Every time someone turns up dead in that lake, it does seem to lead to you. is the fifth episode in the limited television series, Lady in the Lake. The episode premiered on August 9, 2024.
Synopsis[]
Cleo’s body is discovered. As Maddie’s obsession with Cleo grows deeper, she realises they once crossed paths.
Plot Summary[]
In 1946, Maddie meets with her boyfriend Allan’s father, Hal Durst, under the pretense of interviewing him about his business, but they are actually involved in a secret sexual relationship. When Maddie tells Hal she is pregnant, he arranges for her to have a painful illegal abortion.
In 1967, Maddie has a tense but civil conversation with her estranged husband, Milton, where they agree on the terms of their divorce, including Milton covering the legal costs in exchange for Maddie not pressuring their son, Seth, to visit her.
Maddie seeks advice from her colleague Edna at the Star, but instead receives blunt, unfiltered guidance on how to navigate her work environment. Later, Maddie confronts Stephen Zawadzkie, suspecting him of involvement in the murder of Cleo Johnson, whose body was recently found, but Stephan denies any connection, suggesting instead that Maddie is the only real link between the events.
Maddie’s conversation with Dr. Kornblatt, the medical examiner, reveals that Cleo’s body is too decomposed to determine the cause of death, though Maddie insists that accidental drowning is unlikely. When Maddie approaches Patrice Murphy, a prominent reporter at the Afro-American, hoping to gather information, Murphy dismisses her, advising Maddie to do her own research and understand the community she claims to represent.
Slappy, Cleo’s widower, expresses his anger and pain to Maddie after causing a scene at Cleo’s funeral, directing his fury at various individuals he holds responsible for Cleo’s death, including Shell Gordon and Reggie Robinson. Maddie also talks to Lucille, a hairdresser who recently won big in the numbers game the night Cleo disappeared, but Lucille quickly ushers Maddie out, raising Maddie’s suspicions.
Maddie’s interaction with Bob Bauer reveals his reluctance to pursue a story involving Black Baltimore, despite Maddie’s solid evidence, leaving her to investigate further on her own. When Maddie meets with Shell Gordon and Reggie Robinson, she struggles to match Shell’s verbal prowess as he challenges her on racial issues, while Reggie inadvertently reveals clues about his connection to Cleo.
Maddie learns from Cleo’s former manager at Hecht’s Department Store that the yellow dress she bought the day Tessie Durst disappeared was originally Cleo’s, linking the two women further. Overwhelmed by the connections between Cleo’s death, Tessie’s murder, and her own traumatic past, Maddie confronts Ferdie, accusing him of various betrayals, which leads to a heated argument.
Finally, when Maddie visits Mrs. Zawadzkie, she is brutally stabbed by the Polish woman, who hurls an anti-Semitic slur at her, leaving Maddie severely wounded.
Cast & Characters[]
- Natalie Portman as Maddie Schwartz
- Moses Ingram as Cleo Sherwood
- Y'lan Noel as Ferdie Platt
- Mikey Madison as Judith Weinstein
- Sean Ringgold as The Prophet
- Brett Gelman as Milton
- Noah Jupe as Seth
- Byron Bowers as Slappy
- Josiah Cross as Reggie Robinson
- Pruitt Taylor Vince as Bob Bauer
- Samir Royal as Lionel Johnson
- Dylan Arnold as Stephen Zawadzkie
- Mark Feurstein as Hal Durst
- Lisa Hodsoll as Edna
- Masha Mashkova as Ms. Zawadzkie