“Lady in the Lake” on Apple TV+ is back with episode 4. Earlier, it followed Maddie trying to solve the case of Tessie Durst’s murder. Stephan Zawadzkie was charged with this crime and was taken to a psychiatric hospital. Afterward, Maddie convinced Bob Bauer from the Baltimore Journal to let her work for them. On the other hand, Cleo Johnson is worried about her association with the murder attempt on Myrtle Summers. Eventually, Officer Platt made her reveal details of the car used for this crime. Now, episode 4 shows Maddie interviewing Stephan for the Baltimore Star, which makes her life more complicated. Cleo begins a plan to protect herself from any criminal charges. Shell learns something shocking about his associates.
Spoilers Ahead
Lady in the Lake Episode 4: “Innocence leaves when you discover cruelty. First in others, then in yourself. ” Recap:
Previously, “Lady in the Lake” showed Maddie (Natalie Portman) showing up at the hospital to question Stephan Zawadzkie (Dylan Arnold) to confirm the identity of a colored man who was seen taking Tessie Durst (Bianca Belle). Stephan recognizes Madeline and shares details about his father, a medic, during the war. He died when Stephan was barely 7 years old. Then, Stephan reveals his staunch faith-based views. He refuses to let Maddie record their conversation on tape. When she takes out her pen and paper, he feels cheated since he thought he believed they would have just a conversation.
Stephan believes he and Maddie have a peculiar ‘connection.’ So, Maddie uses his pseudo vocabulary to extract more information from him. Stephan asks her how she knew about the lake. It reminds her of an incident from her youth when a man forced her to have sex with him near the same lake. Stephan speaks about his desire to seek salvation but admits he didn’t kill Tessie. Afterward, he reveals shocking details about some psychological experiments he had undergone. It led to his trauma and the subsequent mental chaos.
Cleo’s Mission
Earlier, Cleo (Moses Ingram) showed up at Dora’s (Jennifer Mogbock) room and invited Reggie (Josiah Cross). Cleo wants Reggie to rescue Dora from Shell Gordon’s (Wood Harris) employment. She also expects him to share details about a bet that has a winning chance. In exchange, she agrees not to tell Shell that Reggie sent her to the assassins’ house. Although adamantly against it at the time, Reggie calls Cleo and tells her the details. Then he tells her to be gone by Christmas morning. But when Dora confronts him, he gets upset and violent.
With her son, Cleo shows up at the house of Lucille Tatum (Lunda Suarez) to put her bet. Lucile reveals how her business is to put food on the table for her family. Cleo offers Lucille a place to open her own parlor in partnership with her. She gives Lucille $50 and asks her to put in a specific bet on Christmas Eve. When Lucille wins, Cleo plans to keep the 80% for herself and offer 20% for Cleo. But for this to work, Lucille must not reveal this to anyone else.
Maddie’s Investigation
After interviewing Stephan in the psychiatric hospital, Maddie shows up at the Baltimore Star office. She tells Bob (Pruitt Yaulor Vince) about ‘Operation Whitecoat’ – an ongoing secret military program in Fort Detrick, Maryland. Stephan was one of their victims. Soon after, an article based on Maddie’s correspondence is published. She returns to the newspaper office to speak with Bob. He reveals she is now employed as their helpline assistant. She accepts the job even though it is not what she expected. Moments later, she bends down to tie the knot of Bob’s shoes, likely out of her habit back home.
Officer Platt (Y’lan Noel) and Officer Davis (David Johnson III) keep a watch on a couple of suspects in the assassination attempt and potentially arrest them. Davis suspects Platt is sleeping with a white woman (Maddie) and questions his ethics. Eventually, they follow the suspect to a theatre. They get into a shootout where the suspect ends up shooting Davis to death. After this, the suspect, Robert ‘Duke’ Buxton, is arrested. The authorities hope to catch other suspected accomplices, including a woman who drove them (Cleo).
Lady in the Lake Episode 4: “Innocence leaves when you discover cruelty. First in others, then in yourself.” Ending Explained:
Shell orders Reggie to ensure Cleo is at their Christmas giveaway event so that he can get rid of her and the evidence that incriminates his organization. Dora gets tired of Reggie and Shell’s abuse. So, she urges Cleo to take her away somewhere safe. On Christmas, as Shell dresses up as Santa Claus, Reggie gets all the bets closed. Cleo shows up at her mother’s house. They both get emotional thinking of Cleo’s guilt-ridden past. Then, Slappy (Byron Bowers) shows up with the kids and a meal. Later, Reggie watches Cleo & Slappy from a distance as they return home.
What does Stephan expect from Maddie?
As a female helpline assistant, Maddie is left with the responsibilities of leftover work at the Baltimore Star. Back at her new apartment, she continues her sexual relationship with Officer Platt. As they slow-dance together, she helps him get over the guilt of Officer Davis’ death. Through him, she learns details about the investigation. As they have sex, she remembers Tessie’s father, Allan (David Corenswet), forcing himself on her near the lake. In the present, Stephan secretly sets fire to a guard dressed up as the Santa Claus. Maggie changes her hairdo and returns to their family celebration.
At the event, Maddie crosses paths with Allan, who is furious at her for her recent news piece about his child’s alleged murderer. He wants her to stop digging into this case further and believes she is trying to rejuvenate her hopes of a journalistic career. Maddie is still determined to find the truth. Even then, Seth (Noah Jupe) acts like a bratty child. So, Maddie slaps him on the face. Later, she returns to her apartment and finds Stephan inside. He escaped the hospital and showed up there. In her apartment, he realizes that she is dating a black man and gets furious.
Maddie tries to pacify Stephan as he assaults her. He asks for her forgiveness, and she says she forgives him. Stephan considers her to be his other self that God made, likely because of the experimental indoctrination. She manages to calm him down and make him leave her apartment. The final cryptic scenes show Stephan running toward the lake and getting caught by the police. Subsequently, we see Reggie show up at the lake trying to take a body out of a boat. As he throws the body from a height, he loses balance and falls on the boat.
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