We need to call this White Lotus relationship what it is.

The guests of The White Lotus have checked out for another season, but not all of them survived their Thailand vacation.

Like every season of the iconic Mike White series, the last episode ended in a murder. But unlike the other seasons, there was more than one victim. There were quite a few.

To be clear: many spoilers are ahead so if you don't know what happens in the finale, this will soon change if you continue reading, my friend. You've been warned!

The conclusion of Season 3 saw the deaths of guests Chelsea, Rick, hotel owner Jim and two security guards. Yep, that's a lot of death.

So how did we get there? Well, Rick happened.

Basically, Rick brought his younger girlfriend to Thailand while seeking revenge against hot owner Jim Hollinger, whom he believes killed his father. After confronting Jim in episode 7, Rick appeared to find clarity in the finale, finally softening with Chelsea and appearing like he was ready to leave his resentment against Jim behind to plan a life with his girlfriend.

#TheWhiteLotus spoilers

half of twitter can't tell that Chelsea and Rick are deeply in love and yet SAXON can and clearly wishes he could experience love like that pic.twitter.com/KIaAqj1sad

— rachel🦋 (@greyjedireylo) April 7, 2025

It was a new and improved Rick, until Jim came to the hotel to antagonise him about his mother, and he took the bait hook, line and sinker. In a rage and against Chelsea's protests, Rick shot Jim in the chest moments before Sritala, Jim's wife, revealed the shocking truth that Jim was Rick's biological father.

This act sets off a chaotic shootout at the resort involving Jim's bodyguards. Tragically, Chelsea, who had insisted on staying by Rick's side throughout his dangerous quest, is caught in the crossfire and dies in his arms.

One of their final shots showed Rick carrying Chelsea's dead body away as Gaitok finally shot him. Rick and Chelsea's dead bodies fall into the hotel's pond and the last shot we see of the couple is them in body bags.

The couple's demise fulfils Chelsea's ominous prediction that "bad things come in threes," as she had narrowly escaped death twice earlier in the season. Grim!

So yeah, it's a lot! And fans aren't quite coping with this rather Romeo & Juliet-inspired double death in the finale.

MIKE WHITE YOU WILL PAY FOR MY THERAPY. NOTHING HAS BROKEN ME LIKE THIS. #thewhitelotus pic.twitter.com/i1ap160ARD

— ً (@americanreqiuem) April 7, 2025

But were these two really star-crossed lovers, or was there something much more sinister happening under the surface?

In their final moments, Rick and Chelsea embodied a fatalistic approach to romance, as if these two dying together is an aspirational kind of love. But Rick's actions, again and again, prioritised his own desires over Chelsea.

Is that love? We need to call it what it is: This relationship is toxic.

People on X were left stunned by Rick's erratic behaviour in the finale, especially his shooting Jim and then getting into a shoot-out, all without checking on the welfare of his girlfriend.

If Rick really loved Chelsea the way she loved him he would have never put her in that position. He never even would have brought her on that trip and I will stand ten toes down on that. Y’all romanticize stuff too much. Open your eyes! #TheWhiteLotus pic.twitter.com/fNwsCp80uD

— Rachel Tensions (@rachellacroixs) April 7, 2025

a woman dying because of a man’s actions #TheWhiteLotus pic.twitter.com/fOltdKyH8J

— :) (@yellowjxkets) April 7, 2025

But is this ending all that surprising? As the main love story arc in the season, it's easy to get invested in this relationship, without noticing some of the glaring red flags throughout.

From the beginning, Rick brought Chelsea to Thailand to hunt down his father's killer, manipulating her into thinking she was going on a couple's vacay when actually, he was about to put her life in danger.

Then throughout the trip, he kinda just ignored her, or when he did acknowledge her, Chelsea was met with mockery or annoyance.

There was a bizarre power dynamic at play with Rick being the one Chelsea had to constantly chase. "You're not gonna get rid of me that easy," she says in one episode. "If you kill me, I'll follow you into the next life, and the next. You'll never get rid of me."

Is this a normal way to talk to your partner? She would constantly phone him and check in, even once referring to him as 'her child'.

Watch Mamamia interview the stars of White Lotus. Post continues after video.

Rick is secretive with Chelsea, often not telling her the full story until she is pushed to her limits.

"Are you ever gonna let me in? Seriously, are you?" she asks. "I'm at the end of my rope, it doesn't feel good being around this dark cloud all the time. And if you don't let me in, you don't tell me what's going on, then I can't help you can I? And it's starting to feel really sh**ty."

Rick then disappeared for days without any transparency over what he was doing. I understand that this man carries a lot of childhood trauma that he's trying to process in Thailand, but is that Chelsea's burden to carry?

What does Chelsea get out of this relationship? Well, nothing. She's dead.

Despite this toxic dynamic at play, most of the online discourse around this couple has been filled with heart-eyed reactions and proclamations about 'true love' and 'soul mates'.

chelsea & rick. the eternal soulmates #WhiteLotus pic.twitter.com/1CD71LZXbX

— joe (@mcumagik) April 7, 2025

THIS RICK & CHELSEA MOMENT WASN’T A DREAM SEQUENCE!!! WE WON!!! #TheWhiteLotus

pic.twitter.com/mMLjmOcax2

— Jordan. ⚔️ 🪷 💎 (@ChoiceReznikov) April 7, 2025

The actor who plays Rick, Walton Goggins, himself declared his story was all about love. "To me, ours was a love story. It was only ever a love story, hindered by unresolved, childhood trauma," the actor wrote on Instagram about the finale.

Goggins is a big part of why Rick is so lovable, despite his not-so-lovely treatment of Chelsea — the actor's 1000-watt smile paired with his come-hither eyes can't help but make the viewers fall for him.

Then there's the old grumpy man with a human sunshine girlfriend pairing, a zany trope we love for a reason. Whether it's Jess and Nick on New Girl, Lorelai and Luke on Gilmore Girls, or Bridget and Mark in Bridget Jones, people love to watch this 'opposites attract' love story.

And I do too. But as long as each character is making the other better, taking care of them, and adding to their lives. And that doesn't usually end in one or both of them dead.

Rick struggled to show genuine care for Chelsea: when she was attacked by a snake, he laughed off that he was 'stoned', and when she was caught up in a burglary, he, once again, didn't have a huge concern for her wellbeing. This extends to his friendship with Frank: he didn't show any tangible concern that his friend who had just helped him with a bizarre plan had relapsed.

Sadly, a few sweet moments in the finale where Rick told Chelsea 'that's the plan' when she asked if they would spend their lives together don't make up for the fact he was a distant and disengaged partner for most of the season.

And for that, I don't want to see any more fan edits about how Rick and Chelsea were endgame. They're not.

One should be dead (or in prison?) and the other should be getting her tarot cards read in Bali while sipping cocktails with Chloe.

Feature image: Binge.