"Death Is Coming" is the fifth episode of the first season of Netflix's Lockwood & Co. It, like the other episodes of the first season, was released on Netflix on 27 January, 2023.
Synopsis[]
The team scrambles to locate a missing relic before their rival agents do. Deep in the ghost-hunting underworld, danger lurks around everywhere.
Plot[]
Not just a stupid relic[]
Lucy sits at the kitchen table, staring as the Skull jar. Anthony Lockwood enters, commenting that she's up early. She tells him that the Skull is playing hard to get. She asks if he's okay and he asks why he wouldn't be. He tells her not to worry, that they've already got a head-start on Quill Kipps's team. Lucy asks if the Skull possibly could have meant the mirror when it said that "Death is coming," if perhaps the mirror is death. Lockwood tells her it's nothing they can't handle together. "I'll go back to bed, then," comments George, entering, and Lockwood tells him he meant all of them. He starts to grab a drink, but Lockwood tells him there's no time, to grab one on the way to the archives. He replies that he thought they were going to the cemetery and Lockwood tells him that he and Lucy are, but he needs him to go to the archives and find everything he can about the mirror and Edmund Bickerstaff. He says it's make or break. "Only because you've turned this job into a pissing contest," complains George, saying that he'll be in trouble if he has to tell his parents he's lost another job.
The two argue back and forth a bit until Lucy cuts through it, telling George to first come with them, and Lockwood to make an effort and give George money for coffee. They arrive at the cemetery, a DEPRAC van pulling in ahead of them. "There goes our edge," comments George. Quill Kipps greets Lockwood as "Tony," who tells him to go away. Kipps asks what they'll be doing in their empty house and Kat Godwin says it breaks her heart. They greet Saunders and Joplin, Joplin complaining that they were on the brink of a major discovery. She whines to Saunders that they needed more security. He blames the kid guarding the door, saying they have insurance. He tells Joplin to can her complains, saying it was just a stupid relic. "It's really not," says George.
Lockwood & Co. head inside, agreeing that the Night Watch knows not to mess with relic-men and there had to have been at least two involved in the theft. They wonder just how they got on the grounds, George finding a badge of the Tendy's agency. "Agents in league with relic-men?" wonders Lockwood. He tells George they need him at the archives now, but George seems enraptured. He finally snaps out of it and heads off, but seems annoyed. Lucy wonders what's up and Lockwood tells her that George wants to be where the action is, but he needs him as his researcher. "What now?" wonders Lucy and Lockwood suggests a role-play, that they figure out how the relic-men got in. Lucy suggests by the canal, that the water makes it safer. They head off to check it out. George, however, has already had the same idea. On the banks of the canal, he spots a trail of blood. He discovers a body within. He jumps back in fright and Lockwood and Lucy arrive behind him, Lockwood asking what he's doing. Lockwood sees the body and says that he knows him.
Danny Clough[]
DEPRAC agents arrive and remove the body from the water. Lockwood tells Lucy and George that the man is Danny Clough and that he was one of the older agents when he was starting and helped him, getting him out of trouble a few times, that he was someone who had no idea how cool he was. Lucy wonders how he got to where he is now. Lockwood gives no answer and she apologizes. He then says they need to keep the information to themselves and find out who his partner was. Montagu Barnes tells them that they dredged the whole stretch, but couldn't find the mirror. Lockwood plays it cool, asking who the body was. They also discovered ocular tissue under his fingernails, indicating he clawed out his own eyes. He warns the need to find the mirror fast.
Lockwood tells Lucy and George that Kipps will go wide and they need to be faster and smarter. He tells them he has something to take care of. Lucy asks him if he's alright about Danny and he tells her he hardly knew him. He tells her he knows an old friend who works on the river that can help them. Meanwhile, George goes to the archives, only to be told by the clerk that they're full. He tells her it's important, but she tells him he should have come earlier. "Forget it," he tells her, leaving. He exits the archives and encounters Pamela Joplin. She says she can guess that Bickerstaff brought him there. He tells her they're full and she tells him she's on the board and can pull strings. He asks why she's there and she tells him it's for comfort, that the place calms her down.
Lockwood tells Lucy that they're meeting a relic-man, one who is "a bit different." "Not an evil, thieving bastard, then?" asks Lucy and Lockwood tells her to be nice, that they need her help. "Her?" asks Lucy. She hears a moaning and discovers the ghost of a crying baby. She goes to examine it, only for it to scream terribly and then for her to be accosted by a Cold Maiden. She runs, screaming for Lockwood, only for the ghost to disappear right as it's about to reach her. She wonders what happened. "I did," says the voice of the woman they're looking for, Flo Bones. She addresses Lockwood as "Locky," asking him who the "latest slapper" is. Lockwood makes introductions, calling Flo the best relic hunter on the Thames.
The woman relic-man[]
Flo thanks Lockwood for distracting the ghost, telling him it took her a while to locate her remains. He tells her he's always happy to help her. Lucy complains that they could have been dead, but she says there's no point in trying to outrun a Cold Maiden. She identifies the ghost as having been that of Elizabeth Creevy, a Victorian baby farmer, who would take cash for kids, then drown them. Lucy calls her work sick, but Flo says they all make their living dealing with the dead, but they're caught in the cogs and she's free. Lucy tries to argue the point, but Flo says she's her own boss and she likes it that way. She says the world that makes women give their babies away is evil. Lockwood offers her a buyer and to be the intermediary. She calls him a nice boy, and he asks her to tell them what she knows about Danny Clough.
At the archives, George and Joplin read up on a woman named Mary Dulac and her connection to Bickerstaff. The articles state that she went missing from a party. On a paper, George doodles a hypnotic spiral, Joplin telling him that it's past curfew and they need to go. She asks if he got what he needed and he tells her he's made a start thanks to her. She asks if he has plans and he tells her he was thinking about cleaning the oven again. She suggests they go get something to eat, unless his friends are expecting him. He tells her he'd love to.
Meanwhile, Lucy, Lockwood and Flo visit a small cafe on the docks of the river. Flo tells them that Clough once asked her out, drunk, that he was always drinking and it's how they got to him. Lucy asks why Tendy's didn't help him and she tells her that Tendy's wouldn't have cared, that his Talent was fading. Lockwood tells her they need to find Clough's partner. She says it's Jack Carver and they don't want to find him. He tells her they have to, that it's important. She tells him to leave a message on the board in the cafe and he'll come, if it's the right kind of message he can't ignore. Lockwood writes one - "We know about the mirror," with the address of Lockwood & Co. Lucy calls it suicide. Lockwood asks Flo about their network and she tells him they're in business with an antiques dealer named Julius Winkman, warning him Winkman will kill him if Carver doesn't. He hands her a trinket from Clough's body, telling her it's something to remember him by. She tells him she's always surprised to see him, that she thought he'd be dead by now.
A visit to Winkman's[]
George arrives at Joplin's place, complimenting her bust of Thoth. She tells him he's the first guest she's had who knows his name. He points out it's written on the base and she replies in turn that he pronounced it correctly, that the others haven't. George points out that he's the god of several things including the dead. "Much less so than, say, Rashnu," says Joplin and they discuss the topic, George saying that it's nice to have someone to show off to. They talk about the Problem and its earliest history, whether or not anyone had any clue what they were doing. She tells him for her it's not about conspiracy theories, but about nostalgia, that it was all new when she was young and her parents tried to hang on to the world as it was once. She tells him she never had even the slightest bit of Talent and would have loved to do what he and his friends do. She says it spurred her on to look more. He asks if she saw anything in the mirror. She turns the question on him and he says that he felt like he wanted to see more. She asks if she feels that way too and she says she always has. He tells her it's getting late and he should head home, that someone might miss him, though it's unlikely.
Lucy asks Lockwood how he met Flo. He tells her it was ages ago. He asks if she's always been like that and he agrees she has. Lockwood tells her that they need to move fast and that they're not done yet, that they need to go to Winkman's. Lucy is troubled, but Lockwood tells her it's on their way and it's easier to break in at night. He tells her he's not worried, that Flo is a worrier. Lucy tells him they'll never get in, that they should come back in the day and pretend to be customers. Lockwood, however, has them go by the side. He pulls a lockpick and they enter a warehouse. Lucy tells Lockwood they doesn't like it.. He asks if she can hear the mirror, but she says it's like the airways are jammed from all the objects in the warehouse. She examines a boy's teddy bear and says that they're all relics, with bad psychic charge.
The two hear a mechanical whirring and go to investigate, only to run straight into a young boy. Lucy hides, while Lockwood tells the boy he's lost something, asking if he could help him find it. He tells him it's a special mirror that makes a buzzing sound. He asks if he's heard it and the boy nods shakily. A woman appears, telling the boy she told him not to talk to strangers. Lockwood tries to play it cool, but the woman shocks him with a prod. She tells the boy, whom she addresses as Leopold, to get his father. As Lucy watches from hiding, Lockwood is taken away. Back at home, George continues to doodle hypnotic spirals, still hearing the sound of flies buzzing. He passes out briefly, then looks around.
Tortured[]
Lockwood wakes up to find himself tied to a chair, his arms restrained and one of his eyes blackened. Around him are various instruments of torture. He rattles the chain and hears a faint buzzing. A man, who can only be Julius Winkman, asks him what agency he is from, that he doesn't recognize the uniform. Lockwood tells him he's not an agent, a burglar, and that he should call the police. Winkman says that he had a rapier and that no burglar would hit his place. Lockwood tells him he's undercover Fittes. Winkman says that Fittes were already by during business hours. He holds up a torture instrument and Lockwood tells him they can come to an arrangement, that he has valuable antiques. He demands that Lockwood tell him who he is and who told him to come here. He says that if he doesn't, he'll draw pretty pictures on his face. Lockwood tells him he'll have to kill him and he won't get away killing an agent. Winkman tells him he can make him disappear, that a certain type of young man has always been susceptible to a certain type of end. He say nobody would think twice. He tells him his friends would.
Winkman suggests they start with that, asking who else knows he's there. Lockwood tells him it's no one and he takes the knife to his neck. Lockwood tells him he's sorry, but it's true, that he always works alone. Winkman powers up a machine. He asks again who knows he's there, torturing him electrically. Down below, Lucy searches around, hearing more noise of relics, as well as the commotion from Lockwood's torture. She finds a cabinet and hears the flies, but as she tries to open it, Leopold appears. She greets him by name, telling him she knows the mirror is there. She asks if it's keeping him awake, that she's a listener too. She asks about his toy, and he hands it to her, hearing a child screaming. She tells him he's hurting and that her friend is hurting too, asking if he can tell her where she is. She asks him to help her find him. He stares, and she asks what it is. The woman from before appears behind her and shocks her.
She brings Lucy before Julius Winkman, calling her nosy. Julius asks if Lucy is his colleague, but he tells him he's never seen her. He tells Leopold to go back to bed, but the woman suggests they let him watch. Lockwood tells Julius that Lucy is just a trainee and doesn't know anything. He tells him to let her go. "A suicide pact it is, then," says Julius. Lockwood tells him he'll tell him everything, that nobody will be surprised if he turns out dead. He tells him to just let Lucy go. He tells him no tricks, that he can do what he wants. Julius tells him he'll kill her last, so he doesn't have to watch. Lucy rises. She shouts at Leopold to move, grabbing a jar and splashing Julius and the woman with it. She grabs an explosive and lights a lighter, warning them she'll throw it if they take one step. Julius surges and she shouts at him not to test her as the woman restrains him.
Seven, not one[]
Lucy frees Lockwood. Julius tells him he's coming for him and will mince him. He grabs a bottle, pouring it on the floor as Julius shouts and counts. Back at 35 Portland Row, George stirs some tea absently, still troubled by the sound of flies. The buzzing fades and he stares vaguely out the window. He hears a roaring noise and punches at the window, hurting his hand. In the jar, the Skull cackles. On the streets, Lucy asks Lockwood what his deal was, that he was practically begging them to kill him. He tells her he considers it a noble sacrifice, but she calls it bull, that if she hadn't come, he'd be dead. He claims to have had a plan and she asks what it was. He says he would have had a plan, that he always does in the moment. She asks what's going on with him, telling him he knows he can talk to her. She asks him again and he sighs. She says she doesn't know why she bothers and that she's never going back, that they can keep the mirror.
Lockwood tells her they can't let them get away with this. She curses and he asks what's going on. "Carver," she tells him, that he would have gotten the note and George is home alone. Lockwood tells her they need to get a cab. They arrive back at 35 Portland Row. George complains that they said midnight. He asks them where the mirror is and what they've been doing. They tell him they'll tell him later. There is a loud banging at the door. George asks who it is and Lockwood goes to the door. The banging comes again. "It's Carver," says Lockwood, drawing a rapier. George asks who that is, and Lucy tells him he's Clough's partner.
Lockwood opens the door. The man, Carver, comes stumbling through the doorway. He falls face-forward onto the floor. There is a knife in his back and a terrible, large blood-stain. Lockwood tells Lucy to call an ambulance. Lockwood asks Carver who did this to him. "Bone Glass," he croaks. They ask what this means. George asks if it's the mirror. "Seven, not one," he tells them. George asks him what he means by seven, and if he looked into it, what he saw. "Terrible things," he replies. He sighs, then tells them to come with him. "Where to?" asks Lucy, and George asks what she heard. Lockwood tell her they didn't hear anything. "He's dead."
Notes[]
- This is the second of five episodes of the first season of Lockwood & Co. adapting events from the second novel of the book series, The Whispering Skull.
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Ruby Stokes as Lucy Carlyle
- Cameron Chapman as Anthony Lockwood
- Ali Hadji-Heshmati as George Casper Karim
Other Cast In Order of Appearance[]
- Jack Bandeira as Quill Kipps
- Rhianna Dorris as Kat Godwin
- Louise Brealey as Pamela Joplin
- Jeff Rawle as Sebastian Saunders
- Ivanno Jeremiah as Inspector Barnes
- Bronwyn James as Sergeant Wade
- Lucy Briers as Mrs Harris
- Hayley Konadu as Flo Bones
- Conall Turner as Leopold Winkman
- Alice Lowe as Adelaide Winkman
- Ben Crompton as Julius Winkman
- Jethro Skinner as Jack Carver
Ghost Performers[]
- Diane Spencer as Cold Maiden