“Lady in the Lake” has returned to Apple TV+ with its episode 6. Earlier, the show followed the aftermath of Cleo’s death in the lake. After Cleo’s body was discovered, Maddie focused on investigating this case. She realized that Shell Gordon and Reggie were somehow connected to Cleo’s disappearance. While the cops arrested Cleo’s husband, Maddie went to meet Stephan’s mother at her house to confirm a detail.
Unfortunately, their interaction soon turned violent. Ms. Zawadzkie lost control over her emotions, stabbed Maddie, and then slashed her own throat. While trying to contact the cops, Maddie lost consciousness. Now, episode 6 follows Maddie in a fever dream as she tries to recover from Ms. Zawadzkie’s vicious attack. While looking back at her past and present, she realizes something new about Cleo’s case.
Spoilers Ahead
Lady in the Lake Episode 6 “I Know Who Killed Cleo Johnson” Recap:
“Lady in the Lake” episode 6 follows the aftermath of Maddie’s (Natalie Portman) troubling encounter with Stephan Zawadzkie’s mother (Masha Mashkova). Maddie questions Ms. Zawadzkie about her son’s actions. She hopes to confirm the identity of the man she saw when Tessie (Bianca Belle) went missing. It led to Ms. Zawadzkie stabbing Maddie with a knife. Maddie tried to call an ambulance. That’s when she noticed Ms. Zawadzkie shot herself to death. Seeing that, Maddie loses her consciousness. After that terrifying incident, Maddie ends up in a hospital.
After losing consciousness, Maddie is caught up in a string of fever dreams. It fuses things from her real life to her imagination to reflect her innermost fears, desires, and expectations. Initially, it shows her at a party from the time after her marriage. There, Allan Durst (David Corenswet) approaches her while wearing a sailor’s costume. He gets drunk and flirts with her. He believes he can have her since she used to like him back in the day.
Maddie realizes that and shrugs him off. But he doesn’t listen and keeps following her. He recalls that his father abused her. So, he apologises for not being there for her and blaming her for what happened to his family. Allan reveals Maddie wasn’t the only girl his father abused. Since she gets emotional, he wipes her tears. Then, he kisses her. After a brief hesitation, she kisses him back. He closes the door, and they have sex.
Maddie’s Accident
After Stephan’s mother stabs her, Maddie gets hospitalized. Seth (Noah Jupe) stays in the room by her side. Allan comes to visit her with a bouquet. Once Maddie wakes up, Allan says her next child will know the truth about her, insinuating their romantic relationship. Moments later, we realize this is but a part of Maddie’s dream or a mix of truth and projection of anxieties. Suddenly, Maddie finds her belly bulging up, leading to her next child’s birth. But the child happens to be disfigured. The nurse who helps her with the childbirth takes off her mask and reveals herself to be Cleo (Moses Ingram).
Still in shock, Maddie walks out in her hospital gown, looking for Cleo. She finds herself in a flooded corridor filled with leaves and bushes, as if she is walking through a shallow lake. At a distance, she notices Cleo wearing a dress she wore in the past. The next moment, she sees Reggie (Josiah Cross) shadowboxing and walking toward the light. She follows him to a library and loses him. She finds a jacket and wears it. Then, she reaches the basement to find herself getting pushed around by a bunch of black women. Suddenly, they all start clapping and chanting. Then, a woman jumps from the first floor. Maddie approaches her and realizes that it is her.
Maddie’s Reality
Maddie wakes up from her dream and finds herself in a hospital room with Seth beside her. The news talks about the horrifying incident at Ms. Zawadzkie’s home. Reggie and Cleo’s son, Teddy (Tyrik Johnson), hear about it. The news also reveals that the police are looking for other suspects for Cleo’s death. So, Teddy suspects his father, Slappy (Byron Bowers), will be blamed for Cleo’s death. He runs back home to find Slappy getting arrested. While Teddy walks away, Reggie drives by and offers some food and money. But he doesn’t reveal any details about Cleo. So, Teddy gets upset and returns the money.
Back at Shell Gordon’s (Wood Harris), Reggie finds Officer Platt (Y’lan Noel). Ferdie believes Slappy is innocent. So, he confronts Shell & Reggie for letting him rot in prison. But the two do not reveal any detail. Shell only indicates the threat they pose if Ferdie crosses them. Once Ferdie leaves, Shell calls another officer to protect himself from any charges.
Lady in the Lake Episode 6 “I Know Who Killed Cleo Johnson” Ending Explained:
Who is responsible for Tessie Durst’s death?
Bob Bauer (Pruitt Taylor Vince) from The Star arrives at the hospital to meet Maddie. He reveals Stephan confessed to attempting to rape Tessie. When his mother realized it, she took care of the wounded Tessie. Despite this resolution, Maddie remains concerned about Cleo’s case. She realizes he is there to steal her story. So, she doesn’t reveal any details about what happened in the Zawadazkie residence. Later, she returns to her dream state and defends her journalistic ambitions to young Tessie. When Officer Platt comes to visit her at the hospital, she keeps imagining herself in some strange scenarios.
At a congregation, Maddie finds herself sitting next to her mother, who keeps talking about what happened in her past. Maddie is tired of living in the shadow of their past and constantly reiterates the same events. She is annoyed with living by her mother’s standards and being happy with just what she has. Maddie has better ambitions and doesn’t want her mother’s boundaries to limit her growth. She hopes to fight for justice for others. In the outside world, the far-right Nazi folks fight for their bigoted mindset. Officer Platt has to drive through their childlike chaos to the station. There, he is confronted with some harsh truths.
What crucial detail does Maddie learn about Cleo Johnson?
At the station, Officer Platt’s superiors reveal their knowledge of Reggie sneaking into Maddie’s apartment through her window. They know it is likely because Shell told them about it, who believed Ferdie would cause problems in his future. Regardless, the superiors consider a biracial relationship wrong as per their prejudices. So, Ferdie gets relieved from his duties. He confesses his deeper connection with Maddie than he did in past relationships. Until then, he dated white women, knowing he wouldn’t need to commit since they wouldn’t want to be seen with him outside.
Soon after, Maddie finds herself in another hazy dream. There, her mother doesn’t accept her privilege in the United States. Maddie walks away to a group of black folks standing around a lake. She notices Cleo hanging in the air to a ring. As Cleo falls into the water, Maddie jumps in to rescue her. She asks Cleo who killed her. Then, Reggie appears out of nowhere and beats her. The next moment, Maddie wakes up to see Cleo as her room’s cleaner. The woman says that she is indeed Cleo and Maddie is not dreaming. The next week’s final episode will reveal why Cleo staged her own death.
