In The White Lotus, Saxon’s Polo Shirts Are Pathetic

Saxon Ratliff lives to work, and he needs everyone to know it. The terribly behaved eldest sibling of the ultra-wealthy Ratliff family in The White Lotus season 3 — played with unnerving accuracy by Patrick Schwarzenegger — is eager to show that, for him, the grind never stops. And on a tropical holiday in Thailand, his sterile collared shirts are the ultimate example.

From episode one, Saxon’s outfits — orchestrated by costume designer Alex Bovaird — communicate his devotion to corporate life. When entering the resort for the first time, he wears a Southern Tide polo shirt, Gucci loafers, and sunglasses hanging from a lanyard emblazoned with the American flag. As far as initial impressions go, it’s perfect; the archetypal out-of-office ensemble for a job-obsessed American who revels in his role.

“I don’t need a vacation,” he informs a hotel staff member, unprovoked. “I mean, I love working.” (The first of many times he’ll say this.)

Employed for his father’s financial company, Saxon regards his dad — another workaholic who says things like “I don’t do naps” — with near-sycophantic admiration. “You’re always right, Dad,” he coos in the first episode, unaware of his father’s tax-evading tendencies.

Armed with an aggressive sex-talk obsession, a vaguely demonic shriek-laugh and a finance-bro flow, Saxon exudes son-of-the-CEO entitlement. And as he navigates about the White Lotus resort, the Patrick Schwarzenegger character leaves an unsavoury trail of hustle-culture quips and incredibly uncool outfits.

His plain polos are off-putting for the tranquil spa setting, equal parts perverse and telling. He’s on vacation, sure, but the need for self-optimization doesn’t stop. He’s constantly trying to reach the next productivity goal, whether it’s getting his brother “laid,” annoyingly hitting on every woman he sees or meticulously assembling the ingredients for his muscle-building blender drink.

True to his hyper-capitalist mindset, Saxon is never really relaxing; he luxuriates only in his desire to conquer. On a yacht day, he embodies “politician casual” (awkward-length boat shorts, rolled-up button-down sleeves) as he tries to pimp out his shy younger brother. To hit on unsuspecting women at the pool, his artificially bright blue polo reflects his manufactured charisma. At dinner, while partaking in dysfunctional family time, he jazzes up his collared chemises ever so slightly with plaid or floral print.

But regardless of where he is, he seems utterly unable to chill. Instead, he is always striving to prove his uncompromising work ethic.

Even his beloved protein shakes involve some form of glorified sacrifice.  Each day, he knocks back the beige sludge in pursuit of a greater masculine purpose. “We don’t do it for the taste,” he tells his brother. “We do it for the high T and BDE.” (If you don’t speak nefarious-frat-boy, that’s high testosterone and big dick energy.)

Except, nothing about him is remotely attractive. At worst, his predatory presence is sinister. But to put things more generously, it’s just kind of sad.

Under his demeaning macho energy, there’s a melancholia to Patrick Schwarzenegger’s Saxon in The White Lotus season 3. His stale pick-up lines are routinely rejected. His desperation to make his dad proud exposes his need for external validation. And in between all his pro-man remarks and xenophobic comments, there’s a lost, insecure person with a fear of experiencing real intimacy or pleasure. Saxon has an undying urge to prove that he is a strong, powerful man, but he tries way too hard to do it.

At the beach, on a luxury boat and inside the resort’s tranquil huts, his uninspiring collared shirts are a dead giveaway of his unstable sense of self.