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Spoilers for The White Lotus below.
In the season 3 finale of The White Lotus, Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong) ends up with Mook (Lisa) and a promotion after sacrificing his nonviolent Buddhist morals to kill Rick. But as he starts his new role as Sritala’s bodyguard, fans might be wondering if he and Mook will stay happily together long-term.
Show creator and writer Mike White offered a definitive answer on The White Lotus’s official podcast: Yes. “I think they are happy,” he said.
He explained where the idea for their storyline came from, saying, “I like the idea that it’s about a guy who has a real deep philosophical agreement with the Buddhist doctrine of nonviolence, and yet he’s this guard. I sat and I met a couple of guards at the Four Seasons and talked to them. And it’s not a job where there’s a lot of like ruffians who come in and they have to take them down. It’s more just being helpful. And so I was just thinking that that would be interesting to have a guy who’s a true Buddhist and he’s nonviolent, but he likes this girl. And that ultimately for him to get the girl and get the job…[he has to] be a killer, you know?”
He said the couple had a “happy ending,” though it came at the cost of Gaitok’s morals. “It’s something that feels very human, which is in order to get ahead, you have to—his is obviously an extreme version of it—but you have to like suck up your idealism and…step up.”
He also doesn’t think Gaitok feels guilty over that finale shootout: “My feeling is like it was worth it [to him],” White said. “I mean, he wanted that job. He looks cool, he’s got the girl, but you know that something was lost.”
Despite this, “he’s definitely happy with her,” White said. “This is what he wanted. He did want that job, but now he has the job, and we just know that he sacrificed something that was his moralism in some way that he can’t go back.”
Listen to the full podcast below:
Lisa also shared her own reflections post-finale, thanking White for letting her join the show. She wrote on Instagram: “What a ride. Thank you Mike White for trusting in me to fulfill the role of Mook and bring her character to life. It was the greatest honor to be part of this show as my first acting gig alongside such incredible actors. And I’m so proud to be able to share my culture and show the beauty of Thailand to the world. Mook has changed my life in a way where I am learning more about myself and my capabilities. My Sunday nights may feel a lot emptier but closing out The White Lotus with a full heart ❤️🪷”
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The post Mike White Reveals What Happens to Mook and Gaitok After the ‘White Lotus’ Finale appeared first on Elle.
