The gloves (almost) totally come off in the penultimate episode of ‘White Lotus’ Season 3

Our time at the White Lotus hotel in Thailand is almost at an end, and the question on everybody’s mind is… How long can Timothy Ratliff keep this up?

Our time at the White Lotus resort and spa in Thailand is almost at an end, and the question on everybody’s mind is… How long can “pillar of the community” Timothy Ratliff (Jason Isaacs) keep this up? But first, let’s catch up with another tortured soul among the traveling bunch. Amidst interludes of Muay Thai boxers that punctuate the entire episode, Rick (Walton Goggins) and his worldly friend Frank (Sam Rockwell)– posing as a hotshot Hollywood director – arrive at Sritala’s (Lek Patravadi) Bangkok compound that she shares with her husband Jim (Scott Glenn). While they chat, Frank goes off the rails – and his sobriety – trying to keep up the charade, and eventually Rick and Jim retire to the den, where the former confronts the mystery man. Rick mentions his mother’s name, which strikes a nerve for Jim, but before we learn more, Rick pulls the gun out. He stops short of shooting the older man, but does push him back off of his chair. After escaping, Frank is giddy and convinces Rick to partake in a night of partying. When Rick reminds him of his sobriety, Frank responds, “Come on, let’s go big. We’re in Bangkok man, let’s f***king go.” And big they certainly go, with Frank eventually smoking a glass pipe and snorting things with a bunch of topless women, as Rick watches with something akin to a smile on his face. Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong) and Mook (Lalisa Manobal) finally go on that date, where our friendly security guard references the robbery of the hotel gift shop and says he didn’t want to fight the thieves. Citing the Buddhist precept of non-violence, Gaitok owns up to not having a killer instinct. Mook seems disappointed that he isn’t ambitious about becoming a bodyguard (I mean, can’t he look into a customer service role? He’d be great at that, and there’s more money in it!). There’s an unmistakable sense that the once smitten-seeming pair have crossed a line. Later, Gaitok sees the Russians at the Thai boxing match, and realizes they were the robbers. Get ready for a showdown? In the “could’ve seen that one coming” category, the three besties have a blowout at dinner – and not the kind for their blonde hair. Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan) and Laurie (Carrie Coon) are both on the attack, with the former even bringing up the latter’s ex-husband as one of her poor life choices. Ouch! Kate (Leslie Bibb) manages to give off mediator/peacekeeping vibes while simultaneously ganging up on Laurie with Jaclyn. It’s all devilishly high school.