Summary
A step back from the first season, The Lake struggles to find what type of show it truly wants to be.
This review of the Prime Video series The Lake Season 2 does not contain spoilers.
The popular Prime Video series The Lake returns for its second season. The summer drama series created by Julian Doucet stars Jordan Gavaris, Julia Stiles, Madison Shamoun, and Lauren Holly.
The Lake Season 2 review and plot summary
The Lake Season 2 returns following the aftermath of the boathouse burning to the ground, Justin and Riley’s relationship problems, and Maisy-May’s mother returning to town claiming she is dying in the first season finale.
The boathouse burning down has caused an uproar in the city, with the insurance not willing to pay for the repairs. Everyone in the town puts the blame at the feet of Justin, who is struggling with everyone hating him until he realizes that someone else might be to blame for the fire. As his hunt for whodunnit transpires, his on-again-off-again relationship with Riley finally has a strong resolution.
While that happens, Maisy-May is fully convinced that her mother is lying about her pending death. Mimsy decides to prove to Maisy-May that she is dying by telling her that she will sign over Derick’s cottage at the end of the summer as long as she stays for the summer. Of course, Maisy-May is furious at the games her mother is playing, but she is trying her best to keep it together.
My biggest issue with The Lake is the writing and how bland it can be at times. It tries to take itself far too seriously when in reality, it should be a more light-hearted comedy with smaller serious tones. When the show focuses on that comedy aspect of the series, as we see with the back-and-forth banter between Maisey-May and Mimsy, it thrives. But the entire boathouse burning storyline was handled poorly as it tried too hard to be something it wasn’t.
Speaking of Maisey-May, the entire show is worthy of your time for Julia Stiles and Julia Stiles alone. How she isn’t in about a million things is shocking to me because this season, she is a blast as Maisey-May, who is dealing with battling her mother. The relationship with our parents can be tricky, and how the writers depict these two is nothing short of brilliant. Stiles and Lauren Holly are great on-screen partners.
Is The Lake Season 2 good or bad?
The Lake Season 2 isn’t as good as the first season, but the series does enough to keep you interested in the characters. That said, the writer’s approach to comedy keeps things fun enough to be enjoyable.
Is The Lake Season 2 worth watching?
The Lake Season 2 is hard to recommend unless you were invested in these characters from the first season. The struggles in the narrative make things feel undercooked. However, Julia Stiles and the ensemble do a good job of keeping things rather entertaining in the light-hearted moments of the series.
What did you think of The Lake Season 2? Comment below.
You can watch this series with a subscription to Prime Video.
