Mike White is giving insight into The White Lotus following the Season 3 finale on HBO.
The creator, writer, and executive producer of the hit series addressed the criticism the show received throughout its third season, with viewers saying it was too slow.
“The pacing and the vibe… it definitely gets under their skin,” White said on the White Lotus Official Season 3 Podcast. “There was complaining about how there’s no plot. That part I find weird. It never did… part of me is just like bro, this is the vibe.”
He continued, “I’m world-building. If you don’t want to go to bed with me then get out of my bed. I’m edging you! Enjoy the edging. If you don’t want to be edged, then get out of my bed. Do you know what I mean? Don’t be a bossy bottom. Get the fuck out of my bed. Don’t come home with me. Don’t get naked in my bed. Get the fuck out of my bed. Obviously something is going to happen.”
RELATED: ‘The White Lotus’ Creator Mike White Unpacks Season 3 Finale As Killers & Victims Revealed
Although many viewers found the pacing of Season 3 slow, the show reached its climax with the explosive finale, which featured several deaths and shocking twists. The third season’s final episode was supersized and ran for 87 minutes to satisfy viewers.
RELATED: ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3 Finale Welcomes A New Series Viewership High, Up 30% From Penultimate Episode
Despite the final episode running long, White had to make some cuts and revealed that there was a scene where Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook) loses her virginity to Belinda’s (Natasha Rothwell) son, Zion (Nicholas Duvernay).
RELATED: ‘The White Lotus’ Sam Nivola On Lochlan’s Eventful Season 3 Finale, “Incest” Storyline’s Resolution, Swim Trunks Swap & “Scary” Scene That Got Cut
“[Piper] decides to lose her virginity in the script in the last episode And she actually has sex with Zion,” White said. “There’s this whole scene where she’s like, ‘It’s true. Saxon is right about this one thing. I need to get this over with.’ And you know how after she leaves the monastery she’s just like, ‘I need to have sex.’”
RELATED: ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3 Stars Aimee Lou Wood, Jason Isaacs & More React To Explosive Finale: “90 Minutes Of Just Chaos”
However, White noted the episode’s run-time, adding, “It would have added 10 minutes to the thing. And it had a little bit of a rom-com vibe in the middle of trying to kill the family with the pong pong fruits. It just felt like I was trying to do too much narratively.”
RELATED: Mike White Teases Location For Season 4 Of ‘The White Lotus’
Watch the full podcast in the video below.
RELATED: ‘The White Lotus’ Star Jason Isaacs On Timothy Ratliff’s “Spiritual Journey” & Dealing With The “Strange” Online Discourse Around HBO Drama
