What is the Problem in Lockwood & Co.?

The Netflix original series Lockwood & Co. was recently released on the streamer, and if you enjoy supernatural-themed thrillers, don’t miss this one. This series has quickly climbed to number two on Netflix’s Top 10 list and has been met with favorable reviews.

Based on a book series by Jonathan Stroud, Lockwood & Co. was developed for Netflix by Joe Cornish, known for co-writing Ant-Man with Edgar Wright, Adam McKay, and Paul Rudd. Fans of the book series are pleased with the adaptation and have expressed that it more than lives up to their expectations. Season 1 consists of eight episodes based on the first two books in the series, The Screaming Staircase and The Whispering Skull.

The series is set in London after the Problem occurred and stars Ruby Stokes as Lucy, a young girl with excellent ghost-hunting skills. She leaves her unhappy home life and joins the teenage-run ghost-hunting agency Lockwood & Co. This agency is run by Anthony Lockwood (Cameron Chapman). He is assisted by George Karim (Ali Hadji-Heshmati).

What is the Problem in Lockwood & Co.?

Lockwood & Co., the series, explains the Problem in its opening sequence.  A newspaper heading reads Ghosts Walk Among Us, noting that the first occurrence was in 1973. At that time, approximately 200 people had been killed by ghosts, a number that has only increased over time. A night curfew was enforced to keep residences safe during the hours of ghost activity.

It would soon be discovered that many youths possessed a particular talent for dealing with ghosts. There are three specific Talents: Listening, Touch, and Sight. These Agents are employed to destroy the sources of ghosts as a career. Night watch children, aged seven to 13, have a Talent and use this to defend a private area. Sensitives have a Talent, but instead of using them to destroy Visitors, they are hired to locate haunted areas.

Like all catastrophic events, the Problem took a toll on the economy. This led to the downfall of technology as corporations turned their focus to products that could aid in destroying the supernatural entities or Visitors. The creation of Visitor Defense products like silver, iron, and salt made many corporations very wealthy.

The Problem led to the creation of DEPRAC, or the Department of Psychic Research and Control, which studied the phenomenon and oversaw the work of the ghost-hunting agencies and their agents. In addition to a curfew, other defenses include ghost lamps, salt bombs, salt guns, and rapiers, the official weapon of the agents.

There has been no announcement of a second season for Lockwood & Co., but fans hope this story will continue in upcoming seasons. Watch season 1 now on Netflix!