8/10
Captivating YA Series That Appeals to Older A's
31 January 2023
No disappointments in this series. Each episode has a full story, while the series has several larger mysteries and continuing drama, binge or take your time-both work. I avoided it initially because the name suggested a Netflix spinoff of Locke &Key (another YA supernatural series). Netflix is the only common element. L&K is more like " The Waltons meets Gandolf". This is fresh: take place in 2023 London, except about 50 years ago the world was subjected to a new shift/phenomena. The human death rate increased noticeably but modestly. Cause was unknown, not disease, not a toxin, not violence. The governments around the world acknowledged that not only were ghosts now a reality, and some could injure or kill humans. Because activity of ghosts are more present at night, governments' passed curfew laws to protect citizens. These distractions leave that world with fewer technological advances: seems to be circa late 1990's based on phones etc. Some materials hurt ghosts, namely salt, iron, silver. It sounds like there are about a dozen classifications of ghosts, varying in lethality. Individual ghosts though are tied to a physical object, like a doll, ring etc. Find it, contain the ghost. The other major nuance is that only children and young adults can see them. So teens are actively recruited by private security companies. Lockwood is a small security firm run by a driven, highly intelligent teen along with two others who couldn't fit in with conventional teams. The script/story is tight. I couldn't pickup on any plot hole which usually accompany an-alternative-world theme. There's plenty of villains, corruption, well-meaning buffoons, and good guys and those in-between. Has realistic and entertaining action. The writers dialed down the YA "coming of age angst" which is a relief; and departed from the common teen love themes producers have exploited to death. So this feels like a truly fresh and entertaining drama with action and mystery. Don't skip it just because it YA. You should know after episode 2 if it's for you.
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