Episode 7 of The White Lotus Season 3, titled “Killer Instincts,” showcases Piper Ratliff (Sarah Catherine Hook) as she embarks on her trial night at the nearby Thai monastery. Viewers of the HBO series are aware that the Ratliffs traveled to Thailand with the belief that the UNC Chapel Hill senior was conducting research for a Buddhism thesis. However, Piper’s true intention was to assess the monastery for a potential year-long meditation pursuit after graduation.
During the prior episode, Piper’s father Timothy (Jason Isaacs) agreed that Piper could stay one night at the monastery. If she found it suitable, she could then join the program.
**Spoilers for The White Lotus Season 3 Episode 7 “Killer Instincts,” now streaming on MAX**
In the recent episode of The White Lotus, Lochlan (Sam Nivola) expresses an interest in joining his sister, while it seems that mother Victoria (Parker Posey) may be getting her prayers answered by Jesus to bring her daughter back from the Buddhists. Piper appears unimpressed with the monastery’s facilities, and her enthusiasm diminishes further when Lochlan suggests joining her.
So will Piper quit the monastery before she even starts? Was she serious about her interests to begin with?
When DECIDER spoke with White Lotus star Sarah Catherine Hook, she said the way she thought about it was that Piper “went off to college and was exposed to a whole new world.”
“Especially if you go to liberal arts school, you start to shed the ideas that you are raised on,” Hook said. “Like I’m from Alabama and I went to school in New York and I was in an arts program and I definitely had a very, very [big] culture shock experience there. And I think that’s probably the case for her.”
Throughout The White Lotus Season 3, Piper seems to be the only Ratliff aware of the family’s privilege. Her interest in Buddhism seems to relate to her rejection of her family’s materialism.
“I think a lot of it comes from a place of shame and guilt, but also like a genuine curiosity,” Hook said. “Like I think she’s someone who doesn’t do things lightly and has taken her studies very seriously. Like, I think she is like a ‘little philosopher.’”
However, while Hook was adamant that Piper’s interest is “genuine,” she also admitted that there was something very “funny” about her character’s plan, given her existence in the satirical world of The White Lotus.
“But what is funny is that, like, of course, this little rich girl is like, ‘Yeah, my next move, for my life and career, I’m going to let my dad pay for me to live in a monastery for a year.’ You know what I mean?” she said, giggling. “That’s kind of where the question mark comes about for me.”
“At least that’s how I saw it. I was like, ‘This is so classic White Lotus!’”
After last night’s episode, it looks like the “little rich girl” in Piper could very well be peeking out.
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