‘The White Lotus’ Season 3 finale is near. Here’s a cheat sheet

Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone getting in the “ooh-loo-loo-loos” before the season finale of “The White Lotus.”

The third season of the HBO drama concludes on Sunday with a 90-minute finale. And while the employees of the show’s exclusive resort would encourage you to ditch the screens and disconnect, we’re here to help you catch up so that you, too, are able to quote Parker Posey’s drawling North Carolina housewife Victoria when life gets rough.

Also in Screen Gab No. 175, Dulé Hill stops by to discuss Hulu’s “Good American Family,” and we recommend three other projects to stream this weekend.

ICYMI

Must-read stories you might have missed

Laurence Fishburne has a supporting role in Disney’s new spy movie “The Amateur.”

(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

‘Who do I need to talk to or bribe to be a part of this?’ Laurence Fishburne looks back on 12 key roles: Nearly 50 years after he began filming “Apocalypse Now” at 14, Fishburne discusses his new film “The Amateur” and looks back on projects that defined his career.

A cutting-edge film festival returns, shining a light on two lost works: For the second edition of the local festival, two independent films from 1981, Jessie Maple’s “Will” and Robina Rose’s “Nightshift,” receive belated attention.

Steve Kornacki exits MSNBC for new deal with NBC News and NBC Sports: The khaki-wearing data analyst’s new deal allows him to pursue projects on other networks and media platforms, as long as they are unrelated to politics and sports.

Commentary: PBS and NPR cater to all Americans, despite what Marjorie Taylor Greene might believe: After last week’s congressional hearing with the heads of PBS and NPR, it’s important to remember how public broadcasting works, what it does and whom it serves.

Turn on

Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times

Kevin Bacon in a scene from “The Bondsman.”

(Tina Rowden/Prime Video)

“The Bondsman” (Prime Video)

“There is nothing new under the sun,” quoth the prophet, prophetically describing the modern art of television. “The Bondsman” is (only) the third series, after “Reaper” and “Brimstone,” in which the devil enlists a human to return escaped demons to hell. This one stars Kevin Bacon as Hub Halloran, a murdered bounty hunter, who must have some sin on his head, and Beth Grant (very funny) as his mother and partner, and is set in rural Georgia, the better to deliver dialogue in a Southern drawl. As is often the case, hell is pictured as a creaky bureaucracy, with out of date manuals and orders sent by fax; representative Midge (Jolene Purdy) likens the recruitment of souls to a multilevel marketing scheme. Hub has a teenage son (Maxwell Jenkins) and an ex-wife (Jennifer Nettles), who has taken up with a cowboy hat-wearing Boston transplant (Damon Herriman), who claims that his criminal past is all behind him but has something to do with Hub’s being dead. The tone is comic, except where completely inappropriate; there is less gore than you might expect, although there is plenty, if that’s what you’re coming for. There’s not much to it, but the Bacon-Grant double act alone is worth turning up for. Includes bluegrass jam. — Robert Lloyd

Robert McNamara in “Fog of War.”

(Criterion Collection)

“The Fog of War” and “Hearts and Minds” (The Criterion Channel)

Do we even have the words to speak to the sweeping changes happening in Washington right now? Sometimes it’s helpful to be reminded of the power of applied questioning. Errol Morris’ 2003 documentary “The Fog of War” — as cringeworthy as an episode of “Veep” — puts the camera in former defense secretary Robert McNamara’s face, letting the ’60s Cabinet official and Vietnam War architect weigh in on theoretical matters of decision-making and public perception. Eventually he trips into culpability. “Hearts and Minds” is the classic 1974 portrait of an America riven by its involvement in Southeast Asia. Soldiers return home to tense welcomes while Gen. William Westmoreland expresses a blithe racism. Both films are now on the Criterion Channel as a part of a new series called “Legacies of War: Vietnam Across the Divides.” Taken together, they represent activism in the face of helplessness. — Joshua Rothkopf

Catch up

Everything you need to know about the film or TV series everyone’s talking about

Carrie Coon, Michelle Monaghan and Leslie Bibb in the third season of “The White Lotus.”

(Fabio Lovino/HBO)

The third season of HBO’s “The White Lotus” (Max) reaches its conclusion Sunday, just as we’ve started vibing to the uncut version of its polarizing theme song.

This season’s plot is set in Thailand and was conceived by show creator Mike White during a fever dream after a bout with bronchitis while location scouting. And like previous seasons, it introduced us to an interesting mix of delusional one-percenters unraveling in paradise. Here’s an overview:

The Ratliff family: patriarch Tim (Jason Isaacs), who is spiraling over his soon-to-be-exposed involvement in a fraud and embezzlement scheme, and matriarch Victoria (Parker Posey), a lorazepam-dependent Caftan-lover with a bizarrely wonderful Southern accent. Their kids are Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger), whose knack for being a provocative skeeze is matched only by his skills with a blender; Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook), who is in search of independence and a spiritual identity; and Lochlan (Sam Nivola), the youngest who is shy but more daring than he lets on.

BFFs on a girls trip: Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan), an actor newly married to a younger man; Laurie (Carrie Coon), a single mom and corporate lawyer; and Kate (Leslie Bibb), a wealthy Independent voter from Austin. They make the passive-aggressive insults and backstabbing on “Real Housewives” look like child’s play.

The odd couple: Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood), a free-spirited young woman from Manchester tagging along with her cranky, fiftysomething life partner Rick (Walton Goggins), who is on a mission to avenge his father’s death.

They’re joined by the resort’s employees: Gaitok, a security guard who is terrible at security; Mook (Lalisa Manobal), the kind, young health mentor whom Gaitok is trying to woo; and Valentin (Arnas Fedaravičius), the good-looking Russian with questionable extracurricular activities. And there are familiar faces too. Belinda (Natasha Rothwell), who appeared in Season 1, is visiting for a fellowship of sorts, and Greg/Gary (Jon Gries), who is hiding out and presumably living off the fortune of his late wife, Tanya McQuoid (Jennifer Coolidge).

There’s still time to catch up on the seven episodes that have aired — trust us, you haven’t lived until you’ve experienced the monologue by Sam Rockwell’s Frank in Episode 5. It’ll hit you harder than a brain freeze from one of Saxon’s blended creations. But if you don’t have time to watch, read our recaps of Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6 and Episode 7. And check back in with us for more coverage of the finale on Sunday and Monday. — Yvonne Villarreal

READ MORE: Welcome back to ‘The White Lotus’: Explaining Season 3

Guest spot

A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they’re working on — and what they’re watching

Dulé Hill as Brandon Drysdale in a scene from Hulu’s “Good American Family.”

(Ser Baffo/Disney)

As Burton “Gus” Guster in “Psych,” Dulé Hill spent years playing the private investigator trying to solve complicated cases. These days, he’s caught up in the strange and controversial case of Natalia Grace. Hulu’s “Good American Family” fictionalizes the true story of the Ukranian-born orphan with a rare form of dwarfism who was adopted by an Indiana family; their eventual abandonment of her and the charges that followed gained media attention. Hill plays Brandon Drysdale, a detective investigating the criminal allegations made against the family — one of the few characters in the series not based on a real person. In this week’s Guest Spot, Hill discussed what intrigued him about the shocking true story, the status of “Psych 4,” and more. — Matt Brennan and Yvonne Villarreal

The story of Natalia Grace and the Barnetts, on which “Good American Family” is based, is one of the most sensational tabloid cases in recent memory. What draws you to her story?

The idea that this could happen within our legal system in this day and age is mind-boggling to me but also fascinating. It is amazing how lives can be completely upended when we make the mistake of accepting what is presented at the surface level. The story of Natalia Grace and the Barnetts reminds me that it is our duty, as citizens and as neighbors, to challenge the information we receive and to look further. There is always a deeper understanding to receive and more knowledge to gain.

What can you tell us about the status of “Psych 4”? Are you still interested in continuing to play Gus despite the delay since the last movie?

I would ABSOLUTELY be interested in playing Gus in a “Psych 4” movie. He is such a fun character to return to and I truly love the “Psych” family; the cast, the crew and the PsychOs. Whenever the folks at Peacock are ready, we will be there. In the meantime, we have to “Wait for iiiiiiiiiiiit.”

What have you watched recently that you’re recommending to everyone you know?

“The Righteous Gemstones” [Max]. The show is utterly ridiculous but so damn funny! All of the cast members are firing on all cylinders and bringing comedy gold. I could watch this show over and over again. And sometimes I do.

What’s your go-to “comfort watch,” the film or TV show you return to again and again? (Explain.)

Beyond “The Righteous Gemstones”? Well, I would have to go back to the first “Coming to America” [VOD, multiple platforms]. There are so many hilarious bits throughout the entire movie and it is great to see so many familiar faces in the film before they became familiar. Beyond the comedy, it’s inspiring and rejuvenating in that way.