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chance-lard · 1 year

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Book!Lucy & Lockwood vs Show!Lucy & Lockwood: A VERY LONG Deep Dive

So I finished the Netflix adaptation of Lockwood & Co.

Overall, I think it was a respectful adaptation, which, despite some plot changes, kept largely to the spirit of the books. At minimum, Joe Cornish actually seems to like L&Co, which is way more than can be said about most adaptations these days. Hooray!

But I wanted to write a bit about one of the bigger changes they made: namely the dynamic between Lucy and Lockwood.

I’ve seen people saying that the Locklyle adaptation to screen was very true to the books, just without Lucy’s close personal voice, and sped up a little in the romance department (“Stroud doesn’t mention what Lucy was doing with her hands! They could have been on Lockwood’s face in the books!” etc).

Respectfully, I disagree quite a bit with this. While some argument could be made about it having shades of their relationship from THB/TCS onwards, I actually think Show!Lucy’s attitude towards Lockwood is a 180 from the way she views him in TSS and TWS.

IDK, this might be a bit of a controversial opinion judging by what I’ve been seeing in the L&Co tag and general ways people have interpreted TSS and TWS in the years since their publication, but I’m going to try to back my argument as best as I can, focusing only on those books.

I’m using the original paperback UK editions of both the Screaming Staircase (2013) and The Whispering Skull (2014).

Spoilers for the show and VERY mild spoilers for books 3+ (literally just the name of a new character/type of ghost + stuff already shown in the show that wasn’t shown until later in the books)

Another warning: this analysis is 5500(!!!) words long, and mostly quotes from the book. If you’d like to just read the main bits, look at the intro/conclusion to each section and read the TLDR; at the end.

PART 1: THE NETFLIX SHOW

Before diving into differences, there are things I do think stayed the same between the show and the books:

Lucy and Lockwood banter, swap one-liners and occasionally squabble.

Lucy remains unimpressed with some of Lockwood’s more slapdash schemes.

During missions, they work equally and trust each other with their lives and the job.

They care about each other’s wellbeing.

Basically, when things are going well between them, or when they are in high-stakes circumstances and need to cooperate, there isn’t too much of a difference between Show!Locklyle and Book!Locklyle.

But as Tolstoy (lmao) says, all happy families agents are alike, all unhappy families agents are unique in their own way. With that said, I think the differences between Show!Locklyle and Book!Locklyle are best explored through the way conflicts are handled.

In the show, there are 5 major arguments between Lucy and Lockwood:

Episode 2: Lucy feels upset and hurt because she thinks Lockwood only views her as an “asset”.

Episode 4: Lucy is upset that Lockwood doesn’t believe/doesn’t want to admit that she is talented enough to talk to the Skull

Episode 5: Lucy gets mad at Lockwood being self-sacrificing/death-seeking after they escape from the Winkmans.

Episode 7: Lucy calls Lockwood a boy with a “cold dead heart of stone”, and is upset that he won’t let her and George in on his past.

Episode 8: Lucy is furious at Lockwood using dangerous methods at the auction, that “every relic hunter in London is out to kill us”, and that Lockwood is acting self-sacrificially again.

There are also the following minor squabbles:*

Episode 1: Lucy rolls her eyes at Lockwood for forgetting the chains at Mrs Hope’s house.

Episode 1: Lucy mad at Lockwood and George for the toothbrush cup initiation test.

Episode 2: Lockwood gets annoyed and brusque with Lucy for keeping Annabel’s source and trying to communicate with her ghost. After Lucy is nearly possessed, he flintily tells her he will burn the source, and that they have more important bills to pay.

*Note there might be some more minor squabbles, but they weren’t significant enough to make their way into my notes

The most important takeaway here is that Lucy is the one who initiates most of the arguments! We can also note Lockwood’s response to Lucy’s anger: mostly he mutely self-reflects as she shouts and storms away, then later he comes to her to apologise and promises to do better.

The one time Lockwood gets mad at Lucy (Ep 2) we are a) not shown the bulk of the argument (there’s a cutaway after the fight with the ghost to Lucy justifying herself), b) it’s anger born of worry, and c) Cameron’s delivery of the lines is quite measured and muted.

In essence, when it comes to conflict, Lucy is the one holding the cards in the relationship between the two of them.

We also know the show is set much earlier than the books (which take place over the span of a whole year). Show!Lucy isn’t acting this way out of concern for a Lockwood who she’s known and loved for ages. Rather, Lockwood is someone she is not impressed by at all from the outset. The show is setting up what makes Lucy special here: unlike the adults, the other agents, and maybe even George, she’s the only one who can see through his “prodigious entrepreneur” mythos to the hurting teenager beneath.

Within the logic of the show’s universe this makes sense. Unlike Book!Lucy who is a judgemental grump (and is why she has “no female friends”; TWS p80), Show!Lucy is a more confident girl coming right off the back of losing someone she loves dearly.

Having experienced an arguably greater loss than Book!Lucy at this stage in her life, Show!Lucy seems adamant to prevent anyone else she cares about going down the same path. For Book!Lucy, this is a realisation she only comes to near the end of THB.

So to summarise, in the show, Lucy is a hurting, no-nonsense girl, unimpressed with Lockwood’s antics and objective enough to act as his “chain to earth”. From the way Lockwood responds to Lucy’s upsets, we get the sense that he’s quite sincere and maybe more in touch with his emotions than he shows on the surface.

The show portrays two people gradually learning to trust each other and perhaps slowly, mutually discovering their feelings as they do.

PART 2: BOOK: ACTIONS

The show uses disagreements as watersheds for character development, but they don’t play as significant a role in the books. Still, I went through TSS and TWS and made notes of every time there’s conflict between Lucy and Lockwood because the differences are quite telling.

TSS:

Lucy is mildly irritated/snarky at Lockwood for the entirety of the Hope case in TSS, and is angry when he forgets to bring the chains.

Lucy is angry at Lockwood for talking about the Annabel case and getting her name in the papers (TSS, 231)

Lockwood gets angry and berates Lucy for keeping the Annabel source (TSS, 179-181)

Lockwood calls Lucy “too sensitive” and accuses her of getting too close to ghosts (TSS, 248-249)

Lockwood is furious at Lucy for trying to talk to Annabel again (TSS, 284)

TWS:

Lockwood angry at Lucy for talking about the door on the landing (TWS, 116)

Lucy angry at Lockwood (and George) for taking her Listening for granted (TWS, 258)

Lucy scolds Lockwood for brushing off/slapping down George (TWS, 398)

Purely by numbers, they get mad at each other fairly evenly (rather than it being one-sided from Lucy, a la the show).

But numbers themselves don’t tell a full story. In fact, after looking at the particulars, I was surprised to see just how unbalanced their relationship is in the first 2 books (TSS in particular), and how much Lucy sits under Lockwood’s thumb for the whole thing.

Let’s look:

THE SCREAMING STAIRCASE

The Hope House - Lockwood forgetting to bring the chains.

This is the argument that plays out most similarly to how it does in the books. Lockwood asserts that filings “will be fine” for a job like this. In both mediums Lucy lets him go, but in the show she rolls her eyes and tuts, while in the books she tells herself “now (isn’t) the time”, takes a deep breath and changes the subject. In my opinion, this difference is insignificant.

BUT: in the book, the chains get brought up again. On p39, Lockwood suggests they should leave the house because it’s too dangerous, it is Lucy disagrees and thinks they should stay (as an aside, compare this with Lockwood’s behaviour in the show, particularly when escaping Winkman at the auction!).

Lockwood “condescendingly” tells her that her head isn’t in the right place, and Lucy once again accuses him of making bad decisions by leaving the chains out. Lockwood in turn first blames George (as he does in the show), then goes on to blame Lucy!

How the argument resolves is also interesting. Lockwood smiles at Lucy, and ribs her:

‘How’s your anger management going, Luce?’ (p40).

This effectively defuses Lucy’s rage (she likens his smile to “the sun coming out”).

Only after she’s no longer at the peak of her anger does he admit fault:

“He clapped his gloved hands together briskly. ‘Alright, you win'” (about staying at the house). (p40).

Even in the very first pages, we see Lockwood comporting himself as Lucy’s superior. We get the sense he doesn’t take her anger very seriously. Lucy also doesn’t seem to be able to stay mad at him for long.

Now, I've seen readings of Lockwood smiling in this moment as him being simply unable to stay mad at Lucy. That's definitely one interpretation, but I personally don't agree with it. Lockwood has a patterned habit of using his smile to get out of trouble:

“Lockwood took a deep breath; perhaps he realized he had to explain himself to George and me, as well as to Barnes…(Explanation). He switched on his fullest, most radiant smile.

Barnes winced. ‘Put those teeth away’” (TSS, p426)

And:

“‘Papers that almost certainly don’t exist,’ I growled…I didn’t look at him; if I had, he would have given me the smile, and I wasn’t in the mood for that.” (TWS, p258)

Though as we can see, by TWS Lucy has definitely wised up haha

Lucy’s name in the article

On paper, this argument is similar to the one in the show. The major difference is at no point in the books does Lucy explicitly tell Lockwood to keep her name out of the papers.

In the show, this argument leads to one of its biggest disagreements (Ep 2):

Lucy: I told you to leave me out of it.

Lockwood: And I told you I'd handle it. What are you so worried about? It's all true.

Lucy: We haven't even solved the case yet. What if Hugo Blake sees that and comes after me?

Lockwood: Well, then, we'll look after you, Luce. You're our biggest asset.

Lucy: Asset? Is that all I am, then? Just something to make you money? You think that you do things so differently. But you're just like the rest of them. You're as bad as everyone back home.

In the books, Lucy does not get angry when the article comes out (p217). She only gets upset after she’s pulled in by DEPRAC to see Hugo Blake. When the argument erupts, George is also there and it plays out like this (p232):

Lucy: “Don’t touch me. Because of your article, I came face to face with a murderer tonight, and funnily enough, I didn’t enjoy the experience.”

Lockwood: “Blake is not going to come after us”.

George: “Or if he does, it’ll be very, very slowly, hobbling on a stick. He’s over seventy years old.”

After Lockwood and George’s further justifications about why Blake is not going to “get them” (p232-233) Lucy thinks:

“What (Lockwood) said made sense, as usual. It was good to be out in the night again, with my sword and my colleagues at my side. The distress of my brief encounter at Scotland Yard was slowly fading. I felt a little better.”

We know from this that Lucy’s anger was one borne from worry and fear of Blake. By successfully alleviating that fear, Lucy’s anger at Lockwood dissipates. At no point is she mad at being treated as a showpony or asset by Lockwood. In fact, going back to when the article comes out (p 217), we’re presented with the following:

Lucy: “I still don’t know why you mentioned me but not the necklace.”

Lockwood: “It doesn’t hurt to emphasise what a star you are. We want other clients to come running, eager for your services.”

He doesn’t use the word “asset” here, but you can easily replace the word “star” with the word “asset" to get the original lines that triggered the argument in the show. To this statement, Book!Lucy has no reaction at all (the topic changes).

[As an aside, Lockwood also obliquely calls Lucy and George “inessential” on p214, which they also don’t comment on. Also, at various points he calls George and Lucy “fishwives” (p 272) and Lucy “sensitive” because she’s a girl (p 353) (lmaooo what an ass).]

Lockwood, Lucy and Annabel

I’m lumping these three arguments together because they follow the same pattern: Lucy tries to talk to Annabel, Lockwood gets upset that she keeps trying. What is absolutely fascinating is just how he treats Lucy when he is upset, and how Lucy responds to his anger in turn.

The first argument begins the morning after the fight. Lockwood says:

“Why, Lucy? I just don’t understand! You know an agent has to report any artefact she finds. Particularly one so intimately connected with a Visitor. They must be properly contained.” (p179)

He continues berating her like this (with a lot more anger than he ever displays on the show).

Lucy tries to apologise:

“Yes. I said I’m sorry! I’ve never done that sort of thing before.” (p180)

But Lockwood is still angry:

“So why did you do it now?”

Lucy spends the next page trying to explain why she took Annabel’s source, but even after her apologies and justifications, Lockwood is still furious:

“You forgot? That’s it? That’s your excuse?” (p 181)

The three of them talk a bit more about the mechanics of how Annabel ended up in the house, then when Lucy is in the middle of talking, Lockwood cuts her off again, and they have this whopper of an exchange:

“I hope you’re not trying to change the subject, Lucy,” Lockwood said in a cold voice. “I’m in the middle of ticking you off here.”

I set the case down. “I know.”

“I’m not finished, either. Not by a long chalk. I’ve got a whole heap more to say.” (Lockwood loses his train of thought here). “The point is: don’t do it again. I’m disappointed in you.”

Lucy meekly takes Lockwood’s lecture:

“I nodded. I stared at the tablecloth. My face felt cold and hot at the same time”

Lockwood’s one-sided lecture of Lucy lasts a whole five pages!!!

But he’s not done. It comes up again on p248 where Lockwood accuses Lucy of being 'too sensitive’ (in both the psychic and emotional way), and of getting “too close to (the ghosts)”. Then, in a 180 from the dynamics of power in the show (remember, Lucy threatens to quit several times), Lockwood threatens to fire her!

“You need to be careful, Lucy,” Lockwood said, and his voice was flat and cold. “Wicked ghosts aren’t things to trifle with. You’re keeping secrets again, and any agent who does that is endangering the rest of us. I’m not having anyone on my team who can’t be trusted. You understand what I’m saying?”

Again, Lucy takes this lecture meekly and submissively:

I did understand. I looked away.

In the final argument about the matter (p284) we learn that Lucy is actually a bit scared of Lockwood.

“You deliberately let her free?” Lockwood said. “That was a stupid thing to do.”

When I looked at his face, my heart quailed. “Not free,” I said desperately. “Just…freer.” (emphasis mine)

On p285 Lucy starts crying/tearing up because she thinks Lockwood:

“...Would not forgive me…this was the end of my employment at the company”.

Ordinarily, you might be able to argue that her fears are misplaced and subjective (because of her narrow perspective). This rings a little hollow given Lockwood’s threat on p248.

Does Lockwood ever apologise to Lucy during the Annabel affair? Once, when at his suggestion, Lucy tries to talk to Anabel, and things go awry:

“I’m so sorry. I should have never asked you to do that. What happened? Are you OK?” (p192)

It’s a sign that Lockwood does care about her wellbeing, despite his general distance from Lucy and the way he carries himself, which is as a figure of authority, and more importantly, as Lucy’s employer.

Seriously. We like to joke in this fandom that Lucy is too wrapped up in her own head thinking that Lockwood is out of her league to notice that he actually likes her. But reading the books again with detailed notes, I think Lucy’s impression is actually accurate.

In fact, writing this up sparked a memory of reading TSS for the first time (prior to the release of TWS), I remember thinking there wasn’t going to be a romance between Lucy and Lockwood. I couldn’t articulate it fully at the time, but I imagine it was because of how much older Lockwood seemed and how much control her asserts over her behaviour, combined with the way early book Lucy (to borrow Holly’s words from THB) “can’t say no” to Lockwood.

It is only by the end of TSS, does Lockwood finally say to her:

“I trust your Talent and your judgement and I’m very proud to have you on my team. OK? So stop worrying about the past!” (p436)

It’s still a tad condescending (think: praise from kindergarten teacher) but it’s a momentous occasion because as shown, prior to the Combe Carey Hall case, Lockwood seems to respect and trust her very little. This bookend leads nicely into their growing dynamic in TWS.

THE WHISPERING SKULL

Lucy, Lockwood and the skull in Bickerstaff’s manor:

By The Whispering Skull, Lucy and Lockwood’s relationship has evolved (which would make sense given the 6 months between books 1 and 2) and consequently the way they conflict has too. However, they still don’t ever reach the level of direct conflict they do in the show. Take what I consider to be Lucy’s biggest upset at Lockwood in the first 2 books:

On page 258, Lucy says:

“Forget it! What happened to us treading carefully, Lockwood? I’ve a good mind to go back home!”

Lockwood begs her to reconsider. Lucy remains angry. She says:

“You’re taking me for granted. Me and this house.”

However, it should be noted that although she mentions Lockwood by name, she’s actually angry at both Lockwood and George (yup, he’s there too). She calls them “both mad” for expecting her to agree to their scheme. She then stalks away from them in a rage, leaving “the others” (not just Lockwood) to follow.

In short, her anger isn’t directed at any particular trait of Lockwood’s (such as recklessness or foolhardiness), but rather at having been duped by both George and him. Nevertheless, it shows that she’s become more comfortable at expressing her anger in general by this point.

Lockwood’s door on the landing

As in the show, after the skull tells Lucy about Lockwood’s door, she confronts him about it.

In the show, after Lucy brings it up, Lockwood responds by diverting the subject:

Lockwood: That is not just a nick. You need to get that looked at. Could be some toxins got into your blood.

Then:

Lockwood: You're not Marissa Fittes.

Lucy: Cause you can't handle being my Tom Rotwell? Second best?

(This response is OOFT and also VERY Show!Lucy imo)

Another difference: in the show, Lockwood clearly believes Lucy, but doesn’t want to admit that she might be talented, because he’s used to being the most powerful one.

In the books, Lockwood just flat-out doesn’t believe her:

Lockwood lowered his mug; he spoke flintily. “Yes, I know (the door). The one you can’t stop asking about.” (p116)

He also calls her a “prima donna” (lmao LOCKWOOD).

Here, again, Lucy responds a bit more huffily than she probably would have in TSS:

We stood there, glaring at each other. (p117)

Lucy defends George

I think this argument, from page 398, though minor, nicely summarises Lockwood’s general attitude in conflict.

“Lockwood, we’ve been so blind! He’s desperate to investigate it. He’s been obsessed with it all this time. And you just kept criticising him, slapping him down.”

Lockwood responds at first by doing what he typically does (justify, accuse):

“Yes of course I did! Because George is always like that!...It’s just how he is! We couldn’t possibly have known.”

But compared to the chains argument in TSS where he deflects until the end, moments later:

His shoulders slumped. “You really think he’s affected by the ghost?”

Perhaps it’s because of the imminent danger George is in, but this time he takes Lucy’s anger seriously. Unlike the chains argument from the beginning of TSS, he doesn’t put on airs or “give permission” to Lucy when he senses he’s in the wrong. This way, they work together to prepare to get George back.

PART 3: BOOKS: THOUGHTS

“Wait,” you say, “Doesn’t this just prove that the show is like the books? Sure, it might have skipped that weird employer/employee stage from TSS, but it at least follows their relationship in TWS well, right?”

To this I say, yes, but also no. We need to take into account the role the arguments play in both mediums.

In the books, since Lucy is a very personal narrator, the arguments are a good way of showing the Locklyle relationship unmarked by her own thoughts. Although Lucy is quite inaccurate at judging what people feel and think (see: Holly), she’s not the kind of unreliable narrator that makes up things people say or do.

In the show, since we don’t get to see Lucy’s internal monologue; the arguments are instead used to show how Lucy feels. To that end, I can understand why they made her more direct/in touch with her emotions during them – if she didn’t say anything, the audience probably wouldn’t know.

SO: to get a full picture of her relationship with Lockwood, we need to examine both her acts AND her internal feelings.

What does Lucy feel in the show?

In the show, although Lucy does like Lockwood, she hates (or at least is troubled by) the following: he’s reckless, he’s (over) confident, he’s arrogant and loves the spotlight. But her two primary issues with his character seem to be:

His death-seeking nature:

“What does any of it mean if we end up stabbed or dead at the bottom of the Thames with nobody left to care?“ / “To be honest, the bottom of the Thames used to be a far more appealing place to be.”(Ep 8)

His distance/mystery:

“You might be able to turn your feelings on and off like a tap, but I am drowning here, Lockwood.” (Ep 2)

“At the centre of you is just a…” “A what? A cold, dead heart of stone?” “Yeah, maybe. But who knows, though? 'Cause you don't actually show anyone.” (Ep 7)

Is this the case in the books?

Nope. Not at all. This is the absolute biggest difference between Show!Locklyle and Book!Locklyle.

Lucy has very little to say about Lockwood’s general recklessness because, well, she is reckless too (this is the case in the show as well – makes her look just a little bit like a hypocrite).

In regards to his death-seeking nature: Lucy doesn’t even pick up on it until the Skull of all people points it out, and that is definitely much further along than in TSS and TWS.

But why doesn’t she see these signs? It ties back to how Lucy feels about Lockwood’s distance/mystery in TSS and TWS which is, well: she loves it.

Show!Lucy can’t stand Lockwood hiding things from her and running off madly towards “any old mystery”, and that’s what makes her a good grounding force for Lockwood there.

Book!Lucy fully drinks the Lockwood kool-aid and buys into his grand myth.

From the very outset, Lucy immediately likes Lockwood. Unlike Show!Lucy who compares him negatively with the people “back home”, Book!Lucy thinks:

“Lockwood, I already liked. He seemed a world away from the remote and treacherous Agent Jacobs; his zest and personal commitment were clear. Here was someone I felt I could follow, someone perhaps to trust.” (TSS, p 112)

We also get Lucy’s opinion of Lockwood “throwing himself” into missions the very first full day she joins:

“Vigorous and energetic, eager to throw himself into each new mystery; a boy who was clearly never happier than when walking into a haunted room, his hand resting lightly on his sword hilt…It already pleased me to think of walking into darkness with Lockwood at my side.” (TSS, p 127)

She starts buying the “Lockwood narrative” very quickly too. When Lockwood says:

‘This will be one of the three most successful agencies in London…And you can be a part of that, Lucy. I think you’re good, and I’m glad you’re here.’ (TSS 129)

Lucy thinks:

“You can bet my face was flushed right then – it was a special triple-combo of embarrassment at being found out, pleasure at his flattery and excitement at his spoken dreams.” (TSS 129)

We see her continued fall into Lockwood’s all-consuming orbit on the next page:

“For a moment, as he said this, it all made perfect sense…when he smiled like that it was hard not to agree with him.” (p 130)

Contrast this to the show, where instead she cooly responds, “Thank you,” then immediately asks: “How do I know you’re good enough for me?” (Ep 1)

Show!Lucy clearly isn’t buying it from the beginning, and continues to not buy it. We can see the difference after the Hope House case when Lucy is talking to George.

George: “Maybe if you'd been more interested before you went charging.”

Lucy: “That was Lockwood's decision. I've only just started. What am I supposed to say to him?” (Ep 2)

George: “You're meant to say no. You have to, or you'll make him worse.”

George is another character who works well to contextualise Lucy’s behaviour towards Lockwood. In the show, George sees Lucy as someone capable of reigning Lockwood in. Whereas in the books, he sees Lucy as equally at fault for being reckless.

“When is going to be the time? When you and Lockwood are both dead, maybe? When I open the door one night and see the two of you hovering beyond the iron line?...All you and Lockwood care about is going out and snuffing Sources, as quickly as you can! ” (TSS, p 139-140)

Rather than deflect blame onto Lockwood as she does in the show, she says:

“Because that’s what makes our money, George!...If you were less obsessed with it, we’d have done twice as many cases in the last few months…We waited all afternoon for you.” (TSS, p140)

The “makes our money” line sounds a lot like something that would come out of Lockwood’s mouth, and makes me wonder whether she’s parroting something he said at this stage. Conjecture aside, it shows the reader that Lucy is firmly on Lockwood’s side – as established, Lucy “never says no” to Lockwood, and everyone else knows it.

I suspect part of the reason this continues for so long is because Lockwood never is too approving of Lucy, which causes Lucy to scrabble for the rare moments of his approval.

“Moments before, he’d been promising to incinerate the locket. Now it was the key to all our troubles. Moments before, he’d been giving me a rollocking; now I was the apple of his eye. This was the way it was with Lockwood. His shifts were sometimes so sudden that they took your breath away, but his energy and enthusiasm were always impossible to resist.” (TSS, p 190)

“As usual, the full warmth of his approval made me feel a little flushed.“ (p TWS, 108)

Although by TWS Lucy is far more comfortable with Lockwood to his face, she can’t help but put him on a pedestal at the back of her mind, which marks the remaining difference between the show and the books.

“One full year after my arrival at the agency, the unrevealed details of my employer’s early life remained an important part of his mystery and fascination.” (TWS, p 40)

Even George calls her out on it:

“Oh, come on. You love all that mystery about him. Just like you love that pensive, far-off look he does sometimes.” (TWS, p 55)

Putting aside the “haha Lucy has an obvious crush on Lockwood” part, what’s interesting is that George specifically hones in on Lucy enjoying the “mystery” of Lockwood – although she does want to find out what’s behind the door, she also is drawn to, rather than repelled by (unlike Show!Lucy) the part of him that keeps things hidden. Her encounter with the Fetch in THB shows her precisely what is underneath that mysterious facade of Lockwood’s, and that (combined with Holly) is what, I think, finally scares her out of her idolatry.

As for Lockwood, we can only guess at his thoughts in the book, but we do know that he’s far less open than he is in the show. It is George who reveals to Lucy that Lockwood’s parents are probably dead (TSS, 114).

Lockwood only really brings up his parents (and quickly moves on to other matters) at the END of The Hollow Boy (p 391).

I think he makes a concerted effort to act as Lucy’s employer, to the extent that he hardly asks about or takes an interest in her personal life at all. Compare the line in the show where Lockwood says:

“Interesting outfit, Luce. Didn't have you down as a fan of unicorns. Or rainbows.”

To the book, where not only does Lockwood never comment on Lucy’s appearance, that line is a callback to a line said by George:

“Ooh, Lucy – I’ve never seen you wearing that.” (TSS, p175)

In fact, I’d maybe even go so far to say that the show has snatched bits from George’s relationship with Lockwood and Lucy respectively and repurposed into Locklyle dynamics [see: George worrying about Lockwood’s recklessness, George upset at being treated as an asset (TWS, p107)].

This isn't to say that he doesn't care about them: he very clearly does and it is most clear in moments of crisis. But Lockwood is such a unique character, plus a known Stepford Smiler, and so "typical" signs of feelings of happiness (smiling at Lucy etc) shouldn't be taken at face value when trying to ascertain how he feels – and this is true until THB.

I don’t want people to think I’m cherry picking moments of tension between Lucy and Lockwood to make a point here. Once again, Lockwood does care about Lucy. When Lucy isn’t caught up in her Lockwood-filter, and when Lockwood isn’t preoccupied with his role as THE Anthony Lockwood, they share plenty of moments where they joke, laugh and generally act like teens, which the show captured just fine.

But those moments of cheeriness belie a narrative backbone that is very different. Lucy in the books is just 14 years old, and she’s looking for a (metaphorical!!!) “grown up” mentor after losing her father and being betrayed by Jacobs. Meanwhile, Lockwood is trying his best to shut the door on his childhood and act wiser than his years.

Thus when they meet, Lockwood just happens to be playing that authority figure Lucy thinks she needs (but we know she doesn’t!), and is only happy to oblige by continuing to play that role until slowly Lucy (and George) start breaking down his guard.

TLDR;

Show!Locklyle has a far more balanced dynamic than Book!Locklyle, which is objectively pretty “boss and employee”. Perhaps controversially, I don’t think Lockwood felt anything other than general workplace fondness/friendship for Lucy for most of TSS (at least until Combe Carey Hall).

Most importantly: Lucy in the show hates and is hurt by Lockwood’s secrecy, but Book!Lucy fawns over the very shadow consuming his soul – that is, until her rather rude awakening at the end of THB.

The ramifications of these changes have also spilled onto the characters. Lucy in the show comes off as more strong-minded, practical and confident, whereas book Lucy seems tougher, more of a tsundere (ye) and more love-starved. Lockwood in the show is the same attention-hungry “politician”, but more sincere, troubled and subdued. Whereas Lockwood in the books is crueller (remember that time he threatened to shut a kid in a coffin?), flashier, more competent and a huge brat (affectionate).

Which Locklyle is better is a matter of personal taste. In the show there’s arguably more dramatic tension, and the relationship is more tender/romantic and caring overall. But I think there’s something to be said for how unique Lucy and Lockwood’s dynamic is in the books, and the very carefully written unfurling that takes them to the end of TEG.

Either way, I hope I’ve convinced any readers of this giant word vomit that the show and book dynamics are two very separate beasts.

Agree? Disagree? Found it interesting? Hate my guts? Let me know what you think!!!

Till next time!

#lockwood and co #lockwood and co spoilers #anthony lockwood #lucy carlyle #this thing is absolutely massive i hope it doesn't wreck the app #if i see a typo or factual error after i post i will perish #locklyle #i guess

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delicatebluebirdruins · 4 months

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Lockwood & co 5-8

part one, and with the colours same rules apply. link to my thoughts/ reactions to the first two books

episode 5: not to repeat myself but i want a set tour so bad

"nothing we can't handle together" Lockwood is great

I love Lockwood's little recoil when Lucy tells him "to make an effort"

roleplay version 2. I love the little movements on Lockwoods face when he saw Danny's body. missing scene (sort of) does Barnes ever find out who the body is? and that Danny was someone Lockwood knew?

talking about Flo and then meeting her at night. inbetween: what was happening? what were they doing?

the way "her" was said and Lockwood yelling "run"

book quote "Flo Bones annoyed me" came through loud and clear. I love Lockwood's face watching Flo and Lucy bicker.

Sugar count: 6/7 I think

I love Flo noting the buttered toast exchange (makes what she says later on so much better.) random note: what's on the board

I actually really like the design for Joplins flat and this conversations with her

"incase anyone misses me. unlikely..." poor George

missing scene: they should have had a Winkman thug killed by the mirror which was partially why they wanted to get rid of it so quickly

love breaking and entering, and there being so many things in the warehouse

scene: I hope Leo gets to be a little shit like he is in the book (though i do love Lockwood and Lucy are so sweet when talking to him)... George is not doing well is he? (so glad they showed us this)

Poor Lockwood but he is so funny talking to Winkman

Lucy: "my friend is really hurting"

Winkman "is she a friend? is she family?" good questions the answer is yes and more

still don't know why Lockwood poured the brown bottle onto the floor. Love this small confrontation between Lockwood and Lucy and poor George was so worried about them.

I love this bit with Carver final words being "come with me" is so eerie

episode 6

such a ritual to prevent ghosts (the salt and light is pretty)

again Barnes cares for them in his own way. I love how nervous Lockwood was watching Lucy think before answering Barnes. and I love the little insights we get into how Barnes works and his thoughts on them as a trio.

I love Lockwood and George showing their anxiety waiting for Lucy then going after her (random thought chalk would be great make arrows on the ground or wall showing which way she went)

should have been added: the boneglass ghosts asking for their bones back. It would have added to the emotional moment of freeing them at the end.

the lockwood slide hand hold I love the umbrella stand of swords

hello Flo. I love this moment between Lockwood and Flo the shared history, the history of the house still being present and her talking about Lucy. Also George calling Lockwood "Locky" and him being all smiley at George and Flo getting along to him going "only one person in the world can call me Locky"

also I think there is a piano in the background and I need someone to play it (go tomorrow from Hill House specifically no idea why but you know)

I love the bit with Kipps honestly. And how emotional they made the gift of the necklace (in the book it was like a paragraph) and him fishing for what's on her mind after seeing the talk with Kipps.

just noticed the map George draws has Lockwood written on the other side

the relic collumns are gorgeous and i love the delivery of "famous legacy" so much. this chat is so funny

I get the impression that they changed Penelope Fitters to daughter of Marissa instead of granddaughter is a good change (05/01/23 I say this as I have not read Empty Grave yet so it might change). and i love the "you feel safe with him. Mr Lockwood" and Lucy fiddles with the necklace.

I love the bit in the library them leaving evidence that someone was in there and it being spotted (and them fleeing the party is so pretty)

episode 7

random note: where did Lockwood put the book? and if it was in his pocket the entire time how did it not get soaked?

love the way they hide. and love Cutter.

"you were petrified at the thought of me leaving you" i always think of this entire scene and then think of Steve Crains quote about walls at the end of Hill House "I thought that wall kept the both of us safe, but walls don't work that way"

thought: someone had to get killed when covering the mirror right

I love the chat between Flo and George.

I love Lockwood's smile at Winkman as he steals the Sources.

Love the look between Lockwood and Cutter and the music and how how differently Lockwood and Lucy handle everything

the Golden Blade is so cool but such a jackass.

love the musical transition from "you, me and herons" to cruel world. and the shove

episode 8

Love the sopping wet look. and this bit between the two (imagine if Lucy told Lockwood what Penelope said to her at some point)

"don't give up on us... don't give up on me"

I love them reading the book together

Love the skull. and Lucy blaming herself and them leaving with "For George. For George"

I love this bit with Kipps

Joplin is so manipulative and plays on George's curiousity so well

love this chat with skull telling Lucy how best to use the boneglass

just reckless enough + completely necessary touch = love them

I love this "parade of Fittes agents" and the hype speech "lets bury them"

Not to let my resident evil brain rot come up but this bit with Winkman reminds me so much of Jack Baker it's insane

I love the fight with the thugs and searching the catacombs with commentary from the Skull

Love the reveal of Joplin being a bad guy

"scrubber girlfriend"

I love Lucy and looking into the boneglass with the skull

Poor Kipps is freaking out this entire time. Lockwood looking like how he feels

the frozen Lockwood bit in the boneglass visions could this be a reference to a certain walk he and Lucy go on in the Creeping Shadow

"you set them free" I really wish they kept the bone glass ghosts request.

I love Lockwood saving Lucy and George and collapsing to his knees

I love how long they made the ride to the surface feel

I love Barnes (George or Lucy should have got a pat on the shoulder maybe)

and the actor for Kipps did his scene talking about his Talent fading deserves praise as I love it so much

and I love Penelope Fittes and the golden blade

imagine: how Norrie's parents feel if they listen to Lucy's messages for her

"George turned out to be a bit of hero" love it

narration: when Lucy talks about herself it's a little weird and doesn't quite work as it should on rewatch

Love this end between them all. George getting excited over a mystery and Lockwood needing to recover and the shoving of donut into George's mouth to shut him

ending: I wish we saw a little of the inside of the room and just see the look on their faces as they see what lays inside.

random thoughts that didn't fit anywhere else they could have had Lockwoods sunglasses and could have worked in the toy mobile scene not in this season but maybe future seasons (you know if we had any)

#lcokwood and co #lockwood & co #anthony lockwood #lucy carlyle #locklyle #george karim #whatever you do DON'T think about all the netflix shows ending this year you will get annoyed #eta the link for the first two books post #hopefully the one person who reblogged doesn't mind

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bobbys-not-that-small · 4 months

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LW&Co Series Commentary - Ep 8: "Not The Eternal"

Here's the rewatch commentary that no one asked for! Take a shot every time I say "erasure". Context: my 2nd time watching the show, but first time post reading the books

Part: one, two, three, four & five, six, seven, eight

The last part!! Hope these weren’t too completely out-of-context, but it’s just an excuse for you to rewatch the show ;)

They really used the hell out of the ghost lamps for cinematic shots huh? Also it's literally probably the same single prop for all of them, so where's its credits then?

They must be FREEZING, at night, dripping wet, Lucy's literally in a dress with no jacket

"This doesn't feel like winning" oof really giving those death-wish Lockwood TEG vibes

Also just want to point out here in the last installment Lockwood's funny rectangular tie

OH MY GOSH YEAH little Lockwood pre LW&Co and George but also post-Jess?? BOY NEEDS A HUG

Why is it always "I forgive you" and never "Grenadier Guard or Policeman?"

Joplin's glittery silver scarf looks a bit like a silver net - wonder if it offers any ghost protection?

Joplin: "I need you" - exactly what George just needs one of the others to say to him 😭

I love that it's implied that Kipps is really really good at tailing people without them noticing (I guess this is book canon too, Mr fence-painter extraordinaire)

The catafalque is sooooo creepy but also kind of cool

YESS KIPPS but also no wonder he's terrified, he's starting to lose his sight (oops, beat George to it!)

Lucy: "stop glowing so much! that was to the skull btw" Lockwood: " yeah no kidding, I got that one"

In the first shot where Kat and Bobby square up to fight Lockwood, you can't see Bobby's rapier so it looks like he's just brought his fists to a swordfight hahaha

He does look suitably smol in that bit though, I approve (anyway he's not THAT small after all)

HI NED

REMEMBER, JUST RECKLESS ENOUGH, OK? *cue me sobbing*

Winkman's so funny "wait guys before we fight them I need to take off my jacket so I can fight them in my tank top and be all cool”

YES BOBBY!!! <3

NO BOBBY!!!!

Kipps hun, ru crying?

YES KAT

Oh wait guys, pay attention, we're about to be ROBBED of the no glasses George looking moment

ALSO Joplin and George glasses-less fight erasure

ALIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Oof good evil lighting on Lou (Joplin)

The Lucy/George friendship is the best (see La Belle Dame from TEG)

Lockwood's responses are literally me every time the Golden Blade shows up. He's just a less iconic version of Sir Rupert Gale - where's the unbearable aftershave and gaudy tweed suit? *Lockwood voice* BoRiNg!

Lol Kipps in the bag

I don't like the artistic choice of the "looking into the bone glass" SFX, but I do think it's cool to have Lucy falling and hanging from the skull

George saves the day obviously

Kipps: "...guys.... nice wholesome moment... still in the bag here..."

Lucy: "this is not how you die" Lockwood: "how do you know?" Lucy: "because... we won't let you" IS THE HESISTATION BECAUSE SHE'S JUST SEEN THAT VISION OF FROZEN GHOST TOUCHED LOCKWOOD?!?!?! DONT HURT ME LIKE THAT

Kipps, my burnt out early 20s beloved <3

Stupid time to point this out but I kind of hate-love the little trouser stirrups of the Fittes uniforms

Barnes: "you guys are being suspiciously compliant but for once I'm going to ignore it"

Obviously the room! And Lockwood in orange socks (or are they pink? I guess I’ll never know)

K bye, hope you enjoyed!

#WE WERE ROBBED #how exactly would they open s2???#lockwood and co #lockwood and co spoilers #bobby talks #lockwood and co rewatch

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alphacrone · 11 months

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got hyped up on an espresso martini last night and wrote this in my notes app without any actual idea of or plans to write a fic around it whoops. (TCS au where lucy doesn't flee to portland row)

To his surprise, and minor concern, it was Barnes at the door.

“Inspector,” Lockwood said. “What can I do for you?”

“Is Carlyle here?” Barnes asked gruffly.

Lockwood raised an eyebrow. “No, sir, she hasn’t lived here for several months. I can give you her new address-“

“I’ve just come from there,” Barnes interrupted, rubbing his eyes tiredly. “May I come in?”

Lockwood let Barnes brush past him, and they settled into armchairs facing each other in the sitting room. What sort of trouble could Lucy have already gotten herself into? It hadn’t been all that long since they’d worked the cannibal job together.

“Have you seen Miss Carlyle recently?” Barnes asked, pulling Lockwood from his thoughts.

“Yes, about a week ago,” Lockwood answered. “We hired her for a case brought to us by Penelope Fittes.”

“What day exactly?” Barnes pulled out his notepad and started jotting things down.

“Er…Tuesday,” Lockwood answered. “Or I suppose Wednesday, since it went all night.”

“So the early hours of Wednesday,” Barnes summarized. “Have you heard anything from her since then?”

“No…” Something felt wrong. There was a tight look in Barnes’ eyes. “Inspector, what’s happened to Lucy?”

“She’s missing,” Barnes said. “Missed a job with Rotwell and the supervisor couldn’t get a hold of her, so he reported it to us. A team went to her flat and found it ransacked. None of her neighbors have seen her since Wednesday afternoon.”

It was like all the blood drained from Lockwood’s body at once. He felt cold and lightheaded, chest hollow, heart stopped. Lucy was in trouble. Lucy was in trouble and he couldn’t help her.

“Have you phoned her family?” Lockwood heard himself ask. “Her mum and sisters?”

Barnes nodded. “They haven’t heard from her.”

Lockwood mentally cycled through everyone else Lucy knew. Him and George and Holly, obviously. Arif, though she had no reason to stop by his store these days. Their usual cabbie, Jake, thought he tended to keep to the area around Marylebone.

“Kipps,” Lockwood said. “They’re…almost friends. Maybe he’s heard from her.”

Barnes wrote that down. “I’ll have someone give him a call.” He paused, then gave Lockwood a serious look. “We…we are suspecting foul play. Like I said, her place had been trashed. Can you think of anyone who might have a motive?”

“Adelaide Winkman,” Lockwood said almost immediately. “Though I would think she’d come after me first.”

“I’ll post someone outside your house for the next few days,” Barnes said. “Just in case. Anyone else?”

Other than the Winkmans, most of the people Lockwood and Lucy had pissed off in recent months were dead. Fairfax, Joplin, many, many relic men…

“No,” he said quietly. “Not unless Mr. Aickmere is still upset about the poltergeist incident.”

It had meant to be a joke, but neither of them laughed. Barnes set down his notepad and fixed Lockwood with a serious stare.

“Anthony,” he said softly, chilling Lockwood to the bone. “You need to prepare yourself for the worst.”

The worst. So Barnes thought Lucy was already dead. Perhaps that was logical, given how long she’d been missing. But she couldn’t be dead. Lockwood was certain he’d know if she was, would have felt it as keenly as he had felt her absence every day for months.

“Right,” was all he could say in response.

Barnes gripped his shoulder tightly for a moment, a small gesture of comfort, then rose to his feet. “Call me if you hear anything. You have my number.”

Lockwood nodded and followed Barnes to the door, seeing him out. As soon as the man was gone, Lockwood sank to the floor.

#lockwood & co.#lockwood spoilers #anna writes things #ok to rb

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locklylemybeloved · 1 year

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so i was finally able to find an available copy of the whispering skull, and im reading it now and i gotta say…

i am a little disappointed we didnt get to see lucy being a menace while undercover in winkmans store and just knocking things over and dropping her coins and creating chaos to distract mrs winkman while lockwood went snooping. like that wouldve been hilarious to see on screen

#to be fair #i rlly liked how the show did it #i just think it wouldve been silly.#even goofy mayhaps #lockwood and co #lockwood & co #the whispering skull

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longlive-verona · 1 year

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Anyone else think Mrs. Winkman looks like Jennifer Aniston

#lockwood & co #lockwood and co #lucy carlyle #anthony lockwood #iykyk #netflix

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monsterbananatv · 1 year

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Things from Lockwood and co because I can part 3:

Episode 5:

“Nothing we can’t handle together”

George spacing out looking at the swirly coffee

How quickly Lucy figured how the relic men would get in

The blood on the ground and the creepiness of the body appearing in the water

I need more from Lockwood’s backstory, honestly

Lucy being ✨jealous✨

“Evening, Locky”

Flo Bones (love Flo)

Joplin always gave me eerie vibes idk, maybe it was just me, but there was just something about her

The toast and the smile

“That is a suicide note!” (You’ve met Lockwood right?)

“I’d thought you’d be dead by now” (then the way he looks at Lucy as if to say she’s part of the he’s alive)

There’s something I just don’t like about the scene of George and Joplin having dinner together, especially when they start talking about the mirror is when the feeling of eeriness comes

“but it’s such a nice evening for a stroll” “said no one ever”

I need to know more about how Flo and Lockwood know each other

Lockwood going for the mirror even tho it’s a horrible idea

The poor child

The way Mrs Winkman just appears and zaps Lockwood

George losing his mind

Lockwood about to be tortured and is strapped to AN ELECTRIC CHAIR WTF

Winkman knowing immediately that Lockwood is in love with Lucy

Lockwood begging for Lucy’s life

“No one will be surprised if I turn up dead. They’ve all been waiting for it. So put me out of my misery, by all means, but just let her go. She’s got everything to live for”

Lockwood and his god damn death wish (I mean I know it’s to save Lucy but he’s ready to give up his life so easily, even just breaking in was such a suicidal thing to do)

George breaking the window

The Lucy and Lockwood scene on the street (there’s so much to unpack there but someone probably has a better analogy of it)

“You were practically begging him to kill you” “I prefer to call it a noble sacrifice”

“If I hadn’t come to you’d be dead” “That’s- that’s not true. I had a plan”

“What is going on with you?” (The reason he doesn’t say anything after could mean many things but I think it’s simply because he doesn’t know. He’s a suicidal maniac with a death wish and a huge ego who is so in love with Lucy that he would do anything to protect her and so he just stands there, saying nothing because he doesn’t know how)

“You know you can talk to me, Lockwood”“Yeah… yeah. Yeah I know”

Episode 6

I quite like Barnes. He’s just trying to protect them

“Don’t let this be the last time I see the three of you alive”

It hurts my heart that Lockwood can see the death glow, cause that means he can probably see whatever glow is left from his family too (whatever happened to them, idk yet, but he looks at the door right after so…)

The skull calling Lockwood and George expendable and Lucy just going nope

The skull pointing out that George is under the influence of the bone glass, and Lucy not realizing what that means

Both of them being worried about Lucy and going after her

The place under Bickerstaff’s where Lucy finds the book is so eerie

Lockwood and George rescuing Lucy

Lockwood switching what hand he’s holding the flashlight in to take Lucy’s hand in his and the way he tell her that it’s okay, she’s safe now (I love the fact that there’s no focus on their hands tho, you only see it if you’re looking)

Flo being protective of Lockwood

“Save your kisses for whatsherface” “Who?” (My guy really asked who) “You’re acting different around her” “She’s just an associate”

I love the fact that literally everybody knows how in love Lockwood and Lucy are (Specifically how in love Lockwood is) in a matter of moments (Flo, George, Kipps, Barnes, Penelope, even Winkman, literally like everyone) everyone but Lucy and Lockwood that is

Flo and George

✨Locky✨ (His face after George says it)

Kipps offering Lucy a job

Lockwood being ✨jealous✨

The way Lucy’s looking at Lockwood as he comes into her room

Lockwood giving Lucy the necklace

How Lockwood keeps asking if Lucy’s okay

“So it’s just us.” “Is that alright?” (Lucy’s smile after that)

The way they’re looking at each other and interacting at the party. They’re so cute

I like Penelope but idk I don’t trust her

“You feel safe with him. Mr Lockwood”

“I can’t compete with this.” “I never asked you to” (He’s so scared of her leaving)

Lockwood being ✨jealous✨ Part 2

Lockwood’s relief at the fact that Lucy turned Kipps down

“Portland Row is my home. You and George. I’m not going anywhere”

What’s so important about the harp??? (I need answers but I only seems to have questions)

The salt sprinklers scene

“This parties dead. Wanna ditch it with me?” “Absolutely”

#2 more episodes left #And 3 more days until I don’t have Netflix anymore #Another list of just things I just wanna point out #Still like making these #anthony lockwood #lockwood & co #lockwood and co #lockwood and lucy #lucy carlyle #locklyle #george karim #lockwood and co spoilers

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zannolin · 5 months

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My sister spent most of the episode convinced we have seen Mrs Winkman the auction house lady and we have... on Horrible Histories (it took less than half the episode to find out as many characters on HH don't get named) her name is Alice Lowe and yeah sis confirmed her thoughts with watching the Suffragete song from HH

and in other news Lockwood and Co. has had guy from game of thrones on it, Joplin was in a more recent series of death in paradise (that scene when George and Bobby show off their knowledge is a bit similar to a DIP thing- i looked her up because it was bugging me), and Barnes was on Doctor Who.

yeah so this has been fun

Fascinating

#answered asks #anonymous #dont know what brought this on but yeah i havent seen any dw recently but im Sure ive seen barnes somewhere before

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anthonylockwoods · 1 year

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'She was Mrs. Adelaide Winkman; she and her husband had owned the place for 20 years, aince their predecessor had been accidentally crushed under a piece of erotic sanctuary.'

1) WHAT

2) Is this implying that they killed them? I wouldn't put it past the Winkmans.

#the whispering skull #re-read tag

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george-the-pumpkin · 2 years

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Skull: Oooh, she's angry.

Lucy: How can you tell?

Skull: Well, you can see her mood by her hands. Like right now, she has a gun. I don't think that means she's happy to see us.

#incorrect quotes #incorrect lockwood and co #incorrect lockwood and co quotes #lockwood and co #lucy carlyle #the skull #skull in the jar #the whispering skull #skull #basically every adult woman they meet #mrs. hope #mrs. winkman #penelope fittes #source: pinterest

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the-chosen-half-of-one · 7 years

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Really Long The Empty Grave Ramblings Lockwood and Co.:

Lockwood and Co. The empty grave spoilers, long incoherent commentary and rambling/babbling ahead, you have been warned... - - - "I'll treasure the memory on my deathbed" Oh Kipps, I laugh before I realize... What if his deathbed's in this book? "Holly got out some chocolate, began offering it around" She's like the Remus Lupin of the crew right there, 'Eat! you'll feel better.' I expected wax, but The wax figure actually coming to life actually freaked me out I imagine the skull saying "how's it going?" Like Isabella says "whatcha doing?" In Phineas and Ferb except more sarcastic. And when he says "eep, he's a big one!" ... There's Steve Irwin Lockwood's art skills have a Supernatural gif "I know your feminine wiles!" Oh my god, skull Oh my god just imagine George wearing a sequinned tasseled dress in a theatre show... Try getting that image out of your mind... When Lockwood turns to George and says how they can take anything La Belle Dame throws at them, it sounds like they're secretly gay for each other I knew Lockwood was showing Lucy his family's graves, but when he got there, there was just something in my eye, not tears, nope, nope, nope, just some dirt making my eyes misty Oh my god no, a space for Lockwood's grave, nope, nope, nope The empty grave isn't just referring to Fittes'... Let's hope it stays empty... The Lockwood's weren't even killed by ghosts, that's almost sadder I wonder if it was staged... This whole scene in the graveyard has an eerie but nice calm The skull is so just Lucy's sassy friend who likes discussing boys with her and embarrassing her: "ooh, I smell something burning... Oh wait, it's your pants! Your pants are on fire, you massive liar! You so weren't on a case!" Oh my God, the slow atrocious wink😘😜 Well, it was very overgrown. I bet it was. The figure rising from the mounds of garbage in the alleyway. "Hello, Flo" *Me chanting* George and Flo! George and Flo! No, Mr. Gale, really, I should have kicked YOU. Holly with her comeback. She's not the mom friend, she's the teacher friend. "Could you show [the papers] to me?" "I could. It would certainly be possible" The way they seem to think Barnes is trustworthy makes me worry he's not... Kipps! Kipps! Humble Kipps. My Kipps! Drinking game: take a sip every time someone says Charley Budd "[The scream] was higher and shriller than Holly's, so we knew that it was Kipps." Let's split up gang! No let's not, that's how problems start! Oh god no fortunes! Nuh uh! No you don't! Don't do this! "He will go into the dark" "He will sacrifice his life for you" I don't think so witchy! Nope! Lies! Shh! *worry* *sobbing* That moment with George telling her to really look at the ghost is grea- wait what if he's the one who dies... George is the strongest of them all! Lockwood no!!! Trapeze artist Lucy Carlyle at your service!!! "Hey, Luce..." Slap! Bearded lady has got a thing for Kipps😝 Anthony Death Wish Lockwood *sobbing* I hope Barnes is a good guy... Aw, he cares! Like a concerned grumpy ol grandpa. Lucy/Skull are totally a thing, they're an item I wonder if the silver Fittes uniform is like the feather cape or something Rupert can see the ghost... So ectoplasm can maybe do more than just keep you young and Penelope's not the only one with the secret... George???!!! Oh my god don't be dead don't be dead don't be dead Ok I know it's a bad time and my gosh poor George but internally chanting George and Flo! George and Flo! "Who's up for a spot of burglary?" Whoa an actual age for Kipps! His "advanced" age of 22 They have cloaks like the capes! I knew it! Fittes totally stole the Lockwood's research! This just makes me more sure their death wasn't an accident! Deranged seniors on stilts, I thought it was an automaton for a moment, but nope just old man Wolverine I can't take them seriously I just see elderly cosplaying as tinfoil robots with bulbous goggles and handmade weaponry I knew it! I knew it! It wasn't no accident! Oh my God, poor Lockwood! I want to punch the Orpheus Society in the face and get them in an "accident" gaah I'm so mad! Skully doesn't want to leave! Portal in Jessica's room... Means free the skull! Free the skull! *about the ectoplasm* "does she bathe in it? Does she eat it, what?" Just imagine Fittes having a nice peanut butter and ectoplasm sandwich... Hot potato pass it on pass it on pass it on hot potato pass it on, you've been ghost-touched There's so many hidden dirty jokes in this book No! Bad plot forwarding! Stop ruining my locklyle moment!!! He was giving her a necklace symbolizing undying devotion!! Come on goons, you couldn't wait 3 more seconds???!!! This is some Home Alone type stuff going on People keep liking my "who was going to die theory" I posted months ago and Kipps was just stabbed and I'm worried... Kipps says he's fine which is exactly what people say when they're not fine... Oh God, now they're trapped in the spirit world, how did I not see that coming??? And now they've got the ghost of Winkman to worry about... And they're totally dead and I almost always forget the skull's not very old. And no Gale don't take our skully!! ... She's actually physically stopping them from moving on... That's so awful... My god I think Kipps is dead or near death which is why he has so much energy in the spirit world. Flo's better than Lockwood with a rapier, she was an agent, now she's a survivor... So much character development in this book! More of the skull's spirit! Yay!... More affirmation of Kipps' not aliveness... Not yay... I wonder if ectoplasm has healing properties too... Am I getting desperate??? Tell me your name skull tell me!!! *me desperately yelling at him* I'm not crying. Who's crying? Just some dust in my eye. *begins sobbing over Kipps* They called him the body. I'm dying now. "It was only at the very end that I realized he was dying" "What do you mean dying? I bloody well hope not!" Oh my god if you heard my gasp of relief you'd think I won the lottery, that was beautiful. That was a roller coaster, that was my heart being ripped out and shoved back in. "You've got to take her by surprise, right? Well nothing would be more surprising than you stripping naked now, daubing charcoal on your cheeks-I'm not specifying which ones- and rushing out of the elevator, whooping and leaping like a mad thing..." Does this quote even need a comment? It's 'you and I' Marissa, geez, this is all I have now, correcting the grammar of fictional villains... Is Ezekiel controlling her... No that makes no sense. Does it? Oh God is his source in the cabinet?... Wait what... What's actually going on??? The body in the cabinet is Marissa?? I'm freaked... Is she a ghost? What is this? ... I'm with skull on this one "I didn't expect that." Is this possession?? Oh my god it was actually her granddaughter, that's sick... She killed her own granddaughter... Well I bet this is worse than we all thought.., and her daughter... *me chanting* free the skull! Free the skull! Dang it Lucy! Put some elbow grease into it!!! Hmm... I guess not. Lockwood no... Nope nope nope... Like Lockwood yes, perfect timing, but Lockwood no! Skull!!!!!!!!! Aw, he does care No, I knew safety was too good to be true! Really, a cluster bomb?? Really??? We were so close... The skull... The skull is the one who died... The one who sacrificed himself for her... The dead guy is the one who sacrificed his life... I don't know if I'm sad, impressed, surprised or all 3... I'm seeing the destruction in slow motion "Some of us have standards you know" oh Flo... That made me smile. Biker jacket Barnes! Phew Skully's okay for now. Unless... He finally decided to move on. Give the people the truth!!!! Lockwood in a macho leather jacket like Barnes, haha no. Lucy don't you see the Locklyle happening before your eyes??? Hope for skully! Lil green glint... Wait I just realized we never did learn his name did we? Locklyle! Locklyle! Locklyle! This book was too good! ... Now what do I do?????

#Lockwood and co.#The Empty Grave #TEG #Lockwood and company #Lockwood and co #Lucy Carlyle #Anthony Lockwood #skull in the jar #george cubbins #quill Kipps #Holly munroe #Flo bones #L&C #Lockwood & Co.#teg spoilers

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askullinajar · 7 years

Text

The Living Ghost (part 1/4)

(CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR TEG)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Fic info: takes place right after The Empty Grave. Rating: General. Pairings: Lockwood/Lucy and Holly/her ‘flatmate’. Ao3 link: here

Further fics in this series: The Shattered Frame, A Merry Little Christmas, A Little Help From Your Friends.

“I leave for one minute and you let me get nicked again.”

“You were gone for a week!”

“Yeah, whatever. Some friend you are.”

Lucy comes home to find the skull missing. On their quest to get him back, Lockwood & Co. discover that the secret to eternal youth might not have been the only thing the Orpheus Society were striving towards.

Part 1 – The Theft

“We should do that again sometime,” said Lockwood as we stepped, side by side, through the front door into the hallway of 35 Portland Row. “Maybe get a bite to eat or something.” He smiled at me, and that dazzling, mega-watt grin filled me with a familiar warmth. “Just the two of us.”

I smiled back at him, feeling my cheeks flush and my heart fluttering and the weight of the sapphire necklace pressed warmly against my chest. “Yeah,” I said. “I’d like that.”

We parted ways on the upstairs landing as he went to help George with painting and I went to drop off my coat in my little attic bedroom. I paused for a moment, my hand on the doorknob, trying to quench the little bubble of excitement in my chest; he probably wouldn’t be there, after all. It was still light out.

Still, as I pushed open the door, my eyes automatically darted towards the window, where I hoped to see the grey ghost of a youth, perhaps slouching against the wall. Instead, what I saw made my blood run cold.

The skull was gone.

I swallowed down the thick panic rapidly rising in my throat. I stood frozen to the spot, my eyes scanning the rest of my room. No, the skull’s disappearance was the only change.

“GEORGE!” I called.

“WHAT?” came the reply.

I stepped out of the doorway to lean over the banister. “Did you… did you take the skull?”

George scratched at his head with the end of his paintbrush, inspecting his handy work and splatting paint on his bruised face in the process. “Why would I take the skull?”

“I don’t know! To experiment on him?!” My voice was rising in volume now, sounding frantic, though for some reason I couldn’t help it.

“And risk the possibility of him coming back and killing me?” said George. “No thank you!”

“But, then…” I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to think over the sound of my heart thumping against my chest. He couldn’t be gone. Not again. “Did anyone come in?”

“I don’t know, I went out.”

I stared at him. “What?”

“We ran out of paint… and biscuits.”

I was already charging down the stairs from my attic bedroom. “HOLLY!” I yelled. “QUILL!”

“They’re not in,” said George.

I halted halfway to the staircase that lead to the hallway downstairs and turned to him. “What do you mean they’re not in?!”

George seemed a little apprehensive towards me now, but then I guess he’s seen me get upset many times, so he was right to be. “Calm down, Lucy. They just had to get more building supplies, that’s all.”

Lockwood came out of his room then, all kitted out in an old t-shirt and pyjama bottoms for painting in. He took in my frantic state and frowned in concern. “Everything alright, Luce?”

I ignored him, still interrogating George. “How long have they been out? How long has the house been empty?”

“I… I don’t know,” George stammered. I guess he was expecting me to throw or punch something any second, which I was tempted to do. “No more than twenty minutes.”

I turned and hurtled my way down the stairs, briefly registering the sounds of Lockwood and George chasing after me and of Lockwood imploring me to tell him what was wrong. I didn’t slow when I got to the landing. I tore my way down the corridor and threw open the kitchen door. And stopped.

Lockwood and George nearly rammed into me. “Lucy! What’re you…?” George started, but he stopped halfway through his sentence to stare across the kitchen, where our brand-new backdoor was hanging ajar.

Lockwood pushed past me and walked over to it, running his fingers over the gouges in the wood where a crow-bar had been used to force the door open.

“Great. Now we have to get another door,” said George. “Do these criminals not even think about how much money they’re costing us?!”

“Now’s not the time, George,” said Lockwood. He turned to me, expression serious. “Lucy, what’s going on?”

“I…” I started. I felt sick. How many times had I let the skull slip out of my grip? In my little flat, in the old underground, during the attack on Portland Row, Fittes House… And now, yet again, I’d let my defences down and the skull had been taken. Somehow, despite when we had first begun talking and I’d wanted to bury that stupid jar in the yard or chuck it in a furnace, we had become something like friends and, even if he didn’t come back, the thought of not having the skull by my side filled me with dread. He had saved both mine and Lockwood’s lives at Fittes house, at the risk of destroying his own source, and I couldn’t even keep track of one bloody skull! Some friend I was.

“The skull’s gone,” I forced out at last and, as I said it, a fire filled my chest and I felt adrenaline course through my limbs. I would get him back. For good this time.

Lockwood looked at me, taking in my set jaw and blazing eyes. I waited for him to tell me to stop being so ridiculous. To tell me that it was just a charred skull whose ghost might never even come back and that my attachment to it was absurd. But, instead, he nodded. “He saved our lives. We’ll get him back, Luce. Whatever it takes.”

I gazed at him, surprised at how willing he was to help me get the skull back, and he smiled back at me, with that light dancing in his eyes that thrilled for the taste of adventure.

Then George coughed and we looked away.

“Right, well,” said Lockwood, clearing his throat. “We’ll just wait for Holly and Quill to get back, then we’ll start making a plan of action!”

“Wait a minute,” George said. “First we’ve got to figure out who stole the skull in the first place. And why?” He sat down at the table and picked up a pen, ready to scribble down ideas on the thinking cloth.

“Whoever it was had to know about the skull,” I said. “And they knew where it was; nothing else has been moved.”

“It’s easy enough to see the skull in your window from outside,” said Lockwood. “But who would know the significance of it?”

“I think there are two pretty obvious suspects here,” said George. “Our old friends Adelaide and Leopold Winkman.”

“We did kind of kill Mr Winkman,” I recalled.

“Yep. And they know about your attachment to the skull,” said George. “The thing is, the Winkman’s are only usually interested in what they can sell, and the skull’s pretty much worthless now. No offense, Lucy.”

I chose to ignore that comment. “It might not be so useless. This morning I thought I saw it glowing.”

“Might just have been a trick of the light,” Lockwood reasoned.

“Either way,” I said. “No one knows it’s lost its psychic charge apart from us.”

“I think it’s rather likely that someone who knew what the skull’s value used to be commissioned the Winkman’s to steal it for them,” said George, scribbling on the cloth in his illegible handwriting. “The fact that it would hurt you personally would be an added bonus for them.”

Just then, we heard the unmistakable sound of the lock clicking in the front door. We turned to see Holly and Kipps entering the hallway.

“You’ve been gone a while,” George remarked.

“Well, Quill is still a little slow on his feet,” Holly replied, entering the kitchen so she could set her shopping bag down on the counter.

“You could have stayed here, Quill,” said Lockwood.

“I’ve had more than enough of sitting around,” said Kipps, easing himself stiffly into the chair next to George. “Needed some fresh air.” He looked around at us all and frowned. “What are you all doing, then? Conspiring to destroy another agency?”

Holly was eyeing me concernedly. “Are you alright, Lucy? You look a bit frazzled.”

“Actually, no, Hol,” I replied. “The skull’s been stolen.”

Holly gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh, Lucy, I’m so sorry!”

“How terrible,” said Kipps.

“Yeah, you sound distraught,” I said, sarcastically.

“Well, I can’t say I’ll miss that disgusting thing watching me eat breakfast,” said Kipps, and Holly cast her eyes to the floor in a manner that suggested she agreed with him. “But I am sorry it’s gone, Luce. I know it’s your best friend and everything.”

“He is not my best friend,” I said, glaring at him.

“No one’s judging, Lucy,” said George, grinning at me. “If your best friend is a ghost that used to live in a jar that’s fine by us.”

“He is not my best friend,” I repeated, shooting my glare towards George then back to Kipps. “And we’re getting him back.”

“Oh, really?” said Holly, trying to sound enthusiastic and failing horribly.

“Yes,” Lockwood affirmed. “George reckons the Winkman’s took it, so I should expect it’ll be appearing on the black-market sometime soon. You know what that means!”

“No disguises,” I said. “I’m still reeling from that time you nearly got beaten up by that old northern lady cos you got Yorkshire and Lancashire mixed up.”

“They’re both from the North!” Lockwood exclaimed. “Also, that war was hundreds of years ago, why are they still holding grudges?”

“And that is precisely why she started beating you with her handbag.”

“Also, I really don’t think you should go infiltrating any more secret operations,” Holly chided in. “Not after we just took down the Orpheus Society.”

“In a manner of speaking,” said George. “DEPRAC haven’t managed to track them all down yet.”

“Exactly!” Holly continued. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re somehow behind the skull going missing. And if they see you at some black-market auction, I doubt they’re going to be friendly.”

“It’ll be fine!” said Lockwood. “We’ve managed before.”

“You nearly got killed both times,” said George.

Lockwood ignored him. “All we need are some extra good disguises. And I promise I won’t try any accents this time.”

“I’m sorry, Lockwood, but I agree with Holly,” I said. “Maybe you shouldn’t go. You’ve been all over the papers lately. You’ll be easy to recognise, even with a disguise.”

Lockwood looked crestfallen and I felt a little guilty, but not enough to let him risk his life. “I suppose that’s true,” he conceded. “In that case, Quill and I could wait in a cab outside, while the rest of you go to look for the skull.”

“We don’t even know where it’ll be yet,” Kipps reminded us. “You’re just assuming it’s being put up for auction.”

“Ah, yes,” said Lockwood. “I think you’re going to have to have a little word with Flo, George. See if she’s heard anything. Then…”

There was a knock at the back door and everyone gave a little jump, then Lockwood pulled the door open to reveal none other than Florence Bonnard, in all her baggy-clothed, grimy glory.

“Speak of the devil,” Lockwood said, smiling at her.

“Alright, Locky?” said Flo, sniffing and wiping her nose with a sludge-covered finger, which did more harm than good in my opinion. Flo looked over Lockwood’s shoulder and, ignoring the rest of us, gave George a grin. “Hey, George.”

“Hey, Flo,” said George, grinning back at her. “What brings you here?”

Flo shoved past Lockwood to enter the kitchen and lean on the counter, leaving muddy footprints in her wake that made Holly wince. “Just thought you might like to know those Winkman’s are apparently doing trading with the Orpheus Society,” she said. “Word is they’ve got their hands on a type three ghost. One that sounds a lot like Lucy’s skull friend. That’s the kind of thing you wanted to hear about, right George?”

“Yeah. Thanks, Flo,” he replied.

We looked around at each other; our suspicions had been correct. For whatever reason, the remains of the Orpheus Society wanted the skull and had commissioned the Winkman’s to get it for them. And now we had to get it back.

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