While I continue to find the question of whether or not modern media companies and actually produce anything original interesting, that’s not always the same question as whether they can produce something good. For example, Netflix’s Lockwood & Co. is not original in that it’s based on a series of books, but it is certainly good. (I can’t say whether it’s faithful to the books as I’ve not read them, but then again I tend to prefer watching the movie/TV show first because the movie won’t spoil the books, but the book might very well make me not enjoy the movie.)
The premise of the show is that in the near future ghosts have started harassing the people of England (maybe everywhere? I’m not sure). One touch from a ghost is fatal, but only a handful of children can actually see the ghosts. The government quickly seeks out such children, trains them to wield iron and silver (the only thing that can drive away ghosts) and teaches them how to find the ghost’s “source” (the physical object which ties the ghost to this world) and contain it.
Obviously some creative world-building has gone on here, just as obviously inspired by Supernatural. Lockwood & Co focuses on the eponymous “Lockwood,” Karim, and Lucy as they attempt to set up their own teenage ghost-fighting company rather than working with the big corporate organizations run by wealthy adults. The three have to navigate the adult world of source thieves, government meddling, the past of the three main characters, and of course the danger of fighting ghosts.
Overall, this series really is excellent. They’ve managed to properly balance interesting plot, non-annoying dialogue, and jump scares, without going full “CW” in their atmosphere.
And of course shows like this are always interesting to watch as a Christian. The fact of the existence of an afterlife and a soul that is directly connected to physical reality are both assumptions in this sort of narrative that can’t be escaped. That gives us a point for reflection as we think about our views of the real world: just how much does the afterlife affect us here? What is the connection between matter and spirit? Our creeds and confessions as believers establish a starting point for answering these questions, but they often leave us wanting to know more. We won’t find answers in shows like Lockwood & Co, but we can at least see others wrestling with these questions while we watch an excellent TV show.
Dr. Coyle Neal is co-host of the City of Man Podcast an Amazon Associate (which is linked in this blog), and an Associate Professor of Political Science at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, MO
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