The White Lotus creator Mike White was nervous due to Season 3 criticism

The White Lotus wrapped up its third season on 6th April 2025 with the episode "Amor Fati." The season ended with Rick and Chelsea dying. The finale also showed Timothy Ratliff almost killing his family (to prevent them from having to live a humble life) but stopping at the last minute, and Belinda leaving the resort with a huge amount of money in exchange for silence about Tanya's death.

While the third season of The White Lotus was widely appreciated, it was also criticized for minor things. For instance, why Lochlan made himself a shake in the blender with remnants of the poisonous shake, which almost killed him, but he got rescued at the last minute, is something the show got criticized for.

Mike White, the creator of The White Lotus, opened up about the finale and his nervousness due to the season three criticism in an interview with Variety.

Mike White on The White Lotus season three criticism

The White Lotus season three received quite the criticism throughout the show. For instance, the incestuous scene and Timothy contemplating ending his life wearing a Duke sweatshirt in episode six, "Denials," were heavily criticized.

Besides, the fact that Lochlan, in the finale, used an unwashed blender and made himself a protein shake, which almost killed him (also gave him hallucinations), was a plotline that was generally not well-received. Chelsea's tragic death and Piper's sudden change of plans were other plotlines fans had a hard time digesting.

Mike White, creator of The White Lotus, opened up in an interview with Variety about how nervous he was about the show as he kept getting criticism throughout the season. He said to Variety,

“Over time, I can digest all of that. But in the moment, sometimes it feels more than that you just didn’t like this storyline,”

“It feels like I came and took a shit on your lawn or I set your house on fire. The anger — it just feels like, ‘Whoa.'”

While White did take a few risks this season, it somehow worked out in the long run. The risks he took were essential in telling a raw and real story, with all its messed-up parts. Many parts of the story were not ideal, especially the finale events, but they were thought-provoking and will remain with the audience for quite some time.

Mike White continued,

“I mean, I’m 54 years old. I’m not a kid. I’ve been on reality shows — I know what it’s like to be criticized,”

“But I was so excited about the finale and getting it out there, and it made me realize that some people just can’t get past that [Lochlan] makes the shake in a dirty blender.”

But White also acknowledges that not everyone likes everything, and it is not essential that everyone understand his vision. He expresses in the same interview,

“The show is not built to win a popularity contest. It’s built to be provocative, and it’s not going to have a uniform reaction,”

“So I need to suck it up. I’m just a combination of somebody who wants to, like, goose people, but then also you want people to embrace you. That’s just human nature.”

White concludes it by laughing and saying,

“So, whatever. I’m just a head case.”

All three seasons of The White Lotus are streaming on Max. The show has been renewed for a fourth season.

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