(Warning: Spoilers ahead.)
Rather than the gossipy 40-something frenemies posing as besties guzzling white wine and going topless or the group taking unspecified drugs and kissing their sibling, it is the man sipping on chamomile tea who delivers the most jaw-dropping moment of this week’s White Lotus outing.
Rick (Walton Goggins) thought he was in for a wild night but little did he know that reuniting with an old buddy would take quite the turn into sex tourism, spirituality and the concept of f—ing yourself.
After bringing down the mood for most of their stay at the Koh Samui luxury resort, Rick travels to Bangkok while Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) parties the night away with Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon) and the Ratliff brothers. Chelsea tells Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) that Rick has some personal issues in the Thai capital, but doesn’t divulge Rick’s vengeance plan targeting the man he believes murdered his father—part of me thinks this mystery man might actually be his father.
Charlotte Le Bon, Sam Nivola, Aimee Lou Wood / Fabio Lovino/HBO / HBO
Chelsea is concerned about what will happen to her hot-headed boyfriend while they are apart, underscoring her “I can fix him” attraction. Luckily, Rick is not alone, and the friend he is meeting is no longer a party animal.
Mike White continues to fill out the White Lotus world with more dynamite casting and it is a no-brainer that Sam Rockwell is playing Rick’s confidant, Frank. Not only does he immediately click opposite Goggins, but Rockwell’s longterm girlfriend is Leslie Bibb, so his presence on the Thailand set was never going to provoke speculation. I will not be mad if Carrie Coon’s husband Tracy Letts or either of Sam Nivola’s parents (Emily Mortimer and Alessandro Nivola) stop by later this season.
Sockless loafers immediately clue you into Frank’s vibe, and while he isn’t quite sporting the signature LBH (Losers Back Home) baldness, the razor short look tips into this category. The fact that Frank had to leave the United States is a huge red flag and puts him on par with Gary/Greg (Jon Gries). Later, we learn he owes Rick a favor that extends beyond the gun Frank has procured, instantly spiking my curiosity.
Like other white Westerners who venture to this location, Frank claims he is a changed man. Rick expected Frank to take him partying, but he should’ve gone to the full-moon soirée if he wanted to get blitzed. Instead, Frank orders a chamomile tea at the hotel bar while Rick sips whisky. “I don’t think we’ve ever hung out sober,” Rick says.
What caused Frank to change his lifestyle? If you were expecting a to the point tale of replacing partying with religion, then buckle up because a long, self-indulgent story is ahead.
Rockwell plays it completely straight, so while some of his ideas and descriptions make Rick’s mouth fall open, Frank is not exaggerating for the sake of yucking it up with an old buddy. Rick is drinking, but probably feels like he smoked the same pot that caused him to free poisonous snakes a couple of episodes ago.
Frank begins by revealing he came to Thailand because he “always had a thing for Asian girls.” So when he arrived with zero purpose, he was like a “kid in a candy store.” It was different women every night, sometimes more than one and it “got wild.” A white guy who fetishizes Asian women and uses them as props for his fantasies doesn’t raise Rick’s eyebrows but his expression quickly changes from impassive to slack-jawed as Frank gets into the concept of desire.
It takes a turn when Frank mentions he realized he wouldn’t be satisfied if he slept with a million women. “Maybe what I really want is to be one of these Asian girls,” Franks says. Now at this, Rick’s eyebrows convey a WTF reaction as Rick struggles to vocalize his palpable discomfort. “Really? Not, really,” Rick says.
“No, really,” says Frank, sincerely. Rick has one more “Really?!” in his arsenal, highlighting how one little word can say so much. But there is more.
In his sexual quest, Frank got in his head that he “wanted to be one of these Asian girls getting f—ed by me and to feel that.” At this, Rick’s mouth is on the floor and continues to stay this way during Frank’s monologue (so was mine) about hiring a white guy who looked like Frank to come over and “rail the s—” out of him while Frank was wearing lingerie and perfume. Frank would also hire an Asian girl to watch. “I’d look in her eyes while some guy was f—ing me and I’d think, ‘I am her and I’m f—ing me.”
Finally, Rick closes his mouth, but it quickly falls open again when Frank says he could be an Asian girl on the inside. Frank’s epiphany that he couldn’t “f— my way to the answer” is astute. However, his path to enlightenment has skipped insight into treating the local community as disposable playthings and objects to consume like candy. Frank happily uses the latter as a metaphor but is so far up his own a– that he misses the point—though White certainly has not skipped this critique, including language about different gender identities.
It is quickly established that Frank never does things by halves. After being sober for 10 months and embracing Buddhism, Frank is now celibate. While he no longer sleeps around, his focus is still on himself and he has jumped from sex tourism to the spiritual kind. Franks thinks he has found clarity but is still a midlife cliché.
Michelle Monaghan / Fabio Lovino/HBO / HBO
Jumping between the hotel bar and the other outlandish antics by the White Lotus guests underscores Rick’s sedate setting. Laurie (Carrie Coon), Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan), and Kate (Bibb) are dancing up a storm with the Russians in a nightclub before inviting them back to their villa. Despite playing cupid between Laurie and Valentin (Arnas Fedaravičiu), Jacyln ends the night inviting Valentin to her bed. Yep, she has always been that friend.
Chelsea is getting into the frivolity spirit while making it clear she is not interested in Saxon’s anything. She tells Chloe she doesn’t want to cheat on Rick, not because she thinks he will be violent, but it will make him sad. Turning down Chloe’s foursome (with two brothers!) suggestion is definitely for the better.
Sam Nivola, Patrick Schwarzenegger / Fabio Lovino/HBO / HBO
Sex and religion are on the table for Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook) in an argument with her mother about post-college plans to move to the Buddhist monastery. Victoria (Parker Posey) thinks Piper is entering into a sex cult like NXIVM and just because a monk has written a “major book” doesn’t make him not a cult leader (she cites Charles Manson and Bill and Hillary Clinton as author examples). Get this woman her lorazepam, Tim (Jason Isaacs), because everyone is catching strays.
If only Victoria could hear Frank’s long-winded explanation of how he gave up his sex life for Buddhism—now, that is a conversation I want to hear. Or, if only she knew what her sons were getting up to as they breach the incest line while out partying. Piper is the least of the Ratliff concerns.
Back in Bangkok, Rick’s sidequest continues, and he isn’t cutting this friendship cord after hearing Frank’s Eat, Pray, Love on steroids (or, I guess, Viagra) journey. At least they won’t have hangover shame the following morning, which is not something other White Lotus guests can guarantee.
