Warning! SPOILERS ahead for The White Lotus season 3, episode 5!One of the most entertaining storylines inThe White Lotusseason 3 has been the girls’ trip with lifelong friends Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan), Laurie (Carrie Coon), and Kate (Leslie Bibb), which has largely been defined by their in-group gossiping, mockery, and subtle backstabbing while putting on a face of love and friendship. Whether it was Jaclyn and Kate secretly discussing Laurie’s divorce, Laurie and Kate gossiping about Jaclyn’s new marriage, orJaclyn and Laurie criticizing Kate’s politicsand changes in Texas,The White Lotusseason 3 has been gradually building to an explosive confrontation on their vacation.
AfterThe White Lotusseason 3, episode 5’s ending, it’s now clear what moment is going to set off the girl group’s big arguments. Since Jaclyn and Kate are both married, the former has been trying to push the recently divorced Laurie to make a move on their health mentor Valentin, leading the three women to join Valentin and two of his friends at a club and, later, back to their pool. Whilethe gossiping and cattiness had been relatively even and forgivable before this episode,Michelle Monaghan’s Jaclynfinally goes too far when having a secret rendezvous with Valentin.
Jaclyn Secretly Sleeping With Valentin In The White Lotus Season 3 Episode 5 Makes Her The Worst Friend
Jaclyn Betrayed The Others Worse Than Just Gossip
From the get-go, it was clear thatJaclyn, Laurie, and Kate are all bad friendsto one another. They grew up together and remained friends throughout various life phases, but they no longer have anything in common or seem happy about the others’ accomplishments.Their “friendship” has become a game of pretending to love each other while really just wanting to prove that each is better offthan the others in some way. However, they could still lie to themselves about really liking each other when their transgressions were confined to secret gossip sessions and judgmental facial reactions.
Kate
Leslie Bibb
That’s no longer the case afterThe White Lotusseason 3, episode 5, as Jaclyn has evolved from comparatively harmless gossiping to a real act of betrayal against her friends.By secretly sleeping with Valentin, Jaclyn has broken the trust of both Laurie and Kate, who thought that meeting up with these guys would just be a night of innocent fun. However, Jaclyn has now cheated on her husband and made the otherWhite Lotuscharacterscomplicit, while also going behind Laurie’s back to take the guy she was flirting with for herself.
The White Lotus Season 3 Continues An Actor Trend Dating Back To An All-Time Great HBO Show From 11 Years Ago
It’s great to see Carrie Coon play one of the best characters in The White Lotus season 3 after her role in two other critically acclaimed HBO shows.
Jaclyn, of course, knows that sleeping with Valentin that night was wrong and would cause issues if Kate and Laurie found out, which is why she waits until they’re asleep before she invites Valentin back to her room. Jaclyn, Kate, and Laurie all going behind each other’s backs to gossip during their vacation is something they could easily move on from, as it’s implied that they’ve been doing that exact thing their entire lives. However, Jaclyn secretly hooking up with Valentin is a much worse offense thatmore strongly puts into question her loyalty to and respect for her friends.
It’ll Be Difficult For Both To Forgive Jaclyn
The person who would be hurt most by Jaclyn hooking up with Valentin would be Laurie, as Jaclyn had been frequently encouraging Laurie to pursue him sinceThe White Lotusseason 3, episode 2. Laurie was hesitant, but finally decided to let her guard down and dance with Valentin while they all went out in episode 5. Even before the guys left,Laurie whispered something inaudible into Valentin’s ear, so she was clearly still interested in him at that point. As such, Laurie would feel rightfully betrayed by her friend for secretly inviting him over shortly after.
Though they’ve all wronged each other on this vacation, Jaclyn’s actions will be more difficult for Kate and Laurie to forgive.
Meanwhile, Kate has a different reason to be upset with Jaclyn for her actions. Earlier inThe White Lotusseason 3, Kate and Jaclyn had bonded over being married, though the latter’s marriage was much more recent. SinceKate also has more traditional beliefs about marriage and relationships, she’s apt to be more judgmental of Jaclyn for cheating on her husband, especially with Kate and Laurie being close by when it happened. Though they’ve all wronged each other on this vacation, Jaclyn’s actions will be more difficult for Kate and Laurie to forgive.
Could This Be What Finally Breaks Their Friendship For Good?
Image via Max
Each group inThe White Lotusseason 3 is set to have a major fallout, whether it be the Ratliff family’s downfall, Rick seeking out his father’s murderer, or Greg trying to keep Belinda quiet. At this point, it’s difficult to guess who will leave Thailand still okay and on good terms with each other. That also depends onwho dies inThe White Lotusseason 3, but the girl group seems the least stable. After decades of smaller aggressions against one another,Jaclyn betraying Laurie could finally be what breaks up the friend group for good.
However, this is alsoThe White Lotus, where Mike White likes to tease audiences into believing every character group could return home with their lives destroyed and upended. Of course, that’s not always the case.The White Lotusseason 1 endedwith Shane and Rachel still together and the Mossbacher family intact, while season 2 concluded with Harper and Cameron’s marriages still together and the Di Grasso family returning to normalcy. As such, though disaster seems inevitable,it’s still possible that Jaclyn, Laurie, and Kate will pretend nothing happenedafterThe White Lotusseason 3.
New episodes ofThe White Lotusseason 3 release Sunday nights on HBO and Max.
