Lazarus: Season 1 Episode 10 “I Can’t Tell You Why” – Recap & Review (With Spoilers)

As Leland’s backstory is explored, a truly notable breakthrough in finding Dr. Skinner is discovered.

ByAmari Allah Hours Posted on Hours Updated on

Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.

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Episode 10 “I Can’t Tell You Why” Details

  • Available On: Toonami
  • Public Release Date: June 8, 2025
  • Director(s): Kazuo Miyake
  • Writer(s): Takahiro Ozawa

Episode 10 “I Can’t Tell You Why” Recap (With Spoilers)

Leland’s Background: Leland, Isabella, Elaina

With finding out the pill from Dr. Skinner’s home might be for a heart condition, Lazarus lucks into information that could provide answers. However, with searching for medical records, the team finds nothing, so it is fathomable that Dr. Skinner, being one of the elite members of society, likely had a private doctor whose medical records couldn’t be easily hacked or found.

Now, as for how to get to such a doctor? Leland, similar to Elaina, finds himself having to reveal his past and his connections to potentially get results, but for Leland, this return home is far more significant and layered. You see, Leland comes from old money, aristocrat money, and the Astor Family Mansion in itself is huge.

However, like Elaina, things are immensely complicated. Leland, who hasn’t been seen by his only living relative, his older sister Isabella, in four years, technically inherited everything he sees by being the sole male heir. In many ways, you could imagine this could be why his sister is so cold towards him. But, in truth, it seems it isn’t just him suddenly showing up asking for a favor, or her frustration with how inheritance works in the family, it is due to her genuinely missing him.

So, while she gives information on the family doctor, she also presses Leland to spend a weekend with her, and Leland makes this promise and sets it for the day after everyone is supposed to die. For with believing they have a strong lead, he thinks they’ll have another Sunday.

A Simple HIPAA Violation: Elaina, Doug, Leland, Millie

Thanks to Isabella providing Dr. Millie’s information, Leland is able to get information from Dr. Skinner’s medical records. Mind you, does Millie acknowledge she is breaking confidentiality? Yes. But, with Dr. Skinner having cut off the means to monitor the artificial heart that was placed and the calamity the world is under, she foregoes what she would normally never give in to.

But what matters more than knowing Dr. Skinner has an artificial heart is the firmware Dr. Millie gives, which guides Elaina into realizing Popcorn Wizard is likely the key to finding Dr. Skinner – thus revisiting the belief that Dr. Skinner being able to hide from the world so well is likely due to a hacker. Now, because of what happened last time, Elaina knows she can’t stay in the comfort of a computer setup in America to get to Popcorn Wizard. She has to go to Pakistan, and Doug goes with her as backup.

Just When We Were Getting Somewhere: Axel, Hersch, Soryu

While Elaina and Doug head out to Pakistan, Hersch gives Axel a special task. With learning Axel is likely one of the first to have received the Hapna drug, under a secret, undocumented clinical trial done on inmates like Axel, he is tasked with finding the doctor who might be the sole person with knowledge of the experiment – not authorized or associated with Dr. Skinner.

However, on the way to finding this doctor, Soryu comes across Axel on the highway, and it is clear that their battle is likely to dominate episode 11.

New Cast and Characters

Isabella (Ayane Sakura)

  • Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
  • Character Summary: Isabella is Leland’s older half-sister, through his father, who may not be fond of how Leland came into the world, via their father’s mistress, but she still acknowledges, accepts, and loves him as a brother. Even if his privilege as the male heir to the family causes friction between them, especially with Leland not taking the responsibility seriously.

Dr. Millie (Yushiko Sakakibara)

  • Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
  • Character Summary: Dr. Millie is a prestigious doctor known only to the notably wealthy or impactful members of society, who has taken care of the Astor family and was Dr. Skinner’s primary physician.

Links

Review and Commentary

Highlights

The Pacing Is Holding Steady In A Positive Direction [82/100]

It took nearly the entire season for one of the best leads Lazarus has had to create a multi-episode storyline, where it seems they are finally making progress. In addition, this isn’t a lead like a 15-year-old magazine but a substantial piece of evidence that Dr. Skinner has an artificial heart, that likely could be tracked. Add to it, it follows up on Elaina’s rival, Popcorn Wizard, and you see multiple follow-up storylines tied into the main one, which may make some of the journey so far a bit more forgivable and worthy of grace than what we previously gave.

On The Fence

Leland’s Backstory Was Acceptable [77/100]

At this point, only Chris and Axel have backgrounds that can explain why they are part of Lazarus. Chris, due to her being a former Russian agent, seeking asylum, and Axel, due to him being one of the first people to take Hapna. As for the rest? We still have no idea, and Leland’s backstory, while illuminating, didn’t answer the essential question of why he is part of Lazarus?

This especially becomes hard to fathom for, even if he partly rejects his family’s wealth, why would he be chosen for Lazarus? What could he have done, what debt could be owed, for it isn’t like Lazarus is voluntary. Lest we forget, Hersch put those wristbands on everyone to control them and, in Suicide Squad fashion, kill them if they went rogue. With the stakes set so high, it is somewhat frustrating that not a single thing presented here provides a logical reason for Leland to be involved in this.

Unless we are solely supposed to believe, considering Leland’s father’s ties to the head of Lazarus, maybe he was always meant to be seen as a weakest link for Abel’s enemies to think they could exploit? But, with episode 7 establishing Leland is 16, it is hard to see the ethics, or logic, in the US Government allowing, even in a semi-secret project, the recruitment of a 16 year old as a fail safe for espionage while putting them in life or death situations day in and day out.

Does The Show Have Time For Soryu? [75/100]

Soryu was a welcome addition to the last episode, but now with the show going full speed ahead with finding Dr. Skinner in a notable way, comes the question if Lazarus has the time to handle Soryu’s potential? After the demonstration in the last episode, to have Soryu defeated by Axel in their first match-up, Soryu even potentially killed, would undercut the build in such a way that it would leave a blemish on the season.

So, with that in mind, what ways can Soryu maintain the reputation that has been created while allowing Axel to remain alive, helpful, and maintain his own reputation for being able to get out of life-threatening situations?

Overall

Our Overall Rating [78/100]

Lazarus continues to build momentum as major storylines converge, especially the hunt for Dr. Skinner. But while pacing improves, lingering questions around character backstories and the fate of newcomers like Soryu raise concerns as the season nears its end.

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Amari is the founder and head writer of Wherever-I-Look.com and has been reviewing media since 2010. He approaches each production with hope, rooting for every story to succeed, and believes criticism should come from unmet potential, while praise is reserved for work that meets or exceeds expectations.