WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for The White Lotus season 3, episode 1.
Jason Isaacs' character Timothy Ratliff appears to be in some hot water in Timothy Ratliff and his dysfunctional family arrive for their vacation. The Ratliffs are taken aback that the resort has a set of rules, such as no cell phones in public areas. As the episode plays out, it becomes clear that Timothy has secrets to hide, even though he seems like a successful man.
Throughout The White Lotus season 3, episode 1, Timothy receives a handful of calls from his assistant, who informs him that a prominent journalist – Bart Nixon of The Wall Street Journal – is looking to speak with him about an urgent matter. Timothy returns the journalist's calls after interrupting his family dinner but realizes he's walked into a sort of trap. Nixon asks piercing questions about a man named Kenneth Nguyen and wants Timothy to answer whether he worked with him in 2018 to set up a fund called Sho-Kel. Nixon reveals he's investigating Nguyen's connection to the government of Brunei.
Timothy's Old Business Partner Is Being Investigated About His Sho-Kel Fund & Connection To The Brunei Government
The Wall Street Journal Is Investigating Kenny For Potentially Illegal Activity
In The White Lotus season 3 premiere, The Wall Street Journal's Bart Nixon is running an investigative piece on Timothy's old business partner, Kenneth Nguyen. During the phone call with Nixon, Timothy reveals that he knows "Kenny" moved to Brunei, a small country in Southeast Asia, but claims he hasn't seen or spoken to him in at least four years. This alone tells the perceptive Nixon that Timothy appears to be on good with "Kenny" even if they haven't spoken for some time. Nixon informs Timothy that he is running the story in The Wall Street Journal that week.
While Timothy plays it off quite smoothly after being caught off guard by Nixon during the phone call, he immediately begins to worry and calls Kenny up. Kenny doesn't answer but Timothy lays the situation out to him in a voicemail, stating that The Wall Street Journal is investigating him and Sho-Kel. From that point on, Timothy becomes a walking stress case after the call, deflecting more questions from his family. None of them are aware of Timothy's situation with Kenny and the apparent illegal activity involving Sho-Kel and the Brunei government, not even his drug-dependent wife Victoria (Parker Posey).
The White Lotus Season 3 Hints Timothy Was Involved In Illegal Activity With Sho-Kel
Timothy Appears Very Guilty Towards The End Of The White Lotus Season 3 Premiere
Based on the limited information given in The White Lotus season 3 premiere, it appears that whatever Sho-Kel is, it's something illegal. The most likely solution is that it's a money laundering scheme set up by Kenny with Timothy's help. As for the connection to the Brunei government, it could be that the fund is masked as a political fund, such as a political action committee (PAC), that is exempt from taxes. The details remain scarce on what exactly Sho-Kel is and how Timothy and Kenny are involved. The main point is that it could come back to bite Timothy.
What The Hell Is Going On With The Ratliff Family's Kids In The White Lotus Season 3?
The weird incestuous dynamic between the three Ratliff kids, Piper, Lochlan & Saxon, in The White Lotus season 3 premiere is alarmingly strange.
Timothy is clearly a wealthy man but it's unclear exactly how he acquired his wealth after one episode of The White Lotus season 3. He looks really guilty when Victoria tells him he's a good guy and everything they have in their good life is because of him at the end of the episode.
Sho-Kel could have sourced a large part of Timothy's personal wealth, which means he could stand to lose everything if Kenny is exposed.
This implies that Sho-Kel could have sourced a large part of his personal wealth, which means Timothy could stand to lose everything if Kenny is exposed. Kenny has yet to be introduced in The White Lotus season 3, so viewers will have to wait and see how he will react to Timothy's phone call – or if he will at all.
Is Timothy's Sho-Kel Secret Connected To The Gunshots In The White Lotus Season 3's Opening Scene?
It Seems Possible But There's No Way To Know After 1 Episode
The shootout at the start of The White Lotus season 3 premiere remains clouded in mystery. There are still several unanswered questions from the short teaser clip, such as who is firing the gun, whose body is floating in the water, and whether the gunfire is the result of a terrorist attack, robbery, or something else.
The shooting may have something to do with either Timothy or Walton Goggins' Rick Hatchett, who seems to have his own shady agenda.
The two biggest leads after one episode of The White Lotus season 3 are that the shooting has something to do with either Timothy or Walton Goggins' Rick Hatchett, who seems to have his own shady agenda. There is a lot to learn about these characters and more in future episodes of The White Lotus.
The White Lotus
- Release Date
- July 11, 2021
- Network
- HBO
- Showrunner
- Mike White
Cast
Jon GriesGreg Hunt
Natasha RothwellBelinda Lindsey
WHERE TO WATCH
- Directors
- Mike White
- Writers
- Mike White
- Creator(s)
- Mike White
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