Lady in the Lake Season 1 Episode 6 Review: I Know Who Killed Cleo Johnson

Sometimes the end brings freedom.  Lady in the Lake Season 1 Episode 6, “I Know Who Killed Cleo Johnson,” implements this belief with a successful experimental episode.

Dreams and fantasies provide much-needed answers as the finale nears.

Sometimes Audiences are polarized with experimental episodes. Therefore, making them involves a big risk, so many TV shows stick with reliable formulas. Though Episode 6 is imperfect, it deserves some praise just for trying something new.

In fact, it deserves a lot of credit for showing Lady in the Lake’s potential.

Much of my frustration with this series is its untapped potential that could have made it a profound and memorable show. Lots of what could have been.

“I know who killed Cleo Johnson” is the first episode that allows us to see what makes it a stellar viewing experience.

It’s also the first one that makes me mourn the upcoming end.

Next week is the official series finale, so it’s too late to rectify some of the show’s errors but “I know who killed Cleo Johnson” fully confirms my belief that Lady in the Lake could have been brilliant with more episodes.

Like Maddie, it has the hunger for greatness and many of the tools. It just needs more time to figure itself out.

The series has some insightful things to say, is quite stylistic and musically glowing, has great acting, lots of twists and turns, and a top-notch cast. With the right script, Lady in the Lake sings. ” I know who killed Cleo Johnson” proves this as fact. 

Nonetheless, the past five episodes haven’t inspired confidence in the show’s ability to end on a high note. Therefore, this episode may end up being that series’ high.

What it does so well is explore the depth of Maddie while providing plenty of answers while also still setting up some confusion.

Let’s take the ending, for example. Because Maddie spends most of the episode in between dreams and fantasies, it’s unclear if she’s still in one when she sees Cleo alive. However, the series does plenty in “I know who killed Cleo Johnson” to give clues to the truth.

Reggie, in particular, becomes the most vital piece for Maddie and the viewers to gain answers on Cleo’s death.

If you’ve been paying attention, the ending should not surprise, but before it, many book readers may have been uncertain whether the show would follow the same path with Cleo’s story.

Now, we have some answers. However, so much varies from the book and shows that we still don’t know most of the outcome of next week’s series finale.

Lady in the Lake has always integrated the struggles of the Black American in the ‘60s, but “I know who killed Cleo Johnson” feels like the most blunt depiction of segregation and racism during that time.

Ferdie’s story shows the unapologetic nature of some racist people during the 1960s. Maddie’s dream sequences also show some very powerful images of Black joy and struggles. The music once again does so much to create these memorable moments.

Overall, the music elevates this series so much that a musical version of Lady in the Lake could have been transformative.

“I know who killed Cleo Johnson” offers one of the show’s strongest hours and its untapped brilliance.

What did you think of this episode of Lady in the Lake? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Lady in the Lake streams Fridays on Apple TV+. 

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