The White Lotus actually went there in Sunday’s episode and the Ratliff brothers have locked lips.

Fans are reeling from the incestuous kiss between Ratliff brothers Lochlan (Sam Nivola) and Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger), which happened as the brothers were drunkenly partying on a yacht. While partying with Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) and Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon), who also shared a kiss, the brothers were dared to kiss. And what was just an initial peck turned into a full-on smooch.

Taboo relationship on ‘The White Lotus’ takes a turn

While the taboo relationship was hinted at throughout the season, it was taken to a different level in this episode, and fans’ feelings have ranged from being thrown off, to shocked, and even disturbed.

One fan wrote on Twitter (formerly X), “OH MY GOD, did The White Lotus just go THERE?. Episode 5 dropped a bombshell with Sam Rockwell’s wild arrival as a recovering addict turned Buddhist—BUT THAT KISS between brothers Saxon and Lochlan?! Incest vibes, drugs, and a full-moon party from hell. My jaw is on the floor.”

One of the creatives behind the show says this moment is not just for shock value

Executive producer David Bernad said to The New York Post that the incest storyline is something that will actually have a big payoff later in the season and was not done for just shock.

“There’s a specific reason in terms of the narrative storytelling, and the larger thematic idea [creator Mike White] is trying to get across,” he said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “As the season wraps up, you’ll see the purpose of that story turn. The show goes there for a larger thematic idea. I love that family storyline, especially the brother story–and it culminates in a very satisfying way.”

What Patrick Schwarzenegger and Charlotte Le Bon say about the kiss scene

In an interview with Today.com, the actor said in reference to how White shot the scene: “He [White] wants to leave that up to the interpretation of the audience of what is happening. Was a power shift happening? Is there a different power dynamic between him and Lochy? Is Lochy coming on to him? Is it the drugs? Is it the girls pressuring him? What is it? So, I think he leaves that open-ended for the audience to try to decipher.”

Meanwhile, Le Bon, who says Chloe instigated the kiss out of boredom, told Vulture, “Well obviously they’re not brothers by blood, so that made it easier. I think for Patrick it was really difficult. For Sam, he was kind of like, ‘It’s whatever, let’s just do it well one time and it will be over.’ You know? Because if you don’t do it well the first time, then you have to do it over and over again. But Patrick’s reaction in the episode is his genuine reaction,” she noted of him pulling back and looking confused in the episode. “We all thought he was going to throw up. And Sam was like, ‘It’s fine, it’s just a kiss, calm down!’”

The White Lotus airs Sundays at 9/8c on HBO.

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