Locke and Key season 2 was greenlit, and with it comes the chance for the show to improve upon what we saw in season 1.
I’d be lying if I said Locke and Key was one of my favorite shows, though I did find it entertaining enough to binge all 10 episodes in just a few sittings. Visually, it was a masterpiece, though some of the writing could’ve used a tweak here and there.
Without a doubt, Bode Locke was the best part of the series. It took a little extra work to like his brother and sister, though they had to grow much more throughout the season than the youngest Locke sibling.
Some of the dialog felt a bit stilted, and I still don’t understand why Nina’s alcoholism helped her remember the keys and all the magic she saw. It was hard to love some of the characters most of the time, and though I know that’s part of their growth, I felt like I shouldn’t be loving them less as the series went on (I’m looking at you, Kinsey).
Still, I’d also be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to Locke and Key season 2. There are some questions I desperately need answered, and this gives the series another chance to improve upon the foundation they’ve built in the previous season. (Spoilers ahead.)
One of the most winding mysteries of the season centered around Ellie. I spent the majority of the season questioning her motives, as well as her morals, and the role she had in everything that had happened when she and Rendell were kids.
The reveal that she had been made to look like Dodge and subsequently thrown through the door in the cave at the end of the Locke and Key season 1 finale was perhaps not as shocking as the writers had wanted it to be, but it was certainly troublesome.
Ellie turned out to be a good person stuck between a rock and a hard place. The fact that she was being terrorized by a person(?) with the face of the first love of her life couldn’t have been easy. At first she wanted to help Dodge, and then when she realized what was actually going on, she had no other choice but to help him if she wanted to keep her son safe.
Ellie’s choice at the end of the season to help the Lockes was a difficult one, and it’s tragic that just as she decided to risk it all and do the right thing, she was overcome by Dodge and made out to — quite literally — be the bad guy.
The first step in rectifying this mistake will be to actually figure out that Ellie was the one pushed through the door, and then the Lockes will need to find a way to retrieve her. Considering how dangerous it is to even open the door, I’m not sure how they’ll ever be able to do this, but I have hope that we haven’t seen the last of Ellie.
I also can’t wait for Locke and Key season 2 to give us more about the door and what those molten hot lava bullets really are. I have not read the comics, so I’m strictly going off of what the show has provided us, which is to say not much.
Those bullets are demons like Dodge, but considering they look to be molten metal, I also have to wonder if they can be turned into keys. Is that why the keys whisper, because they’re actual demons that have been molded into a magical item that the Lockes can use?
We’ll have to wait to see if any of the bullets that flew out of the door turn into something more, though I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t. Still, I want to know how the Lockes can use the door to their advantage, not only getting Ellie back but manipulating its power to defeat Dodge and the others.
Locke and Key season 2 will also have to tackle the defeat of two demons. Considering how difficult it was to trap Dodge, this is certainly going to be a tall order.
The fact that Gabe was also Dodge was one of the best reveals of season 1. I thought he was there simply as a romantic foil and to create a little drama for Kinsey. I never suspected that he was part of something bigger the entire time.
On the other hand, I wasn’t surprised someone else was “infected” when the group opened the door in the cave, but I do think it’s interesting that it was Eden. Since she’s not a core part of the group, it will probably take longer for the others to realize she acting strange. Jackie will notice first, but it might take some time for it to pop up on Tyler and Kinsey’s radar.
The demon will absolutely use this to its advantage to wreak some extra havoc.
Last but certainly not least, the second season of Locke and Key needs to explore more of the keys and the types of magic they inspire. There’s so much potential here, and even though we got a good handful of keys in the first season, I’m ready to branch out and discover some more.
In particular, I liked seeing the different effects the keys had depending on how they were used. The Head Key was an extremely powerful and dangerous tool, allowing for incredible sets and a true exploration of one’s self. Kinsey’s removal of her fear had interesting consequences, and I’d love to see how else this key could be used in surprising ways.
There’s a lot of potential for Locke and Key season 2 to explore these big questions and continue to build up the world we got to see in the first season. While I don’t think season 1 was as good as it could have been, I am invested in the characters, history, and mythology of the show — enough that I’m willing to give the series another chance.