The White Lotus Season 3 Episode 7 Gives Rick The Closure He Desperately Needs

This post contains spoilers for "The White Lotus."

One would think that the penultimate episode of a season of "The White Lotus" would push us into the deep end. Surprisingly, season 3's seventh episode, titled "Killer Instincts," chooses to simmer in the tension while laying the groundwork for a messy, climactic finale. As seen in the season premiere, gunshots eventually go off inside The White Lotus' wellness resort in Thailand, closely followed by an out-of-focus shot of a dead body floating in the water. This ominous setup, paired with the possible advent of a tsunami, has made it clear the season finale might feature one or more casualties. There's good reason to genuinely fear for the lives of the season's many characters, as not everybody is morally reprehensible or rotten to the core (unlike Jon Gries' Greg Hunt, who is never up to any good).

The only character far removed from this nexus in Thailand is Rick (Walton Goggins), who is on a quest to avenge the death of his father. As a refresher, Rick's waking thoughts have perpetually been consumed by a void, as he views himself as a non-entity who has nothing to offer to those around him. When Rick was a child, his mother had named a certain Jim Hollinger (Scott Glenn) as his father's murderer, and he's been carrying this heavy weight ever since. 

In previous episodes, we learned that Jim is the Thailand hotel owner Sritala's (Lek Patravadi) equally-accomplished husband, who is currently in Bangkok after recovering from a heart attack. Following a long and conflicting inner tussle, Rick decides to go to Bangkok and confront his father's alleged killer. To mask his true intentions, he poses as a producer while asking his friend, Frank (Sam Rockwell), to present himself as a director interested in casting Sritala as his film's lead.

Episode 7 focuses on this long-awaited meeting, which ends on a rather anti-climactic note. However, this very subversion works in favor of Rick's arc, along with the themes of forgiveness and letting go that have been ingrained within his story so far. Let's take a closer look at what happened.

Rick and Frank's presence at the Hollinger mansion initially leads to some comedic moments, as Frank has no idea who Sritala is and struggles to answer basic questions about his faux identity (like what films has he directed?). Things get so stressful that Frank breaks his sober streak, gulping down glasses of whiskey to deal with the absurd situation. Rick, on the other hand, is taut with anxiety, but he succeeds in isolating Jim and having a conversation with him alone. When Jim mentions that his daughters had a spoiled and blissful childhood, Rick pointedly remarks that the absence of a happy childhood can ruin someone's sense of self. This is when he directly asks Jim whether he killed his father, to which the old man reacts with confused bafflement. Despite Rick's enraged queries, Jim continues to stare in shock, as if he's unable to remember whether he did have someone like Rick's father killed.

Just when we think Rick is going to shoot Jim after cussing him out, he kicks him backward and swiftly leaves the premises with Frank. From a dramatic perspective, this might feel underwhelming, as Jim neither confirms nor denies his involvement, and Rick can't bring himself to avenge his father. However, the importance of this juncture is immense: Rick is a changed man now, having confronted the only thing that has haunted him forever. Like he tells Frank, Rick had perceived Jim to be this menacing arch-nemesis, but in reality, he is just a frail, "pathetic" old man who wasn't even able to defend himself. Killing Jim wouldn't have helped Rick feel any better, so he does the next best thing: he lets go of this traumatic baggage for good.

This unexpected conclusion to Rick's revenge arc echoes what the hotel's meditation guide Amrita (Shalini Peiris) told him in a previous episode: "You can let go of your story, you can escape this karmic cycle. I have hope for you." Season 3 of "The White Lotus" explores Eastern religion/spirituality and how it is often co-opted by Western tourists for selfish, hollow gains, but Rick's story incorporates authentic spiritual lessons, such as the peace that comes with letting go of a deep-seated grudge. Rick could have entrapped himself deeper in a violent karmic cycle by hurting Jim, but in the end, he chooses a new life and the hope that comes with it. Whether this fledgling optimism will last is something that remains to be seen.

New episodes of "The White Lotus" season 3 drop every Sunday on HBO.