‘Disgusting’ White Lotus incest plot with two brothers attracts 4,200,000 views

Pierra Willix and Rishma Dosani

Published March 24, 2025 8:55am Updated March 25, 2025 5:53pm

Patrick Schwarzenegger as Saxon glaring while sat on a sun lounger in The White Lotus — The White Lotus star Patrick Schwarzenegger spoke out over the incest plot (Picture: HBO)

Warning: This article contains spoilers for the latest episode of The White Lotus season 3.

The latest episode of the White Lotus has attracted more than 4million views so far – despite being branded ‘disgusting’ over an incest twist.

Last week’s instalment of the black comedy drama, those tuning in were left floored after seeing Ratliff brothers Saxon (Patrick) and Lochlan (Sam Nivola) kiss whilst taking drugs on a yacht.

In the scene, they had been dared to lock lips by Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon) and Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) – but many said the scene left them feeling ‘horrified’ and ‘sick.

However, in the most recent episode, things were taken up a notch on the boat when Chloe had sex with the siblings, leaving them with hazy memories of the night after taking drugs and drinking heavily.

But the next morning it was made clear that Lochlan masturbated Saxon while having sex with Chloe, with the brothers then struggling to process what unfolded.

CARDINAL MARKETING NEW YORK, NY ??? March 23, 2025: The White Lotus In the wake of the festivities, Laurie finds herself feeling deceived by Jaclyn, while Saxon tries to bury what happened the night before. Set in a White Lotus resort in Thailand, it follows the exploits of various guests and employees over the span of a week. Photograph:??HBO "Disclaimer: CM does not claim any Copyright or License in the attached material. Any downloading fees charged by CM are for its services only, and do not, nor are they intended to convey to the user any Copyright or License in the material. By publishing this material, The Daily Mail expressly agrees to indemnify and to hold CM harmless from any claims, demands or causes of action arising out of or connected in any way with user's publication of the material." — The latest episode saw brothers Saxon and Lochlan have a threesome with Chloe (Picture: HBO)

While many watching on from home were left sickened over the scenes, Variety reports that HBO bosses saw the highest viewership ever for the series.

According to the outlet, the season three episode attracted more than 4.2million viewers on Sunday.

Previously the season two finale, in 2022, set the record with 4.1m viewers.

With two episodes left – and a lot of explanation needed – all eyes will be on whether the remaining instalments can top the drama.

Detailing the latest twists in a new interview, Patrick shared that he had no idea that his brotherly storyline would ever cross that boundary before getting the scripts for the episodes in question.

‘First off, I was ecstatic,’ he told Entertainment Weekly. ‘It was such a surreal moment for me to get the audition and to actually book the job, because at that point we just had audition sides. We didn’t have the script and we didn’t really know what we were getting into.

‘I mean, we had an idea, it’s The White Lotus and there’s going to be something crazy.

‘And then I started to read the scripts and, yeah, when I got to episode 5 and episode 6, it was like, “Whoa. This is wild. This is crazy.”

‘I have to see it – I haven’t seen it yet – but I think it’ll be fun and funny, and it’ll be very White Lotus.’

CARDINAL MARKETING NEW YORK, NY ??? March 9, 2025: The White Lotus Jaclyn drags her friends to a nearby resort, but the party atmostphere is far from what she expected. Rick finally tells Chloe about his past. Set in a White Lotus resort in Thailand, it follows the exploits of various guests and employees over the span of a week. Photograph:??HBO "Disclaimer: CM does not claim any Copyright or License in the attached material. Any downloading fees charged by CM are for its services only, and do not, nor are they intended to convey to the user any Copyright or License in the material. By publishing this material, The Daily Mail expressly agrees to indemnify and to hold CM harmless from any claims, demands or causes of action arising out of or connected in any way with user's publication of the material." — Patrick has defended the storyline (Picture: HBO)

Unpacking filming those pivotal moments, and the aftermath, Patrick heaped praise on creator Mike White for how he explored their wild storyline.

‘What Mike does so brilliantly is it’s a slow roll of Saxon remembering bits and pieces and it’s just this, ‘What the f**k happened?!,’ he added. ‘All these different things.

‘It’s a big power shift for Saxon, and how Mike even writes it, from him bossing around his brother and bossing around the girls and stuff like that, to then the dynamic switching and Lochlan having this upper hand, and then the girls antagonizing me at the pool.’

Although the series has become known for its boundary-pushing scenes, the incestual twist proved to be a step too far for many viewers.

‘The incest is weird #TheWhiteLotus. Did we need that???’ Jo posted on X.

Episode 03 HANDOUT. — Sam Nivola plays younger brother Lochlan Ratliff (Picture: HBO)

‘I can’t with the gay brother storyline. It’s so nasty and foul. Incest is so sick and twisted. This plot is making me hate the show,’ Mary shared.

‘My face is so screwed up right now I really wish they dropped the incest plot,’ guccianddior added.

Others said it was ‘unhinged’, ‘disgusting’ and ‘crossed a line’.

Despite the backlash, both Patrick and Sam defended the storyline.

‘There’s some sensationalism, but then there’s also the stuff behind the wall of the character and what he’s dealing with in the conflict of what just happened. What is that going to do to who he thinks he is?’ Patrick told The Hollywood Reporter.

The White Lotus, Episode 04 Jason Isaacs as Timothy Ratliff & Parker Posey as Victoria Ratliff & Patrick Schwarzenegger as Saxon Ratliff & Sarah Catherine Hook as Piper Ratliff & Sam Nivola as Lochlan Ratfliff HANDOUT. — Where does the creepy night out leave the Ratliff family now? (Picture: HBO)

‘His thoughts on, “what is it like to be a man? What is a man? What makes all these different things that he thought he stood for in the episode and the days before?”’ he added.

Meanwhile Sam added: ‘We really trusted Mike because there’s always a very shocking, crazy, intense moment in every season. It’s never just for the sake of being shocking, it always serves the story.

‘And that [incest] scene is really the inciting incident for where our relationship goes next. It’s a great storytelling tactic.

‘Going into this, we really trusted Mike because he’s a f**king b***ss and a genius.’

The White Lotus is streaming on Now.

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