Before I knew it I’d finished the whole thing
Joe Cornish’s latest production is as adroit as you would expect. Based on the books by Jonathan Stroud, the audience follows psychic protagonist Lucy Carlyle through a heart-warming yet perilous journey about family, secrets and the past. Running away from home and everything she knows, teenage Lucy (Ruby Stokes) finds employment and companionship at the smallest psychic detection agency in London, run by Anthony Lockwood and George Karim. The three teenagers battle ‘The Problem’ together, a mysterious issue that allows ghosts to interact with and harm the living. Despite the potential to be cringeworthy and a little awkward at times, the story is at once coming-of-age, humorous and tense, reminiscent of ‘Doctor Who’ in its explorative and curious nature.
Reminiscent of ‘Doctor Who’ in its explorative and curious nature
‘Lockwood & Co’ boasts a masterfully intriguing plot, with secrets to unravel around every corner, or rather behind every door. However, aside from its gripping premise, what makes the show so great in my opinion is that it’s simply fun. As a show about the dead having unfinished business, it has the potential to take itself too seriously, to be repetitive and monotonous. However, I found that the show has a distinctly playful element. This, for me, set it aside from other paranormal show - also the fact that the relationship between the characters never felt forced. Particularly between Anthony and Lucy, there was a truly believable bond of trust, a sign of great acting.
Like with any good series, I found myself watching episode after episode (admittedly as a distraction from uni work) and before I knew it I’d finished the whole thing. My only complaint is that there wasn’t more to watch. However, with books brimmed with more potential from Stroud, I’m sure another series will be on the way soon enough!
