WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Lady in the Lake.
Summary
Lambs are a major motif in the new Apple murder mystery seriesLady in the Lake.Starring Natalie Portman in her first-ever leading role in a television series,Lady in the Lakeis based on the 2019 bestselling novel by Laura Lippman.Portman plays Maddie Schwartz, a Jewish housewife in 1966 Baltimorewho leaves her restrictive family life behind to follow her true passion of becoming an investigative journalist. Thedeath of a woman named Cleo Johnson(Moses Ingram) gives Maddie a new beginning.
Lady in the Lakeepisodes 1 & 2, which were both released exclusively on Apple TV+ on July 08, 2025, dive into the murky backstory ofMaddie’s relationship with the Durst family after their youngest, 11-year-old Tessie, goes missing. It also chronicles the final days of Cleo Johnson’s life and her brief interaction with Maddie at the start of the series that would become a full-blown haunting. There are several allusions to lambs in the series, which have a few distinct meanings.
What Time Lady In The Lake Releases On Apple TV+
Natalie Portman will make her debut in a leading role in a television series with Lady in the Lake, which will stream exclusively on Apple TV+.
Lambs Are Symbols Often Associated With Innocence, Sacrifice & Slaughter
The blood of the lmab reminds Maddie of a traumatic incident
In many cultures and traditions, lambs are often associated with a sense of innocence and purity. Lambs are ultimately defenseless and, as a result, often have a ritualistic or sacrificial purpose. Since Maddie is Jewish inLady in the Lake, the lamb also could be a symbol of protection.In Judaism, lambs were sacrificed at the first Passoverbefore the biblical Exodus as a means of avoiding death and persecution from the Egyptians. The blood of lambs was spread on doors to encourage Death to pass them by.
Maddie purchases a lamb brisket from her local butcher on Thanksgiving inLady in the Lake, only to have some of the blood drip and stain her coat. If that never happened, she would never have inadvertently crossed paths with Cleo who models the dress she ends up buying. Through flashbacks, the audience also discovers how theblood of the lamb reminds Maddie of a traumatic memory with Hal Durst, who is depicted wiping what appears to be Maddie’s blood off his yellow couch. The two are implied to have been intimate.
Lady In The Lake Soundtrack Guide: Every Song & When They Play In Apple TV+’s Thriller Show
The new Apple series Lady in the Lake features several great songs from the 1960s including several original covers of classic tracks from that era.
How The Lamb Imagery In Lady In The Lake Connects To Tessie Durst & Cleo Johnson’s Murders
The lamb widely represents the death of innocence
Maddie notes when she gets the lamb for dinner that the one who was killed was so young, which mirrors her thoughts about Tessie. Maddie is seemingly the only one around her who is emotionally devastated by Tessie’s disappearance, which is made even more interesting becauseshe is the daughter of her ex-boyfriend, Allan Durst. Maddie likely sees Tessie as a lamb: defenseless, innocent, pure, and potentially sacrificial.
In this way, Maddie may see herself in Tessie as a young girl who lost a sense of purity through a wicked act inLady in the Lake. As for Cleo, we see her sacrifice her values and succumb to the corrupt powers that be through Shell Gordon, which again is another allusion to a loss of innocence and ultimately, loss of life.
Lady In The Lake Cast & Character Guide
Apple’s Lady in the Lake features a robust and decorated cast led by Natalie Portman in her first-ever leading role in an original television series.
Lady in the Lake
Cast
BASED ON THE NOVEL BY LAURA LIPPMAN, LADY OF THE LAKE IS A FICTIONAL DRAMA MINISERIES BASED AROUND THE REAL DISAPPEARANCES OF A YOUNG GIRL AND A WOMAN, COMING TO APPLE TV+. THE STORY CENTERS AROUND MADELINE SCHWARTZ, A DISSATISFIED 1960S HOUSEWIFE OF TWENTY YEARS WHO ENDS HER MARRIAGE IN SEARCH OF A LIFE WITH MEANING. MADELINE, BETTER KNOWN AS MADDIE, SEEKS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD - TO DO SO, SHE HEADS DOWN THE PATH OF AN INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST AFTER SOMEHOW HELPING THE BALTIMORE POLICE FIND THE BODY OF A YOUNG GIRL IN THE LAKE, CLEO SHERWOOD. LADY IN THE LAKE HAS NOIR ELEMENTS AND EXPLORES STATUS AND RACE IN A MURDER MYSTERY IN A DIFFERENT PERIOD. THE SERIES HAS BEEN DELAYED DUE TO AN INCIDENT IN LATE 2022 BUT IS STILL SET TO COME TO APPLE TV+ IN THE FUTURE.
