Let Go Of Me

"**Let Go Of Me**" is the second 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. It covers the development of the Annabel Ward Case.

## Synopsis

After a job goes up in flames, Lockwood is given two weeks to come up with £60,000 in damages. Lucy uses the ring to communicate with the spirit.

## Plot

### Annabel Ward

Lucy Carlyle is in some sort of underwater limbo with the ghost from the house that she and Anthony Lockwood just burnt down. The ghost speaks to her a distant voice, telling her "Let go of me" repeatedly. She screams and Lucy comes to on the ground outside the house, still clutching the ring she stole from the corpse as the flames rush in the background. Airplanes fly overhead and a siren sounds. She shouts for Lockwood, coughing, but gets no response. A voice says that they found one. They tell her that they're DEPRAC, asking if anyone else is there. She shouts again for Lockwood.

Lucy is now in hospital. A nurse pulls back a curtain, asking if she is Ms Lockwood. Lucy tells her that it's the agency name and that she is Lucy Carlyle. She explains that Lockwood is her partner, or her employer or co-worker at least. She asks if Lockwood is there and the nurse tells her that they called her mother. Lucy asks if they told her where she was and the nurse tells Lucy that she didn't ask, that she sounded busy. The nurse promises to get the doctor to check her, telling her to remain. The second the nurse is out of sight, however, Lucy removes her IV drip, collects her belongings and leaves the room, stopping only to take a small flower.

As a man calls her name, Lucy wanders the hospital. She finds herself in a ward of comatose patients. Within it is the ghost-locked body of her best friend from Jacobs & Co., Norrie White. She stares in horror at the body. Meanwhile, Lockwood is an enclosed room. A tall, black man, enters, introducing himself as Inspector Barnes of the Department of Psychical Research and Control (DEPRAC). He calls Lockwood out for burning down a home and breaking the law. Lockwood asks to tell his side of the story, saying that his team was given a misleading account of the situation on the premises. Barnes, however, coolly hands him a paper which states that they owe 60,000 pounds in damages. Lockwood asks about DEPRAC insurance, but Barnes tells him that his policy is void, that he did not follow procedure by not using iron chains for example. He tells him that he is in charge and to pay up or get shut down, then leaves the room.

Lucy returns to 35 Portland Row and is greeted by George Karim, who immediately asks her where Lockwood is. "Don't sound too pleased to see me," she comments, suggesting that he might say he's glad she's okay. He asks again where Lockwood is and she tells him that he just disappeared. He asks why she's been in hospital. She asks him to give her a second and when he continues to needle her, he tells her that she was nearly murdered by a Type Two ghost twice, jumped from a burning house, and has a tube shoved down her throat. He tells her that none of it might have happened if they'd waited for him. She tells him he was late and he tells her that he was doing his job, that he learned the name of their ghost, Annabel Ward, from a newspaper article. He explains that she was a rising star from the 80's until her body went missing. The two argue over Lucy allowing Lockwood to act as he did until Lockwood appears at the door.

### Unhinged?

Lucy and George start speaking at Lockwood rapidly, but he asks that they do it later, that he needs to sleep. Lucy considers the newspaper article of Annabel Ward and the ring she found on the body. She goes back into the watery limbo state with the ghost. She hears George calling her name and emerges from where she's submerged herself in the bathtub. He asks what she's doing, pointing out that there's a lock, as well as other people who need the toilet. He asks what's wrong with her. Getting no answer, he leaves.

Lucy takes a tape and places it inside a tape recorder, narrating a letter to Norrie. She tells her that she's in London but doesn't even know where she's ended up, a tiny agency run by two boys, one who thinks he's God's gift, and another with no social skills. She tells her they burnt a house down and she made contact with a ghost and felt something she never had before, like she was inside her head. She ends the tape, whispering to herself that she might be losing it and telling Norrie she wishes she was there with her, that she really misses her.

Downstairs, Lockwood and George read over a newspaper story about rogue agents burning down a house. Lockwood laments that the article referred to him as "Andrew Lockwood." George tells him that he thinks something's wrong with Lucy, that she had a bath with her clothes on. He suggests Lucy might be unhinged. Lockwood asks if he really thinks that he is normal. He tells him that the big agencies all think they have everything under control, but it's a facade, that normal has never fixed anything. He tells him he gets lost in research, but finds what others miss. He tells him that Lucy is one of them, despite being quirky. George, however, tells him that he needs to fire her. Lockwood asks that he let him go talk with Lucy.

### A chance to connect

As Lucy sleeps in her bed, she holds the ring from Annabel Ward's corpse, but drops it to the ground. The floor turns icy and the spirit rises from it. It begins whispering and hovers over Lucy. She wakes up and sees the ghost. "If you hurt me, I can't help you," she tells it. She tells the ghost to let her go, but the ghost screeches at her and she races out of the room. She runs downstairs, telling Lockwood to wake up, that Annabel Ward's ghost is there. They go to George, who complains about being woken up, and explain the situation. George is disbelieving, but Lucy asks why she would be lying. George asks for 20 seconds, then returns with a big vest of gear, but no trousers. "Trousers are for wimps," he insists.

The group goes to the room, but there doesn't seem to be any signs of ghostly activity. They enter, Lockwood saying it would make no sense that she's there, that they contained her source. "She's back," declares Lucy, as the ghost light appears on the wall. She materializes just behind George, and they manage to drive her back. Lockwood pleads with Lucy to tell him if she has any idea of the source. She tells him she's starting to think she might have an idea. The ghost again appears, and they once again drive her back. Lucy explains about the ring, admitting she doesn't know exactly where it is. After fighting the ghost once more, they finally contain the source.

Sometime later on, Lucy is forced to explain herself. She tells the two boys she didn't know the ring was the source, that she took it because she can feel what the ghost feels. She says it's hard to explain. Lockwood seems to have some understanding, but George is in disbelief. She points out she's not the only one who steals sources, pointing out his Skull. She tells them they need to get justice for Annabel Ward, but neither is receptive to the idea. She pleads to George on the basis of research, but George tells her it's just a death loop. After more pleading, however, George seems convinced. He backs Lucy up, convincing Lockwood to let Lucy have a chance to connect with Annabel Ward. "What was that you were saying about normal people?" asks Lockwood of George.

### Hugo Blake

They get set up, Lockwood promising they'll be right there if the ghost takes any liberties. He gives Lucy the ring. She closes her eyes, telling Annabel it's okay and safe. She hears a woman singing an opera. A man asks Annabel to dance with him, but she tells him she's not in the mood. Lucy describes her as being happy and loving the man, now dancing. She says the man wants her. Then Annabel starts shouting, and so does the man, saying that she lied. She shouts at the man to let her go. He shouts again that she's lying. Lucy strokes at Lockwood, seeming to take on Annabel's persona. She says the man gave him the ring, that he'd he never hurt her. Lockwood says they need to stop it, but George asks they see what happens. Lucy shouts to stop, that he's hurting her. "Let me go!" she shouts, clutching at her throat and saying she can't breathe. George opens the curtains and a chair hurls across the floor. The connection ends. "He choked her to death," Lucy tells Lockwood.

The three are the kitchen table. Lockwood places the ring in a case, saying that they'll take it to the furnaces. Lucy asks why they would stop when they're getting somewhere and Lockwood tells her there's bills to pay, revealing the paper from DEPRAC of the expenses for the burnt house. George says that they're screwed, but Lockwood says they only need a few big cases. "Maybe that's one right now," he suggests, taking the phone. The phone call, however, is Barnes, telling him to fire Lucy immediately. He tells him they don't need anymore bad press, that he knows Lucy doesn't have her grade four, and that this is illegal. He asks if Barnes doesn't have bigger things to deal with. Barnes tells him the little things help him take out the bigger problems, his agency being a big problem. Lucy asks who it was, but he says it's a wrong number. He asks just how famous Annabel was.

The three head outside, saying that they can get media exposure, that Annabel's disappearance was a big story. He says if they solve her murder, the headlines will cancel their bad press. With all the people reading the papers and loving murder mysteries, it could get them what they need. Lucy asks him to leave her name out, that she doesn't like her name in the papers. They head to the British Archives, George warning them to be quite and behave themselves. Inside, they sit poring over papers until George finds a clue about Annabel Ward being in a production of *Hamlet* and playing Ophelia. She tells Lucy it's why she was lying in a bath fully dressed, that Ophelia drowned with daisies. She went mad and killed herself because of how Hamlet treated her. He says it mirrors what happened in real life. Lockwood says that it's Hugo Blake, that he was arrested in connection with her disappearance. George points out that she was wearing the ring at the time. Lockwood explains that they couldn't keep Blake due to no hard evidence.

### Through the mud

A boy, Quill Kipps, approaches, calling Lockwood "Tony" and praising him for having done research ahead of time. "Or is he 'Andrew' now," asks another one, Kat Godwin. He calls Lucy Lockwood's "new assistant." Lucy says she's read about Kipps, that he has the highest mortality rate of any team leader. He tells her that he's the top supervisor at the top agency and gets the top jobs because of that. He tells Lucy she won't stick around once she finds out what Lockwood's really like. Lockwood rises, he and Kipps drawing their rapiers. "You need a ladder," Lockwood tells Kipps, then expertly disarms him, sending his rapier to the ceiling and embedding it there.

Outside, Lockwood calls Kipps irrelevant, George agreeing that they need to track down Hugo Blake. Lockwood tells them there's something he needs to do first, handing them money for dinner and walking off. They head off for pizza. Lucy asks George about his past, if he's always lived here. He tells her he used to be in zone six and she asks why he left when it's so much safer there. He tells her his mom and dad are lovely, but he couldn't stay, that they had four kids and three of them were engineers, while he was the weirdo. He admits to always have been obsessed with the Problem, that he wants to find out everything, that it's why he got fired from Fittes, asking too many questions and visiting floors above his pay grade. He admits to having taken the Skull as compensation. She asks if he thinks they're being lied to about everything, and he tells her the questions are who and why. She tells him she's a lot like a friend she had, one who is dead now and maybe has all the answers. She tells him about about the incident that caused her to leave the Jacobs & Co. agency.

Lockwood is on TV, talking about the house-burning incident and saying that it's a sign of how important the case is to them. He says that Annabel could have been a star, but was murdered, and the authorities haven't done anything about it. Barnes asks a woman, Sergeant Wade, if he was too nice to Lockwood. "Undoubtedly," she agrees. "Dragging DEPRAC through the mud so he can save his struggling agency," he complains, asking who Lockwood thinks he is. Meanwhile, back at 35 Portland Row, Lucy watches Lockwood on the TV angry, as he mentions her name. She turns off the TV and is then speaking to Lockwood, telling him that she told him to leave her out of it. He asks what she's worried about, and she asks what would happen if Hugo Blake came after her. He calls her their biggest asset and she asks if this is all she is. She tells him he's just like everyone else back home and leaves the room. George calls it a "dick move." He points out that *he* wanted him to fire her. He tells him that Barnes knows Lucy is illegal and he had to do something.

### A vulnerable girl

Lucy is downstairs, practicing with a rapier to take out her frustrations. She swipes and slashes furiously, then pays a visit to the storage room where the ring is held. Upstairs, a voice shouts for Lockwood to open the door. It's Sergeant Wade, telling him to "get the girl." The two are next inside the headquarters of DEPRAC, Lockwood telling Lucy that she'll be fine, that whatever it is, he'll deal with it. Barnes and Wade appear. They tell Lockwood to wait and he says that there's nothing they can say to Lucy they can't say to him. Barnes, however, tells him it's not negotiable and Lucy tells him he doesn't need him. They head up some stairs, Barnes suggesting that Lucy use her Talent to find Annabel Ward's killer. Lucy mentions Hugo Blake and he asks if she didn't just find that in an old newspaper. She tells him it's much more than that.

Barnes tells Lucy they don't have enough to charge Blake. They bring her to a room, explaining that Blake says he dropped Annabel off at Sheen Road, which used to be a lodging house, but didn't go inside. Lucy sits, and Barnes opens a one-way window, revealing Hugo Blake. He tells her to use her Talents, but she says she can't just switch it on, that she connected with Annabel because she felt something for her. He tells her she has the chance to put Blake away. He tells her to at least try. "Channel her," suggests Ward. "If you're so sure he's guilty," suggests Barnes. Blake stands up and Lucy sobs. Barnes insists she tells her what she knows as Blake pounds at the glass. Lucy shouts at Barnes to let her go. He tells her it's okay, that Blake is gone, but has friends in high places and good lawyers. He hands her a travel pass, telling her to go back home. She tells him its not her home anymore. He calls Lockwood a charlatan who saw a vulnerable girl without the right qualifications, telling her to go home while she still can.

As Lockwood and Lucy head back in a cab, Lockwood says that he knew it was what Barnes would do, that they always make the most boring and unimaginative moves possible. Lucy, however, is cold and silent. He calls her brilliant and she asks to stop the car. He asks what she's doing and she tells him she's leaving, that she quits. She gets out and he follows, asking to talk about it in the car. She tells him she only wanted him as an asset, that he doesn't understand anything. He tells her he's sorry, that he tried to stop it. She tells him she can't just turn off his feelings like she can, that she's drowning, and feels like she might be better off dead. He tells her he understands that, and that it's not true, that they need her, and not as an asset. "Why?" she asks.

### Shades, lurkers and intruders

Lockwood tells Lucy that she's Lucy Carlyle and they can't let her go. She tells him he has to, that she's illegal and Barnes will shut him down. He tells her it's why he went on TV, to show Barnes he can shove his threats. He asks why they can't change the rules, that the big agencies always do. He tells her they're Lockwood & Co., the three of them. "Please stay," he tells her and she asks that he never lie to her again. He promises he won't.

Lockwood lights a flare. She asks if he did it to look cool. He tells her he sees five shades and three lurkers closing in on them. She asks if he's lying. He reminds her of his promise. Inside 35 Portland Row, George hears a noise. He goes to the door, but a hooded black figure approaches him from behind and covers his mouth. Lucy and Lockwood return home, but Lucy tells Lockwood that something is wrong, that the door is bolted from the inside. They manage to get in and find signs of a disturbance. Lockwood grabs a rapier. Lucy tells him to wait and they observe the hooded figure through a crack. "I'll take him," you find George, Lockwood tells Lucy. He shines a light at the man, suggesting a cup of tea. "One lump or two?" he asks, and the man unsheathes a rapier. The battle begins, Lockwood telling Lucy to run.

Lucy tracks the trail of carnage and hears George's voice shouting for help. As Lockwood battles the figure, Lucy finds George in the basement, bound and gagged. He tells her there's someone upstairs. "Glad you didn't get me fired?" she asks. She frees him and the two head upstairs, joining the fight. They force the intruder to flee. He jumps out a window, shattering it. George says they should have people over more often. Lockwood asks if he gave anything away. They head downstairs to the storage room, to find the case containing the ring empty. George says Blake must have found out they had it. Lockwood says it proves its value as evidence. George says they don't have it anymore, and they're screwed. Lockwood kicks a box, complaining that they get screwed every time they're ahead. He sees Lucy, asking why she's making the face she is. She asks they promise they won't be angry. She shows them the ring, which she placed on a necklace inside her shirt. "what the f--?" asks George.

## Notes

* This is the second of three episodes of the first season of *Lockwood & Co.* adapting events from the first novel of the book series, *The Screaming Staircase*.
* The title has a double-meaning. It refers to the phrase repeatedly uttered by Annabel Ward, but also to the fact that Lucy asks Lockwood to let her go, due to her being a liability to the agency.
* In the original *The Screaming Staircase*, Lockwood is first taken to the hospital following the burning of 62 Sheen Road. Following this, Inspector Montagu Barnes pays him and the company a visit at home and informs him and the others that DEPRAC does not intend to cover for the burning of the home. In this episode, however, Lockwood is taken directly to the headquarters of DEPRAC and meets with Barnes by himself.
* According to a card for this episode seen in a deleted scene, filming for this episode took place in part on 24 February, 2022.

## 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

* Ishtar Apsara Currie-Wilson as Annabel Ward
* Carolyn Murray as Nurse
* Lily Newmark as ghost-locked body of Norrie White (uncredited, also seen in photos)
* Ivanno Jeremiah as Inspector Barnes
* Jack Bandeira as Quill Kipps
* Rhianna Dorris as Kat Godwin
* Paddy Holland as Bobby Vernon
* Rico Vina as Ned Shaw
* Bronwyn James as Sergeant Wade
* Saverio Buono as Hugo Blake

### Ghost Performers

* Ishtar Apsara Currie-WIlson as Annabel Ward Facial Capture
* Jemma Moore as Annabel Ward Vocal Performer