The White Lotus season 3 episode 7 recap: does Rick kill Jim?

The White Lotus season 3 sees a new batch of ultra-wealthy guests heading to a luxury hotel on the sunny shores of Koh Samui in Thailand.

But, once again, they're about to see their trip of a lifetime descend into a living nightmare as the series opened with a flash-forward where we see at least one character meet a grisly end.

The holidaymakers this time include successful businessman Timothy and his family, while actor Jaclyn has brought her two best friends to the resort for a much-needed girls' catch-up. Then there is free spirit Chelsea, who arrives with her tetchy boyfriend Rick. But as each resort guest finds their holiday thrown off course, who will make it home from the vacation in one piece?

Here is everything that happens in The White Lotus season 3 episode 7...

The penultimate episode opens with Rick and Frank at Sritala and Jim's house. Frank makes small talk about being a movie director, bluffing his way through all her questions about the film he is making. Frank asks for a herbal tea, while Rick is on the whiskey. But when the chat about the movie gets awkward because Frank has no idea what he is talking about, he decides to break his sober streak and asks for a whiskey like Rick.

The episode then moves to the retreat, where Lachlan and Piper are listening to a class about the dangers of violence by the lead monk. As he is talking about how everyone has the capacity for violence, it is just how we use it, we see Gaitok collecting Mook for their date, and then Tim back in his hotel room where he is taking more of Vicotia's tablets.

Saxon is ready for Chloe and Gary's party, and Victoria isn't happy about going becasue she doesn't like 'the boat people', and Tim doesn't really have a say in things as he is totally spaced out on drugs. Eventually, Victoria agrees to go, but only because she is all dolled up.

Over in Belinda's room she is in a panic about what Gary (or Greg as she knows him) wants from her. She doesn't want to go to the party, but Zion thinks they should go to see what Gary's agenda is.

Laurie, Kate and Jaclyn arrive at the resort restaurant for dinner and the atmosphere between Jaclyn and Laurie is still tense. They order wine and sit in silence until it arrives.

Back at Sritala's house, Frank is still struggling with his pretend role as a film director, and Rick, who has been virtually silent until now, says he would love to speak with Jim in another room about how he became a successful businessman in Thailand. In Jim's office, he and Rick talk, and while Jim isn't looking, Rick checks the gun in his pocket.

At Chloe's party she welcomes Saxon and his parents in, asking where Lachlan is. Saxon explains that he is at a Buddhist retreat, while Victoria tells her it is a cult. As Tim heads to the bar, Saxon ditches his parents and finds Chelsea. He asks her why she is with Rick, and she explains they are soulmates and that his sadness touches her and makes her want to heal him.

As Belinda turns up at the party, Gary is pleased to see she is there. Meanwhile, Piper and Lachlan are at the retreat having dinner, but the meal is so bad that Lachlan has to force it down, much to Piper's horror.

Mook and Gaitok are on their date and it all seems to be going well until he tells her that he won't be getting a promotion at the hotel because his boss thinks he is soft and doesn't have a killer instinct. Mook is surprised and it's awkward when she tells him that she thought he was more ambitious and wanted a better job.

Fabian is preparing for his first performance at the hotel while Laurie and Jacklyn start arguing over Valentin again. As they are fighting, Kate gets involved and says that Laurie is always disappointed with her life but blames other people, which she takes offence to. She calls Jaclyn vain and Kate fake before heading out for the evening on her own, leaving the others sitting in shock in the restaurant.

Gary corners Belinda at the party and asks her for a private chat. She tries to get Zion to come too, but Gary insists it is just the two of them. Gary says he knows that Belinda remembers who he is and claims to have had nothing to do with Tanya's death. He says he is happy in Thailand and wants to spend the rest of his life there, so he is going to give Belinda the $100,000 that Tanya should have given her to start the business as she promised. He says it is what Tanya would have wanted, but she knows it is blackmail and tells him that she will need to sleep on it.

Saxon has realised there is something wrong with his dad. Tim fobs him off, claiming he has just had too much to drink, but Saxon knows it is something more and asks if everything is okay at work. Tim says all is fine and is shocked when Saxon says that his whole career is tied to his father's and without it he is nothing, putting even more pressure on an already drowning Tim.

Rick and Jim continue their chat and eventually, Rick gets to the point where he tells a confused Jim that he ruined his life by killing his father. Jim has no recollection of Rick's father, but Rick pulls out a gun and looks like he is about to shoot him. In the end, Rick changes his mind and instead tips the old man out of his chair before racing out of the house, taking a bemused Frank with him.

At the boxing fight, which has been playing out between scenes throughout the episode, Mook and Gaitok are watching as part of their date. She points out that fighting is just human nature and he just smiles.

Lauire is also at the fight with Valentin and soon his friends from the other night arrive. Across from the other side of the boxing ring, Gaitok sees Valentin and his friends and realizes they were the ones who robbed the resort shop at gunpoint a few days ago. In a flashback, Gaitok remembers it was Valentin who distracted him while the security barrier was up as the car that the gunmen were in went through.

Back at the retreat, Piper asks Lachlan what he thinks about her coming to live here, and he says he likes it and wants to come with her. He tells her he doesn't want to go home, and although she has no idea it is because of what happened with Saxon at the full moon party, she is surprised and not as excited as Lachlan thought she would be, which confuses him. Little does he know, his sister is having second thoughts about moving there.

At Gary's party, Saxon is chatting with Chelsea and Chloe. Chelsea says she is going to go home, and Saxon offers to walk her back, but Chloe says he can't leave as Gary doesn't want him to. She says she and Gary have had a big talk about his past and he has shared his darkest sexual fantasies with her. She says he dreams of watching other people have sex and he wants Saxon to sleep with Chloe so that he can watch. Saxon is horrified by the whole thing, despite the fact Chloe tries to make out that it is totally normal, and he makes his excuses to leave. As they are talking, Gary is watching their whole conversation from afar.

Back in Bangkok, Rick tells Frank about what happened with Jim and explains that he was just a frail old man and he couldn't bring himself to hit him, let alone use the gun. He puts the gun in a bin and they head into town to party.

Back at the resort, Belinda tells Zion about the money that Gary offered her, and he says she should take it. But she says she can't because it would make her an accessory to murder.

In their hotel room, Kate is worrying that Laurie isn't replying to her texts. Meanwhile, Saxon walks Chelsea home and tells her he wants to be a better person so she teaches him how to meditate. But while they are having their lesson, he tries it on with her again, and she tells him to leave, throwing meditation books at him as he goes.

Back in Victoria and Tim's room, Victoria is praying before bed asking Jesus to make sure Piper has an awful time at the retreat so she doesn't want to move there... meanwhile, Laurie is having sex with Valentin's friend and afterwards he tells her about how he needs money to get his sick mother into Thailand. He asks her for $10,000 and she is shocked and tries to make excuses about why she can't wire him the money. As they are talking, a woman comes to his door and starts yelling at him. Laurie has to quickly get dressed and hide in a back room, and when she does, she sees lots of jewels hidden. In the end, she has to escape out the window as the woman sees her and hits her as she falls from the window ledge. She runs off as the man shouts after her to come back. After walking for a while, she gets a taxi.

In Bangkok, Rick and Frank are partying, and Frank has well and truly fallen off the wagon. He is drinking again, taking drugs, and has invited loads of women back to his room. But Rick isn't in the party mood and doesn't get involved.

With Victoria asleep, Tim is having flashbacks to killing himself, and also Victoria and now Saxon, too. But when he goes to get the gun, he is shocked to find it gone, not realizing that Gaitok stole it back.

The White Lotus season 3 airs in the US on Sundays at 9 pm ET/PT on HBO and Max. In the UK new episodes land on Sky Atlantic and NOW every Monday.