The White Lotus incest storyline goes up a notch in shocking scenes

The following morning, we see the brothers waking up naked in the same bed and finding themselves in a fragile state after too much alcohol (and an as-yet-unidentified pill given to them by Chloe).

Lochlan claims to remember nothing from the night before, while Saxon is having flashes of memory that don't quite fit together completely – from what he can tell, though, things got weird, to say the least.

His initial recollection of events is that Lochlan had sex with Chloe, while he laid in the same bed next to them, pleasuring himself, which is enough to make him feel deeply disgusted. Little does he know that the truth is even worse.

That revelation comes later in the day, when Lochlan has left the resort to accompany his parents and sister, Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook), on an excursion to a Buddhist temple.

Saxon opts for a lazier day by the White Lotus swimming pool, where he is reunited with Chloe and Chelsea – and learns the truth of precisely what happened the night before.

Chloe matter-of-factly states that herself and the Ratliff boys had a threesome, in which the brothers themselves became intimately involved, with Lochlan, erm, 'lending a hand' to Saxon, while also getting it on with Chloe.

The revelation sickens Saxon to his core, who is quick to blame the drugs and alcohol for knocking them out of their right mind, but Chloe assures that the incident was consensual.

Meanwhile, at the Buddhist temple, Lochlan decides to stay for the night with Piper, who is considering relocating to Thailand to study the religion.

During a meditation session, his lost memories of the night before come flooding back – and he too remembers the sexual act he performed on his own brother, which unsurprisingly makes him feel rather anxious.

The episode ends before the Ratliff brothers can be reunited, meaning some tough conversations will still await them when we return to the resort for next week's penultimate episode.

This unexpected storyline has garnered a mixed response from viewers thus far, with The White Lotus producer David Bernad defending it last week in an interview with the New York Post.

He said: "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.

"As the season wraps up, you'll see the purpose of that story turn. 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."

The White Lotus season 3 is available on Sky Atlantic and NOW. New episodes Mondays.

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