The Lizzie Borden Chronicles
Episode 1.5 “Cold Storage”
Directed by Howard Deutch
Written by Jason Grote, Barbara Nance
Starring Christina Ricci, Clea Duvall, Cole Hauser, Bradley Stryker, Jeff Wincott, Olivia Llewellyn, Dylan Taylor, John Ralston
Lifetime
Air Date: Sunday, May 3rd, 2015, 10pm ET

Last week’s episode upped the killer creativity ante. If you check out the episode 4 body count video below, you’ll know that Nance (Jessy Schram) is dead and that Lizzie “shocked” Mrs. Kenney. I totally called that before I saw it. Nance maybe would be alive if she didn’t go looking for trouble, but who are we kidding? Lizzie (Christina Ricci) would have gotten to her eventually. Emma (Clea DuVall) turned down Leslie’s (Dylan Taylor) offer to move forward in their relationship after some masterful Lizzie manipulation.

The Lizzie Borden Chronicles
Episode 1.4 “Welcome To Maplecroft”
Directed by Russell Mulcahy
Written by Jason Grote
Starring Christina Ricci, Clea Duvall, Cole Hauser, Bradley Stryker, Jeff Wincott, Olivia Llewellyn, Dylan Taylor, Jessy Schram, John Ralston
Lifetime
Air Date: Sunday, April 26th, 2015, 10pm ET

The Lizzie Borden Chronicles 1.4 “Welcome To Maplecroft” brings up to the halfway point in our bloody Lifetime series. Before that review, let’s recap last week’s episode.

“Flowers” centered on Lizzie’s (Christina Ricci) new business partner, Mr. Flowers (Jonathan Banks). He took care of that nasty little Spencer business for her. An unforeseen loose end is Skipjack (Bradley Stryker) taking the playwright’s ring. Mr. Flowers seems like a useful person for a rich serial killer to have around. Why… someone like that can get goons to beat up annoying Pinkerton detectives, and leave them/him on some train tracks like a damsel left by a twirly-mustached villain. I really enjoy Siringo (Cole Hauser) onscreen. I was hoping he would last til the end. He will, won’t he? Won’t he?

The Lizzie Borden Chronicles
Episode 1.3 “Flowers”
Directed by Russell Mulcahy
Written by Barbara Nance
Starring Christina Ricci, Clea Duvall, Cole Hauser, Bradley Stryker, Jeff Wincott, Olivia Llewellyn, Dylan Taylor, Kimberly-Sue Murray
Lifetime
Air Date: Sunday, April 19th, 2015, 10pm ET

We are three episodes in for Lifetime’s “The Lizzie Borden Chronicles” limited series event and I am thoroughly enjoying this undiscovered little jewel. But before we get to reviewing 1.3 “Flowers,” let’s recap last week’s “Patron of the Arts.”

There are some spoilers if you haven’t watched “Flowers” yet.

What we probably knew before and definitely know now, is that Lizzie (Christina Ricci) enjoys her notoriety. She and Emma (Clea Duvall) attend a risque performance, and get invited to an afterparty because of Lizzie’s fame. There they meet the playwright, Spencer, who tries to get Lizzie to be his “patron” for his next play. He also tries and fails at seducing her. Lizzie rescues a prostitute, Adele, from her terrible lot. She goes to see Mr. Flowers about it, and they politely compare the size of their d***s. Siringo (Cole Hauser) and Lizzie do a silent dance around their enmity, while having a polite conversation. Siringo tries to insert logic into the investigation, but it falls on deaf ears. Spencer tries to rape Adele, so she sticks him with a pitchfork, then panics and gets Lizzie. Lizzie finishes him off.

The Lizzie Borden Chronicles
Episode 1.2 “Patron Of The Arts”
Directed by Stephen Kay
Written by Richard Blaney and Gregory Small
Starring Christina Ricci, Clea Duvall, Cole Hauser, Bradley Stryker, Jeff Wincott, Olivia Llewellyn, Dylan Taylor, Kimberly-Sue Murray
Lifetime
Air Date: Sunday, April 12th, 2015, 10pm ET

Let’s recap Episode 1 of Lifetime’s limited series, The Lizzie Borden Chronicles, before we get to this week’s review.

Last week’s episode ended with a smile. Lizzie Borden’s (Christina Ricci) smile, that is. Her smile contained the promise of an evil little secret, one that the audience is in on of course. I’m not sure I would not have believed Lizzie either. Ricci plays her excellently.

Four months after she was acquitted of killing her parents, Lizzie and Emma Borden (Clea DuVall) still live in the same house in the same town. She is infamous and frightening to most of the townsfolk. As well they should be. Detective Siringo (Cole Hauser), a Pinkerton man, rolls into town to quietly do some of his own investigating into the Borden murders. I hope he doesn’t find himself on the wrong end of a blade, rope, horseshoe, whatever. Lizzie and Emma bail their brother William out of jail, and he proceeds to make demands and threats to the sisters, which we know does not bode well for him.