As Lockwood & Co's episode 8 unfolds, Lucy and Lockwood alight from a taxi, mere steps from their abode. Lockwood, with a pleading gaze, implores Lucy to utter a word, any word, to break the silence. He assures her that all is well now, the cursed mirror en route to DEPRAC's clutches, and they've emerged victorious from the challenge. But Lucy's fury boils over, raging against his recklessness that had imperiled them both. She rails that every relic hunter in London is hot on their trail, and victory feels hollow to her.
Inside their sanctuary, Lucy dries off, her gaze lingering on the necklace Lockwood had bestowed upon her. As she tends to the culinary arts in the kitchen's warm embrace, Lockwood enters, humility etched on his face. He confesses his error, entreating her not to abandon him or their bond. He reveals a dark moment when drowning in the depths of the Thames seemed a tempting escape, but those thoughts have dissipated. Lucy, softened, grants him forgiveness.
Over a shared meal, they delve into Mary Dulac's confessional tome, uncovering the truth: Dulac, compelled by Bickerstaff to gaze into the glass—she called it a window, not a mirror—was its instrument in his demise. A drawing within depicts the mirror's glass swirling with intricate spirals. As they consult their thinking cloth, now gracing their dining table, they are stunned to find George's spirals mirrored there, an eerie coincidence.
Meanwhile, George ventures to the hallowed grounds of the cemetery, where he encounters Pamela Joplin. She whispers seductively, painting a picture where, while Lockwood and Lucy bask in the spotlight, it is George who will etch his name in history. She extols the virtues of bone glass, promising it holds the key to unlocking the mysteries of the Problem. Unbeknownst to the duo, Quill Kipps lurks in the shadows of the chapel, his presence a sinister omen.
Lucy commands the enigmatic skull to divulge its secrets, inquiring about George's elusive 'other friend,' whose identity they swiftly decipher as Joplin. The skull, striking a bargain, agrees to reveal their whereabouts, contingent upon their willingness to bear it along. With merely a solitary carton of salt bombs at their disposal, they resolutely press on towards George, heedless of the odds.
As they ride towards the eerie cemetery, their conversation swirls around Joplin's nefarious meddling from the very onset. They surmise that she must have orchestrated Jack Carver's theft of the bone glass, only to turn on him when he betrayed her trust by handing it over to Winkman. Lucy, filled with regret, bemoans their blindness to George's gradual descent into darkness, their own troubles having blinded them to the warning signs.
Meanwhile, George and Joplin tread cautiously through the labyrinthine catacombs. A sudden commotion draws George's attention, and he discovers Quill Kipps locked in a life-or-death struggle with an otherworldly specter. George swoops in to save him, but a chilling realization dawns—his Talent, once so formidable, is swiftly fading. Undeterred, Joplin seizes Kipps, threatening him with a blade and securing him with handcuffs.
Lucy and Lockwood arrive at the cemetery, the skull in tow, its whispers hinting at the proximity of its sinister master. It further discloses that Joplin has fallen victim to the bone glass's insidious influence, her fate now intertwined with darkness. Lucy presses Lockwood to swear an oath, never to gaze into the mirror's depths, and he complies, his eyes fixed on the task at hand.
With a resounding crash, they breach the chapel's doors, only to find the catacomb entrance barred from within. Ingenuity strikes, and they recognize the catafalque as their path to the underworld. Just as they prepare to uncover the lever, Kipps' team—Kat, Bobby, and Ned—arrive, breathless with news of Kipps' disappearance and plea for aid.
Kat's keen eye spots Winkman and his relentless minions approaching, and Lockwood swiftly devises a plan. He offers to descend into the catacombs while the others confront Winkman's forces. But Lucy, armed with a secret weapon, insists that she should be the one to venture below. Lockwood and the rest steel themselves for battle, their determination unwavering.
Lucy locates the lever, unleashing the catafalque's secrets, and descends into the bowels of the catacombs. Guided by the eerie hum of the bone glass, she listens intently as the skull recounts its origins, forged from the bones of seven souls, a portal crafted to be gazed upon through the eyes of the weak and the curious. The air crackles with tension, and the stakes have never been higher.
As George bound Kipps to the chair, he reassured him with a chilling truth: Joplin held no intention of spilling his blood, for they were mere scholars, not assassins. Yet, a grim realization dawned—Bickerstaff's lifeless form lay nearby, a grim reminder of Joplin's twisted agenda. She chuckled, offering Kipps a prime view of the spectacle, explaining that the mirror's secrets unfurled through the innocent eyes of youth. George's heart sank; he realized that without Kipps, he would be the one shackled to that chair.
Kipps' confession of a lost Talent only solidified Joplin's choice, rendering George obsolete. Meanwhile, Lockwood and his companions valiantly fought off Winkman's men, initially gaining the upper hand. But their triumph was fleeting as reinforcements swarmed in, threatening to overwhelm them. Lockwood, quick-witted, unleashed a horde of spirits to bolster their defenses while he raced to summon the authorities and reinforce his comrades.
George, now a captive himself, lamented his perceived redundancy, feeling unwanted by Joplin, Lucy, and Lockwood alike. His melancholy monologue was inadvertently overheard by Lucy, who was momentarily sidetracked by Bickerstaff's spectral presence. In a sudden turn of events, Joplin had Lucy in her deadly grip, a knife at her throat. Lucy, with unwavering courage, declared George's worth, asserting that he was not an outlier but their pillar of strength. She then cunningly argued that her unique Talent made her the ideal candidate to gaze into the mirror.
Lockwood's path to the chapel was once again blocked by the enigmatic Golden Blade, who mistakenly assumed he hailed from the Fittes Agency. The man's words were laced with malice, foretelling Lockwood's fate as an inconsequential death, mirroring that of his parents. With a cold detachment, he pulled the trigger, sending Lockwood plummeting into the catafalque's abyss.
Joplin unveiled the mirror before Lucy, unleashing an otherworldly radiance that all but blinded her. Instinctively, Lucy averted her gaze, seizing a ghost jar instead and forcing its spectral occupant to confront the mirror's depths. The skull's voice echoed with alarm, warning of a profound alteration.
Lucy was engulfed by a flurry of psychic visions—haunting images of ghost-enslaved souls, spectral forms, and a fleeting glimpse of Lockwood. The intensity of these visions overwhelmed her, causing her to lose consciousness. George, fueled by desperation, burst through the chaos, toppling the mirror's pedestal. The bone glass shattered, the mirror cracking under the impact. Joplin, heedless of the danger, peered into the fractured surface, transfixed by its ethereal glow. She glimpsed something exquisite, yet the intensity proved too much, and her body erupted in a violent explosion, shattering the mirror completely and freeing the seven trapped souls at last.
Lucy and George had just begun to breathe a sigh of relief, convinced that their ordeal was at an end, when an eerie twist unfolded. Bickerstaff's ghost, its face twisted in a grotesque leer, materialized before them, seemingly summoned by the explosion that jarred the mirror, shifting the iron chains that bound it. They were trapped, ensnared by the ghostly embrace, until Lockwood's timely intervention with his rapier flashing and salt bombs detonating, shattering the supernatural stalemate.
Lucy, quick-witted, managed to ensnare Bickerstaff's spectral form within an iron net, instantly stilling the chaos. However, Lockwood's gunshot wound proved to be his Achilles' heel, sapping his strength, but George and Lucy stood by him unwaveringly.
Together with Quill Kipps, they emerged from the labyrinthine catacombs, their mission accomplished. As DECRAP took charge of the aftermath, Kipps shared with Lucy the desolate void that follows the loss of one's Talent, a void that is often filled with nothing but fear.
Inspector Barnes granted them a moment with Lockwood, who recounted his ordeal, shrouded in darkness and uncertainty about his assailant. Barnes rejoiced over the destruction of the bone glass and Winkman's capture, commending their efforts in unraveling the mystery.
In keeping with their wager, Kipps reluctantly agreed to withdraw his advertisement and resign, but Lockwood, with a heartening gesture, absolved him of his bet, even advocating for a generous 70-30 pay split with Barnes. Their hands met in a camaraderie-filled shake before the trio ventured home.
In a secluded car ride, the Golden Blade tendered an apology to Penelope Fittes for his shortcomings, acknowledging the need for enhanced precautions.
Back at their abode, Lucy penned a heartfelt message to Norrie, reflecting on her transformation, her resilience forged through adversity. Over dinner preparations, her voiceover whispered of a revelation: George's true nature, devoid of hatred and instead, cloaked in heroism. Lockwood's brushes with death, countless yet each time he chose life, left her feeling stronger, her fears dwindling.
She confided that the skull remained silent, its secrets untold, and she chose to preserve it while concealing her own Talent. Lockwood, his resolve unwavering, confessed his desire for transparency, unveiling the Golden Blade's disparaging words before leading them to the enigmatic locked door. With a flourish, he swung it open, revealing a new chapter in their journey, filled with untold possibilities.
