This Parker Posey Film May Hint At The Real Villain Of ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3

As fans of the show sift through each episode to find clues, many are looking for parallels in media and real life to find potential inspiration for the murders in the show.

As of writing this article, we’ve had five episodes so far in The White Lotus Season 3. While there’s plenty of material to pull from, like The Staircase true crime case or the Murdaugh murders, there may be a much more obvious connection that everyone’s been missing: The 1997 Parker Posey movie, The House of Yes. Could this uncomfortable indie drama be the true inspiration for what happens in Season 3? Let’s take a look! But be warned: I’m going to be spoiling both The House of Yes and The White Lotus Season 3 through episode 5.

What is The House of Yes about?

It’s Thanksgiving, 1983, and Marty (Josh Hamilton) is bringing his girlfriend Lesly (Tori Spelling) home to meet his family for the first time. They’re greeted by his mom, his twin sister Jackie-O (Parker Posey), and little brother. From the start, this family seems weird. Jackie-O is obsessed with Jackie Kennedy Onassis and the JFK assassination. She often dresses in the classic pink Chanel of the former First Lady and was even recently released from a mental hospital.

One night, after their little brother urges Lesly to be suspicious, she finds Marty and his twin sister Jackie-O reenacting the JFK assassination before having sex. Lesly is appropriately horrified by the play-acting and incest. The next day, after some convincing from his girlfriend, Marty announces to the family that they’re leaving. Unfortunately, Jackie-O has one final request before they leave: She wants Marty to reenact the JFK assassination one more time. He foolishly agrees and, rather than the typical blanks in Jackie-O’s gun, she’s loaded it with real bullets, killing him. The film ends with Lesly fleeing from this house of madness.

The big connections that can’t be missed.

You can probably already see some parallels between The House of Yes and The White Lotus Season 3. The most obvious is Parker Posey herself. It’s not unheard of for filmmakers and showrunners to fill the cast with people who hint at the plot. There’s also the fact that her character’s a part of yet another out-of-touch family from a long line of generational wealth.

But even more-so is the incestual vibes pouring off the Ratliffs in every episode. From Saxon calling his sister hot, then walking around naked in from of his little brother to nearly the whole family laughing it off when Daddy Ratliff flashes his brood. Every overtly sexual comment gets laughed off with a giggle and nothing more.

Most of all though is the youngest Ratliff member, Lachlan. There have been several moments when he’s shown sexual interest in his brother, like Saxon’s aforementioned nakedness and Lachlan’s bold, open-mouthed kiss at the end of episode five. Eagle-eyed viewers are already theorizing that Lachlan could be the true villain of Season 3 and, when compared to the plot of The House of Yes, it feels all but certain. Will he make a more obvious move on Saxon and eventually be rejected? And will that rejection cause him to kill his brother like Jackie-O did for her twin, Marty? And will he continue the killing to the rest of the family? To the rest of the resort? Creator Mike White may have a bit of an answer. He told the New York Post about the incestuous kiss between Saxon and Lachlan:

As the season wraps up, you’ll see the purpose of that story turn. The show goes there for a larger thematic idea. I love that family storyline, especially the brother story — and, it culminates in a very satisfying way.

Mike White to the New York Post

In the end, we’ll just have to wait until the finale to get the real answers.