I Never Thought I’d Feel Bad for Saxon, but This Week’s ‘White Lotus’ Changed That

Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for The White Lotus Season 3, Episode 6.I think it’s safe to say that, of all the new characters introduced during The White Lotus, Season 3, none have made quite the same impression as that of Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger). His bold and brash actions, mixed with his seemingly unchecked ego, certainly set him up to make even a character like Shane (Jack Lacy) seem rather down to earth. Between his relentless pursuit of Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) and his overbearing judgment of Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook), the character has continued to irritate and intrigue me from week one.

But even when he has been at his most interesting, I never thought I’d feel anything all that deep for him. That is, until Episode 6, “Denials.” While I knew that both Saxon and Lochlan (Sam Nivola) would have plenty of consequences to face following their moonlight party at sea, I never imagined I would feel sympathy for the oldest Ratliff brother. However, in an outing filled with regrets, trauma, and the titular denials, I really can’t help but see the character in a whole new light.

Lochlan’s Actions Are Incredibly Traumatizing

Earlier this season, I spoke about my distrust surrounding Lochlan and the deeply disturbing game he seemed to be playing. And, while Episode 5 hinted at Lochlan’s endgame, I found myself rocked by how twisted the entire dynamic really is at the root of it all. “Denials” reveals that Lochlan not only hooks up with Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon), but he also brings a drugged-out Saxon into the mix. While Saxon struggles to make sense of the night when he wakes up the next morning, the way the memories come flooding back to him really disturbed me.

After all, Saxon was previously against taking the drugs offered by Chloe and Chelsea and only did so after essentially being peer-pressured by his brother’s eagerness to be the edgy brother and the insistence of the girls. By the time Saxon ends up in bed with Chloe and Lochlan, he is completely inebriated and out of control when it comes to his own actions. Watching the sequence unfold makes the brothers’ relationship completely unsteady and disturbing. Both are under the influence of drugs and alcohol, and while neither is necessarily clear about what happened at first, the fact that they were able to “get off” to one another adds a deeply unsettling new layer to their relationship, one that Saxon clearly isn’t ready to confront.

Image from NImesh Niyomal Perera of Patrick Schwarzenegger smiling for Season 3 of The White Lotus

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Schwarzenegger talks about how he could relate to his Season 3 character and what it was like to play someone like Saxon Ratliff.

Of course, The White Lotus has long been known for its approach to taboo subjects. However, watching the immediate pain and, frankly, the fear that Saxon feels manifest as he remembers the night before was incredibly heartbreaking for me as a viewer. Sure, Saxon is not innocent himself. Quite the contrary, actually. His ego and his endless search for a sexual liaison irritated me from the moment he arrived in Thailand, and none of the women he approached deserved that harassment. However, neither Saxon nor anyone else, for that matter, deserves to be the victim of an unwanted sexual encounter, especially considering it was his brother. Sure, Lochlan’s actions are not premeditated, and we still don’t know exactly how the younger Ratliff brother will react, but it was still an act that neither were in control of, and the effects of that encounter are deeply scarring. What makes matters worse is that Saxon isn’t even given the time to process his trauma or escape it.

Saxon’s Trauma Becomes a Source of Mockery

This season has already introduced a number of immoral and questionable characters. Heck, we even got the ever mysterious and unsettling Greg (Jon Gries) back. However, the fallout from Lochlan and Saxon’s encounter exists in a deeply gray area that ends up being a form of emotional mockery. There’s really no escape for Saxon as he struggles to keep the secret of what happened. My sorrow for Saxon only got worse when the encounter became the subject of discussion between him, Chloe, and Chelsea.

What struck me most is how the women really seemed to think it was okay to make a mockery of the subject. After all, Saxon makes it rather clear that he doesn’t want to discuss or even believe that it happened. He’s still very much in the stage of processing what ensued, and yet, everyone seems to think it’s a laughing matter. I truly could not imagine being in such a horrible situation. While there’s plenty of high-end drama at the resort, Saxon’s distress is hard enough to watch, let alone to be reduced to a joke. Beyond that, I sympathize with the truth that Saxon will have to come to terms with.

Saxon Is Forced To Deal with His Insecurities

Patrick Schwarzenegger as Saxon Ratliff in the water up to his chin in Season 3 of The White Lotus — Image via HBO

If there’s one thing that’s become more obvious over the last few weeks, it’s that Saxon is not the all-confident guy he likes to portray. His insecurities first come to light when he’s pressured into taking Chloe’s drugs, and with this latest entry, it’s become even more clear just how vulnerable he really is. He may not have been my favorite character at the start of the season, but my heart breaks when I see how he struggles in this time of confusion and defiled boundaries. In some ways, he reminds me of Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge), a character who seemed to have everything, but whose deep insecurity ultimately led to her demise. A fate I, now, hope he avoids. The violation he experienced is certainly a dangerous internal battle for the character, not to mention a tragic one.

When speaking with Collider, Schwarzenegger acknowledged just how conflicted Saxon really is, saying that, going forward: “[Saxon] starts to question everything. He starts to question his sexuality, what he does for work, who he loves, what he loves, his relationship with his dad, what’s going to happen with his dad and all these different things.” As a queer viewer, I completely understand how personal and private it is to wrestle with one’s sexuality, but Lochlan tragically took Saxon’s agency on the matter away, even if it was unwittingly. And given the complexities of his family dynamic, it’s clear that this once-confident and determined young man is about to become a shell of his former self.

While I’m all for developing him more as a character, it’s disappointing that Saxon has to come to terms with himself in such a traumatic way. Saxon’s journey thus far this season has been far from predictable. As The White Lotus, Season 3 continues, it’s clear that Saxon will have a lot of healing and self-discovery ahead. I just hope it doesn’t lead to him being the season’s victim.

The White Lotus is available to stream on Max in the U.S.