Wait, Is THAT Why Valentin Slept With Jaclyn In The White Lotus Season 3?

WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for The White Lotus season 3, episode 7!While Jaclyn instigated their hookup in The White Lotus season 3, new revelations from episode 7 hint Valentin may have had ulterior motives in sleeping with her. Considering she’s married and had been pushing Laurie onto him throughout the week, it came as somewhat of a shock that Jaclyn secretly slept with Valentin in The White Lotus season 3, episode 5’s ending. Jaclyn only did so after Valentin’s two friends, who were also flirting with Laurie and Kate, left the resort. However, Kate spotted him leaving Jaclyn’s room the next morning, leading to a stressful confrontation between the three women.

Rather than spend the rest of the night arguing with Jaclyn and Kate, Laurie opted to go watch the Muay Thai fight with Valentin and his two friends on her own. The night culminated in Laurie sleeping with Valentin’s friend, Aleksei, a prospect that initially excited her until – while the two were still in bed – he kept asking her to wire him ten thousand dollars in order to bring his mother to Thailand. While Laurie was able to flee his apartment and escape that conversation, Aleksei’s unexpected request reveals a hidden motive for Valentin and his friends.

The White Lotus Season 3 Hints Valentin & His Friends Were Only After Jaclyn, Laurie & Kate For Their Money

Aleksei Tries To Get Laurie To Give Him $10,000

Considering Aleksei tried to get Laurie to give him ten thousand dollars immediately after they finished hooking up, it seems that Valentin and his friends have been trying to go after their money the entire time. Valentin working at the White Lotus Thailand resort means he often sees wealthy women come through as guests, so he and his friends may have worked out a system of trying to seduce some of these women and convince them to help out financially.

There’s still no real explanation as to why Valentin and his two friends moved from Russia to Thailand together, but it likely deals with financial and potentially even criminal issues, given their previous robbery.

Otherwise, there’s no real incentive for Valentin to convince his friends to spend time with Jaclyn, Laurie, and Kate outside his job, especially when doing so could potentially jeopardize his position at the resort. Considering The White Lotus season 3, episode 7 also officially confirms that Valentin and his friends were responsible for robbing the resort back in episode 2, the show has established that these characters are motivated by getting as much money from the wealthy as they can in dangerous and unusual ways – whether it be by stealing or through seduction.

Jaclyn, Laurie and Kate in White Lotus Season 3

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The idea that Valentin and his friends were trying to get Jaclyn, Laurie, and Kate’s money all along also explains why Vlad continued to drunkenly talk to Kate about his parents’ deaths in episode 5. Kate thought it was just a sad drunken confession, but it now appears that Vlad was trying to get sympathy points in order to eventually convince Kate to give him money. There’s still no real explanation as to why Valentin and his two friends moved from Russia to Thailand together, but it likely deals with financial and potentially even criminal issues, given their previous robbery.

Valentin & Jaclyn's Affair Still Might Have Been Separate From Their Money Plans

Valentin Sleeping With Jaclyn Was More Lustful

Though Aleksei was clearly sleeping with Laurie with the hopes that he could later get her to give him money, that might not exactly be the case for Jaclyn and Valentin. Their affair seemed to be more based on lust, fitting with The White Lotus season 3, episode 5’s themes of self-liberation and risk-taking. Valentin didn’t have any intentions of telling Laurie or Kate about hooking up with Jaclyn, and didn’t appear uncomfortable when asking them to join him at the Muay Thai fight.

Characters	Actors
Jaclyn	Michelle Monaghan
Laurie	Carrie Coon
Kate	Leslie Bibb
Valentin	Arnas Fedaravicius
Aleksei	Julian Kostov
Vlad	Yuri Kolokolnikov

While Valentin was clearly flirting with the three major The White Lotus season 3 characters, his motives didn’t appear to be as dark as those of his friends. Valentin’s role in their conspiracies appears to be more peripheral, instead being involved in the set-up rather than taking a more active role in the robbery or potential extortion. Like how Valentin was just the one who distracted Gaitok when his friends were robbing the hotel, he seemed to simply be the one finding the women to seduce and bringing everyone together rather than more directly trying to extract money from them.

As such, Valentin didn’t appear to sleep with Jaclyn in episode 5 with the expectation that she would later give him money. Still, that doesn’t mean he won’t eventually use the affair to his own benefit in The White Lotus season 3’s finale.

Valentin & His Friends Could Still Use The Affair To Blackmail Jaclyn

Jaclyn Wouldn't Want The News Of Their Hook-Up To Reach Her Husband

Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan) looking angry in The White Lotus season 3, episode 7.

Since it looks like Carrie Coon's Laurie won’t be Cash App-ing Aleksei the ten thousand dollars he asked for in The White Lotus season 3, Valentin’s friends might have to take more desperate measures to get money from the three women. One piece of information that they can use to extort some money is that Jaclyn cheated on her husband with Valentin. Jaclyn herself noted that she constantly deals with gossip and speculation in Hollywood, and Valentin and his friends could threaten to expose the affair to the media if she doesn’t give them any payment.