Last night’s episode of The White Lotus was a wild ride. Incest? Check. Betrayal? Oh, plenty. And what pushed it over the edge? A Sam Rockwell monologue so unhinged that Rick’s reaction to it instantly became a meme.
In Episode 5, everyone’s favorite grumpy vacationer, Rick (Walton Goggins), finally arrives in Bangkok, intent on confronting the hotel owner’s husband, whom he believes murdered his father.
But before the big showdown, he has a meeting with Frank (Sam Rockwell), an old buddy who has a lot to say. The two head to a bar, and Frank launches into an incredibly bizarre monologue about his fetish for Asian women, Buddhism, and alcoholism.
“I picked Thailand because I’ve always had a thing for Asian girls,” Frank casually explains.
“Uh-huh,” Rick responds, deadpan.
“Maybe what I really want is to be one of these Asian girls,” Frank confesses, before the camera cuts to Rick with his mouth wide open and his eyebrows practically in his hairline as he replies, ”Really?”
And just like that, the internet exploded. Rick’s face—half-disbelief, half-genuine confusion—was instantly immortalized as the perfect reaction to everything in the episode. Whether it was the Ratliff boys’ incestuous kiss, Jaclyn getting busy with the Russian hotel worker, or Belinda’s impromptu spa fling, Rick’s face became the internet’s go-to expression for “I can’t believe this is happening… but I’m still here for it."
“Everyone during that monologue,” an X user wrote, posting a gif of Rick’s reaction.
“He really nailed this scene in how I think I would react as well, like yes do your thing my friend but what???” another user replied.
At this point, Rick’s face isn’t just a meme—it’s a mood, perfectly summing up everything The White Lotus fans are feeling after the latest episode: confused, horrified, and oddly supportive.
