With a show like The White Lotus, it’s easy to get caught up in the surface-level drama. Last season, it was Jack masquerading as Quentin’s nephew, only for us to find out they were doing the dirty and Jack was actually just his personal gigolo following him around.
This season, it’s Saxon Ratliff making all sorts of inappropriate comments about his sister to his brother, and just being a general douche. When you look past all of Saxon’s ick, however, it becomes clear that he has an enabler: his own mother. And that’s what episode 2 of The White Lotus Season 3 shows us.
Last week, I went over the very strange dynamics of the Ratliff kids. Victoria Ratliff was really just a footnote — the kooky mom who’s, for some reason, always drugged up and may very well be on opiates. Episode 2, titled “Special Treatments,” gives Victoria a bit more screen time, and the picture it’s painting of her seems to be a much more sinister one.
A Bad Role Model for Her Kids
Early on in Episode 2, we get to see the Ratliffs having breakfast at the resort. When Kate comes up to their table to tell Victoria she recognizes her from a baby shower they both attended 10 years ago, the latter just treats her with painful disinterest that’s thinly veiled by the most basic of courteous responses.
And when I say basic, I mean really basic. This scene is so painful to watch because it’s clear that Victoria has no interest in making small talk, while Kate just doesn’t seem to know when to quit. Victoria’s one-word responses and lightly raised eyebrows at Kate’s words are cold, making this an incredibly awkward exchange. She could have, at the very least, exchanged a few more pleasantries.
“It’s so nice to see you here!” “What a small world!” “Give Claire my best when you see her!” But nope. Nothing. Victoria chooses to just let Kate stand there in painful awkwardness.
Her rudeness is so blatant that even Lochy calls her out on it, and she counters by saying that the exchange didn’t matter. To make things even worse, when Saxon tells her Kate’s friend is an actress, Victoria immediately shoots down that sentiment by saying that all actresses are basically prostitutes.
Piper’s the only one who’s disgusted by her mom’s remarks, but Lochy and Saxon find them amusing.
Victoria Enables Saxon
Being rude is one thing, but enabling your son’s incredibly inappropriate sexual comments and laughing at them? Now that’s a huge red flag.
This happens multiple times throughout Episode 2. She laughs when Saxon complains about his massage not having a happy ending. She laughs again when Saxon makes fun of Thai accents. And she laughs yet again when Saxon jokes about the transgender community in Thailand and makes that comment about not knowing whether “you’ll get nuts” when you have sex in the country.
Let’s unpack that for a second. The fact that Saxon feels comfortable saying these things in front of his mother is weird. Like, really weird. I mean, I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t go sharing my opinions about sex and my own intimate life with my parents. In fact, I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that’s just not a thing that very many people do. So why does Saxon feel so at ease doing exactly that in front of his mother, and with his mother? It’s certainly not just because he’s a gross person (he is); Victoria also creates a space that makes him feel safe to say these things.
This becomes obvious during the dinner scene, when Victoria shares a strange anecdote about her own brother. When they were kids, her brother would pin her down and dangle spit right in front of her face. And today, they’re closer than they’ve ever been. Taken in isolation, you could just dismiss it as a silly thing that they used to do as mischievous kids. But in the context of everything we’ve seen of the Ratliff family so far in The White Lotus Season 3, I can’t help but draw the conclusion that maybe the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
So What’s Victoria’s Deal?
I don’t know if any of this is necessarily going anywhere in Season 3, but at the very least, the show is giving us some context for why Saxon is the way he is. It also reinforces the idea that the entire Ratliff family is pretty screwed up, and it starts with the parents. Victoria is the drugged-up mom who clearly doesn’t care about setting a good example for her kids. In comparison, Timothy almost looks like a saint when it comes to parenting, but let’s not forget he is now also a criminal involved in money laundering and bribery.
That entire family is a mess, and Piper seems to be the only normal, rational one of the bunch. Even Lochy lost points in this episode by asking Piper if she’s still a virgin. Come on Lochy, read the room. If the next episode reveals that Piper has some sort of weird dysfunction, that might actually make me lose all hope in humanity.
The White Lotus is now available for streaming on HBO Max.
Published: Feb 28, 2025 10:00 PM UTC