【artful eroticism】

The artful eroticismWhite LotusSeason 3, episode 7 was filled with tension aplenty, from the long-awaited showdown between Rick (Walton Goggins) and the man who may have killed his father to Belinda (Natasha Rothwell) nervously attending a house party thrown by Greg/Gary (Jon Gries).

But sandwiched between these moments, on an initially innocuous date night between Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong) and Mook (Lalisa Manobal, aka Lisa from Blackpink), there's also a reveal that links back to the episode where the hotel gets robbed by masked intruders.

So what happens, and what are the potential ramifications? Let's unpack.

Who robbed The White Lotus back in episode 2?

Gaitok may be largely terrible at his security job, but it turns out he's good at two things: 1) firing his gun at the shooting range, and 2) solving a mystery by miraculously picking a masked perpetrator out of an incredibly packed crowd.

This is exactly what happens in episode 7, as his date with Mook progresses to the same Muay Thai fight that Valentin (Arnas Fedaravičius) is attending with Laurie (Carrie Coon) and his two friends Biković (Julian Kostov) and Vlad (Yuri Kolokolnikov). As everyone is cheering, Gaitok's eyes land on Vlad, and he has a flashback to one of the perpetrators of the robbery — a suspiciously similar-looking bald man. Then his eyes land on Valentin — who also works at the hotel as a "health mentor" — and remembers that it was himwho distracted Gaitok while the robbers' car sped past the security gate.

The conclusion? Valentin, Biković, and Vlad planned the robbery together. The latter two did the deed, while Valentin was their man on the inside.

Does Laurie spot the stolen items?

Gaitok may not be the only one to work out the robbers' identities in episode 7. After sleeping with Biković, Laurie is forced to make a swift getaway when his girlfriend comes hammering on his front door. Sneaking out the back way, Laurie's eyes land on a stash of snake-themed jewellery resting on a side table — jewellery that looks very much like the stash taken by the hooded robber in episode 2.

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The question is, does Lauriemake this connection? On the one hand there does seem to be some recognition when she looks at the jewellery, but on the other she wasn't present for the robbery in episode 2. She wouldn't have seen exactly what was stolen. It's possible Laurie's been in the hotel's shop herself and recognised Biković's pile of jewellery as being similar to what The White Lotus sells, but it's also possible she was just distracted by the sight of the pricey-looking items.

Still, if Laurie hasn't made the connection yet, maybe she will in the finale. Especially if Gaitok publicly confronts Valentin about the robbery.

The White Lotusis streaming now on Max, with new episodes dropping weekly at 9 p.m. ET Sundays on HBO.