Critic’s Rating: 5 / 5.0
5
Either someone put LSD in my morning coffee, or Lady in the Lake delivered one of history’s most compelling television episodes.
The magnitude of how incredible this episode was cannot be understated. It also can barely be talked about.
From the choreography, lights, music, and everything in between, Lady in the Lake Season 1 Episode 6 was a whirlwind of breathtaking storytelling.
If you’re reading this review, you’ve likely seen the episode, so you know that “I Know Who Killed Cleo Johnson” was a triumph of television.
Hat’s off to the writers and everyone involved on the production side. Lady in the Lake has proven to be the gold standard for Apple TV+.
Lady In The Lake Delivers Visuals That Leave Viewers In Awe
I have to get this out of the way since we’re discussing the episode’s visuals. If you didn’t catch it, a woman was wearing a crab as a hat during that opening sequence.
I mean, that is a level of camp and attention to detail that truly sets Lady in the Lake apart from anything else on TV.
Every single set piece, hairstyle, shot, and clothing was so meticulously placed.
And the scene with Maddie and the women dressed in Cleo’s blue coat was epic.
There is no other way to describe how a scene only a couple of minutes long could so profoundly affect the viewer.
Full disclosure, my mouth hit the floor, and I was in awe.
Then there was the scene with Seth and Allan visiting her in the hospital that absolutely wrecked me.
Miss Natalie Portman acted her baby out!
There are no words to describe how thoroughly disturbing that was. She gave birth to a bundle of soggy newspapers while everyone in the room just screamed.
I will never get over how incredible and traumatizing that scene was.
The best part is that each fever dream was an obvious metaphor, and the writers were kind enough to keep the meanings clear.
Maddie’s story is her baby.
It Bears Repeating That Bell-Behaved Women Seldom Make History
That may be bad news for Seth since he’s her actual baby.
It seemed like he had turned a corner in the hospital, so, of course, that was a dream turned nightmare sequence.
But more importantly, is Seth Allan’s Dad’s son or not? The episode made it seem as if Maddie had an abortion or something.
One thing we know for sure is that Maddie was evidently a wild woman. She was never made for the suburban life.
It’s more apparent now than ever why she ran screaming from Milton and her old life.
The development of Madeline Morgenstern was excellent. The writers wrote her so that audiences would root for her.
While that is likely still true, viewers now know that there was never anything innocent about Maddie.
Which is fine since innocence rarely makes for good TV. Especially on Apple TV+.
It seems like her choice of prospects was limited. She may have chosen the safest suitor while dealing with her past traumas.
That’s all in her rear-view mirror now because Maddie is never going back to her old life.
However, if she doesn’t wake up from that nasty infection, she may not return to the new one either.
Lady In The Lake Is A Fever Dream I Hope We Never Wake From
In almost every episode review for Lady in the Lake, I’ve said that they have all felt like fever dreams.
Little did I know that I’d be projecting the entire premise of “I Know Who Killed Cleo Johnson.”
Typically, with shows that like to have a dream-to-dream episode, some of the sequences can feel a little stale compared to the others. Not on Lady in the Lake, though!
If you’re like me, you probably laughed when Maddie talked to Dream-Tessie.
That line Maddie told the little dream girl about how her story was old news and that Anne Frank had it much harder was gut-wrenchingly hilarious.
Then there was her dream conversation with her mother that felt more genuine than any she’d had with her mom in the real world.
It was just the most incredible storytelling.
Lady in the Lake is like a cross between True Detective and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
If you read my previous reviews, you may have noticed that I also called it on another aspect of the show. Cleo returned in Maddie’s dreams.
One Of The Central Themes Of Lady In The Lake Is The Ugliness Hidden Deep Within
That said, almost anyone could’ve figured out that Cleo Johnson would be appearing more.
However, she might be better off in the grave, considering the state of society at those times.
Lady in the Lake has not been shy about depicting the era’s racism.
However, this episode beamed a glaring light of truth on how underhanded and sinister people could be.
Sure, the KKK are a loud, despicable, and awful group that never should have existed. But it’s characters like Detective Platt’s former co-worker who is on another level of evil.
The man defended the KKK and racism by calling on the First Amendment. There are no words for how sick that is.
However, one of the central themes of Lady in the Lake is the ugliness hidden deep within people.
There are no saints on Lady in the Lake—just sinners trying to make a difference and true evil.
It’s wild to think there is only one more episode left of this career-defining mini-series.
What other show do you know where the main character has to give their own eulogy in a dream?
All that’s left is the finale now, and there is no way of telling what in the world will happen now.
Maddie was very vocal as she drifted in and out of her fever dreams that she knew who killed Cleo Johnson, played by Moses Ingram.
One of the many reasons I love Maddie is the way she shut down Bob when he tried to take her story in the hospital.
She is not going to accept a life that she does not deserve.
Unfortunately, as I’ve also said, her hopes and dreams may cost Maddie her life.
As a mini-series, Lady in the Lake could kill off both of its main characters.
The real question, though, is, was that the living Cleo Johnson at the end of the episode?
Is it possible that Reggie faked Cleo’s death and that she is still alive?
Remember, we’ve never seen her face post-death. We saw her get dumped, and we saw Maddie visit Cleo’s body at the morgue.
We never got to see her face, but Maddie made it clear that Cleo’s face was gruesome.
Finally, at the end of the episode, Cleo said, “I was Cleo Johnson.”
She didn’t say, “When I was alive, I was Cleo Johnson.”
So, while it would be nice to think Miss Johnson is still alive, I make no bets on a series like Lady in the Lake.
Do you think Cleo is alive, or is Maddie still dreaming?
Will Maddie manage to survive to the end of the next episode?
Drop a comment below to let us know, and join me again when I review the final episode of Lady in the Lake!