Warning! This article contains spoilers for The White Lotus season 3, episode 1.
One of the subplots ofThe White Lotusseason 3, episode 1 involved Walton Goggins’ Rick searching for Khun Jim Hollinger. Jim does not physically appear in the episode but is played by Scott Glenn inThe White Lotus’ensemble cast. He is described as the sick husband of Sritala, one of the owners of the hotel branch in Thailand, the setting ofThe White Lotusseason 3.
Rick, meanwhile, seems fairly down on his luck. He is on a trip to the White Lotus with his partner, Aimee Lou Wood’s Chelsea, though the two certainly do not have a loving relationship. Rick is shown as an angry, short-tempered, arrogant person with little to no redeeming qualities thus far, but it is clear his storyline will serve as one of the primary mysteries teased inThe White Lotusseason 3’s trailer. The episode quickly reveals that Rick is searching for the husband of Sritala, though the exact reason why is left shrouded in shadow.
Some Context Clues Are Provided
Image via Max
Despite the full reasoning behind Rick’s search for Jim being left as a mystery forThe White Lotusseason 3 to answer, some hints are provided to further explain it. As ofThe White Lotusseason 3, episode 1’s ending, it is clear that Rick’s business with Jim is of the shady variety. This was teased by Rick and Chelsea’s reasoning for visiting the titular hotel chain in Thailand, with this specific break apparently being Rick’s idea despite Chelsea wanting to vacation in Australia.
It is during this exchange that Rick mentions he is not allowed to go to Australia, prompting Chelsea to ask if he was arrested.Rick does not reply, but his claim implies that Rick’s life has led to certain choices that have gotten him in trouble with the law enforcementof other countries. With that in mind, it could be the case that this history is tied to Jim, explaining Rick’s excursion to Thailand with the sole purpose of finding Sritala’s husband.
There Is Much More To This Mystery
Regarding the deeper mystery at play inThe White Lotusseason 3, it seems to link to Sritala or just the titular hotel chain in some capacity. This is hinted at during a dinner scene in the first episode, with Rick taking his leave after seeing Sritala doing the rounds and visiting the hotel’s guests. Before Sritala can reach Rick and Chelsea, the former becomes agitated and leaves, saying he needs a smoke.
Rick also stares at Sritala when the guests of the White Lotus first arrive via boat, with the latter not making eye contact with him but glancing as he walks away.
Rick is then shown later in his hotel room, googling pictures of Sritala and Jim together. While, again, the true mystery at the heart of this story remains unexplored, it clearly has something to do with Sritala. It could be the case that Sritala is complicit in Rick’s shady business with Jim, potentially a witness that could be used against them, or even a “bad influence” on Jim as far as Rick is concerned. Regardless, this plot point has dark undertones, promising an intriguing story duringThe White Lotusseason 3 for Walton Goggins’ character going forward.
