Mysterious Monkeys (The White Lotus)

"Mysterious Monkeys" is the third episode of the first season of the American black comedy drama anthology television series The White Lotus. The episode was written and directed by series creator Mike White. It originally aired on HBO on July 25, 2021.

The series follows the guests and employees of the fictional White Lotus resort chain. The season is set on Maui, and follows two couples, the Pattons and the Mossbachers, along with a woman named Tanya, as they each have different conflicts during their stay. In the episode, Mark is distraught over his father's revelation, while Armond sabotages Shane's plan for a romantic dinner with Rachel.

According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.478 million household viewers and gained a 0.1 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the humor and performances, but criticized the lack of progress in the main death mystery.

Plot
Quinn (Fred Hechinger) awakens in the beach, and is angered to discover that he accidentally left his phone, iPad and Nintendo Switch in the water and are now useless. He demands a new phone from Nicole (Connie Britton), and is frustrated that he must wait. Mark (Steve Zahn) is still distraught over his father's revelation. Belinda (Natasha Rothwell) shares with her son the news that Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge) wants to invest in a wellness business, and her son tells her to accept the offer as he feels the White Lotus is wasting her talents.

After Shane (Jake Lacy) and Rachel (Alexandra Daddario) have sex, Rachel wonders if their relationship was solely based on Shane's sexual interest, which he denies. He asks Armond (Murray Bartlett) for a special place for dinner. Armond is actually frustrated about Shane's attitude and suggests a sunset boat ride, without revealing that Tanya has chartered it to spread her mother's ashes in the ocean. Rachel, meanwhile, converses with Mark by the pool and his talk makes her uncomfortable. Later, Shane and Rachel arrive at the boat, where Tanya mistakes them as part of a support group, causing even more discomfort. She interrupts their dinner to deliver an eulogy, which soon turns into criticizing her mother for a lot of things.

Mark continues drinking, creating more awkward conversations with some of the patrons, including Armond. During their conversation, Armond reveals he is gay and even suggests having anal sex with Mark, who declines. He joins his family for an awkward dinner, just as Quinn gets a new phone. Shane laments the events, feeling he failed to prove himself to Rachel. That night, Olivia (Sydney Sweeney) follows Paula (Brittany O'Grady) to a room, where she sees her having sex with Kai (Kekoa Scott Kekumano), which unnerves her and causes her to leave the scene.

Development
In June 2021, HBO announced that the third episode of the season would be titled "Mysterious Monkeys", and that it would be written and directed by series creator Mike White. This was White's third writing and directorial credit for the series.

Viewers
In its original American broadcast, "Mysterious Monkeys" was seen by an estimated 0.478 million household viewers with a 0.1 in the 18-49 demographics. This means that 0.1 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode. This was a slight increase from the previous episode, which was watched by 0.459 million household viewers with a 0.1 in the 18-49 demographics.

Critical reviews
"Mysterious Monkeys" received generally positive reviews from critics. Roxana Hadadi of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B–" grade and wrote, "There's also a narrative imbalance in this episode, in particular with how we explore the lives of Armond and Belinda, that makes me wonder whether The White Lotus will, in its remaining three episodes, deliberately and purposefully spend as much time with the resort staff as it does with its guests."

Amanda Whiting of Vulture gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "This week on The White Lotus, sex is the topic of conversation and, occasionally, even on the itinerary. It is variously divisive, clandestine, lusty, affirming, embarrassing, and solitary, but it's never very sexy."

Alex Noble of TheWrap wrote, "No clear murderer or murderee has presented itself just yet on HBO's The White Lotus. Thankfully, the stellar performances and writer-director Mike White's gift for dialogue have made for an entertaining stay regardless." Breeze Riley of Telltale TV gave the episode a 3.5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Will the rest of the guests get the same moment of catharsis? We've seen mini-breakthroughs for some of the guests, but a lot of unsaid feelings are still bubbling under the surface. I don't imagine every character will deliver their truth with as much flair as Tanya, but I still expect we'll see similar scenes as the season goes into its second half."

Accolades
Steve Zahn, Jennifer Coolidge and Sydney Sweeney submitted the episode to support their Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie nominations at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards. Zahn would lose the award to his co-star, Murray Bartlett, while Coolidge won the award.