I Know We're Only Two Episodes Into The White Lotus Season 3, But I Am Genuinely Worried About Walton Goggins' Character

Spoiler Warning! This story discusses the first two episodes of The White Lotus Season 3. These episodes are available to stream with a Max subscription if you’re not caught up.

As has been the case since the show premiered a few years ago, The White Lotus Season 3 has already introduced viewers to a large ensemble of characters that we’ve already grown to love (or love to hate). Judging by the customary cold open where something tragic happens (some kind of shooting this time around), someone is going to die by the time the credits roll a few months down the line on the 2025 TV schedule. There are already a lot of theories about what’s going to happen, and I really hope it doesn’t involve my favorite character so far: Walton Goggins’ Rick Hatchett.

From the first time I saw Rick on the boat to the White Lotus resort in Thailand, I got a feeling in my stomach that he was going to be a part of something big throughout the season. Is it something good? I’m not sure. Is it something bad? Probably, as is the case with this show. That being said, I’m genuinely worried about him, but I am also genuinely excited to see how his story unfolds…

I'm Interested In All The Characters, But Rick Has A Mystique About Him That I Just Can't Figure Out

I am invested in all the characters introduced in the jaw-dropping The White Lotus Season 3 premiere, as the entire ensemble seems to be hiding or withholding something from others and perhaps themselves. That being said, Rick with his closed-off demeanor, rugged appearance, and general disdain for his much younger and excited girlfriend, Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood), looks like a trainwreck waiting to happen and I can’t stop watching.

I can’t put my finger on him, his past, his intentions, or why he’s such a curmudgeon with a certain sadness in his eyes. I’m sure we’ll learn more about his dynamic as the eight-episode season carries on, and I’ll be taking notes like a psychiatrist until we have it all figured out.

His Obsession With The White Lotus's Co-Owner, Jim Hollinger, Brought Him To Thailand But We Don't Know Why

From the very jump, the show has teased that Rick is at the White Lotus resort for one reason and one reason only: to find the hotel’s owner, Jim Hollinger. Why Rick is determined to meet this man, and so upset upon discovering he’s in Bangkok instead of on the island, is a mystery that has yet to be revealed at this stage in the season. However, with Rick telling Chelsea in the second episode that he would be going to Bangkok for a few days, it’s almost certain that he’s going there to confront the mysterious owner.

I can’t figure out if Rick is so hellbent on meeting Jim because the wealthy hotel owner owes him money, did something to him in the past, or is actually his father (more on Rick’s family history in a bit), or something else. With so many theories, so many possibilities, I have a feeling this thread is going to keep my attention for weeks to come.

Rick Initially Comes Off As A Dick, But His Stress Management Session Showed A Different Side Of Him

Everybody has something going on in The White Lotus Season 3. Be it past trauma, mysterious schemes, or an increasingly intense crisis in the making, both the guests and staff at the beautiful location are going through a lot. That includes Rick, who initially came off as a complete dick to anyone and everyone in his path. However, after a key scene in “Special Treatments,” I started to see him in a completely new light.

Though he didn’t completely open up about everything that was going on in that head of his during his stress management session, Rick did share some details about his family history and the tragic fates of his parents. He also had a rather honest conversation about mental health in this key scene, and it felt like this discussion started the spark that would lead to even more changes as the story unfolds.

Is He Connected To The Smash And Grab At The Resort Shop, Or Am I Looking Too Much Into It?

This is just pure speculation and my mind wandering, but what if Rick is connected to the smash-and-grab robbery at the White Lotus shop during the second episode? The perpetrators were covered head to toe, and we never got a good look at them, so it could have been anyone from some locals (maybe the guys who showed up and started shooting in the cold open) or it could very well be some of the guests.

Rick has given off the vibe that he’s pulled off some shady stuff in the past and even revealed that he couldn’t go to Australia for unknown reasons. Is he some kind of international thief testing out the resort’s security? Is he just a low-level crook with big aspirations? Or is this just a red herring to distract us? Only time will tell.

And His Energy With Greg During The Dinner Scene Was So Tense And Odd

Greg Hunt (John Gries) is the only character on the show to have been featured in all three seasons of The White Lotus, and this dude is nothing but trouble. After potentially conning Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya and seemingly having her killed so he could benefit from her vast wealth, he showed back up as Heather’s friend’s older boyfriend in Season 3. And it didn’t take long for Greg and Rick to cross paths.

This scene, which was honestly one of the most intense of the season so far, had a certain tension and energy about it that gave me all kinds of bad feelings. I could be looking into this way too much, but it kind of felt like Greg and Rick knew each other, or at least knew about one another. Are they connected or are they just two old broken down dogs who want nothing to do with each other?

I Need To Know More About What's Going on With Him (And I Hope It's Nothing Sinister)

I really want to know more about Rick, his past, his intentions, and most of all, what’s going to happen to him right now as The White Lotus Season 3 continues. I would love for him to become the moral center of the season and be revealed to be an actually good guy with the best of intentions with his obsession with Jim Hollinger. However, I can’t shake this bad feeling that something terrible is going to happen to him before it’s all said and done.

New episodes of The White Lotus Season 3 air Sundays on HBO and streaming on Max. I can’t wait to continue this journey and see what happens to Rick and everyone else on the island, for better or worse.