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The White Lotus Official Podcast

Ep. 7: “Killer Instincts” with Jon Gries

Mon, 31 Mar 2025

Description

Hosts Jia Tolentino and Josh Bearman dive into Episode 7 to break down Rick and Frank’s undercover operation, Muay Thai fights, and Greg/Gary’s party . Then, Jon Gries, who plays Greg Hunt, weighs in on the big question—did he orchestrate Tanya’s death? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Transcription

Chapter 1: Who are the hosts of the White Lotus official podcast?

00:47 - 00:53 Jia Tolentino

Hello, and welcome to the White Lotus official podcast companion to season three. I'm Gia Tolentino.

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00:53 - 00:54 Josh Bearman

And I'm Josh Behrman.

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Chapter 2: What is the significance of the film trilogy in Episode 7?

00:55 - 01:14 Jia Tolentino

And later in this episode, we'll be talking to John Grice. My question for you, Josh, is in Sam Rockwell's imaginary film trilogy, which we hear about. It's the, hold on, it's the, help me.

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01:14 - 01:17 Josh Bearman

The enforcer? The enforcer. And then the executor.

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01:17 - 01:21 Jia Tolentino

He says it, the executor. But I was confused because I thought he was going to say executioner.

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01:21 - 01:21 Josh Bearman

Right.

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00:00 - 00:00 Jia Tolentino

But if it's like a will, aren't you like the executor?

00:00 - 00:00 Josh Bearman

Right. Well, then when it gets into the notary, we're like, maybe it was an executor.

00:00 - 00:00 Jon Gries

Yeah.

00:00 - 00:00 Josh Bearman

Yeah, the sequel is the executor of the will of whoever was enforced. Yes.

00:00 - 00:00 Jia Tolentino

And then the notary has to come and sign it.

Chapter 3: How does violence play a role in the theme of Episode 7?

01:53 - 01:56 Josh Bearman

Someone snatches it. Identical briefcase. It's a mix up or is it?

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01:57 - 02:15 Jia Tolentino

Exactly. Okay, before we get into the notarized revenge plot near murder we witnessed, we should say we're talking about episode seven. The title is Killer Instincts and it was written and directed by Mike White. So this is a dark episode. It's dark.

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02:15 - 02:17 Josh Bearman

Well, it's all coming to the surface.

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02:18 - 02:25 Jia Tolentino

Yeah, everyone, almost everyone has kind of like a test, like a gauntlet that they are set. And it's like, what choice will you make? And not all of them have chosen.

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00:00 - 00:00 Josh Bearman

And also the kind of visual leitmotif that starts at the beginning and is running through the whole thing is the fight. You see the slow motion sequence of like some kind of prayer ritual at the beginning of the fight. Violence does spiritual harm to victims.

00:00 - 00:00 Unidentified

and to perpetrator.

00:00 - 00:00 Josh Bearman

So it's transitioned from a lot of the rest of the season is the monkeys in the forest, which is either both monkey mind and also the threat of kind of they're bearing their fangs sometimes. But now here is like... Humans fighting and personal violence and then the voiceover, the monk about violence. And so then you kind of know that that's what this is going to be about.

Chapter 4: What conflict arises at the dinner scene in Episode 7?

03:04 - 03:17 Jia Tolentino

Yeah. Everyone's in this really weird flux. It really like I kept watching like throughout the episode, I was like, everyone is trying to see if they're going to pass some sort of test, it feels like. It really all comes to the surface with the ladies the most.

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03:17 - 03:19 Josh Bearman

This is where, yeah, it's most visible.

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03:19 - 03:30 Jia Tolentino

They're at dinner just like furiously looking at the menu. They're kind of being like, I'm fucking sick of Thai food. Like you can feel they're like, when's this bottle of rosé going to get here so we can stop just avoiding eye contact with each other.

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03:30 - 03:48 Josh Bearman

And Lori sort of says what she's finally thinking and then they all start trading kind of. their real beliefs about each other. So the masks have all come down now, right? So the mask that was being worn when they were in the first episode at dinner and talking about how they all had been one person and it's a mirror. They're mirrors of each other.

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00:00 - 00:00 Jia Tolentino

It's a victory to our lives.

00:00 - 00:00 Josh Bearman

It's a victory to our lives rock now. It's the mask is down and the real person is there. And those three real people actually have these long grievances with each other.

00:00 - 00:00 Unidentified

I mean, you know, when you know someone long enough, you do start to see certain patterns. Okay. And what is that pattern, Kate?

00:00 - 00:00 Jia Tolentino

And they're all correct. Like, they're all accurate. Like, the reads are accurate. They say to Lori, like, the thing that makes you disappointed changes, but you're always disappointed. And it's like, that's right.

00:00 - 00:00 Josh Bearman

Yeah.

Chapter 5: How do the party dynamics unfold at Gary's gathering?

06:01 - 06:14 Josh Bearman

And then, of course, they're sitting there and Fabian, the hotel manager, has decided that this is his big night to shine. And he sits down and sings a ballad of his own devising about...

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06:14 - 06:16 Jia Tolentino

missing cold Germany.

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06:16 - 06:20 Josh Bearman

Yeah, exactly. Heimweh. Nostalgia for the homeland.

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06:20 - 06:28 Unidentified

How home may be cold and dirty, but still it is home.

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00:00 - 00:00 Jia Tolentino

He also, you know, he didn't like his life and he fucking changed it. He was like, I'm going to get on stage.

00:00 - 00:00 Unidentified

That's right. He did it.

00:00 - 00:00 Jia Tolentino

And no one cares because they're all busy being like, I've hated you for 30 years.

00:00 - 00:00 Josh Bearman

That's right. That's a good point. Fabian so far is the actual hero of the story. Yeah. He's the one who's making a change.

00:00 - 00:00 Jia Tolentino

He's pursuing it and it doesn't matter to anyone else.

Chapter 6: What identity crisis do characters face in Episode 7?

08:00 - 08:05 Josh Bearman

I know. That was a good hustle at the door. That was a good other woman hustle. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

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08:05 - 08:11 Jia Tolentino

It was like perfect pants for that as well. Like there's no, you really, it's a really PJ style Thailand band, you know?

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08:11 - 08:23 Josh Bearman

Yeah, yeah, exactly. So then the party. There's a party over at Gary's. He's invited Belinda and her son Zion.

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08:24 - 08:40 Jia Tolentino

Chloe is dressed like a majorette. Like a Taylor Swift heiress to our costume. I love the moment where Parker Posey's got her sort of elaborate silk scarf on and the statement necklace. And she's like, the boat people. We're going to go talk to the boat people.

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00:00 - 00:00 Josh Bearman

I know. I know. She's like sort of a new Tanya. Yeah, where she is her kind of like drugged out kind of daffiness is the like purposeful but kind of accidental to the story comic relief.

00:00 - 00:00 Jia Tolentino

Yeah, she's fun at this party. She's like, well, I guess it's boat people or, you know, everything's going to shit. My daughter is a Buddhist.

00:00 - 00:00 Josh Bearman

Yeah. I know. She's like, I'm praying that Jesus can save her from the Buddhists. Yeah.

00:00 - 00:00 Jia Tolentino

And she's really, you know, at the party, she's like, she thinks that girl is being sex trafficked and she's like, come to North Carolina.

00:00 - 00:00 Josh Bearman

She's trying to help out this woman.

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