The Season 3 finale of The White Lotus, while landing a mixed reception to fans, ran an extended hour and a half. But series creator, writer and director Mike White recently revealed there was an even longer version of the final episode, and one of the scenes that hit the cutting room floor featured a major moment for Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook).
The Ratliff daughter hit a big story point in Episode 8 of the HBO drama. Having returned from her overnight stay in the Buddhist temple she intended to study at for a year, she began having second thoughts. And so, at breakfast with her parents Timothy (Jason Isaacs) and Victoria (Parker Posey), she admitted that the monastic approach was not for her, as she could not live without the accommodations she's had her entire life due to her family's luxurious lifestyle. While Victoria could not be more pleased at her change of heart, for Timothy, it only serves as another materialistic family member he intends to wipe out at the end of the day.
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After this scene happens early on, Piper doesn't have any other major moments in the episode's run. But in an appearance on The Official White Lotus Podcast, White pulled back the curtain that a major moment from Piper's story had been cut from the final version: Her losing her virginity.
"The part that was cut too, which is very disappointing, is that she decides to lose her virginity in the script in the last episode," he says. "And she actually has sex with Zion (Nicholas Duvernay), which is Belinda's (Natasha Rothwell) son."
White goes on to reference an earlier moment of teasing from Piper's older brother Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger), where he accused her of being a virgin. "She's like, 'It's true. Saxon's right about this one thing. I need to get this over with.' After she leaves the monastery, she's just like, 'I need to have sex.'"
Related: Does Belinda Survive Greg’s Frightening Threat After ‘White Lotus’ Season 3 Finale?
This is an absolutely wild revelation. While The White Lotus prides itself on having the paths of its groups of guests cross frequently over the season, this crosses a whole new threshold. Zion arrived at the White Lotus late, coming from school to visit his mother during her exchange program to Thailand. However, he ends up getting wrapped up in the drama when she reveals a blast from her past in the form of "Gary," aka Greg (Jon Gries). And he plays a pivotal role in securing $5 million of "blood money" for Belinda to start her dream business in exchange for keeping his past quiet.
According to White, the deleted scene featured Piper scoping out the hotel's restaurant, in pursuit of a partner. She would then find Zion, who was eagerly awaiting Greg's money to arrive in his mother's bank account. The two would strike it up and engage in some HBO-branded canoodling. Ultimately, it ended up getting lost in the final cut.
"It's an hour and a half already, and it would have added like 10 minutes to the thing," White says. "It had a little bit of a romantic rom-com vibe in the middle of [Timothy] trying to kill the family with the pong pong fruits. It just felt like I was trying to do too much, narratively."
While the hookup indeed wasn't necessary for the final episode, it does bring some much-needed context to Piper's behavior the rest of the finale. The final morning of their stay at the White Lotus, she runs into Saxon on her way to breakfast. Her hair is a smidge unkept, but she is beaming at him. That would make sense if she indeed proved his accusation wrong the previous night. Additionally, one of the final shots of the Ratfliff family – mirroring one of the first – had the siblings sitting side by side on the boat leaving the island. Not only is Piper decked out in a colorful sarong, but she looks up at the sky, smiling.
Piper may not have been able to find enlightenment during her trip to Thailand. But she certainly left with a lot of bliss.
Related: Who Died in 'The White Lotus' Season 3 Finale?
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