‘The White Lotus’ Season 3, episode 2: What’s the deal with Victoria and Kate?

The White Lotus Season 3 is only two episodes in, and the list of underlying tensions is already growing nicely.

The latest, and perhaps most intriguing, to add to the mix? The strange interaction between Victoria (Parker Posey) and Kate (Leslie Bibb) at breakfast.

So what exactly happens, and what might it mean? Let’s recap.

What happens between Victoria and Kate in Season 3, episode 2?

During breakfast, Kate breaks away from her friends Laurie and Jaclyn (Carrie Coon and Michelle Monaghan) to approach the Ratliff family and address Victoria. They have the following exchange, which quickly goes from awkward to even more awkward:

Kate: “Do you know Claire Popovich?”

Victoria: “Yes, I do.”

K: “You and I were at a baby shower in Austin together! Kate Bohr. Claire is one of my great friends in Austin and yeah, we spent a weekend together! Hi!”

V: “Yes.”

K: “But, do you remember meeting me?”

When Kate gets back to her table, Jaclyn says, “I don’t think she remembers you.” Kate’s response? “We spent a whole weekend together. I mean, a whole weekend. Am I not memorable?”

Meanwhile, back at the Ratliff family’s table, Victoria’s son Lochlan (Sam Nivola) calls his mom out for being rude to Kate.

“Oh please, what does she want from me? We met at a baby shower 10 years ago. I mean, so what? Who cares?” is Victoria’s response. “I’m on vacation with my family. I don’t know her.”

Why doesn’t Victoria like Kate?

If there’s one thing we know about The White Lotus, it’s that conversations like this aren’t throwaways. Victoria’s reaction to Kate is likely going to be significant to the plot in some way. So the big question is, why is she so rude and dismissive?

Realistically, there are only three possibilities: 1) Victoria is embarrassed about something Kate may know about her, possibly through their mutual friend; 2) Victoria has been given some information about Kate from their mutual friend that has led to her not wanting to associate with Kate; or 3) Victoria has fallen out with their mutual friend, and doesn’t want a reminder.

At this stage, any of those things seems possible. We just don’t have enough information to make a more specific guess about what’s gone on. But this is definitely one of those interactions that’ll be worth filing away for later. Maybe the name Claire Popovich will become significant further down the line.

The White Lotus is streaming now on Max, with new episodes dropping weekly.