Episode 5 of Season 3 of “The White Lotus” titled “Full-Moon Party” sees TV star Jackie (played by Michelle Monaghan) and her longtime friends Kate (portrayed by Leslie Bibb) and Laurie (played by Carrie Coon) having a wild night of partying with their wellness advisor/butler/eye candy Valentin (depicted by Arnas Fedaravicius) and his Russian friends. They start the night in a club and end up back at their villa’s pool, having a blast.
**Spoilers for The White Lotus Season 3 Episode 5 “Full-Moon Party,” now streaming on MAX**
The highlight of the night is Jackie’s secret affair with Valentin, despite being married to a much younger and possibly unfaithful heartthrob. This act is considered adultery and also a betrayal since Jackie was trying to set up Valentin with her single friend Laurie. However, Jackie seems thrilled as she invites the attractive hotel employee into her bed with a big smile on her face.
Jackie’s choice to sleep with Valentin may not just stem from desire but also from seeking validation. Earlier in the episode, Jackie appeared to enjoy the attention she received from both male suitors and younger women who seemed envious of her.
The White Lotus star Michelle Monaghan told DECIDER that Jackie’s behavior in Season 3 Episode 5 is about way more than just debauchery. “We start to see her I guess, sort of kind of devolve,” Monaghan said.
“We see her initially very like in her power, right? This perception, this idea, that she’s this Hollywood actress. She’s very happy. She kind of basically has it all,” Monaghan said. “And then we start to slowly reveal that she’s kind of lonely, I would say, and she’s a little bit sad.”
Monaghan added that as The White Lotus Season 3 goes on, we see the toxic tendencies amongst Jackie and her friends emerge. (I mean, their favorite hobby seems to be talking behind each other’s back.)
“She’s not getting what she needs from the ladies and she needs a little bit more validation,” Monaghan said.
“I think, you know, she realizes she needs to be more stimulated. It’s not happening at this detox place. She wants to get outside in Thailand,” the actress said, explaining Jackie’s insistence last week on having fun. “She wants to go and have a day, have a night.”
Of course, partying with a bunch of Russian ex-pats isn’t necessarily going to mend toxic relationships. “I think there’s a little self-sabotage in in there,” Monaghan added. “And I think she’s trying to fill her cup and looking for validation in kind of all the wrong places.”
Jackie might have said that what happens in Thailand stays in Thailand, but does that mean there won’t be any repercussions for her actions in The White Lotus Season 3 Episode 5 “Full-Moon Party”? Will Laurie learn that Jackie made a move on her man? Does Jackie’s infidelity mean her marriage is over? (And are we in agreement that Valentin’s friends probably did the jewel heist? Or is that just my theory?)
There are only three episodes left in The White Lotus Season 3 to find out…
(function(d, s, id) {
var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
if (d.getElementById(id)) return;
js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;
js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&appId=823934954307605&version=v2.8”;
fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);
}(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));
