REVIEW: ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3 Episode 6 — “Denials”

The conversations within The White Lotus Season 3 Episode 6, “Denials,” weave together numerous examples of unspoken storytelling. The tapestry and art of this show continue telling a story within the story. Each character also reveals details about their personalities exceptionally, even when they aren’t speaking. The editing and camera angle selection of this episode add some doubt as to whether what is shown on the camera is the truth or not.

Creator Mike White always has a reason for every detail. He adds Sam Rockwell’s name to the opening theme’s tapestry, carefully and elusively inserting hints of what’s to come for certain characters. Rockwell’s name appears as an alligator staring at the bird that has Natasha Rothwell’s name. It’s unclear how their storylines will relate to one another, but it is a detail that’s subtly there to consider by the end of this vacation journey.

There is also an eye-grabbing mural in the restaurant where Rick (Walton Goggins) and Sritala (Lek Patravadi) agreed to meet each other in Bangkok. The mural shows a skirmish between Thai soldiers wearing gold armor fighting against armed monkeys and non-armored people. In this same restaurant meetup, Sritala wears a diamond-encrusted monkey pin with two ruby eyes. Again, The White Lotus doesn’t display anything without a reason. It’s the small details that foreshadow or symbolize aspects of its characters.

The best part of The White Lotus Season 3 Episode 6 is the editing.

One of the biggest highlights of The White Lotus Season 3 Episode 6 is the cast’s ability to add bodily cues to their dialogue delivery. When Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon) pauses and looks shifty-eyed to try to convince Greg (Jon Gries) that she didn’t hook up with Saxon Ratliff (Patrick Schwarzenegger) and Lochlan Ratliff (Sam Nivola).

Le Bon’s ability to appear human in this situation helps sell her as a character who’s always quick-thinking on her feet, but no one has to say that about her to describe her character that way. These inaudible context cues breathe life into Chloe as a character.

Another unexplained character detail is the undertones in Carrie Coon’s voice when Laurie Duffy confronts Jaclyn Lemon (Michelle Monaghan). Coon’s voice goes an octave lower when she asks Jaclyn why she would sleep with Valentin (Arnas Fedaravičius) if Jaclyn encouraged Laurie to flirt with Valentin in the first place.

It’s also the way Coon says, “You’re funny,” to Jaclyn, that increases the sting of judgment between two friends. Even Laurie’s passing comment, “It’s just like tenth grade,” speaks volumes about how these friends have a history without the characters specifically providing a whole story about their past.

The best part of The White Lotus Season 3 Episode 6 is the editing, more specifically with the vantage points of Timothy Ratliff (Jason Isaacs), Saxon, Lochlan, and Leslie Bibb’s Kate Bohr. White captures the stunningly beautiful sunrise morning at the beginning so well, leading to almost every cast member waking up. The reason that Tim, Saxon, Lochlan, and Kate’s morning routine in this episode is a strong editing choice is because there are signs of unreliability in their perspectives.

Tim’s rising stress levels are causing him to hallucinate, harming others and himself, and the editing of this episode shows that he’s losing his grip on reality. It’s fascinating and shocking to see what he’s thinking about as it reveals clues about the way he strategically analyzes different aspects of a situation—even when he’s tense.

The best editing in The White Lotus Season 3 Episode 6 mimics a black-out effect.

Kate’s observation of Valentin leaving Jaclyn’s suite in the morning raises questions about whether the camera shows the full truth. Based on Jaclyn and Valentin’s reactions, it’s unclear whether Jaclyn is lying about sleeping with Valentin or Kate is making up a story to win Laurie’s trust back. The way the shots are edited, with the help of showing quick cuts of certain moments, adds some doubt to the truth between Jaclyn and Valentin.

The very best editing is when the Ratliff brothers wake up in The White Lotus Season 3 Episode 6. It mimics the effects of blacking out the night before. As Saxon and Lochlan try to recall what happened the previous evening, each sibling isn’t certain whether their worst-case scenarios are true. The quick cuts, mixed with the dark red lighting and specific camera angles, show their memories are very fuzzy. The dark, ominous music Saxon tries to remember drives the disorientation because the score also sounds discordant, amplifying the confusion.

Overall, the actors of The White Lotus Season 3 Episode 6 play their parts well, adding micro-mannerisms that elevate their performances. With the help of editing and camera angle selection, this episode speaks volumes in the finer, unheard details. The storytelling and character-driven developments continue to prove that The White Lotus is an intelligently written dramedy with many layers beneath the distractingly beautiful scenic vacation spots.

All episodes of The White Lotus Season 3 are streaming now, exclusively on MAX, formerly HBO Max.

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