White Lotus Producer Addresses Incest Scene, Says It Adds to the ‘Larger Thematic Idea’ of the Show

Warning: this story contains spoilers from episode 5 of The White Lotus season 3.

That kiss is part of the bigger picture on The White Lotus!

After viewers saw Saxon Ratliff (Patrick Schwarzenegger) share an intense kiss with his younger brother Lochlan (Sam Nivola) while Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) and Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon) looked on during the March 16 episode of the HBO drama series, executive producer David Bernad shared that the storyline will serve a bigger purpose as the season progresses.

When asked if there was discussion about pushing the line with the now-viral moment, he told the New York Post, “No, in terms of that — that’s all [creator Mike White]. Mike is brilliant, and I think those big story turns are not just for shock.”

“There’s a specific reason in terms of the narrative storytelling, and the larger thematic idea Mike is trying to get across,” he continued.

Bernad teased that the scene will take new meaning in the season’s final three episodes. “As the season wraps up, you’ll see the purpose of that story turn,” he said. “The show goes there for a larger thematic idea. I love that family storyline, especially the brother story — and, it culminates in a very satisfying way.”

As fans wait to see how the scene fits into the larger story, Le Bon, 38, recalled in an interview with Vulture that Schwarzenegger, 31, had some hesitations about the steamy moment.

“Well obviously they’re not brothers by blood, so that made it easier,” she shared. “I think for Patrick it was really difficult. For Sam, he was kind of like, ‘It’s whatever, let’s just do it well one time and it will be over.’ You know? Because if you don’t do it well the first time, then you have to do it over and over again.”

“But Patrick’s reaction in the episode is his genuine reaction,” she noted of him pulling back and looking confused. “We all thought he was going to throw up. And Sam was like, ‘It’s fine, it’s just a kiss, calm down!’ ”

The tension between the brothers started in episode 1, which left fans wondering about their relationship after Lochlan was seemingly unable to take his eyes off Saxon when he was completely naked.

During an interview with The Radio Times last month, Schwarzenegger teased the dynamic.

“I think that the relationship with his brother — although it’s very odd and weird, which is what [creator] Mike [White] wanted — it’s still very loving at the same time,” he said. “I mean, it’s just that Saxon has this false perception and idea of what he thinks makes a man and who he thinks he is, and he’s trying to groom his younger brother to become that.”

Schwarzenegger told TODAY.com that not only are Saxon’s perceptions changing, but his relationship with Lochlan might be as well.

“Is there a different power dynamic between him and Lochy? Is Lochy coming on to him? Is it the drugs? Is it the girls pressuring him? What is it? So, I think [White] leaves that open-ended for the audience to try to decipher,” he explained.