Whatever you think of the latest season of HBO’s The White Lotus, there’s no denying that things have really stepped up a notch in recent episodes.
* White Lotus Season 3 Spoilers Ahead *
While much attention has been paid to Sam Rockwell’s monologue in episode 5, the story of the Ratliff family appears to be taking shape as the one that most anchors the season’s central themes.
When we were introduced to the wealthy North Carolina-based family, one of the first things we learned was that they have divided loyalty between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Duke Blue Devils. Dad Timothy (Jason Isaacs) and son Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) are Duke grads. At the same time, matriarch Victoria (Parker Posey) is a UNC grad, and daughter Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook) is a senior at Chapel Hill. We also learn that the youngest child, Lochlan (Sam Nivola), has been accepted to both schools and must decide where to attend college.
We soon learn that Timothy, who works in finance, is being investigated and will likely be arrested when the family returns from Thailand. This sends him on an existential journey in which he steals his wife’s lorazepam and then contemplates suicide as well as the murder-suicide of himself and his wife to escape what his family’s life is about to become. We even see multiple scenes of Timothy holding a gun to his head, as well as visions of himself having committed suicide and murder-suicide.
And in pretty much all of those scenes, he’s wearing a Duke t-shirt.
The Durham-based university has not taken kindly to seeing its logo depicted in such a way.
“Duke appreciates artistic expression and creative storytelling,” Frank Tramble, the vice president for communications, marketing, and public affairs at Duke, told Scott Cacciola of the New York Times, “but characters prominently wearing apparel bearing Duke’s federally registered trademarks creates confusion and mistakenly suggests an endorsement or affiliation where none exists.”
Mr. Tramble also wrote that the show “not only uses our brand without permission, but in our view uses it on imagery that is troubling, does not reflect our values or who we are, and simply goes too far.”
That might be in reference to the fact that, along with Timothy’s storyline, Saxon is currently dealing with the fallout of an incredibly taboo sexual encounter with his younger brother.
Tramble declined to comment on whether Duke might consider legal action.
Part of the school’s concern is that some of the images depicted in the show make for prime meme usage, especially if their men’s basketball program, which many fans love to hate, falls short in the NCAA Tournament.
When an X post including an image of Timothy Ratliff in a Duke shirt holding a gun to his head went viral, the school felt the need to respond, calling out the insensitive nature of using a depiction of self-harm for laughs.
Still, if and when their teams lose, the school can probably do little to stop the spread of such images.
Furthermore, according to Cacciola, the school can probably do little in general despite its desire to protect its trademarks. Jeanne Fromer, a professor specializing in intellectual property law at the New York University School of Law, told the Times that The White Lotus is likely protected under the First Amendment, allowing known trademarks to be used for artistic and expressive purposes. Courts would likely defend that right as well.
The worst might be yet to come for Duke’s depiction in the series. With two episodes remaining in the third season, all of the storylines are coming to a head, and it’s not looking great for the Ratliff family. Adding insult to injury, Tar Heel Piper currently appears to be the most well-adjusted family member. However, anyone who has ever watched the show would tell you to withhold your judgment on that until the very end of the season.