“Lockwood & Co.” Season 1 Review: A Hauntingly Good Time

Netflix’s newest young adult series Lockwood & Co. follows the adventures of a small ghost-hunting agency in London.

During the last weekend of January, Netflix released their newest young adult series, Lockwood & Co., based on a book series by Jonathan Stroud. Lockwood & Co. follows a small ghost-hunting agency in London. The eight-episode first season is enjoyable and easy to follow even for those who haven’t read the book series. Interesting characters and even more interesting ghosts fill the exciting episodes.

Lockwood & Co. is set in a world overrun with ghosts, caused by a situation commonly referred to as “The Problem.” Young adults are the only ones who can see the ghosts, which has led to many of them becoming ghost hunters in adult-run agencies. The weapon of choice for these ghost hunters is the rapier and each ghost comes with a physical object “source” that keeps them tethered to the human realm. The world of the series is interesting, and the mythology of the ghosts and “The Problem” is intriguing.

The series’ protagonist, Lucy (Ruby Stokes) is a particularly gifted teen who has the unique ability to listen and connect to the ghosts being hunted. After being wrongly blamed for an incident that puts her best friend Norrie (Lily Newmark) into a ghost-induced coma, Lucy is forced out of her first agency and heads to London for a fresh start. Lucy is a compelling character throughout the series, and it’s hard not to feel for her upon seeing her tragic backstory.

Unable to get a job at the big London agencies, Lucy answers an ad for a smaller agency named Lockwood & Co. This agency has no adult supervisor and is headed by the charming Lockwood (Cameron Chapman) and the intelligent George (Ali Hadji-Heshmati). After an interview, Lucy is hired as the third member of the agency. Both Lockwood and George are engaging characters in their own right and seeing the three work together on missions and grow closer to each other is one of the strongest elements of the series.

Like Lucy, Lockwood has secrets of his own. His parents died tragically, and he has a secret room in the house that doubles as the agency’s headquarters. Though Lockwood always appears confident, it’s clear that he is often masking his true feelings. It’s also clear that the series is setting up a romance between Lockwood and Lucy, and the chemistry between the two makes such a development down the line work well as they grow closer to each other throughout the first season.

George is the brains of the operation, as he has a passion for research. In addition, he is also a capable ghost hunter in his own right. Though George has great moments with both Lucy and Lockwood throughout the season, he ends up seeming like a third wheel for much of the story. Thankfully, this is an issue that George voices by the season’s finale, and hopefully, the creative team will continue to avoid this issue and develop him more in the future.

While the main trio is interesting, the ghosts that they encounter are even more so. From the murdered actress in the first few episodes to an oversized ghost who has developed a mysterious device called the “bone glass” that punctuates the season’s final episodes, each ghost is unique as are the ways that Lockwood & Co. deal with them. One of the most interesting encounters is when the trio is cornered by a group of monk ghosts in an abandoned building they are hired to clear out. The plots surrounding these ghosts enhance the fun of these encounters and the choice of having rapiers as the tool to dispatch them makes for some unique action.

In addition, there are a few standouts among the non-supporting, non-ghost cast. The most engrossing of this group is Flo (Hayley Konadu) a long-time friend of Lockwood’s that also develops an interesting dynamic with George. Lockwood’s rival, Quill (Jack Bandeira), and the rest of his fellow agents are a thorn in Lockwood & Co.’s side, but the group is able to put aside their differences and work together in an exciting conclusion to the season’s final mystery.

Though Lockwood & Co.’s first season has a relatively satisfying conclusion, there are several unanswered questions remaining. The world of Lockwood & Co. has a lot of potential for more stories. Hopefully, the series’ decision to end on a minor cliffhanger doesn’t backfire in today’s landscape of quick cancellations.

Regardless, Lockwood & Co. is fun from start to finish, and I have my fingers crossed that this isn’t the last we see of Lucy, Lockwood, and George.

Lockwood & Co. season one consisting of eight episodes (each being approximately 40 minutes long) was released on Netflix on January 27, 2023.

Author: Jessica Wolff

Jessica Wolff is a graduate of Drexel University with a BS in Film/Video. She has a passion for entertainment and representation in entertainment. She currently resides outside of Washington, DC.

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