it bluntly: “The ending was a huge flop—built up several plot lines all series to abruptly end them in 20 minutes with no reflection.” These are harsh remarks for a show with 15 Emmys and 2 Golden Globes under its belt.
Critics, too, had strong opinions, some pulling no punches when sharing their disappointment with how things wrapped up. Erik Kain, writing for Forbes, described the season’s conclusion with some choice words.
““Tragic” might be one of them, and certainly there was tragedy here. “Disappointing” might be another, and I am feeling terribly disappointed as I type this. “Indulgent,” also, because I’m afraid that the success of the first two seasons must have gone to Mike White’s head,” he said.
“What a mess. What a waste of time. It seems all the worries that I wrote about last week have come to fruition, and then some.”
But not everyone agreed with that take. Jackson Weaver of CBS News argued that the show’s bleakness was intentional and reflective of real life.
“The cynicism and meaninglessness of The White Lotus’s character endings is something of the point,” he said. “Few are given ones that are really deserved. But that’s not how life works, either. All we can do is try to come up with a meaning for ourselves.”
For some viewers, that meaning didn’t lie in the big reveals but in the quiet, reflective moments in between.
Blogger Mike Meras, for instance, was particularly moved by Laurie’s (Carrie Coon) dinner table monologue to her longtime friends Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan) and Kate (Leslie Bibb). The simple line—“I’m just happy to be at the table”—hit a nerve.
“Felt that,” Meras wrote on Threads. “Laurie’s whole monologue is so relatable, especially when your friends are doing so well in life, and you’re still trying to figure out why you’re not blossoming yet.”
Speaking to Bored Panda, Meras shared that he’s been watching The White Lotus “religiously” since the first season, and he’s never been disappointed.
“Honestly, there’s nothing I dislike about the show. I just enjoy the ride every time. The writing, the slow-burn tension, the social commentary… it all works so well,” he said.
Even the heartbreak of watching doomed lovers Rick (Walton Goggins) and Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) meet their fate didn’t catch Meras off guard.
“The show dropped a few subtle hints early on, and those signals definitely got stronger or more amplified in the last episode,” he explained. “I even started thinking Jim might’ve been Rick’s father at one point, just a gut feeling.”
