Lola in the Mirror

Lola’s sketch portrays a girl squeezed tight by a snake. The museum label likens the snake to the unyielding grip of law enforcement and questions what information the snake is trying to extract from the girl.

At the police station, officers confiscate Lola’s backpack and place her in a small office containing minimal furniture and a photograph of two young girls. A man enters; he is the same person who was outside George Stringer’s house, Detective Sergeant Geoff Topping. He has been watching her for months and wants Lola to help put Flora Box in prison. If she assists, the girl could avoid a 25-year sentence. When Topping hears Lola’s plans to become a famous artist, he wonders if Flora knows of them because when a person works for her, it is for life.

After formally introducing himself, Topping questions why Lola does not know her name. Looking at the photograph, Lola correctly guesses that the girls are his daughters. Then, she recounts how Erica Finlay died, and, shifting to Buckle’s voice, Lola recounts everything about their life together. Then, Topping confesses that his mother was also a survivor of domestic violence and that he has seen survivors do both brave and unforgivable things. Lola surmises that Erica found her somewhere, was given her, or stole her from someone. Lola cannot articulate the last option.

Then, Topping gives Lola a phone. He instructs her to tell Flora her art school plans, observe the woman’s reaction, and then call him. When Lola is reluctant to help, he offers to uncover her identity. Slipping back into Buckle’s voice on her way home, Lola knows that she stopped searching for answers because she loves Erica and fears the truth will ruin that love.

Later, Lola talks to the mirror. When she hears nothing, she asks if Lola died. The woman—with missing teeth, a bandage over her eye, and a bloody, frayed dress—appears in a dirty room. Claiming to have lost her eye to a sadness rooted in the heart, the woman lifts the bandage to reveal a black hole. Crying, Lola promises to change her life and make the woman happy. Insisting that the girl already knows who she is, the woman screams until Lola breaks the mirror.

Lola’s sketch depicts a deceased man, with a syringe in his hand, lying next to a fish and beneath an ominous sign for Ebb ’n’ Flo. The museum label notes that the artist worked for the notorious Flora Box, who imports the worst fish to eat: the kind gutted and filled with heroin.

The next morning, Lola and Charlie arrive at the seafood wholesaler. Inside Flo’s office, the woman’s right-hand man, Ephraim Wall, conducts business at a desk while Flora perches in front of a man hanging from a noose. He is alive and standing on a block of dry ice. With gardening shears by her side, Flo watches him struggle. Relinquishing yesterday’s profits, Lola shares that George Stringer has hanged himself. Unphased, Flora invites them to sit with her. After talking about Christmas and recapping their deliveries, Lola asks a hypothetical question about quitting and going to art school. Flo laughs, scoffing at the girl’s dreams, and Lola, realizing that she is stuck, shivers at her naïve belief that she could walk away. Flo takes Lola’s hand, calls her a daughter, and gives her a promotion to work with Brandon in collections. Despite her reservations, Lola must accept. Then, Flo gives her and Charlie a Christmas bonus: a key with a pin code.

The sketch portrays a bear-headed man offering a rope to a girl in the water. A clawed hand grips the girl’s arm. The museum label identifies the man as Detective Topping and suggests that his bear head illustrates his protective instincts. The description also dates this sketch a few weeks before the artist meets Danny Collins.

Lola phones Detective Topping and leaves multiple long messages. She calls him a devoted father, husband, and police officer. Then, Lola rants about her naivete. In the next messages, she asks Topping to meet her that afternoon and tells him about Ephraim Wall. She then condemns herself for hurting so many people. Lola keeps calling to talk about her neighbors and the housing crisis. She insists that Topping take Flora down.

At The Well, Evelyn Bragg, the woman who runs the place, holds a meeting about the recent murders. There is a police sketch of the perpetrator, and Evelyn urges everyone to be careful about where they sleep. Then, she turns the conversation to the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane. The government wants to convert this area into an athlete’s village, so The Well is in jeopardy of being demolished. To conclude the meeting, Serge and Sam, neighbors of Lola’s, announce that they are expecting a baby and have housing. Serge’s story is inspiring because he overcame a drug and alcohol addiction to turn his life around. After the meeting, Lola tells Evelyn that she wants to go to art school. Evelyn agrees to help on one condition: Lola must stop working for Flora.

Later, Lola visits Esther to hear about the woman’s vision. Esther advises her to avoid the river, for she dreamt of Erica Finlay and Lola drinking tea underwater at a Starbucks. Interpreting this to mean a flood is coming, Esther warns Lola the scrapyard may be underwater soon. Then, she shares the rest of her dream: Erica smiles, grabs Lola’s hand, and morphs into a monster. As Esther speaks, it begins to rain.

At 3:00 pm, Lola meets Detective Topping, who reveals that his phone is also a listening device. Ignoring her anger, Topping provides an address for blood tests to determine Lola’s identity. Then, he tells her to get Brandon Box talking. When Topping asks what Flora’s gift was, Lola lies and says a drawing pen.