How Jaclyn, Laurie & Kate’s White Lotus Season 3 Vacation Becomes More Tense Teased By Star

Carrie Coon hints at tensions of tragic proportions for the trio of childhood friends—Jaclyn, Laurie, and Kate—in the upcoming episodes of The White Lotus season 3. Among the newest arrivals of wealthy guests in the latest chapter of Mike White’s hit anthology drama, Coon’s Laurie joins Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan) and Kate (Leslie Bibb) as the group of women attempt to reconnect at a luxury resort in Thailand. Throughout the season, tensions have simmered as Jaclyn, Laurie, and Kate have taken turns secretly picking apart each other’s lives and careers.

In an interview with ScreenRant‘s Grant Hermanns, Coon revealed what’s in store for the snide trio, hinting that their tensions won’t “let loose” until the end of the season. The Fargo actor referred to the themes of White Lotus season 3 as “mythological,” evoking the grandeur and inevitability of classic Greek tragedies, where fate and one’s hubris collide in dramatic fashion. Read what she had to say below:

I think when critics started to write about the show, they had seen six episodes. But I would say this season is rather spring-loaded. It just winds tighter and tighter and tighter, and doesn’t really let loose until the end, I can say that. And yes, all those feelings of portent you have about those women are real.

What I love about the arc that we have is there are themes in the show that are very transgressive and almost Greek, almost mythological, in their scope and expression. And the ladies are incredibly relatable in that world of Mike White, and I have heard from many, many women who have this experience of feeling like how everybody in the trio feels left out. [Chuckles]

And they have been on these vacations, or have these friends who are old friends and asking the question, ‘Are new friends better than old friends? Maybe.’ So, I just love that Mike is actually offering up something for audiences that is very accessible in this season.

What This Means For Jaclyn, Laurie, & Kate

Whispers, Betrayals, And A Vacation Gone Wrong

The White Lotus season 3 has slowly unraveled the deep-seated insecurities and imbalances within Jaclyn, Laurie, and Kate’s decades-old friendship—where Laurie appears to be the odd one out. Jaclyn, a successful television actress from L.A., and Kate, the ever-cheerful Texan, are quick to indulge in gossip. Laurie’s recent divorce and her daughter’s troubling behavior quickly became the subject of a wine-laden discussion. In one particularly gut-wrenching moment, Laurie watches her friends talk about her from the hotel window at the end of The White Lotus season 3, episode 1.

However, in White Lotus season 3, episode 3, the power dynamics seem to be shifting. Much like the tragic heroes of Greek mythology, Kate is forced to reckon with the consequences of her self-interest, realizing too late that she, too, is a pawn in a cruel and cyclical game. Kate inadvertently places herself in the crosshairs after hinting that she voted for Trump. Later, she finds herself on the receiving end of the same private ridicule she previously indulged in, watching in horror as she witnesses her friends dissecting her behind her back.

Our Take On Jaclyn, Laurie, & Kate

Could They Be Behind White Lotus Season 3’s Murder Mystery?

Coon’s mythological analogy of Jaclyn, Laurie, and Kate’s friendship perfectly encapsulates the slow erosion of their bond in The White Lotus season 3. Their dynamic certainly serves as a microcosm of the resort’s larger web of tensions, where every social interaction carries an undercurrent of resentment, competition, and self-interest. As the season builds toward its inevitable boiling point, I wouldn’t be surprised that this group of spiteful friends are revealed to be behind the gunshots we heard in the premiere.

TV Show

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The White Lotus

9/10

Release Date

July 11, 2021

Network

HBO

Showrunner

Mike White

Directors

Mike White

Writers

Mike White