White Lotus Season 3 Episode 2 Recap: Special Treatments

Now that we have familiarized ourselves with new guests and Staff, it is time to see how the first days in paradise will treat them.  

We are back to Jaclyn and Kate continuing their conversation that looks like care, but it does not sound like it. The two have opinions about how everything in Laurie’s life is going wrong: A nasty divorce, a daughter that hits, a work promotion that did not land. They love her and are just worried about their best friend, who is actually looking a little defeated. How could she not? Laurie drained two bottles of wine.

As the sun rises so do the guests, waking up to birds chirping and alarms going off. Piper is up with the sun doing yoga while Lochlan stares at his brother’s naked body in bed.

At breakfast, Timothy is still having trouble with the no-phone policy of the resort he chose. Now he knows that not only the Wall Street Journal is asking for him, but also the Washington Post. Victoria pays close to no attention to Kate right in front of her, talking about their encounter at a friend’s baby shower 10 years ago. Once Kate leaves Victoria emphasizes her disinterest in Kate or her friends, since in her perception actresses are basically prostitutes if they get that lucky. Kate goes back to her best friends, united as always like the conversation about Laurie never happened.

Chelsea tells Rick about her new friend and their combined dinner plans. Like everything else, Rick does not want to be involved even after Chelsea tells him that he and Greg have things in common such as being old and growing bald. Rick also learns he has a stress management session while Chelsea enjoys a body scrub and wax.

Gaitok is filled with nervousness as he invites Mook for lunch and a conversation about his feelings. He thinks they could be great together, but Mok brushes him off, as they have never been on a proper date before.

The day follows with guests and their schedules. Valentin performs the biomarker tests on Jaclyn, Kate, and Laurie. Kate does not show numbers for a person half her age like her other two friends. Jaclyn is also surprised by Laurie’s number, like her own, you know, an actress.

Pam has adjusted the Ratliff schedule to their desire. Victoria goes to get her massage, not before taking a pill. Saxon is discontented with his massage lacking an inappropriate happy ending. Lochlan floats in a tank while Piper takes a yoga class with a man ogling her at every change of pose.

Rick’s stress management goes.. sad. His mom was a drug addict and died when he was ten, and his dad was murdered before Rick could meet him. He can’t recall when stress was not present in his life. We discover that behind the irritable Rick, there is a man with no faith or love for himself. He deeply believes he is nothing.

Somewhere in the resort, Belinda and Pornchai are focusing on exchanging techniques. Belinda is beyond pleased with Pornchai’s massage, and speechless with what he keeps under his uniform.

Stress sets in the resort after the activities. A masked man in a motorcycle bypasses Gaitok’s gentle way of guarding. Rick calls Chelsea an idiot, making her extremely upset. Not so luckily, Chloe arrives just in time to take her shopping. The store they are at is exactly where the robbery takes place. Chloe misses the entire thing inside the changing room while Chelsea is traumatized by the gunshots and a life-threatening experience. Gaitok tries to fight the robber at the exit but gets knocked out with the gun at his temple. His bravery is not recognized the way he wishes by his guard mates and superiors. The only positive outcome is an extra visit by Mook praising his bravery.

At the beach, Piper has her relaxing hemp moment destroyed once Lochlan joins her and tells her that Saxon thinks she is hot, but also a virgin.

Dinner at the resort is used for bonding or trying at least. Rick and Gary have a hard time starting a conversation. After long stares from Chelsea Rick asks him a few questions but doesn’t get many answers.  Just that he is retired, worked with this and that. As for his relationship with Chloe, We find out that he met her in a matchmaking service website in Dubai, and that he does not know her that much. She loses when Gary mistakes her for French, not French Canadian. Belinda spots Gary/Greg a few tables away and cannot shake off the feeling of knowing him.

At the Ratliff’s table, sexist jokes, speech-like conversations about the family’s money, and Piper telling Saxon to take care of his own business. Timothy gets a call from Kenny Nguyen and discovers that 20 agents have raided Kenny’s apartment. Kenny goes on about how he regrets taking the position at Brunei and advises Timothy to hire a good lawyer. Timothy regrets helping Kenny with shady business, since now he is in big trouble and only profited $10 million from it. Gaitok overhears the entire conversation. At dinner, Rick also overhears Sritala saying her husband is out of the hospital.

Back in their rooms, it is time for Kate and Laurie to gossip about Jaclyn. It seems that Jaclyn has not changed, still competitive and narcissistic even with her successful career. They think she went over and beyond with procedures. Her face is sandblasted, but of course, she still looks beautiful. Her recent marriage is also a topic of discussion. How can they be so happy if they barely see each other? To them, she probably feels lonelier than she admits.

Chelsea is still shaken by her almost death when Rick tells Chelsea about his plan to fly to Bangkok. She is not a fan of the idea and just wants him to hold her. In their bed we see maybe for the first time, the couple exchanging a tender and romantic moment. At the villa, Timothy begins his urgent search for a lawyer.