‘The White Lotus’ – ‘Full-Moon Party’ – Review
Strap in and get ready to sweat, because Episode Five of The White Lotus Season Three, ‘Full Moon Party’, is a delirious, decadent, and downright delicious explosion of lust, neon, and emotional carnage, and it’s the best damn episode of the season so far. Mike White turns the heat up to full blast, and what we get is a gloriously messy, utterly intoxicating hour of television that has us completely flustered in the best way possible.
As things get wild during the Full Moon festivities, Rick visits an old friend in Bangkok, and Belinda shares her suspicions about a hotel guest.
There’s been a slow build this season, a simmering boil of sexual tension, frayed nerves, and burning desire. But ‘Full Moon Party’ lets it all loose. This isn’t just television. It’s a full-body, sensory overload – an erotic, chaotic, drug-fueled fever dream of an episode that reminds us exactly why The White Lotus is the most provocative show on TV right now.
Let’s start with the sex-fueled chaos that is Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon). The flirtatious goddess is in full femme fatale mode, and she’s got everyone under her spell. Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger), the testosterone-driven horndog, is all in. But it’s the introverted Lochlan (Sam Nivola) who becomes the centre of her devious designs. Chloe’s on a mission — to liberate Lochlan’s libido, and she’s bringing sweet, vulnerable Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) along for the ride. Armed with a cocktail of heavy-duty party drugs, the foursome descend into the pulsing madness of the Full Moon Party… and it is wild.
What follows is a kaleidoscope of neon lights, bare skin, rhythmic dancing, and a reckless abandon that borders on the spiritual. It’s liberating, it’s dangerous, and it’s gloriously indulgent. And just when you think it can’t go any further, the foursome’s infamous “kissing game” moment lands like a bombshell, revealing a truth so shocking it’ll leave viewers gasping and possibly rewinding in disbelief. This is White Lotus in full scandalous bloom, and we are living for it.
Meanwhile, things get steamy (and a little sweaty) on the other side of the island with Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan) and Laurie (Carrie Coon). After spending so much of the season tightly wound and emotionally reserved, these ladies are ready to let loose, and hunky Valentin (Arnas Fedaravicius) and his crew are more than happy to oblige. Cue the orgiastic vibes and total bodily expression. What unfolds is an intoxicating blend of passion, play, and unfiltered desire, with Jaclyn finally getting her metaphorical cake, and devouring it, quite literally, with wild delight. Leslie Bibb’s Kate, ever the composed observer, is utterly flustered… and honestly, so are we.
Once again things are desperately falling out of whack for The Ratliffs – and this falls on Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook) and her bombshell reveal: she wants to ditch it all — the wealth, the privilege, the White Lotus smoothies — and join a Buddhist monastery. The reaction from Victoria (Parker Posey) is one for the ages. Posey devours this scene, chewing through the dialogue with Southern-fried hysteria. Her disbelief is so thick you could spread it on toast, and her shrill, tear-drenched cry of “Who walks away from avocado toast and valet parking?!” is already living rent-free in our heads. It’s an instant-classic White Lotus moment — comedy born of crisis, with a sprinkle of satirical genius.
Piper’s moment is the forebear for further emotional heft, leading into the tension brewing between Timothy (Jason Issacs) and Victoria (Parker Posey). Still reeling from Piper’s devastating truth bomb, Timothy finds himself spiralling, gun in hand, desperation on his face. It’s a chilling moment that could have easily veered into chaos, but Mike White pulls back, gifting us something more delicate: a moment of raw vulnerability, spiritual reckoning, and human connection. The way this plays out is a masterclass in subverting expectations, and it’s one of the show’s most tender scenes to date.
And then there’s Rick (Walton Goggins), now in Bangkok, who stumbles into what may be The White Lotus’s most ‘WTF’ moment yet. Enter Sam Rockwell as Frank, a fellow lost soul with stories to burn. What begins as a casual reunion erupts into a blistering monologue of sex, sin, and soul-searching that will go down in White Lotus history. Rockwell’s performance is magnetic — a tragic, mesmerizing whirlwind of a man who has seen some shit, and is finally owning it. This soliloquy is pure TV gold, and will leave you with pure chills!
‘Full Moon Party’ is The White Lotus unchained. It’s raw, it’s raunchy, it’s radiant. Mike White crafts a sensory spectacle that pulses with the heat of lust and the sting of revelation. With jaw-dropping moments, deep character revelations, and an atmosphere so thick you can practically taste the sweat and salt in the air, this episode cements itself as an all-timer in the series’ run. And with three episodes left, who knows what wild, sexy chaos lies ahead?
The White Lotus is currently streaming on NEON and SKY TV.
Image: SKY TV
