Lisa as Mook in the new season of The White LotusJust two weeks into its latest season, The White Lotus is already generating a lot of conversation thanks to its unabashed approach to on-screen nudity, its jaw-dropping twists and its less-than-popular new theme music.
But there’s another aspect of the show that’s also got people talking online.
Set in Thailand, the new season introduces us not just to a host of spoiled resort guests, but also a host of locals who work at the White Lotus hotel.
When these characters speak to each other in their native Thai, producers made the stylistic choice for the English subtitles to appear in front of the traditional Thai script.
And a few viewers think this might be symbolic of the new season’s overarching themes.
One X user wrote: “The english layered over the Thai to represent the intrusion of the tourism industry and the arrogance of the ultra rich hotel guests, that’s art.”
the stylization of the subtitles in the new white lotus wait I'm in love, the english layered over the thai to represent the intrusion of the tourism industry and the arrogance of the ultra rich hotel guests, that's art.... pic.twitter.com/fKDwQmtp3M
— harper (@purpleharper1) February 17, 2025
Similar discussions were being had over on Reddit, where one viewer suggested: “I feel like the creative team has always done a good job of intentionally representing each season’s native culture, and the subtitle choice is such a creative continuation of that.”
“You can tell the Thai subtitles were there first, beautifully printed like cultural drawings. But it’s been steamrolled over and faded by very plain font white English text,” a different fan agreed, while another suggested it was an “ironic wink”.
Meanwhile, a third also suggested the device was also a way of showing off “how beautiful Thai script is”.
The cast of The White Lotus season threeThe White Lotus creator previously said he wanted to bring the show to Thailand to explore East Asian spirituality, and particularly what happened when it is co-opted and misappropriated by Westerners.
He claimed: “The first season kind of highlighted money, and then the second season is sex, and I think the third season, it would be a satirical and funny look at death and eastern religion and spirituality.
“And it feels like it could be a rich tapestry to do another round of White Lotus.”
The White Lotus continues on Monday on both Sky and Now here in the UK.
