Lady in the Lake episode 4 recap: A tragic Christmas Eve

We're over halfway done with Apple TV+'s thriller-drama Lady in the Lake, following the lives of two women in 1960s Baltimore. Based on the book of the same name by Laura Lippman, the series stars Natalie Portman and Moses Ingram as Maddie Schwartz and Cleo Johnson, respectively. The fourth episode, which was released on Friday, Aug. 2, is titled "Innocence leaves when you discover cruelty. First in others, then in yourself" and answers a major question we've had since the premiere.

WARNING: Major spoilers for Lady in the Lake episode 4 are below.

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode of Lady in the Lake features a depiction of sexual assault, and we will mention it briefly in our recap as well.

Picking up on the same scene we left off on last week, Lady in the Lake episode 4 begins with Maddie meeting Stephen Zawadzkie at the mental institution. He's eager to speak with her after she proposes the connection they have, but he's discouraged when he realizes she wants to interview him. She asks him questions, such as who was at the store with him the day of Tessie's murder, but he doesn't answer. He doesn't believe she's being truthful when she says it was just chance that led her to Tessie's body.

Maddie makes a discovery

Maddie comes clean about the spot; she used to go there when she was younger to meet boys, and Stephen admits he's gone there, too, to watch couples together. We see a quick flashback scene of Maddie with Allan Durst, who sexually assaults her. Stephen tells Maddie that he didn't kill Tessie, but he won't tell her who did. He then mentions military experiments he had to participate in and Maddie wants to know more.

After meeting with Stephen, Maddie heads to the Baltimore Star office and tells Bauer about the military experiments. That's not the story he wants, but Maddie is persuasive. Meanwhile, Reggie calls Cleo and gives her the winning number, telling her that he wants her gone by Christmas Day. Cleo and her son rush off to visit a hairdresser working out of her apartment. Cleo makes her a proposal, one that might allow the woman to open up her own hair salon. All she has to do is put money on the number 366 on Christmas Eve.

An officer down

Officer Platt and his colleague Officer Davis go after one of the men involved in Myrtle's assassination attempt and sadly, during the chase, Davis is killed. We see Shell watching the story on the news, seeming very alarmed when they mention a woman who was present during the attempt. They don't have Cleo's identity yet, but it's only a matter of time.

Maddie gets her story about the military experiments published in the paper and when she shows up at the office, she can tell her article is making a lot of noise. Bauer gives her the great news that she's got a job at The Baltimore Star, though she's not leading any investigations just yet. They have her working the helpline, but she seems happy to just get her foot in the door. Bauer also offers her tickets for the football game on Christmas Day.

Reggie is given an impossible task

Shell confronts Reggie after watching the news, and he gives Reggie the impossible task of killing Cleo. This is something that will, understandably, eat at Reggie as he prepares to carry out the murder.

Cleo goes to see Dora while Officer Platt pays a visit to see Maddie. She asks him about what happened to Officer Davis, but he's not very forthcoming with the details of his job. He doesn't want to give her a scoop for the paper. Maddie wants to take their relationship to the next level and invites Platt to the football game, but he has to turn her down. He reminds her that they could go to jail if they're seen on a date together, but she's feeling restless. During a conversation about how many men she's had sex with, she thinks back to her sexual assault. It was before she was married to Milton, and he doesn't know about it. I doubt anyone does.

The number hits

Reggie calls Cleo and tells her that he wants to meet at midnight in the early hours of Christmas so he can collect his share of the money before she leaves. On Christmas Eve, we see how the numbers are rigged at the horse races. The hairdresser, who's coincidentally doing Maddie's hair, is ecstatic to get a phone call and learn that she's won a lot of money.

While celebrating Christmas Eve with her family, Cleo confronts her mother for not giving her the support she's needed all these years. Maddie celebrates Hanukkah with her family and members of her community, though Milton is noticeably absent. Allan is at the event and angrily confronts Maddie about her article, accusing her of using his dead daughter to get her name in the newspaper.

Stephen breaks out

At the mental institution, Stephen sets one of the worker's Santa suit on fire in the cafeteria, which leads to a fight breaking out. While everyone is distracted, he's able to sneak out.

Reggie watches Cleo and Slappy walking on the street from his car, crying at what he's about to do. Cleo eventually goes to meet Reggie alone at their meeting spot, and when Reggie pulls up, she looks frightened.

Maddie arrives home and realizes someone's in her apartment, only to find Stephen in her kitchen. He's angry and feels used, doubting her claim that she thinks they are connected. She tries to run away but he catches her and tells her that he forgives her. He lets her free and she gives him one of her sweaters, extremely scared of what he might do. But he doesn't do anything; he just leaves.

Rest in peace, Cleo

The final scene of Lady in the Lake episode 4 is a big one, seemingly confirming that Reggie is the person who kills Cleo, though her death is off-screen. Stephen runs from the police out to the lake, while Reggie is moving Cleo's body to the same lake. This results in Reggie throwing Cleo's dead body into a water tank and hiding as the police catch Stephen. Though Reggie is the one to dispose of Cleo's body, does that automatically mean he killed her? The fact that we don't see her murder has me suspicious.

The remainder of the show will likely put a focus on the fallout of Cleo's death, and how the mainstream media might choose to ignore it. Will Maddie find justice for Cleo, or is she too busy with Tessie's case? I feel so bad for Cleo's boys!

Lady in the Lake episode 5 premieres on Friday, Aug. 9 on Apple TV+.