All Female Friendships In The White Lotus Ranked; Spoiler: They're All Questionable

I never imagined I'd ever wait for Monday mornings, but here we are. The White Lotus (on Jio Hotstar) has a grip on me like Tanya McQuoid clinging to her last shred of sanity. However, the latest season made me question one thing: What does Mike White have against sisterhood? The show has some of the most unpleasant and toxic portrayals of female friendships in recent television. It's not just the infamous Jaclyn-Kate-Laurie trio; Every season has explored complex, often toxic dynamics between women, leaving me wondering if true solidarity can ever exist at The White Lotus resorts.

Mike White's 'white-male' perspective on a TV show about rich vacation-goers is hardly the place for social commentary. I do not mean to ruin The White Lotus by dissecting its politics too much. However, in this article, I break down the narratives of female friendships between all the main characters and rank them from best to worst. It's all in good fun. No spoilers, I promise.

#1: Chloe and Chelsea

In Season 3, two women bond over being the young, naive girlfriends of shady old RBGs—rich bald guys. Their friendship is nascent but built on mutual understanding and support. Chelsea (Aimee Lou Woods) and Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon) quickly become each other's confidantes, exchanging intimate secrets, sharing relationship advice, and often even enabling each other's questionable behaviour. However, their relationship is purely surface-level for now.

#2: Mia and Lucia

Beatrice Grannò and Simona Tabasco's real-life bond translates into one of the best on-screen female friendships as Mia and Lucia in Season 2. They play local sex workers whose authentic and reliable relationship serves as a refreshing break from the other sour relationships shown on the show. However, it was often unsettling to see Lucia push Mia to do things she was uncomfortable with, just so they could make a quick buck. Shows how mixing friendship and money is probably not the best idea.

 #3: Tanya and Belinda

Season 1's Tanya and Belinda have a relationship built on mutual brokenness and empathy. However, this rawness is deeply complicated by its transactional foundation. Tanya McQuoid (Jennifer Coolidge) simply wants (or rather needs) a therapist who can heal her traumas. Belinda (Natasha Rothwell) hopes her rich white guest can help her establish a spa business. This friendship masterfully treads the line between genuinity and opportunism.

#4: Harper and Daphne 

Harper (Aubrey Plaza) and Daphne (Meghann Fahy) are not exactly friends. They are simply on this trip as the wives of two college friends. Their personalities and interests are poles apart, the friendship is anything but comfortable. Yet, Season 2 had the potential to explore an unlikely bond forming between the two when they set out on a separate girls' trip. This opportunity is lost in distrust, constant judgment, and an unspoken competition that keeps them from truly connecting. 

 #5: Olivia and Paula

Olivia (Sydney Sweeney) and Paula (Brittany O'Grady) are two young women carrying the entire show's Gen-Z representation on their delicate shoulders. These besties from Season 1 seem to have similar political views and hobbies, including being unnecessarily snarky to unassuming fellow women. However, their mean-girl-behaviours eventually turn inward, exposing underlying power imbalances and dishonesty as the season progresses. 

 #6: Jaclyn, Kate, and Laurie

Three middle-aged women—childhood friends Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan), Laurie (Carrie Coon), and Kate (Leslie Bibb)-—are on a luxurious girls' trip to a Thai island. Right from the get-go, their bond seems performative and uneasy, with a hint of resentment here and a dash of jealousy there. Throughout Season 3, uncomfortable secrets and repressed emotions are dug up. It's the same old stereotype: "Trios do not work," or "There is always a duo in the trio."

Further observations on female relationships in The White Lotus

Beyond toxic friendships, The White Lotus also goes a step further to portray female characters deep in the trenches of loneliness and desperation. In Season 1, Rachel (Alexandra Daddario) seeks someone who can understand her dilemmas. However, besides her reclusive mother, she has no one. She tries to mingle with some other female guests at the resort, only to be rejected in the most embarrassing ways possible. 

In Season 2, Valentina (Sabrina Impacciatore) is often shown isolated, her relationships complicated by her suppressed self-image and unwelcoming demeanour. Meanwhile, Belinda from Seasons 1 and 3 is unable to shake off her loneliness and the weight of her role as a selfless caregiver. Similarly, Tanya McQouid is battling loneliness despite surrounding herself with people she hopes will fill the void. Many female characters on the show express how they struggle to maintain genuine friendships because of jealousy.

The White Lotus is a biting satire on the complexities of relationships in privileged circles, touching on how power and money rarely allow people to form real bonds. The show also resorts to the stereotype of women being devious, competitive, or self-serving to sustain real friendships. As a result, it presents a two-dimensional and frivolous portrayal of women's relationships, often reducing them to toxic rivalries or untrustworthy alliances.

Views expressed by the author are their own.