Harlan Coben’s Lazarus – Season 1 Episode 4

Published: Oct 23 2025

In the fourth episode of *Lazarus*, we see Joel Lazarus returning home after his encounter with Billy. His face set with determination, he confronts Jenna. He brings up the kiss from the dance and demands the truth, his voice steeling with resolve. Jenna plays the innocent card, feigning ignorance, but Joel's relentless probing finally snaps her out of her denial.

Harlan Coben’s Lazarus – Season 1 Episode 4 1

Jenna finally admits her involvement with Billy, but dismisses it with a shrug, claiming her memory of that night is foggy. The flashbacks reveal a drunken and reckless Jenna, kissing Billy while Sutton watches on in shock. The vision cuts to Sutton storming off, hurt by this betrayal, and Jenna following close behind. There's a gap in her memory where she claims she "fell asleep," and her next memory is of Joel screaming and finding Sutton's lifeless body.

When Jenna rushed into Sutton's room, she was shocked to see him, matching up with the end of the last episode's scenes where Jenna was seen with blood-soaked hands. Joel had already gone to fetch Jonathan, and by the time Jenna rushed outside for help, the police were swarming the place.

Back in the present, Jenna apologizes for keeping quiet, but Joel isn't ready to listen. He leaves and heads to the pub, where he spots Laura Mainard, the woman he seemed to hallucinate seeing in the last episode. She's very much alive and dancing, her movements a stark contrast to the heavy atmosphere of the previous scenes.

As Joel approaches, Laura unburdens herself, explaining that she had inadvertently booked an appointment with the late Dr. Jonathan Lazarus, unaware of his demise, and arrived that fateful night by a stroke of luck. This revelation further clouds the line between reality and fantasy, prompting Joel to opt for a restful night at his father's office instead of venturing home.

As dawn breaks, Joel wakes to find Margot standing over him, her features paled and her silence ominous. Another vision draws him into her final encounter with Dr. Lazarus, where Margot recounts Billy's penchant for lurking around the office, observing patients, and his urgent need for professional intervention. These visions only serve to reinforce Joel's conviction that Billy is the mastermind behind Sutton's, Jonathan's, and perhaps even Margot's demise.

Joel sets out in search of answers at Margot's residence, only to find the place eerily devoid of life. Just as he's about to give up, Aidan emerges from the shadows. The boy confesses his intent to follow Joel due to a desire for companionship. However, Joel dismisses him brusquely and heads to the station with the intention of locating Seth.

Upon arrival, Detective Alison Brown summons him to her office. Inside, Joel lays out his suspicions about Billy and his potential role in the killings. Unfortunately, Joel's erratic behavior only serves to elevate his own suspicions, casting him in a more questionable light than he might have wished.

The news soon spread like wildfire that Margot had been missing for two nights, and search parties sprang into action, scouring the local park for any clues. It was here, where Margot had last been seen strolling with her dog, that they hoped to find something crucial. Joel joined the hunt and, deep in the heart of the woods, stumbled upon Margot's dog. The pooch whimpered and then darted away into the trees, moments before voices echoed through the clearing.

Billy and several others closed in just as Sam emerged. But a scuffle ensued when Billy hit Joel for defending Sam, sending him tumbling down a hill. As Joel landed in a heap, he saw Margot's body lying beside him. The next scene cut to flashing lights and handcuffs as the police hauled Billy away for attacking Sam.

Joel sat dazed in the back of an ambulance while Sam was patched up nearby. Sam explained that he only joined the search after hearing about it on the radio as he drove out of town to go fishing.

Later, Joel sat in his car when a knock rattled the window. It was Aidan again, confessing that he had taken Joel's toothbrush and run a DNA test, which confirmed that Joel was actually his father! Aidan had done this because he felt like an outsider and wanted to know his true origins. The two shared a quiet moment before Joel eventually dropped Aidan off at home.

That night, Joel visited Laura for guidance. She gave him her card and sent him on his way, but not long after, he was summoned back to the station by the police. Detective Alison Brown had more questions, but Joel insisted that Billy had killed Margot. However, there was another twist to this tale. Billy was actually in rehab when Dr. Jonathan Lazarus died, giving him a clear alibi for his whereabouts that night. Furthermore, Alison had been tailing Joel in secret and had ruled him out of any wrongdoing too, knowing he didn't kill Margot either. So who did?

Outside, Laz met up with Seth, who handed over the original referral letter Dr. Lazarus had written for Billy. Within this, the note revealed Billy's drug addiction and how he had a habit of stealing drugs from the office. This explained why he had hung around so often "watching patients".

Joel fed all of this back to Jenna, theorizing that Billy may have spiked her drink the night of the dance, explaining why she had blacked out the way she did. This would also explain why there was a whole chunk of her memory missing. As the pair sat and watched home videos together, reminiscing about Sutton, Joel noticed something on the camera and paused. On the shelf above, he spied Sutton's old teddy bear. However, this meant that Sam's alibi about the teddy didn't quite match up, putting him back in the firing line again.

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