IN Lady of the Lakewritten by Alma Har’el and Briana Belser, makes it clear almost immediately that in addition to investigating the crime, the series aims to analyze the society that allowed it to happen. 1966, Baltimore, where all sorts of racial tensions reign. Economic and violent inequality divides the city into two territories. On one side, the rich and prosperous area. On the other, the darker areas. The argument aims to show that within these characteristics, violence cannot be stopped and that in most cases its victims are the weakest.
The story, based on the novel of the same name by Laura Lippman, will appear on Apple TV+ as a seven-part miniseries. The format should allow for a thorough examination of the argument. And that’s just it. showrunner Alma Har’el in the first few episodes. Lady of the Lake begin with horrible murder which puts the city on edge and suggests that no one is safe.
Lady of the Lake
Lady of the Lake centers on Maddie (Natalie Portman), a mother and wife who will do anything to solve a horrific murder. But the series spends too much time giving the character nuance, losing not only her performance but also the atmosphere she manages to maintain in the early chapters. Unfortunately, the disappointing ending could have made the series more of a melodrama than it is.
In her first TV thriller, Natalie Portman plays Maddie Schwartz, a housewife with journalistic ambitions who decides to investigate a crime on her own. The actress imbues her character with a desire to be valuable and useful in a very typical nuance for the time, making her motives easy to understand. However, The series makes a mistake by turning this imperfect and flawed woman into a heroine.
Two extremes of American life
Lady of the Lake turns Natalie Portman’s character into a rare mix of amateur explorer and spirit yearning for freedom and liberation from the constraints of domestic life. Little by little, what begins as an interesting period piece, showing women’s frustrations and ambitions in a crisis, devolves into bad decisions. Chief among them is the pointless, pointless insistence that only Maddie can uncover the criminal ravaging Baltimore.
Across town, Cleo Johnson (Moses Ingram, from Obi-Wan Kenobi), a mother mired in poverty who struggles to provide for her family. The script, which could have taken advantage of the fact that Maddie and Cleo are very similar in their approach to life, makes the questionable decision to analyze them in parallel. It is an unnecessary emphasis on social class, poverty, and hope that does not provide any further support for this argument. Especially since it never really delves into this topic, instead declaring it part of a context that is not made clear in any chapter.
Good production
Director of photography Lachlan Milne uses the colorful and vibrant atmosphere of Baltimore to create the sense that the two women are on the same page, although of course they do not live the same lives or experience the same situations. Despite the good direction, Lady of the Lake There’s not enough gravitas to keep this entire prologue about two complicated women brought together by a dangerous scenario interesting. In fact, much of the first episode is devoted to confirming that Cleo and Maddie are on the right track. Should they work together, analyze the mystery surrounding the deaths of women in the city, or at least understand each other.
But the show fails to connect the dots. The initial murder, which immediately multiplies into several more, ends up being relegated to ideas that lead nowhere. And if something is obvious in Lady of the Lake The thing is, he’s wasting his actresses.
This is done through monotonous conversations and scenes that are meant to be symbolic. Natalie Portman and Moses Ingram bring a lot of personality to their roles, which helps the plot seem more organized than it actually is and helps the audience not lose interest completely.
Obvious clues that lead nowhere
One of the main disadvantages Lady of the Lake is that as the chapters progress, the goal is no longer to solve crimes. Thus, it moves away from the procedural don’t go what it was intended to be, a tedious drama with moralistic overtones. Especially when the production makes some rather unclear decisions starting in Chapter 5. Especially about how Maddie — now the ultimate narrator — talks about what he experiences and the tragedies he investigates.
The show has an unclear rhythm and tone that prevents its most interesting moments from being revealed. This leads to murders, Maddie’s investigation, and even a tragic death that leaves its mark, becoming disappointing plot mess.
Lady of the Lake It could have been much better than it is. Especially since its protagonists brilliantly explore the personalities of their characters and the symbol they occupy in their plot. But all this is not enough to make the story more flexible or better constructed.Thus, the series turns into a story without much of an order, which ends predictably.
Source: Hiper Textual
