Warning! This article contains spoilers for The White Lotus season 3, episode 8.
The White Lotusseason 3’s finale included a big plot point for the poisonous fruits of Thailand, leading many to wonder if they are actually real plants. Theending ofThe White Lotusseason 3wrapped up most major storylines in equally tragic and unexpected ways. Be it the heartbreaking loss of some lovable characters orGreg and Belinda’sWhite Lotusagreement, the show managed to subvert some expectations while paying off the many story threads that have been teased for the last eight episodes.
Expectedly, the Ratliff family remained a big focus of the finale. AfterTim’s visions of death inThe White Lotusseason 3, episodes 6 and 7, episode 8 expanded on these even further. After PIper’s reluctant confession that she would not like to leave her life of luxury, Tim imagined killing his entire family, save for Lochlan. The way Tim planned this, rather than the visions of death by gunfire shown inThe White Lotusseason 3, episode 7’s ending, was through the use of the poisonous plants scattered around Thailand - but are these fruit trees real?
Yes, The White Lotus' “Suicide Tree” With Its Poisonous Fruit Is Real
And Common To Southeast Asia
Naturally, the first question that many will have afterThe White Lotusseason 3’s finale is whether the tree with its poisonous fruit is based on reality. As it turns out, the fruit trees are entirely real. The trees are colloquially known as pong-pong trees, or, indeed, the suicide tree, as Pam points out inThe White Lotusseason 3.The trees bear fruit called othalanga, the seeds of which are poisonous to humans as they attack the heart, causing all sorts of heart conditions, including cardiac arrests.
The White Lotusseason 3 saw Tim attempt to poison his entire family with the seeds…
The pong-pong tree is known to grow in South and Southeast Asia. Given thatThe White Lotusseason 3’s location took audiences and the show’s characters to Thailand, it makes sense that the show would verse itself in real parts of the country’s fauna.The White Lotusseason 3 saw Tim try to poison his entire family with the seeds, before second-guessing himself. Unfortunately for him, Lochlan accidentally ingested some of the fruit and almost died before miraculously recovering.
From The Ratliff Family’s First Appearance At Their Holiday Home
Image via Max
Despite the many waysThe White Lotustried to throw audiences off the scent via Tim’s storyline, the show actually teased the importance of the fruit in the very first episode. As alluded to,Timothy’s crimes inThe White Lotuscaused him to imagine killing his family as they would not know how to live an unprivileged life, with visions showing him mercy-killing them using the gun he stole from Gaitok. However, after losing the gun, Timothy turned to a different method in the finale: the fruit that was teased upon their entrance to the titular hotel.
Lochlan’s Fate Twist & Timothy’s Plan With The Ratliff Family In The White Lotus' Season 3 Finale Explained
Lochlan’s surprising fate in The White Lostus season 3 finale was caused by Timothy’s dark and drastic measure to save face with his family.
After being told by Pam that there is no wi-fi in the White Lotus' villas, Saxon picks up a piece of the fruit from a nearby pong-pong tree. Pam then insists that she would not eat that, as the seeds of the fruit are poisonous enough to kill someone. Timothy remembers this morsel of knowledge inThe White Lotusseason 3, episode 8, with the show bringing the tease full circle. After a lot of twists and turns that led many to believe it could be Timothy embarking on a gun-toting rampage, he opted for a much more subtle method of familicide, before backing out of the plan.
Why Timothy Didn’t Go Through With Using The Seeds To Kill His Family
Although Timothy came close to allowing his family to drink his piña coladas with some poisonous fruit on the side, he eventually decided against it. Instead, he told his family the coconut milk he used had gone bad, tipping the drinks down the sink. After imagining himself mercy-killing members of his family for the last three episodes, many will likely wonder why Timothy did not go through with it. For one, killing one’s family would be an incredibly difficult thing to go through willingly and Tim, despite his issues, has always been shown to love his wife and children.
Lochlan suffered from poisoning as he made a protein shake using the blender that contained the remainder of the pong-pong tree seeds, which Timothy forgot to clean.
On a broader level, though, Tim realized that death is not something he can or should control. When speaking with the guru in an earlier episode ofThe White Lotus, Tim was told that death is like a droplet of water coming back to the ocean, something he watches from the boat upon leaving the resort in the finale. This implies that Tim does not think he should be the one to choose how his family dies, instead telling them that, no matter what consequences hisThe White Lotuscrimes may bring, they will fight it together as a family.
