Lockwood & Co is my new favourite show. I'm currently on my 4th re-watch and still discovering new things and being as engrossed as if it's my first. I haven't been this addicted to a TV show since Sherlock. On that note I apologise in advance for the fangirling as well as the essay because I have a lot of nonsense to say.
Subsequently, I have started reading the books (you'll not be surprised at how many people have judged me for this due to the age rating, I got the books for my 25th Birthday...) and am surprised at how faithful the tv show has been! This is no Percy Jackson (I'm sorry Logan Lerman, I do love those movies).
Of course there has been ever so slight changes, George is not a fat blond boy with a surname Cubbins, Lucy does not seem to have lots of siblings, and Kipps isn't ginger, but otherwise pretty faithful. I adore the changes that have been made anyway, and I came across a recent poll on Tumblr where it was asked if people preferred Cubbins or Karim and the majority went for Karim. I like the fact an Iranian influence has been brought to the character thanks to Ali Hadji-Heshmati and I adore his portrayal.
I also love the casting of Jack Bandeira as Quill Kipps, he's a man I've seen a lot over the last few years (most surprisingly in all the random crime dramas I watch) without actually realising it, and despite no one being sure if he is actually a Northerner I like the fact that he has this edge to the accent. As someone who has a very Northern family on their dad's side I am only just starting to embrace the random twangs I have inherited and am pleased to see the accent in my new comfort show. I'm from about as South East of England as you can get and was once asked when visiting London what language I was speaking to my London friends, it was English and I hadn't quite realised my mostly Folkestone-ion accent didn't quite fit. Never thought I had a posh accent til then let me tell you, but when I let the County Durham out no one understands me either...
So what is Lockwood & Co? I hear some audience ask far, far in the distance. Long story short we follow Lucy Carlyle a young ghost hunter-esque gal who is employed with several other children to exterminate ghosts due to a dangerous spiritual outbreak over the last 50 years. Her employment comes to an abrupt end as her colleagues are all brutally killed and she is blamed so she ups and leaves and moves to London where she joins two teenage boys who run their own agency.
Lucy quickly fits in amongst Lockwood and George despite the rivalries and banter which is bound to occur when you chuck a group of teenagers in a domestic environment. And speaking of rivalries Lockwood and in turn his colleagues have an ongoing rivalry with a group from the most prestigious of these agencies. The Fittes Team, lead by none other than Quill Kipps, pop up regularly to annoy, hinder, and occasionally help our favourite trio on their cases to rid places of deadly spirits.
During this first series we see our heroes tackle their new living arrangements and friendships as well as an attempted murder (them being the victims, twice), actual murder (thrice? probably more but by different people), mysteries, ghosts, the pending loss of a frenemies 'talent' (ability to see, hear, or touch ghosts or in touch's case the memory of them). We cover two books over the span of 8 episodes and I swear it seems longer. I feel like I've known these characters forever and in reality it's been like 2 weeks that all these events have happened.
Now the downside of being me, is having all this ambition and nowhere to put it due to confidence. Remember the novel (twice) and stop motion animation plans? (The stop motion is going well, it just takes a lot of time and patience). Lockwood & Co is an amazing thing and all the BTS stuff I see proves that. It looks like the cast had a blast and that it was a wonderful work environment and I want, so badly, to be a part of that. I would absolutely love to audition to be literally anyone if there was to be another series but I have no idea where to even begin. What do you need nowadays to be in the acting world? I've not been on stage since I was 17 and I was an amatuer! (Also I'm 80% sure I'm too old, this is a teenage show full of people in their early twenties. After being 25 for a month I can confirm I feel more like 92) so if anyone has any ideas send 'em my way.
So back on track, let's talk about the talented young people again. I am astounded to find out that our main man, Cameron Chapman aka Anthony Lockwood, is fresh out of school. Like this is his first proper acting gig and my god THE RANGE. In the interviews I've seen both he and Ruby seem quite awkward and almost shy but none of that is present on screen at all. This guy is going places and I cannot wait. I'm reading the first book and I cannot picture anyone other than Cameron playing this roll, so hats off to the casting peeps as they got this spot on. Literally no one on Tumblr has any complaints about casting and it is beautiful. Also the chemistry with Ali and Ruby is amazing, the heat from Cameron and Jack in their spitting contest scenes is also amazing to witness and jesus christ cinema is saved.
Ruby Stokes has flown under my radar it seems. She plays our darling Lucy and I have been informed by the same lady who took me on a tour of her campus where apparently some of it was filmed (thanks Ez), that she was also a sister in Bridgerton. I'll admit I haven't gotten around to watching it yet, but Greenwich University is stunning and as one of my best friends attends and is so passionate I should probably do something about that. Anyway, Ruby is equally as talented as Cameron and their chemistry on screen is unbelievable. I thought I had grown out of fandoms and OTPs, but these two have made it impossible not to cheer them on (character wise). Ruby has serious talent, we see her cry, we see her scream and be scared and do stunts, we see her fall in love and feel awkward, we see her get jealous. We see a young woman convincingly play a teenager and remind us heavily about what it was like to be that young. I know I'm not that much older than Ruby and am barely out of my teens myself but it feels like a lifetime ago that I was trying to find myself and was having adventures with my friends. Ruby reminds me of me a long time ago and I am grateful for that. 1000% look forward to where her carer jumps to next, she's a goddamn role model.
Ali Hadji-Heshmati who plays George Karim is a sarky lil shit who I absolutely adore. In what is their first scene together, Ali and Ruby hooked me to the show, just with their little squabble about feistiness. Now George has a tendency to forgo trousers which amuses me, and the way Ali delivers his dry humour is brilliant. I cannot picture anyone else as George and I know he was written as a blond fat kid but that just aint my George (sorry Mr. Stroud). Now Ali has also flown straight under my radar, he's been in several things and I haven't seen a single one despite them all being on the list of things to watch. But this man is equally as talented as his co-stars and I want more George action scenes, easily one of my favourite characters and that is all thanks to Ali.
I cant continue with this post without talking about Jack Bandeira and his version of Quill Kipps. Now Jack is the only young cast member (aside from Paddy Holland who everyone knows) who I was actually aware of because I had seen him before. The problem is, I have never consciously realised he's been in every bloody thing until now! The Duke, he was in it, I was too busy crushing on Fionn to notice (sorry Jack). Venom: Let there be Carnage, he was in it, I was too busy juggling the family members I'd brought to the cinema as well as fixating on Woody Harrelson's hair to notice. Silent Witness, I vaguely remember catching a glimpse of him when watching a bit of an episode with my family but otherwise I'm like 23 series' late to the party. Vera I have also just joined the party so missed that too. The Silent Twins it snowed so I never made it to the cinema because I hate driving in the snow and the nights were longer so I really tried not to go out alone (apparently I missed out, I've seen pictures of his character and my attention has been grabbed), and Gunpowder Milkshake never came to Dover cinema so I didn't get to see him be beaten up until I watched it yesterday. He suits a thug although I am so sorry to say this but that American accent was wank, it was like one line and I almost wet myself, but not as bad as Ivan's he kept diving back to Welsh. Finally, this talented guy is in series 3 of Happy Valley which I am watching on my lunch breaks as we speak. Small world.
Just lastly on Jack, I don't know if I can't do maths (likely) or someone is being really clever, but IMDB lists him as only being in 6 episodes, however it's seven by my count. I'm wondering if this is a nod to Kipps not being allowed to mention Combe Carey Hall? So technically he's in 7 but as the events are not public, we are pretending he's not in that episode. Amazing how Lockwood gets wound up about that too, and despite Kipps not being around to see Lockwood's tantrum in episode 4 (?) he still refuses to acknowledge he knows and had seen them the day before which annoys the other boy more. A beautiful scene, really.
Now the reason I bring up Mr Bandeira's other acting credits is because I think this guy deserves fame. Not that the others don't, I am more than excited to see the entire cast broaden their horizons. But because I have seen this man work hard to get himself where he is. I'm even pretty sure I've seen him on the streets of London when I go up to visit Erin, but that might be wishful thinking. I swear I recognise him from more than just the screen though and it BUGS ME. His characters are always more complex than they need to be and this is because he brings that depth to them. Until now Jack has been a background character, central to the plot development but in most cases as a one off. But he stands out. Quill Kipps is a masterpiece on screen BECAUSE of how Jack has chosen to play him. On the odd occasion I've put down a book long enough to peruse my socials all I see is praise and love for Kipps, especially in that final episode. Kipps looks so lost and broken but forced to hold together, you can just about see the cracks in the facade and that is all down to Jack. This my friends is sheer talent and it has no business being in what is branded as just another kids show. I sincerely hope that in the event I ever take that leap and end up in the world of actors and directing that I get to work with Jack or any of this cast at least once. They all seem so lovely.
Every single member of this cast deserves an award and one day when I am at the Baftas with my stop motion film (should I ever get my arse in gear) I will be thanking the cast and crew of Lockwood & Co for inspiring me to live my life and jump at new opportunities. That is of course if I win anything, let's not jinx it.
Now Lockwood is set in a world where technology didn't advance due to supernatural interference. I am old enough to remember a time before smartphones and the interweb was permanently glued to my fingertips, and seeing a parallel of modern times mixed with old is brilliant. That sense of nostalgia makes me miss the old days where you had to talk on landlines and ask your mate's parents to speak to them. Life seemed simpler back then, there was less to be afraid of. Of course in Lockwood's world there is plenty to be afraid of and kiddos rarely make it to adulthood if they are in the supernatural profession, but their lives are still so much healthier. Throughout this series we see a lot of domestic elements within our trio. They live together and play family, and it is an actual healthy found family- for all of them. Lockwood who has lost all his, Lucy who was forced to walk away, and George who went looking for a place he fit in. The domesticity really balances out the terror of the other scenes and I want to see more of eating toast in the kitchin or stress cleaning or even playing the piano I noticed hiding in one of the rooms. I think this is why Lockwood & Co has become a comfort show so quickly, it has a familiarity and realisticness especially when it comes to the quiet scenes that just sits well with me.
As a plus size, tallish, weirdo of a woman I adore representation in media especially today. Lockwood has got multi ethnicities, mental health issues, powerful female characters, and soon according to spoilers regarding Holly Munro members of the LGBTQ+ community. The best bit about it is that they make it all seem so normal. That is a world I want to live in despite the danger, everything is accepted and how they handled Lockwood's suicidal tendencies and he and Lucy addressing their mental health issues in maybe not so many words was *chefs kiss*. This really drove home that sometimes it is okay not to be okay and how to correctly deal with it. Lockwood talking Luce down just by simply saying he understood and leaving it at that, Luce talking him down from his panic attack by showing urgent compassion. Wow.
I just need this show to be renewed for another series. Please. It's becoming embarrassing how I'm starting to beg.
In other news I see that Joe Cornish, the amazing gentleman who brought this into my life has also been to The Dream Restaurant recently. I might not have made this known on this blog but I'm a James Acaster fan as his terrible humour helped me out of a tough spot a few years back, I'm really pleased to see my worlds colliding like this. Maybe it's a sign. Seriously someone tell me how you find an audition and if you need (and how to get) an agent.
I recently read an article where Joe talks about horror movies and the feelings they invoked when he was a wee lad. I completely understand and I think I might have over explained something similar in a past post when talking about zombies? I remember saying something similar somewhere and anyway I too have forever been on a quest since to regain emotions I felt as a child in a comfortable way. There is a difference between being scared walking home alone and sitting watching a horror movie. It is the latter thrill I crave.
Oh, and isn't it nice to see Nigel Planer! As a fan of The Young Ones and Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids, I for one was so happy to see his familiar face upsetting a new generation of people. I don't want to give spoilers but the way he says something about a bricked up body gives me chills. The latter show often terrified me as a child. It sounds a little cruel but I kind of hope this show will be that for the new generation of kids.
Shameless free endorsement of Complete Fiction Pictures as well who without I wouldn't be fangirling every day since January. Of course it wasn't enough to give us Lockwood & Co but the Instagram posts that come up all the time make me happy.
To Amanda Abbington and Louise Brealey, please keep playing strong and colourful characters. You are role models on and off screen and Amanda especially with her recent views on a missing person's case and how she addressed some unnecessary information which the press ran with. Thank you for being a voice.
And finally to wrap up before the score which I'm sure everyone can guess, thank you to Mr Stroud for creating this to begin with. I read your Bartimaeus books as a child and now as an adult I am back and enjoying your Lockwood stories. Strange world and I seem to have done things a little backwards, but I appreciate the impact your writing along with Derek Landy has had on my own character over the years. Between the two of you, your books have shaped me to be who I am today... a woman who really should wrap this up and do the call centre work she is actually being paid for.
Overall then, you guessed it, Lockwood & Co is getting a 10/10. If it were possible I'd give higher, like 1000, but that is purely bias. No one who has been around me in the last three months will be surprised at this. We made our trip to London to see Panic at the Disco earlier this month into a long weekend and all I did was point out the Lockwood Billboards around Greenwich to poor Beth and Erin meanwhile trying to convince them to watch the show. There is something special about watching a show set in the place you are in. I had goosebumps rewatching the show for the first time in my hotel room. Call me sad all you want but the excitement of London calls to me anyway, this just set it home.
I may regret this, but please comment on my socials your thoughts and discussion topics regarding Lockwood & Co. My dm's are always open unless you are the people wanting me to be an ambassador of your gothic jewellery. You can stay in my requests. This face is unlikely to be model material and certainly not for any scammers!
I'm going to leave it here for now, because I have so much to say and none of it useful. But I hope I inspire you to watch the show!
Catch you next time for whatever else I watched over my birthday annual leave!
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