The White Lotus’ Patrick Schwarzenegger Explains Important Saxon Detail In The Season 3 Finale

Warning! Spoilers ahead for The White Lotus season 3 finale!

Patrick Schwarzenegger, who plays Saxon in The White Lotus season 3, explained why he looked at Chelsea and Rick for so long in the finale. The latest installment of the hit HBO series follows a new batch of guests who are visiting a luxury resort in Thailand. In addition to Schwarzenegger, the cast of The White Lotus season 3 includes Aimee Lou Wood, Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey, Natasha Rothwell, and many others. In season 3, Saxon is on vacation with his family, but forms a surprising connection with Wood’s Chelsea.

In an interview with Variety following The White Lotus season 3 finale, Schwarzenegger reveals that he looks at Chelsea and Rick for so long because that’s the kind of love that he might want. He discusses how Chelsea has opened his eyes and helped to enlighten him throughout the last batch of episodes. He also claims that series creator Mike White didn’t want Saxon to go through a whole transformation just yet. Therefore, there are just small moments that prove he wants to change. Read Schwarzenegger’s full comments below:

It’s longing. Over the last two episodes, he starts to form a more meaningful relationship with Chelsea. She opens him up by giving him books, and he’s exposed to the fact that she believes Rick is her soulmate. She’s really in love, and Saxon doesn’t understand that. He’s always laughing or scoffing at that those things, but he watches her actually run off into the sunset and jump into Rick’s arms. They have this moment, forehead to forehead, and he thinks, “Wow. Maybe this is what I want.”

I actually played a version of that scene where it’s full come-to-Jesus, where Saxon is just so sweet to the girls. Mike came up and said, no, he didn’t want me to play it like that. He didn’t want some huge change for Saxon yet — just a small moment and to hold on my face as I watch her go off into the distance.

Saxon Is A Different Person At The End Of The White Lotus Season 3

Saxon is one of the best characters in The White Lotus season 3. Even though he isn’t involved in the shootout that leads to Chelsea and Rick’s deaths, he still gets several interesting scenes in the season 3 finale. At the very beginning of the season, it is established that Saxon is an arrogant character who wants to take advantage of other people. However, after getting to know Chelsea more throughout the final episodes of The White Lotus season 3, he begins to subtly change.

Because of his interactions with Chelsea, Saxon is a different character at the end of The White Lotus season 3. Ahead of the season 3 finale, it was theorized that Saxon and Chelsea would end up together. However, this theory didn’t come true. In fact, Schwarzenegger’s comments suggest that Saxon wasn’t actually in love with Chelsea. Instead, he just realized that he wanted to experience the love that she felt for Rick. Therefore, even though he wasn’t meant to be with Chelsea, Saxon will undoubtedly have a much different outlook on life moving forward, and that’s all because of her.

Saxon’s Character Development Was Executed Perfectly In The White Lotus Season 3

The connection between Saxon and Chelsea was one of the most surprising plot points in The White Lotus season 3. Early in the season, I thought there was no chance that Saxon would find any sort of redemption. However, he realizes that he has perhaps been viewing the world in the wrong way, which leads to this change in behavior. With that being said, I’m glad that White insisted that Saxon shouldn’t be a completely different character in the season 3 finale, as that would have felt unnatural. Overall, I love Saxon’s development in The White Lotus season 3.

Source: Variety

The White Lotus

9/10

Release Date

July 11, 2021

Network

HBO

Showrunner

Mike White

Directors

Mike White

Writers

Mike White