Lady in the Lake episode 3 recap: Maddie's on a mission while Cleo begins to unravel

There's a lot on the line for Cleo and Maddie as this week's episode of Lady in the Lake opens up. The Apple TV+ show has continued to introduce new characters and plot points as our two leading ladies follow their very complicated ambitions. Cleo sacrifices a lot for the sake of her two sons, while Maddie is ready to move on from her old life and start anew. The two lead very different lives, but as Cleo's narration tells us, we know they will become more connected at some point soon.

Lady in the Lake episode 3 is titled "I was the first to see her dead. You were the last to see her alive." and it sees Cleo try to grapple with Myrtle Summers' assassination attempt as Maddie tries to get closer to the Tessie Durst case.

WARNING: Major spoilers for Lady in the Lake episode 3 are below.

This week's episode gives us a couple of flashbacks to Cleo's childhood in 1948, introducing us to her relationship with her parents growing up. Her parents argue over their finances; her father loses all of his money to a sketchy man he works for, and Cleo gives him the money she's been saving up. They clearly have a close relationship as we see a cute scene between them pretending to perform on a stage, though they're just in their bathroom.

Cleo can't shake what happened to her

In the current timeline, we see Cleo struggle with what happened in last week's episode. She had no intentions of being an accomplice to an attempted murder, especially not the attempted murder of Myrtle Summer. It's all a mess, and understandably, she doesn't know how to deal. She calls Reggie to tell him what happened and keeps reliving the moment while at work.

Maddie continues pursuing her brand-new life, getting her ears pierced at the department store before going to see the reporter Bob Bauer who works at the newspaper. Remember, the man she gave information to? She shows up and tells him that she wants to help in their coverage of Tessie's murder. But despite her journalism experience, he doesn't want to hire her. Maddie decides she'll get a story of her own and writes a letter to Stephen Zawadzkie, who's currently in a psychiatric hospital. What is she trying to do here, and does anyone else feel like she's getting desperate?

Cleo's son Lionel is still sick with sickle cell anemia, with, sadly, no signs of getting better. One morning, Cleo notices that the whites of his eyes have turned yellow, and she looks to her mother for help. The doctors say there's nothing else they can do, so Cleo's mom calls on a reverend to come. That's no use either, however, and Cleo feels hopeless. She shows up at the club when she's not supposed to be working and begins drinking, looking to let loose amid her stress. She dances and nearly makes a scene before Slappy takes her home. Meanwhile, Maddie has sex with Officer Platt again.

At home, Cleo is drunk and tries to dance with Slappy, but he's not in the mood. They argue but once Slappy hears Cleo crying, he comforts her. He wants to know what's wrong, and she brings up their son. She knows there's nothing she can do to help him, and that's a heartbreaking pill to swallow.

Maddie comes clean to her son

Maddie wakes up late after her night with Officer Platt, and in a panic tries to clean up her apartment before rushing off. She arrives late at Seth's school for a college fair, and he's angry with her. She brings him to her apartment afterward and he reluctantly comes in, unimpressed with where his mother is now living. He's mad that she left them, but she clarifies that she left his father, not him. In an argument, she tells Seth that Milton is not actually his father, a statement she quickly regrets. Seth reveals that he's been reading her diaries.

Officer Platt catches the man who tried to kill Myrtle and he questions him in the street. The man tells him that a Black woman drove the car, describing her as wearing a nice blue coat. This alerts Platt, and he knows it must've been Cleo. She wears that coat all the time. He goes to the department store to speak with Cleo, telling her that he knows she was there. She denies it at first, but Platt tells her if he tells the truth he can help buy her time with the police. She tells him the car color, make, and license plate, then asks Platt what'll happen when her time runs out. He tells her that she can come clean about everything to the police, but she knows she can't do that.

Maddie receives a letter back from Stephen and she goes to see Bauer again, telling him she now has a story. He's hesitant but agrees to use it for the newspaper, and she asks him for an advance. She's now able to pay her rent, and she celebrates with Judith.

Cleo goes to see Dora and Reggie, demanding to know why he sent her to deliver the gun. He says he was just trying to take the heat off of him, confirming that Shell didn't even know about it. She tells him that she knows Shell rigged the numbers and asks him to help her win money. She promises to give him 10% and will leave town afterward. But Reggie doesn't want to.

Maddie continues her own investigation

Bauer takes Maddie to talk to the doctor who performed Tessie's autopsy to gather more information for the story. He tells them that gravel wasn't the only thing he found under Tessie's nails; he also found skin cells, meaning she likely put up a fight. He doesn't know for sure if it came from Stephen, though he tells them that Stephen had no scratch marks on him. This makes Maddie think someone else could've been involved in Tessie's murder.

This week's episode ends with Maddie receiving a call from the psychiatric hospital, informing her that Stephen wants her to come visit. She shows up and introduces herself to him before the screen fades to black.

There's no doubt that Maddie is determined, but is biting off more than she can chew? It sure seems that way. I feel so bad for Cleo! All she wants to do is do right by her children and the world makes that very difficult. The pace continues to pick up in Lady in the Lake and I'm excited to see what'll happen next. New episodes are released every Friday on Apple TV+. Check back with us at Show Snob for our continued episodic recaps!