Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for The White Lotus Season 3 finale.To say that The White Lotus excels at presenting morally gray to full-on toxic characters would be an understatement. It is the lifeblood of the show, after all. Especially when it comes to douchey men, Mike White‘s quasi-anthological drama includes at least one every season, with Cameron (Theo James) and Shane (Jake Lacy) easily giving us the most detestable characters in each previous iteration. This time, that archetype was given to the character Saxon Ratliff (Patrick Schwarzenegger). However, while he at first appeared to be the worst example of toxic masculinity seen yet, claiming women are a “numbers game” and harassing nearly everybody at the pool, he has turned into one of the most divisive characters.
Some will see his flaws as impassable obstacles, and that could be entirely valid, while others may see the possibility of redemption in him. However, it feels like nearly everyone is misreading the moment during the season finale where he watches Chelsea (Aimee Lou-Wood) walk away with Rick (Walton Goggins) on the beach and seems genuinely upset. The sadness of this moment isn’t meant to be the look of a man who has just lost a romantic interest, but something deeper than that.
Chelsea and Saxon Are Meant To Be Friends, Not Lovers, by the End of ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3
It is easy to get caught up in viewing Chelsea as Saxon’s romantic interest, but this would be misreading the more important character journey he undertakes this season. Yes, in the previous episode, “Killer Instincts,” Chelsea appeared to end their spiritual session quickly so that nothing happened between her and Saxon, and yes, he grabbed her hands. However, rather than this being White Lotus showing Chelsea that she should leave Rick, who at that moment was ignoring her calls and partying with Sam Rockwell‘s character in Bangkok, it is meant to be a test of the way Chelsea describes her “calm” and his chaos. Can she remain patient and trust that Rick will make the right decision, or will she choose to throw it away before she gets hurt?
Saxon reaching for Chelsea’s hand feels very different compared to his other interactions, especially earlier in the series when he’s seen harassing other women. For example, when he got an erection during his massage and felt sad that there was no “happy ending” afterward, this was him being completely focused on a sexual encounter, with little regard for the woman he was offending. But after the trauma Saxon experienced when Lochlan (Sam Nivola) sexually assaulted him in Episode 6, “Denials,” the simplicity of wanting to hold hands felt like he was reaching out for comfort, and he did not push Chelsea for more after she asked him to leave.
In the finale, when Rick and Chelsea are walking away after having been reunited, Saxon was not looking at Chelsea specifically. The camera chooses to focus on both of them from his point of view, not showing us some sexualized version of love but a pure connection that feels like it is getting further away from him. At that moment, it was the feeling that he had lost the one person who challenged him to be better and that he might never find it again, and he might never experience what Rick and Chelsea have together.
All Hope Is Not Lost for Saxon in ‘The White Lotus’
Before and after Rick appeared in that scene on the beach, Saxon showed the self-improvement he has made this season of White Lotus. He shows genuine interest in the self-help books that Chelsea has given him rather than making fun of them as he might have done at the beginning of the season. Nearly finishing a book overnight shows Saxon’s interest in the topic and shows a genuine curiosity about finding a new direction in life.
The biggest jump for this character seems to be when he notes that the “sex stuff was interesting” from the book. Yes, I’m sure there was more in that book other than sex, but this seems to be the first time he has read something from the spiritual genre, and he doesn’t mock the “sex stuff” or make it seem pleasurable. He engages with the material on a level that he can understand, which is surely the first step to a deeper self-analysis of his own insecurity. The nail in the coffin for his valuing of sex above all else comes when he scoffs at Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon), who says, “It will be easy” to find someone else to have sex with her. He seems to find Chloe’s hedonism unimpressive which is a huge difference from the Saxon who first arrived at The White Lotus.
Saxon’s Character Arc Gives Hope for the Character’s Future After ‘The White Lotus’
Perhaps the biggest disappointment of the Season 3 finale was that we didn’t get to see how the Ratliffs reacted to the news that Tim (Jason Isaacs) was under investigation, and they were going to lose most, if not all, of the wealth they had. However, while Victoria (Parker Posey) and Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook) will most likely be the ones to be hit the hardest by this news, and Lochlan will take it best, Saxon’s reaction is up in the air. When he told his dad that he was nothing without success and money, it showed the deep insecurity in this character and explains why Tim almost poisoned him along with his mother and sister.
However, it is fair to assume that Saxon is beginning on a new chapter of his life and his reaction might be more nebulous. Chelsea has helped to allow him to present himself as someone more self-assured and, hopefully, on a better path. Ultimately, the real question is, do we believe he can change? If not, then you’ll probably still read that scene with Saxon, Chelsea, and Rick as one that portrays him as being upset that he has lost a romantic partner. If yes, then you are seeing what I believe the show wants you to see: someone on a potential path of enlightenment who is sad they have lost their teacher, but needs to find their path on their own.
All episodes of Season 3 of The White Lotus are available to stream on Max in the U.S.
