HOLLYWOOD—It has been a trend with the HBO limited series “The White Lotus,” that the big finale in each season culminates with the audience learning which character who is teased at the start of the season had an encounter with death. Yes, I didn’t expect there to be a bigger surprise this time around, but we’ll get to it. SPOILER ALERT: if you have not watched the season 3 finale of the HBO hit stop reading right now!

Well, Chelsea was the first casualty of the finale taking a bullet to the chest after her lover Rick, unexpectedly killed Jim, the man who he suspected of killing his father. Yeah, in a twist, but not really, that man was the actual father of Rick. Yes, Rick killed his father in a fit of rage, only for Gaitok, of all people to take out Rick as a result of grappling with his inefficiency with that robbery. Yeah, I kept telling myself, it wasn’t like Rick was firing at Gaitok or anyone else, but whatever.

It was a brutal end because Chelsea had been warning Rick during their entire vacation that he needed to let the past be the past and try to focus on the positive in his life. And Rick was at that point, up until his ‘father’ and wife showed up at The White Lotus and spoke poorly about Rick and his mother. That just got the rage boiling all over again in Rick. So just like that three people on the series are dead, but that was not the end.

Lachlan, who has been ignored by virtually everyone in his family the entire trip decided it was time to take his own life, by eating a poisonous fruit that is very accessible to the patrons at the facility. Yeah, that doesn’t seem smart to let vacationers know, hey that fruit on the tree, it can kill you if you eat it. How about getting rid of that fruit, I mean, what if a kid just stumbled and happened to eat it.

Why does this come into place? Timothy decided that the only way to deal with his legal troubles was to kill himself and his entire family by drinking poisoned pina coladas. He made the drinks; he started to consume his and most of the family started to drink theirs as well. Everyone, but Lachlan who was drinking a Coca-Cola. I was telling myself, wow, the entire Ratcliff family is about to die, except for Lachlan. As Saxon started to drink, Timothy had an epiphany and knocked the glass out of Saxon’s hands and then put a stop to his plan.

I mean Lachlan really went through it with his siblings, Saxon and Piper on this trip, so much to the point that he admitted to his brother that he’s a pleaser. Saxon didn’t want to hear any of it, as he refused to come to grips with the fact that he had unconventional sex with his younger brother, who gave him a hand job while they were drugged with God knows what.

Both brothers have kept that secret from coming out, and as the season ended no one else knew about it. Piper told Lachlan she wasn’t staying in Thailand and that was a devastating blow to the youngster who is just trying to fit in the family, some way.

He has toxic masculinity with his older brother, who is trying to teach him how to be a man, while he is constantly trying to please his sister, who could care less, unless it is something that benefits her. So imagine Jim of all people being the person to stumble upon Lachlan who appeared to had taken his final breathe. He went into panic mode trying to revive his son, and luckily he did wake up. The perspective hit Jim; the truth, which he told his family as they were headed back to the United States and got their phones back discovering the news about dear ole dad.

The three ladies, Jaclyn, Laurie and Kate. Look, I never cared about this trio, there just wasn’t much there. They were high school buddies who had friction but were still friends. Fake friends to be honest, but in the finale Laurie spilled her guts to her pals and they all had a kumbaya moment before vacating Thailand to return back to their lives. Kate just needed to loosen up and give more, while Jaclyn was the star she is always complaining about. If she’s not the focus she wants none of it.

Belinda and her son, bartered a deal with Greg as it pertained to Tanya. Greg offered $100,000, but Belinda and her son pushed for a higher settlement to keep the secret, a secret to the tune of $5 million. Greg took the bait and settled. That resulted with Belinda leaving Thailand $5 million richer and all I can wonder who Belinda will be if she returns for season 4 of “The White Lotus” which we has been renewed already.

Where the mayhem, pomp and circumstance unfolds no one knows, but I’m sure it will be thrilling. However, as we enter a fourth season perhaps the notion of following a character or character being killed and trying to uncover who is it should change a bit. Why? It is becoming predictable, so the moment you give the audience something they don’t expect, the better, but I would be lying if I told you I wasn’t eager to see what could happen in “The White Lotus” season 4.