Summary
The Lake begins to build foundations for well-rounded and complicated relationships, which is something the show has sorely needed.
This recap of the Amazon original series The Lake season 1, episode 5 contains spoilers.
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The Lake season 1, episode 5 recap
Teesa, Billie’s birth mother and Justin’s best friend, showed up at the end of the last episode. She comforts Billie during the night, and Justin sleeps over at Ulrika’s house. When Justin heads back around, Billie begins to freeze him out, not inviting her father to Riley’s CSI: Miami-inspired RKI showing. In a proper Justin showing, he is not jealous of Teesa being a better parent. He is jealous that Billie gets to spend time with his best friend. Their reunion inspires them to sign up for the annual talent show, where Teesa will display her professional singing skills.
Teesa, showing she is the only mature parent on the lake, tells Justin to give Billie more time as the freeze continues. She describes her father as a hysterical Muppet, and Teesa has had enough. She takes Billie to see a time capsule that Teesa and Justin buried. That includes a picture of Justin holding Billie as an infant. This is not exactly heartwarming, as it reminds her of how Teesa gave her up for adoption.
Meanwhile, Justin helps Maisy prepare Opal for the talent show inspired by Moulin Rouge! They disagree on how the show should go since she is afraid the lake is not ready for Opal’s enthusiasm. So, her son fires her because she is, as he puts it, she is “straight washing” his performance. When Justin begins to offer Opal some support, the young child tells him that he does not want one of those “old gays” to provide him with insight.
Before the start of the talent show, Teesa asks Maisy why is she preventing their kids from seeing each other? You know, besides that fact, they are step-cousins. She does not have a good reason, so Maisy negotiates a deal. If Teesa drops out, she will allow Killian to see Billie. This clears the way for Opal to win the contest. Still, it is not like the competition was stiff. Riley does a roadkill puppet show, and the mean girls can’t make one of their siblings disappear. So, Billie must perform independently, with Killian in the audience. Of course, Billie is Teesa’s daughter and is wonderful.
The ending
At the end of the episode, the writers finally begin to offer reasons to care about the characters, who have been downright awful to each other. Now that Billie almost won the contest, Opal heads to the boathouse. Maisy asks Justin to talk to him so he can offer her son some community support. Teesa clears it with Maisy so Killian and Billie can hang out. He gives her flowers, lilies, her favorite. The last scene has mother and daughter talking things out. She doesn’t want her to go, but Teesa insists everything will be alright. She needs to give Justin a chance. But why, are her questions.
Teesa takes her daughter’s hand and places it on her stomach. She now knows her birth mother is pregnant. In sixty years, she wants her daughter to let the current bun in the oven come to her when she complains about her mother. And Billie can stand up for Teesa like she is defending Justin. Before the episode ends, birth father and daughter make up, and Billie has a better understanding of what Justin gave up so his daughter could have a better life.
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