Lockwood & Co. – Season 1 Episode 6 “Never Asked” Recap & Review

Bickerstaff’s Secret

An ambulance arrives at 35 Portland Row as Lockwood & co episode 6 begins. Someone sprays the hallway carpet with salt. Inspector Barnes tells the trio that the case is no longer their as it has gotten too dangerous now. They convince him to let them see the job through.

As Lucy and George go to bed, Lockwood looks at the locked door on the landing and then walks away.

In the morning, George tells Lucy and Lockwood about Edmund Bickerstaff. He was a clinician, psychiatrist, and pioneer of new techniques who held secret gatherings in his house. Mary Dulac was one of his guests who disappeared one night and then reappeared ten years later, completely mad. All of a sudden, Lucy hears a voice from the ghost jar. He reveals that he was Bickerstaff’s acolyte. He tells them he can help them find clues at Bickerstaff’s house in exchange for something.

As they pack their things, George seems really happy about the fact that he stole the skull. This could make them famous but Lucy requests they keep it under wraps. She asks them what to do about the ghost wanting to be released in exchange for his help. Lockwood leaves the decision to her.

They pack the ghost jar and head to Bickerstaff’s house. At the entrance, the skull tells her to wait outside and let Lockwood and George go in first as they are expendable; it needs Lucy to free him. The boys can’t hear anything and Lockwood tells Lucy to not blank them out. She takes charge and says she will go inside first. She tells them to come in if she’s not back in 15 minutes.

Inside, the skull directs her to a room to look for some important papers. She finds an operating table and hears the sound of something being sawed as well as dripping blood. She finds a switch on the table that opens up a trapdoor. She goes down the ladder.

Outside, George worries about the skull influencing Lucy. He and Lockwood follow her inside.

Lucy finds a room with blood stains and surgical instruments. She finds a book of papers on a desk but ghost fog soon spreads through the room and shuts the trapdoor. She realises they are the ghosts of Bickerstaff’s patients. The skull urges her to set him free but she doesn’t. She realises the skull knew this would happen. Lockwood and George get her out.

Safe outside, Lockwood declares that she is never going to investigate on her own again. They are her team, not the skull. George asks her if she found something. When she says yes, they all smile.

Back home, George begins his research. Lucy decides to put the skull away for a bit.  Lockwood finds Flo Bones in the living room — she still has the key he once gave her. She remarks that he hasn’t changed much about the house, particularly the room on the landing. She says he can’t avoid it forever. Lucy overhears the conversation and then goes away. Flo tells Lockwood Winkman is holding an auction for a high-value relic, probably the mirror. She agrees to help them get inside. She also claims that Lockwood is different around Lucy but he insists she’s just a friend. George enters the room and is introduced to Flo.

After Flo leaves, George shows the other two what he found. The papers include images of spirits being tied to their sources. He theorises that Bickerstaff must have tested this theory by inflicting trauma on a particular part of the body to ensure the victim’s ghost would attach itself to that bone — making it a source. But he needs help with translating the papers and suggests going to Joplin for help. He says he trusts her.

He also mentions a book written by Mary Dulac which could have information. But it is only available in the Fittes’ Black Library, which they can’t access. Lucy refutes that and says they can. She shows them an invitation to the Fittes’ anniversary Ball that was just dropped through their letterbox.

Lucy is forced to go buy formal clothing for the Fittes’ ball. On the way back, Kipps comes across her and strikes up a conversation. He tells her Fittes is a better place to work and then asks her to accompany him to the party. When that fails, he asks her out for coffee but she declines. Lockwood watches them from a window in his house.

Joplin comes over with her books to help George research. Lucy gets ready for the ball, wearing a pretty blue dress. She’s looking at the photograph of her and Norrie when Lockwood comes in. He asks if everything is okay with the skull. He looks at the photograph and asks about Norrie. Lucy tells him she’s ghost-locked. He says that Lucy never told him about that. She retorts that he never asked. He then gives Lucy a necklace to go with her dress. It once belonged to someone close to him. Before leaving, he asks if she’s really doing okay. She says she is.

George tells Lockwood to go ahead to the party without him. He promises to meet them later. Quietly, he reveals to Joplin that they’re going to get the bone glass later.

Lockwood looks at a map showing a route to the library room at Fittes. Lucy comes downstairs. She asks about George but Lockwood says it’s just the two of them. They get in the cab and leave, both of them smiling.

At the party, Lucy and Lockwood see relic columns with ghost sources inside them.  They talk about Penelope Fittes and her legacy. Lucy walks around. She sees Kipps but avoids him. Penelope Fittes approaches her and offers her a job at Fittes herself. She tells Lucy she knows what happened in the past was not Lucy’s fault and in fact, made sure that Jacobs wouldn’t work as an agent again. She relates to Lucy as she was also the black sheep of her family. Lucy is immensely flattered but says she will stay with Lockwood.

Lockwood arrives as she leaves and asks what Penelope wanted. Just small talk, says Lucy. As they head towards the library, Lockwood asks Lucy if Penelope offered her a job. He knows he can’t compete with Fittes. He then tells her he saw her with Kipps too. She tells him that Kipps offered her a job too as well as asked her out for coffee but she declined on both accounts. She assures Lockwood that Portland Row, Lockwood and George are her home. He breathes a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, George packs a bag and gets ready to leave while the skull in the ghost jar watches him.

With the help of George’s code, they enter the library. Lucy sees a box with the symbol of a harp on it. Lockwood finds the index number of Mary Dulac’s book of confessions. Just as they find the book, someone enters the library and they hide. It is Penelope, accompanied by a man. He tells her the group members feel that Penelope should contribute more.

She retorts that it is their job, not hers. But she gives him the small box with the harp anyway, as a token of goodwill. After she leaves the room, the man finds George’s map on a table. Lockwood tries to escape but soon find’s the man’s sword at his neck. Lucy distracts him and after a short fight, the two of them run out of the room. The man calls security but Lockwood pulls the fire alarm. Salt sprinklers are turned on, chaos ensues and Lucy and Lockwood make their escape.

The Episode Review

Episode 6 brings back the higher quality of earlier episodes. The pace is back but more importantly, the plot moves ahead significantly. With Jack Carver, Bickerstaff’s house, Flo Bones and even Penelope making appearances, it seems clear now that this Netflix series is at its best when it’s doing a lot. And not at the expense of character development, as we see with George’s increasing isolation and Lockwood and Lucy checking in on each other (I’m intrigued about where they’re taking that).

Two of my favourite moments happened right after Bickerstaff’s house. The first was when Lockwood reminds Lucy that they are her team, not the skull. And the second was when Lucy told them she found something and they all laughed at the sheer madness of it. This chaotic feel is the essence of Lockwood & Co. and you can’t help but smile.

Now, as I’ve said before, it’s clear that Chapman and Stokes have some amazing chemistry. Both actors perform the insecurities and bashfulness of romantic feelings in a way that even gives the viewers butterflies. And this spotlight on the romance is obviously a Netflix requisite.

But this episode they’ve taken it too far. A love triangle? With Quill Kipps? Really? Even for new viewers, this simply does not fit in with Kipps’s character. It’s entirely pointless in a show where every other plot point is far, far more interesting.