Warning! This article contains spoilers for The White Lotus season 3.
Carrie Coon’s character singlehandedly created five of the most stressful minutes I have experienced watchingThe White Lotusseason 3 thus far. Since the show began, a major fallout between three members ofThe White Lotusseason 3’s casthas been building. The characters in question are Laurie, Jaclyn, and Kate, with the trio providing one of the most intriguing, engrossing, and outrightbest stories ofThe White Lotusseason 3thus far.
InThe White Lotusseason 3, episode 6, the show edged these characters closer to an explosive confrontation. This came afterJaclyn slept with Valentin inThe White Lotus, with the former spending the prior five episodes trying to set the latter up with Laurie. Not only did this proveJaclyn to be a bad friend to Lauriebut it showcased her insecurities about her own relationship and the infidelity that was born from them. Regardless of why this storyline happened, Laurie finds out that it did inThe White Lotusseason 3, episode 6, with Carrie Coon making one scene afterward a stressful one.
The White Lotus Is Excellent At Subtle Tension
Image via Max
The scene in question comes by the pool of the titular hotel inThe White Lotusseason 3, episode 6. Laurie states that she has to say something and openly converses about doing so with Kate, despite Jaclyn being laid right next to them on a sunbed. This alone began to ramp up some tension, with Laurie certainly not trying to hide her anger over the situation. Eventually, Laurie outright tells Jaclyn that they know about Valentin. Kate’s reaction sums up how I felt during the scene, with the antagonism from Laurie causing a great deal of stress.
This is not to say that Laurie did not have a right to be angry, but simply that I believe the situation could have been handled in better circumstances and with less anger. Nonetheless, Laurie continues to let her anger show while continuing to prod Jaclyn, with the latter becoming increasingly defensive and denying what we know to be true.All of this, combined with Kate being mortified by the situation, makes the scene a masterclass in subtle tensionand anxiety. Despite no big fights or drama taking place,The White Lotusproves how excellent it is at delivering stressful scenes.
The Tension Will Explode Sooner Rather Than Later
As I have alluded to,The White Lotusseason 3 has been slowly building the suspense over a big argument that is brewing between Kate, Jaclyn, and Laurie. The trio is not one filled with women who act like good friends to each other, with Jaclyn’s actions proving as much and being the first thing to truly get under Laurie’s skin. As evident by Laurie’s words, it is clear this issue specifically runs deeper and has been happening between her and Jaclyn for decades.
The three will likely come to blows and drop their veiled competitiveness, gossiping, and backhanded remarks for more outright vitriol…
With that in mind, Laurie’s confrontation with Jaclyn seems to be a tipping point. If the tension that was built in the pool scene continues to increase inThe White Lotusseason 3’s remaining episodes, the three will likely come to blows and drop their veiled competitiveness, gossiping, and backhanded remarks for more outright vitriol. If so,The White Lotuscould further explore their past while their present friendships shatter and the women let each other know what they truly think of one another, stemming from Jaclyn and Laurie’s confrontation in season 3, episode 6.
