What happens in episode two, ‘Special Treatments’?
WARNING: Major spoilers for season three, episode two ahead.
Picking up directly from the end of episode one, Kate and Jaclyn gossip about Laurie, who has gone to bed. While they say she “looks good,” they pointedly note Laurie is now divorced and paying alimony to her ex-husband, her daughter Ellie is now rebelling against her, and the high-flying promotion she was hoping for may not have come through. The increasingly backbiting conversation also covers how she has become defined by her work and drank a whole bottle of wine across the evening before it’s brought to an abrupt end when Laurie surprises them to pick up her handbag.
The next morning, Timothy is getting bombarded with calls from his office about an increasing number of queries from journalists. Gaitok takes the opportunity to ask Mook out to lunch, and although hesitant she agrees when he says there’s something he wants to talk to her about.
At breakfast, Kate approaches the Ratliffs after recognising Victoria from a baby shower back in Texas. Victoria is cold and dismissive of her, causing Kate to retreat to the girls, laughing at how awkward the whole encounter was but wondering if she’s just that forgettable. When Lochlan asks Victoria why she was behaving so rudely, she makes it clear she has no interest in getting to know the fellow guests. When Saxon comments that one of her friends is on TV, Victoria calls all actresses “prostitutes.”
Mook approaches Rick and Chelsea to inform them of their therapy sessions, annoying Rick who did not book anything. Chelsea insists he attends and also tells him they are going to have dinner with her new friend and her older boyfriend that evening.
Victoria, Saxon and Chelsea all go for massages – with Victoria popping a pill for it and Saxon disappointed that it does not feature a ‘happy ending.’ Lochlan spends time in a sensory deprivation tank, while Piper goes to a yoga lesson, but is left uncomfortable by a bald man staring at her throughout the session.
Rick attends his one-on-one meditation session but makes no secret of not wanting to be there. He offloads that his parents are both dead –his mother from an overdose when he was 10 and his dad being murdered before he was born – and that he has been unhappy since childhood as a result.
Timothy takes the time to check up on the office and discovers the Washington Post is now calling his office as well. He later vents to his family back in the villa about the time difference, while Saxon encourages Lochlan to start taking protein shakes.
The three friends get a health check and compare their data. Laurie and Jaclyn realise that they were both told by the handsome therapist that they had “numbers of women half their age,” while Kate was told she was “average.” Jaclyn mentions her new husband, Harrison, is 10 years younger than her and she wants to keep up.
At their lunch date, Gaitok confesses his feelings for Mook, but she brushes him off, telling him they’ve never even been on a date. He offers to take her out, but she tells him to “not be stupid.”
Rick and Chelsea argue over lunch, with him branding her an idiot. Her new friend arrives and introduces herself as Chloe. Chelsea leaves with her, blaming Rick’s rudeness on a migraine. As they relax on the beach, Saxon passes them by. Chelsea calls him a “douche” and the Ratcliff family “wankers,” while Chloe seems to be more interested. The pair head to the hotel boutique to go shopping with Chloe’s partner’s credit card.
While Gaitok is talking to another hotel employee at the gate, an SUV slips through without stopping. A masked gunman leaves the van and proceeds to hold up the boutique, smashing and ransacking the display cases and leaving Chelsea terrified. When Gaitok tries to stop them leaving the resort, he is pistol-whipped and left on the floor. As the police investigate, Rick comes to Chelsea and comforts her.
Piper and Lochlan catch up on the sea hammocks, discussing praying and faith, but Lochlan ruins their bonding moment by sharing how Saxon had told him she’d never had sex. The comment annoys Piper, disgusted that her brothers were discussing her sex life, and refuses to answer Lochlan’s question before leaving.
That night, Mook comes to check on Gaitok, admitting she was worried about him, which makes him feel better.
Chelsea and Chloe share a dinner table with their partners Rick and "Gary” (Greg from series one and two). Pushed into a stilted conversation with each other, neither of the two men are willing to divulge to the other what they do for a living. Rick asks them about how he and Chloe met. “Gary” says they met through a dating site in Dubai, but things get awkward when he mentions she is from France, when in fact she’s from Quebec, Canada. As they argue, Belinda spots Greg from across the dining room, but can’t quite place him.
Meanwhile at their table, hotel manager Fabian confesses to Jaclyn, Laurie and Kate about his dreams of being a performer. Piper is further irritated at Saxon’s persistently sexist comments, but Victoria shuts them down, saying as a rich family they “need to be on their guard.”
For the night’s entertainment, the hotel owner Sritala takes to the stage to perform for the guests with traditional Thai dancers, while Fabian and Rick look on. Sritala later tells the girls she’s heading to Bangkok the next day as her husband has just got out of hospital.
Timothy disappears again to call the office back home, discovering his work colleague, Kenny, has had his office raided by the FBI and is in a state of panic. Kenny says a whistleblower has leaked everything to the press and his accounts and emails have been taken. To his horror, Timothy learns he has been implicated in a money-laundering and bribery scheme before angrily throwing the blame back at Kenny.
As the night comes to an end, Jaclyn goes to bed, leaving Laurie and Kate to gossip about her over more wine. In a venomous conversation mirroring the one at the start of the episode, they call her vain and narcissistic, commenting how she is not as happy in their marriage as it seems. Jaclyn overhears some of the chatter but decides not to confront them about it.
As they go to bed, Rick tells Chelsea he needs to go to Bangkok in the morning, but neglects to say why.