Lockwood & Co.
A decade after the first book in the Lockwood & Co. series came out, the TV adaptation of the first two books was released on Netflix. This young adult thriller does an excellent job slowly yet timely introducing the audience to the setting and characters.
Lockwood & Co. is set in London, England, present day, with the main difference being back in the 80s, there was “The Problem,” which refers to the time Marissa Fittes, played by Amanda Abbington, accidentally stirred up the spirits of the deceased, allowing the spirits to return to the living realm through weak points, or “sources.” When the two realms mixed, people discovered that some children were gifted with one or more of the three talents: listening, sight and touch.
Sight allows people to see apparitions, ghost fog, death glows and other visual manifestations. One of the main characters, Anthony Lockwood, played by Cameron Chapman, possesses this ability. The next talent is touch. Those gifted with this ability can sense the presence of spirits in spaces or objects. Anthony Lockwood’s best friend, George Karim, played by Ali Hadji-Heshmati, possesses this ability. The last and least common gift, listening, is possessed by the main character, Lucy Carlyle, played by Ruby Stokes, giving her the ability to hear the ghosts and connect with them on a different level.
The story follows Lucy Carlyle’s journey and how she became one of the most talented agents. Carlyle’s job as an agent began when she was eight as her mother forced her into the profession, wanting a second income no matter the danger of the career. However, after Lucy’s best friend, Norrie White, played by Lily Newmark, becomes “ghost locked,” basically a haunted coma and Carlyle is blamed for the death of her fellow agents, Carlyle runs away. In search of a company, and people in general, that appreciate her gift and her as a human being, she stumbles upon Lockwood & Co., a small agency led by Anthony Lockwood.
As someone who has not read the books, I thoroughly enjoyed this series with the constant progression of the story. Sometimes, shows focused on any sort of investigation can be repetitive and boring, but this show kept me on the edge of my seat.
Sadly, the show was canceled due to financial issues. However, the series stayed true to the books, so fans of the TV series can answer their questions through the five-book series.
