Ranking the White Lotus Season 3 Characters
It’s time to say goodbye to our White Lotus: Thailand characters that we’ve grown to love. Once again Mike white gives a a myriad of an ensemble full of relatable people with surprising depth to them. Here are the top twenty characters ranked.
Tier D: Take em or leave em
20. Zion
We only got a couple episodes worth of Belinda’s son and for the most part he’s a normal kid in college there to have fun with his mom and help her with the whole Gary/Greg situation. He mangles to succeed but that also means he’s kind of the person who aided her to sell her soul for money. And for that, he irritates me along with his blind confidence in himself.
19. Valentin
Valentin is nothing more than eye candy for the three girlfriends for the most of the season. However, the last half to the show brings his actions to light. He doesn't get much screen time because of it, but everything he was involved in gets extremely messy. Whether he is the catalyst for the drama between the girls or getting found out as the jewelry robbers, its clear he’s not a great guy nor is he that entertaining.
18. Fabian
Our third White Lotus hotel manager is unfortunately the least interesting of the few that we have had. While Fabian is an endearingly awkward person, his only real arc is his quest to perform and even then there isn’t much of a pay off. His conversation with Belinda highlights this, as his timidness can be really frustrating to watch at times.
17. Pornchai
How could you not love Pornchai. It looked like he and Belinda were gonna start their business together and live happily ever after. That is until she crushed him and that dream just like Tanya did to her. Pornchai was the most pure person in the season and I ahem no ill will towards the man although he didn't get to do all that much.
16. Mook
For a quick second there, it felt like Mook was in on the whole jewelry robbery. Luckily, she was not but I actually felt like that would have made her a more engaging person to watch. She’s very sweet and her relationship with Gaitok was cute at first. It then started to seem like she was only interested in him if he changed, and the finale kind of confirms this when Gaitok gets his promotion. Not totally sure how I feel about her which leaves her near the bottom.
15. Chloe
Chloe was the connector to the connector of the last two season with her relationship to “Gary.” She also gave us the brothers incest scene so that is certainly something. None of those situations were really about her, but there was one that I really enjoyed. Her connection and similarities to Chelsea gave us some great moments and conversations about their lives to give her just enough development to care.
Tier C: Mediocre but Essential
14. Kate
The first of our three girlfriends, we have Kate. An extremely superficial person who did her best to avoid drama yet was the one who stirred it up the most without anybody really batting an eye. Kate is a super fake person who is also a republican so I guess the shoe fits. Leslie Bibb kills it with her reactions to everything even if she was for me the least likable and intriguing of the bunch.
13. Gaitok
Poor ol Gaitok. What a f****** week this guy had. This dude got jumped, received lost, and gained a gun, killed a guy, got promoted, AND started dating Mook. He was clearly overwhelmed yet also up for the challenge because that’s just the man he is. Afraid of violence due to religious regions, his journey stand up for himself was awesome to watch even if it took A LOT.
12. Frank
Sam Rockwell’s cameo midway through the season was such a pleasant surprise. What was also a surprise was the jaw-dropping monologue about his addiction and past. rick’s reaction said ti all for a dinner that was one of the most random things I’ve seen on tv. Frank completely abandons his newfound peace episodes later in hilarious fashion once he and Rick party in Bangkok. Rockwell clearly is enjoying hamming it up here and energizes the whole storyline.
11. Jaclyn
Sometimes you just want to punch Jaclyn and sometimes you just want to give her a hug. I tend to land in the former category due to her gaslighting of Laurie but I’ll cut her some slack. She manages to apologize for the valentin situation to earn her some goodwill and actually talks the least amount of s*** about the others of the three. She is just back and forth with her behavior which keeps her right in the middle.
10. Belinda
I did not expect Belinda to do a full heel turn here I’m not going to lie. The moment where she tells Pornchai that she is leaving Thailand and won’t start a business together is a just brutal and a complete deja vu moment from season 1. Belinda sold her soul for money and ya know it’s hard to blame her. It’s just hard to believe she was one of the rare likable characters early on and then became unrecognizable at the end.
Tier B: The Ratliffs and Greg
9. Piper
Piper nooooo. After being the sole reason the family went to Thailand, Piper backs out in total Ratliff fashion due to not wanting to live the lifestyle that isn’t the comfortable one she has grown up in. It’s a fitting end to her storyline that gave us an awesome look into the Buddhist religion and culture.
8. Greg/Gary
This is probably the best material that Greg (Or Gary) has gotten over the last few seasons. Not to mention the sheer shock of his first appearance was done perfectly to set up some more uncertainty and dread over the week. It’s also the most present he has been in yet, which allows us to actually learn some things about him like his weird voyeurism fetish. Hopefully we get to see him again!
7. Tim
Timothy Ratliff (Jason Isaacs) spends most of his time here just staring blankly at his family or popping his wife’s medications like a Pez dispenser. Tim goes through the mental wringer during the vacation to the point where he almost kills his family and himself at multiple moments (even on accident). What validates him is his sense of priority and how he really is just trying to protect his family from what is coming and doesn't know how to live with it. Tim’s just a conflicted person but one whose actions feel validated yet extreme. Thank god he didn’t pull through with any of his thoughts.
6. Lochlan
Lochlan is a super easy person to understand and also someone who is about as innocent as anyone here. He’s insecure, a people-pleaser, and unsure of his identity. In return, he makes some real impulsive choices to find out who he is. Whether that is almost joining Piper in his mission, getting s***faced, or getting off his brother - the dude tries to make everyone happy and experiences failures of different kinds. That almost bites him in the finale, but thankfully he lives to see another day.
5. Victoria
Give a round of applause to Parker Posey please. With the most outrageous yet accurate accent I’ve heard, she gives us the most comedy in the season. Every facial reaction and one-liner she delivers is just killer in even the darkest times. She may not have much or any development, but that’s because she is established as a presence quite earl. Victoria’s a rich mother who just wants her family to live the easy life she has and you know what I can’t knock her for that despite her ignorance.
Tier A: Unforgettable
4. Chelsea
Finally, in our top tier of characters, we get the first of the most memorable creations from Mike White in Chelsea. Chelsea is such a spiritual yet aloof personality who is devoted to Rick so much that she ends up biting the bullet in the finale (literally). Like Victoria, she is a source of humor to keep things light and we love her for it. That being said, it’s so sad to see one of the only good natured characters die but she knew what she was getting into.
3. Saxon
The oldest brother managed to become my favorite of the Ratliff family by my own surprise. A “soulless” narcissist focused solely on girls and his career, Saxon starts to be one of the only sane people in the show after his incestous night on the boat. That event sparks his interest towards figuring out what he really wants in life thanks to Chelsea. While not completely redeemable, he clearly is someone who cares about his family and how he is perceived which humanizes a previously obnoxious character.
2. Laurie
God, I just love and feel for Laurie. Her life was falling apart and just wanted a fun girls reunion trip to let loose. She does manage to let loose with the Russian guys in a couple ways, but it wasn't smooth sailing due to the behind the back work of the friend group. When Jaclyn and Kate were pretending everything was perfect , Laurie kept it real up all the way up to her final speech (which might get Carrie Coon an Emmy). She was the most down to earth person in the show with an edge that gives her a top spot on this ranking only losing out to a much worse person.
Rick
Just because you’re not a good guy doesn't mean you can’t be the best and deepest person on the season. When we meet Rick, he is this grumpy old guy who doesn’t really give his girlfriend the attention he needs. Then, we learn his insanely tragic backstory and his plan to go to Bangkok which is where he takes off. Rick gets to express himself as a friend, lover, and enemy in the span of a day within the last episode. Rick then completely unravels and unveils himself as the gunman from the premiere and poetically dies next to his soulmate. It always felt like he was on the verge of an explosion and it finally comes to fruition in the finale. I’d also love to give a shout out for the unexpected twist that the man who killed his father was his dad as it didn't even register in my mind (It also weirdly resembles Star Wars but that is besides the point). So there it is, another reason in the books. Who was your favorite character?
