Note: This story contains spoilers from “The White Lotus” Season 3, Episode 2.
Just two episodes in, “The White Lotus” Season 3 introduced a menacing gunman to the Thailand resort, which star Tayme Thapthimthong said alters Gaitok’s “whole perspective” moving forward.
In Episode 2, a mysterious van enters the White Lotus premises while Gaitok (Thapthimthong) speaks with Valentin (Arnas Fedaravičius) and the gate to the resort remains open, ushering in a robbery to the hotel’s luxury store. Gaitok pursues the thief on the way out, though ultimately the perpetrator gets away by striking Gaitok on the head.
“When he did get hit and after that, he definitely felt disappointed in himself,” Thapthimthong told TheWrap, until Mook (Lisa Manobal), a longtime friend with which Gaitok is hoping to pursue a romantic relationship, visits him later and “shows him she actually does care.”
“When she says, ‘you were really brave today,’ that is what really changed his whole perspective on the situation and made him feel like, ‘OK, I guess I did a good job — I did what I could.’ That’s what gave him the confidence to then talk to Sritala — it’s just a chain of reaction from that compliment with Mook.”
At this point, all guesses are off whether the robbery could be connected to the shooting in the Season 3 opener, though at the very least the confrontation might further complicate Gaitok’s life.
Below, Manobal and Thapthimthong unpack Gaitok’s Episode 2 confession to Mook and preview their characters’ budding romance.
TheWrap: When we meet Mook and Gaitok, it’s clear they have a long history. What did you imagine about their history and their friendship as kids?
Thapthimthong: Just from the script, we are friends from a very young age … In Thailand, especially in like a place like Samui, they are compact communities … it’s more than likely that you will know —
Manobal: Everyone on the island.
Thapthimthong: There has been that relationship for a long time, but I’m guessing that maybe, in Gaitok’s mind … he’s probably been thinking about asking her out for a while, but I think he was just always waiting for the right moment. He’s a shy guy. He’s a … happy go lucky guy, and I think “White Lotus” Season 3 … just captured that perfect week for him to try something.
Tayme, in Episode 2 we see Gaitok confess his feelings for Mook and propose a plan for their life together. Why do you think he thought it was the right time for this confession and is he let down by her reaction?
Thapthimthong: I guess, yes, he was a little let down. I’m sure he was hoping that she would be like, “OK, yeah, it makes sense — let’s go out.” But I think from Episodes 1 and 2, it definitely made him feel like, “I have to be more ambitious than this. I can not just be a security guard in the booth opening the barrier for cars to go in and out. I need to improve myself.” As you will see, as the episodes go on, Mook tries to help him and tries to remind him that, “Hey, you got to up your game a little bit.”
Manobal: Be a man.
Lisa, Mook lovingly lets Gaitok down and kinda shrugs off his plan. What do you think she makes of this confession?
Manobal: I think Mook was a little bit shocked and surprised … because I think she never thought they [would] end up in this situation. So she is a little bit shocked but, at the same time, she feels like maybe it could be a chance that she also has feelings towards Gaitok as well. [She’s like] “we have never been on a date before, do you know what a date is?” And then everything starts to happen after that.
Does Mook have romantic feelings for Gaitok at this point?
Manobal: I feel like Mook is … she’s chill. Because they are friends since they were little, it’s more like a funny thing to hear from Gaitok … but why not, let’s try.
Your storyline is much sweeter than the guests. What are you excited for viewers to see from your characters?
Thapthimthong: It shows a good contrast between … Eastern versus Western ways of doing things. The Eastern [way], you will see, is typically a bit more conservative than the Western, and I think it’s a cool little contrast for the audience to see.
Manobal: I can not wait for the audience to see how beautiful Thailand is, [which] Mike captured so beautifully.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
“The White Lotus” airs Sundays on HBO and Max.
