Deconstructing good and evil
on the issue with choosing between good and bad: through the lens of white lotus
Mike White is constantly putting viewers in uncomfortable situations throughout his three seasons of The White Lotus. Like in season one when we watch a woman stay in a relationship with a man we hate, or in season two where we are left to wonder if both parts of a couple have betrayed the other, and now, in season three where we see boundaries crossed by two brothers. In all seasons, we all want to choose a side. Who is good? Who am I rooting for? Who do I identify with? However, as each season progresses into the next, especially now seeing that the seasons are in fact connected by a thread, the conversation is so much more than just good versus evil.
This third season has been especially adept at tension building. We see a father spiraling into despair and desperation, two sons toeing a line that has led to an extreme, a security guard battles to right his wrongs, a man choosing between parts of himself in order to heal from his grief, a friendship group rife with unspoken (or not so, since the last two episodes) conflict.
As a viewer, and someone listening to discourse around the season, one aspect that sticks out to me most is within the storyline of the Ratliff family. Five curious characters, all products of the same environment and messaging of a greater, flawed culture. It’s easy for us to watch them and immediately decide if they are good or evil, worth having compassion for, or simply easy to laugh at. Parker Posey’s character, Victoria, in particular is very easy to laugh off. Within the first two episodes she's often out of her mind, making off handed comments, and is someone who is not deemed as “good” and yet can come off as very likeable in some ways. We root for her almost because of her audacious ways and apparent endless nonchalant-ness. It’s easy to watch someone like her on a TV show and see her as aloof rather than malicious.
But when does affable become negligent? In the first episode, Saxon shows us for the first time that he is not one to shy away from making comments regarding sex, even in front of or about his younger siblings and parents. But what is most notable from the reactions to his comment? Not his parents calling for him to de-sexualize his action, but instead telling Saxon that “genitals” is a dirty word. We see this again when Saxon claims that Piper is surely a virgin, he sexualizes his sister while at once claiming her lack of sexuality is what makes her uptight. Saxon holds the cards when it comes to discussions on sex. He wields it, like a weapon, against others. And he has been given this weapon, in essence, by his parents' lack of redirecting his comments that have (we can assume) been happening for some time.
His mother’s response to this comment tells us that the topic of sex is something dirty to keep behind closed doors. We too often see what a danger it can be to keep the topic of sex under wraps instead of fostering healthy conversations. As a family, the topic of sex and sexuality appears to be taboo at the very least. For example in the fourth episode, Tim accidentally flashes his whole family and it is a moment of laughter for Saxon and his mother. Piper is the only one to react with disgust and/or embarrassment, Lochlan is laughing but also offers comfort to his sister. This scene teaches us more about how the family deals with issues of sex and the body, showing us where Saxon’s behaviors may stem from, as opposed to an inherent inappropriateness. Saxon goes on to cross boundaries in a number of ways- walking naked to the bathroom to watch adult content, discussing what pornography he watches, as well as guessing at his sister’s sexuality even when Lochlan is noticeably uncomfortable. Lochlan is of course curious, surely as a viewer we should be wondering how often Saxon brings these topics up to his brother. Lochlan then takes these topics to his sister, a domino effect of inappropriate behavior and language.
Fabio Lovino/HBO
Watching their dynamic, the viewer is pulled to decide what kind of people these characters are. Saxon is a character that is easy to hate. He crosses boundaries, makes people uncomfortable, and comes across as thinking he is the sun and others are benefiting from his sunlight. We automatically do not trust his intentions. His brother, as a counterpart, is harder for viewers to decipher. I’ve seen people attempting to paint Lochlan as someone who appears good, naive, but has more malicious intentions that will be discovered. I saw others seeing him as a scared kid. Some think he likes when Saxon crosses a line, others believe he is discomfited.
What might be a better thing to consider as we watch these boundaries being crossed, is where is Saxon leading Lochlan? Someone so misguided in his notions about sex and relationships, if Saxon is his guide, surely into a fog Lochlan is being led. Slowly, opening these doors for his younger brother, Saxon blurs the line further and further. While some might find it strange that Lochlan would stare at his naked brother, it is understandable that he does not believe this to be strange behavior, but instead an invitation from Saxon. One of many.
Many felt their suspicions were confirmed when in the fifth episode, Lochlan kissed Saxon. Everyone waited anxiously to see just how far the brothers went in the next episode. For it to be revealed that they indeed went where everyone wished they would not. People began to analyze Lochaln’s behaviors from the first episode on, they swear he spit out the pill that he was given by Chloe. Of this, I am skeptical but we must wait to see what is revealed. Immediately, people felt confirmed in their suspicions that Lochlan had been waiting for a moment like this with his brother.
To this I say, maybe. But if he was waiting for a moment like this, would it have been because of the sexual gratification? Or because it was finally a moment to win his brother’s approval and acceptance, to make his brother happy? What I learn from these scenes, instead of good and bad, is that these two brothers have been led to this moment from a young age. By who or what, we can only guess at.
Fabio Lovino/HBO
What I see is a teenager who is not sure where the line is and maybe even thinks the older brother wants this to happen. Gaining Saxon’s approval in some way. Saxon is left confused, disgusted, perhaps even ashamed. We see him dressed in more clothing than the previous five episodes, desperate to cover up what has happened. Lochlan at first does not remember fully, but has a moment of realization during his meditation session. You see this moment where the same emotions set in. In the sixth episode, we hear him say that he does not want to give into his darkness and wants to stay at the temple with his sister. This instinct to run and hide, to cleanse himself with Buddhist teachings shows us that what has happened does not sit well with him.
In the discourse of good and evil, is it not more constructive to consider the roots of this issue? Yes, it is easy to see Saxon as a creep and oversexualized being. However, if we deconstruct this dynamic from the good and evil, we can ask broader questions about how he came to be this person. Amiee Lou Wood’s character describes him as "soulless," an apt description. But I am left to wonder how he became this soulless person, simply a mirror of all the misogynistic, patriarchal messages he has received from those around him. I see a young Saxon who was not taught about boundaries and went on to groom his own brother in these behaviors. If we follow the root of the issue, surely it can lead to the parents, but where beyond that? How far does the root go? In the latest episode we hear Saxon tell his father, “If I’m not a success then I’m nothing.” He’s not merely talking about work but all aspects of his identity; sex, fitness, wealth. He admits to not having hobbies. He is aware that he is an empty vessel only filled with a desire to appear powerful.
Within this society, we want to place blame on individuals when who may really be to blame is the systemic issues that creates the messaging. The ideology of being an "alpha male,” like Saxon is attempting to teach Lochlan, is indeed made to keep boys and men isolated from others, always seeking to relate sexually and never in other ways. Further, instead of normalizing developmentally appropriate curiosity some are told that “genitals” are something that shouldn’t be discussed. Keeping sexual topics in the taboo category can indeed lead to people who don’t understand how to have conversations surrounding sexuality in a healthy manner. It creates individuals who never learn where the boundaries are, or learn too late, as Lochlan has. The conversation of who is to blame also continues to keep the issue on an individual level rather than as a cultural conversation. Rather than focusing on whose side we are on, what if we instead sought to understand, what if we lead with curiosity and compassion rather than judgement? Blame can lead us to punishment or consequences, but how can we instead be led to actual change?
