The White Lotus Season 3: Did Lochlan Ratliff Really Just Do THAT to His Brother Saxon?

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for The White Lotus Season 3, Episode 6, “Denials.”

In The White Lotus‘ latest episode, “Denials,” Lochlan Ratliff gives his brother, Saxon, a handjob – or does he? Read on for the full lowdown on The White Lotus Season 3’s most shocking moment yet!

Did Lochlan Really Give Saxon a Handjob in The White Lotus Season 3?

The White Lotus‘ third season has long hinted that there’s something… off about the Ratliff family in general, and the two boys in particular. Episode 1 includes an unsettling scene in which a naked Saxon loads up a porn website as Lochlan watches on. Then in Episode 5, the siblings make out during a game of spin the bottle with Chloe and Chelsea. But none of this compares to Episode 6’s big revelation that Lochlan gave Saxon a handjob during Episode 5’s Full-Moon Party shenanigans!

Wait, did this taboo act actually happen? At first, The White Lotus Season 3, Episode 6 keeps things ambiguous. When we’re shown Saxon’s hazy, alcohol and drug-addled memory of the night before, it seems like he pleasured himself while Lochlan and Chloe had sex. Admittedly, that’s very messed up (to put it mildly), however, it falls short of outright incest.

The ambiguity around the Lochlan jerking off Saxon ultimately evaporates, though – with a little help from Chloe. Greg’s much younger girlfriend fills in the blanks around Lochlan and Saxon’s wild night, causing Saxon to remember that yes, he did indeed receive a handjob from his little bro. And lest we think that Saxon’s mind is playing tricks on him, Lochlan later has a flashback of his own confirming this icky incident definitely happened!

Related: Why Did Jaclyn Sleep With Valentin in The White Lotus Season 3?

Why Does Lochlan Give Saxon a Handjob?

That is the question, isn’t it? After all, for all their eccentricity, the Ratliffs present themselves as the epitome of Southern respectability. So, performing sex acts on a relative isn’t really their vibe. What’s more, it’s clear from Saxon and Lochlan’s respective reactions to what we’re calling “HandjobGate” that they are very much not okay with what went down (or up and down, as it were).

Related: What Did the Russian Girls Say in The White Lotus Season 3 Episode 5?

As such, the obvious reason why the handjob happened is – as Saxon himself argues – because the Ratliff boys were both drunk and high. But as Chelsea points out, booze and pills wouldn’t make her commit incest – and most viewers probably feel the same! So, maybe there’s some deeper discovery at play here that The White Lotus Season 3’s remaining episodes will unpack.

The White Lotus is currently airing on HBO and streaming on Max, with new episodes dropping Sundays.