Reviewer Rating: 5/5.0
5
Either someone slipped LSD into my morning coffee, or The Lady of the Lake aired one of the most compelling television episodes in history.
The incredible degree of this event cannot be underestimated. It’s also almost impossible to talk about.
From the choreography, lighting, music, and everything in between, Lady in the Lake Season 1 Episode 6 is a whirlwind of amazing storytelling.
If you’re reading this review, you’ve probably seen this episode, so you know “I Know Who Killed Cleo Johnson” is a triumph of television.
Hats off to the writers and everyone involved in the production. The Lady in the Lake has proven to be the gold standard on Apple TV+.
“Lady in the Lake” presents stunning visual effects
Since we’re discussing the visuals for this episode, I have to address this. If you didn’t notice, in the opening shot, a woman is wearing a crab as a hat.
I mean, it’s this level of camp and attention to detail that really sets Lady of the Lake apart from other shows on television.
Every set, hairstyle, shot, and costume was carefully arranged.
The scene with Maddie and the woman in Cleo’s blue coat is epic.
There is no other way to describe how a scene only a few minutes long affects the viewer so profoundly.
After full disclosure, my mouth hit the floor and I was in awe.
And then the scene with Seth and Ellen visiting her in the hospital absolutely broke me.
Miss Natalie Portman performs her children!
There are no words to describe how disturbing that was. She gave birth to a soggy bundle of newspapers while everyone in the room screamed.
I can never forget how incredible and painful that scene was.
The best part is that each fever dream is an obvious metaphor and the author kindly keeps the meaning clear.
Maddie’s story is her baby.
It bears repeating that well-behaved women rarely make history
This could be bad news for Seth since he is her biological child.
It looked like he had reached a turning point in the hospital, so, of course, it was a dream that turned into a nightmare.
But more importantly, is Seth Allen’s father the son? This episode makes it look like Maddie had an abortion or something.
One thing we know for sure is that Maddie is clearly one wild woman. She was never cut out for suburban life.
It’s now more obvious than ever why she ran away screaming from Milton and her old life.
Madeleine Morgenstern’s development is excellent. The screenwriter wrote her to get the audience to root for her.
While that may still be true, viewers now know there was never anything innocent about Maddie.
Which is good, because innocence rarely makes for good television. Especially on Apple TV+.
It seems her options are limited. She may have chosen the safest suitor while dealing with past trauma.
It’s all in her rearview mirror now, because Maddie will never go back to her old life.
However, if she doesn’t wake up from this nasty infection, she probably won’t come back with a new one.
The Lady of the Lake is a fever dream I hope we never wake up from
In almost every episode review of The Lady of the Lake , I’ve said that they all feel like a fever dream.
Little did I know that I would be projecting the entire premise of “I Know Who Killed Cleo Johnson.”
Typically, for a show that likes to dream about dreams, certain sequences can feel a bit stale compared to others. But that’s not the case with the Lady of the Lake!
If you’re like me, you probably laughed when Maddie talked to Dreamy Tessie.
Mattie tells this dreamy little girl that her story is old news and that Anne Frank had a much harder time, which is heartbreaking and hilarious at the same time.
Then there’s the dream conversation she has with her mother, which feels more genuine than any conversation she’s had with her mother in the real world.
It’s just the most incredible storytelling.
“The Lady in the Lake” is like a cross between “True Detective” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”
If you’ve read my previous reviews, you may have noticed that I called it another aspect of the show as well. Cleo returns to Maddie’s dream.
One of the central themes of “The Lady in the Lake” is the ugliness that lies deep within
That said, just about anyone can imagine Cleo Johnson showing up more.
However, given the social conditions of the time, she might have been better off in the grave.
The Lady in the Lake was not shy about depicting the racism of the era.
However, this incident showed us how despicable and sinister human nature can be.
Of course, the Ku Klux Klan is a loud, mean, scary group that should never exist. But characters like Detective Platt’s former colleagues are on another level of evil.
The man invoked the First Amendment to defend the Ku Klux Klan and racism. There are no words to describe how sick that was.
However, one of the central themes of The Lady in the Lake is the ugliness that lurks deep within people.
There are no saints on board the Lady of the Lake, just sinners trying to make a difference and true evil.
It’s crazy that there’s only one episode left of this career-defining miniseries.
Do you know any other TV shows where the main character has to mourn himself in his dreams?
All that’s left now is the ending, and it’s impossible to predict what will happen in the world now.
Maddie is in and out of her fever dream, loud and clear, and she knows who killed Moses Ingram’s Cleo Johnson.
One of the many reasons I love Maddie is that when Bob tried to tell her story at the hospital, she stopped him.
She won’t accept a life she doesn’t deserve.
Unfortunately, as I also said, her hopes and dreams could take Maddie’s life.
As a miniseries, “Lady in the Lake” could have killed off its two main characters.
But the real question is, is Cleo Johnson alive at the end of the episode?
Is it possible that Reggie faked Cleo’s death and she’s still alive?
Remember, we never see her face after death. We see her being abandoned, and we see Maddie visiting Cleo’s body in the morgue.
We never see her face, but Maddie makes it clear that Cleo’s face is scary.
Finally, at the end of the episode, Cleo says, “I’m Cleo Johnson.”
She didn’t say, “While I was alive, I was Cleo Johnson.”
So while it’s nice to think Miss Johnson is still alive, I wouldn’t bet against a show like The Lady of the Lake.
Do you think Cleo is still alive, or Maddie is still dreaming?
Will Maddie survive until the end of the next episode?
Let us know in the comments below and join me again as I review the final episode of Lady in the Lake!
