Piper Ratliff is inarguably the most well-adjusted and “normal” one of the Ratliff family, but with episode seven, that facade might be starting to crack as we watch the way she reacts to her surroundings. Most notably, she seemed to be having second thoughts about staying at the monastery after Lochy expresses interest in following her inThe White Lotusseason three. Let’s explore some theories as to why that is.
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Why does Lochy want to stay at the monastery in The White Lotus Season 3?
First off, let’s think about why Lochy wants to stay at the monastery. This is totally out of left field for him, especially since he’s spent most of the season following Saxon around. It’s very likely that since Lochy has now lost Saxon’s approval, he’s desperately seeking affirmation from his other older sibling, Piper. He thinks that by following in her footsteps and staying at the monastery, this will make her happy and allow him to win her approval.
There’s another obvious reason for this, of course. After the events of Full-Moon Party, where it was revealed that Lochy was involved in an icky threesome situation with Saxon and Chloe, the relationship between the brothers has been very strained. Saxon is now shutting Lochy out, who was just trying to do what he thought would make his brother happy. Since that has backfired, Lochy doesn’t want to be in a situation where he has to face Saxon everyday and deal with that awkwardness.
Why doesn’t Piper like the idea of Lochy staying at the monastery?
Now let’s talk about Piper and what she’s probably thinking. While she was initially happy that Lochy volunteered to stay with her for that one night, she doesn’t like the idea of him staying with her for the full year.
This is pure speculation, but I believe there are a few possible reasons for this, as listed below:
Piper is the “woke” privileged kid of season 3
While it’s entirely possible that she’s simply realized that she doesn’t have it in her to spend a whole year at the monastery,The White Lotusloves to paint its privileged characters in a more negative light than that. Every season of the show so far has featured a rich kid who thinks they’re better and more enlightened than their peers. We’ve had Olivia in season one and Albie from season two, both of whom liked to present themselves as more self-aware but ultimately ended up falling into the same patterns of their privileged parents.
Piper might fall into the same mold as well. While I don’t doubt that she just wants to get away from her family, her fixation on Thailand and Buddhism might very well just be something that she’s latching onto because it makes her different from her parents and siblings. And now that Lochy is expressing an interest in the one thing that sets her apart from him, she feels repulsed by it.
Is it a stretch? Possibly. But it would absolutely explain her look of disdain after Lochy tells her he wants to stay. She leaves the room almost immediately without even acknowledging what he’s said, and that’s very telling.
