The White Lotus season 3 episode 5 ending explained: Does Jaclyn hook up with Valentin after a wild night of partying?

The White Lotus season 3 episode 5 premiered on March 16, 2025, on HBO. Titled Full-Moon Party, the episode is written and directed by Mike White and saw the guests of the White Lotus hotel indulging in all kinds of excesses.

Saxon, Lochlan, Chelsea, and Chloe attend the full-moon party where they get high. Meanwhile, Jaclyn and her friends let their hair down and party hard at a club. Jaclyn sleeps with Valentin in a bid to feel young and alive again.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for The White Lotus season 3 episode 5.

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Jaclyn cheats on her husband in The White Lotus season 3 episode 5

Jaclyn and Valentin as seen in The White Lotus season 3 episode 5 (Image via Instagram/@hbo)

In The White Lotus season 3 episode 5, Jaclyn, Kate, and Laurie party with Valentin and his friends, Aleksei, and Vlad. After some drinking, they dance the night away at the club. Jaclyn, whose marriage is on the rocks, gets a lot of attention from younger men, making her feel desirable. She also wants to feel younger and goes all out with Valentin as a group of young girls look on enviously.

Meanwhile, Kate has become increasingly uncomfortable with her friends' behavior around the young men. She urges them to head back to the hotel, but they invite the men to go to the villa to continue their party.

Kate's Christian values force her to watch from the sidelines as the rest of them jump in the pool and get frisky, with Laurie even removing her top at one point.

In the past, Jaclyn had encouraged Laurie to make a move on Valentin as she is the only single woman out of them all. However, there is a chance that she wants to live vicariously through her friend. Additionally, Jaclyn was the one who hit it off with Valentin better than he did with Laurie.

After the guys head back home, Jaclyn secretly calls Valentin to her room and they hook up.

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What are the Ratliffs up to in The White Lotus season 3 episode 5?

Saxon and Lochlan as seen in The White Lotus season 3 episode 5 (Image via Instagram/@thewhitelotus)

After stealing Gaitok's gun in the last episode, Timothy contemplates taking his own life for failing his family as a husband and father. Meanwhile, Gaitok searches for the gun in his cabin and figures out, from the security footage, that Timothy took it. He tries to speak to Timothy without confronting him, but the latter denies knowing anything about it.

At dinner, Piper comes clean to her parents about her true intentions behind coming to Thailand. She tells them that she wants to live at the monastery and practice meditation for at least one year after graduating college. Victoria is horrified and tells her daughter about the dangers of joining a cult and worries that she might turn into a c*ncubine.

In the end, Victoria and Timothy agree to see the monastery and speak to the head monk, Luang Por Teera, before giving their approval.

Victoria Ratliff as seen in The White Lotus season 3 episode 5 (Image via Instagram/@hbo)

Timothy is too dazed to react to the situation as his financial woes weigh heavily on him. In the wee hours of the morning, he writes a suicide note to his family. He then takes out the gun, cocks it to his head, and comes close to pulling the trigger, but stops when Victoria enters the room. When she questions his changed behavior, he snaps at her about carrying the weight of everyone's expectations on his shoulders.

Meanwhile at Gary's yacht, Saxon encourages his younger brother to hook up with Chloe as she has a soft spot for young, innocent boys. Saxon plans to go after Chelsea as he is attracted to her rudeness and he challenges himself to win her over. However, Chelsea ignores his advances as she is fully committed to Rick, despite him not answering her calls.

The foursome heads to the full-moon party where Chloe gives each of them drugs. After getting high, they all take turns kissing each other and things take a turn when Saxon and Lochlan make out.

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Belinda and Pornchai take the next step in their relationship

In The White Lotus season 3 episode 5, Belinda shares her concerns about Gary being a potential murderer with the hotel's manager, Fabian. She starts worrying when Fabian mentions Gary has been asking about her, even suggesting he is interested in her. Fabian refuses to call the police as he does not want to dig up his guests' colorful past, especially if they are wealthy.

In her room, Belinda and Pornchai chat about her feeling threatened since she is the only one to know about Gary's past in Thailand. Once he reassures her, Belinda makes a move on Pornchai and their pent-up s*xual chemistry culminates in a steamy kiss.

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Rick's bizarre meeting with Frank in The White Lotus season 3 episode 5 explained

Frank as seen in The White Lotus season 3 episode 5 (Image via Instagram/@thewhitelotus)

In Bangkok, Rick meets with his old friend Frank, who hands him a duffel bag with a gun for his meeting with Jim Hollinger. The two head to the bar to catch up over drinks, where Rick is surprised to learn that his old friend has been sober for the past 10 months. Frank mentions giving up his hard-partying lifestyle for the inner peace and tranquility of Buddhism.

He goes on to explain that his attraction to Asian women brought him to Thailand in the first place. He spent many years hooking up with these women before realizing that he wanted to be an Asian woman himself. So, he dressed like them and had s*x with other white men while being watched by an Asian woman. Rick just nods along in astonishment.

The two friends decide to meet the next day as Rick has another favor to ask of him.

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All episodes of The White Lotus season 3 can be streamed on Max.