The White Lotus season 3 finale included deaths of several characters, and one near-death experience for another. After the season came to an end on April 6, 2025, fans are wondering if Sam Nivola’s character, Lochlan Ratliff, died.
Warning: Spoilers for The White Lotus season 3 ahead!
Does Lochlan Die in ‘The White Lotus’ Finale?
Lochlan came close to dying when he drank a lethal cocktail made by his father, Timothy Ratliff (Jason Isaacs). While Timothy made the cocktails – which consisted of rum, pina colada mix and poison fruit – with the intention of killing himself, wife Victoria (Parker Posey) and eldest children Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) and Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook), he had second thoughts and knocked the beverages out of their hands.
The following day, Lochlan saw the remainder of the cocktail in a blender and decided to try the drink himself. He appeared visibly sick after drinking the cocktail and he vomited before he passed out. Timothy later found his unconscious body near the pool and feared his son had died, though it was revealed that Lochlan survived when he miraculously woke up.
The episode concluded with the Ratliff family leaving the White Lotus hotel on a boat, confirming that Lochlan was fine after he drank the poison fruit.
Sam Nivola Had ‘Fun’ Shooting Near-Death Scene on ‘The White Lotus’
After the finale episode aired, Sam told Variety that it was “fun” to film his character’s near-death scene.
“I’ve never gotten the chance to die in a show. And it’s an interesting thing, because obviously it’s something that I’ve never experienced in real life. So it’s fun to act things out that you have no idea what the actual experience is like,” he explained. “And it was bittersweet, because over the course of that shoot Jason really felt like my father. He’s one of my best friends. It was hard not to burst into tears while he was holding me and screaming. I had to just stay completely limp.”
Meanwhile, Sam also said he was relieved that he no longer had to keep the show’s ending a secret.
“I have to be honest, now that it’s all done and I can say what I want, I was much more loose-lipped about it than I should have been,” he said. “I told a lot of my friends and my parents, but they are all people who I trust with my life, so I thought they could keep a secret.”
Who Dies During ‘The White Lotus’ Season 3 Finale?
While Lochlan didn’t die during the season 3 finale, other characters weren’t as lucky.
Rick (Walton Goggins) killed Jim Hollinger (Scott Glenn) to seek revenge because he believed he killed his father. However, it was revealed after the shooting that Jim was Rick’s biological father. After Rick killed Jim, he began a shootout with the hotel’s security guards and he pulled his girlfriend, Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood), away from the shots. While Rick was able to fight off many of the security guards, he let his guard down when he realized Chelsea had been shot.
He tried to leave the scene of the crime to get medical help for Chelsea, though Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong) eventually killed him while protecting Jim’s wife, Sritala (Lek Patravadi).
