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The finale episode of The White Lotus answered some questions (and left many others unresolved), but one meme has perfectly captured the essence of this season’s most under-utilized character.
In case you missed it (even though those gunshots were quite loud), the third season of the HBO anthology series completed its eight-episode run this week, culminating in the long-awaited reveal of which guest at the titular fictional hotel ended up dead. While that reveal has left an Amy Lou Wood-sized hole in my heart (justice for Chelsea!), it’s the fate of another character, Mook, that has captured the attention of swathes of post-finale commentators on social media.
As a refresher the (initially) adorable hotel staff member was played by Lisa of BLACKPINK, and her season-long arc revolved around her relationship with White Lotus security guard, Gaitok (played by Tayme Thapthimthong). Their flirtatious, will-they-won’t-they dynamic dominated much of the season, but reached an impasse when their conflicting views around ambition — and the killer instinct and violence needed to access it — came to a head.
During the season finale, Gaitok is ready to abandon his job as a security guard in alignment with his non-violent philosophies, but the season-ending shootout arises before he can officially resign. Then, in the episode’s final moments, Gaitok heeds Mook’s persuasions by shooting and killing Rick (Walton Goggins), therefore becoming the exact opposite of the #softboi we’d come to know and love. The completion of this character arc frustrated some viewers, particularly those who believed Mook existed only as a catalyst for Gaitok to commit violence, with no other crucial purpose.
mook to gaitok this episode #thewhitelotus #whitelotus pic.twitter.com/FEwWzGwxzq
— and Peggy (@ypeggytambien) April 7, 2025
This sentiment was echoed in a viral post-finale post on X, which plays on a popular meme lifted from an episode of Community. “I can excuse murder but I draw the line at unemployment,” the text reads, alongside a caption explaining that this sentiment was “Mook to Gaitok this episode.” The X points to broader criticisms around the shallow character development of Mook, who would rather Gaitok commit violence as part of his security guard job than risk him becoming unemployed for being too meek. Others flocked to the post to share their agreement.
“I love how Mook did nothing all season,” one fan wrote, with another adding that “Mook gave us nothing.” Other users quipped that “this whole storyline sucked,” or argued that Mook’s “character was so one-dimensional.” The Mook and Gaitok storyline isn’t the only source of criticism in the wake of the season three finale. Recently responding to fans who labelled this season as ‘boring,’ series creator Mike White said his writing style is like “edging,” adding that “if you don’t want to be edged, then get out of my bed.”
I love how mook did nothing all season. We were all waiting for hex to turn evil but she never did 😔
— Alexbashestv (@Alexbashestv) April 7, 2025
Sooo mook gave us nothing?😭😂
— cqrlos (@sweetnerbby_) April 7, 2025
Everyone thinking she was in on the robbery. Her character was so one-dimensional
— Shireen Hakim (@ShireenWrites) April 7, 2025
Elsewhere in the Lotus-verse, we recently discovered that Woody Harrelson was on board for the role of Frank (which ultimately went to Sam Rockwell), but was forced to back out of season three due to a family vacation. Who’s going to tell him that The White Lotus is a show about going on vacation? Oh, we also learned the one place where the next season definitely won’t be taking place. Hint: you won’t need to pack any ski gear.