Locke and Key was full of magic and mystery, but the most magical and mysterious thing of all was how great Bode was.

We all know the deal with little brothers. We sometimes think they’re cute, and we always love them, but boy, can they be annoying. This is true of both real life little brothers and the ones who grace our screens in movies and TV. And we don’t have to love the fictional ones.

When I first met Bode Locke in Netflix’s Locke and Key, I assumed he’d be no different than the countless kid brothers we’ve seen terrorizing their older siblings in one way or another. From the start, it looked like he had all the makings of the cookie-cutter little brother; an over-active imagination, a knack for finding everything he shouldn’t, and way too much free time. Seriously though, why wasn’t Bode in school all day anyway?

From all my bad, or at least sub-par experiences with fictional little brothers, I regrettably found myself feeling some anticipatory annoyance toward Bode. There were times when I was sure that he was going to follow the typical little kid trope and make things much worse, like so many little brothers before him. Every time he got close to the edge of trouble, I braced myself for the fall.

However, on almost every occasion in Locke and Key, I found myself pleasantly surprised by Bode Locke. Bode almost never made the naive and reckless decisions that he was far from qualified to make. He actually approached things fairly rationally, and rarely assumed that he knew better than the adults in his life. I quickly found myself agreeing with Bode’s father. Bode is, in fact, highly “discerning for his age.”

That being said, he still very much embodied the innocence and energy characteristic of his age. He saw all of house’s magical keys for the adventure that they could offer. While Kinsey and Tyler were tempted to use the keys with more malice, Bode used them for fun, exploration, and ice cream. I mean, his “mind” is an arcade and his animate emotion is glee. He’s all of the best parts of childhood wrapped up in an extremely adorable package.

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I was so impressed with Bode when he didn’t keep things from his mother even though the “well lady” told him to. He let her in only as far as he was comfortable, and then drew his own thoughtful boundaries. Sure, Dodge still took advantage of him by manipulating the Anywhere Key out of his hands, but things could have been a lot worse with another little brother at the helm.

Locke and Key ’s Bode Locke was also quick to recognize that the Mirror Key was a bad thing, even when his mom couldn’t see it. He seemed to recognize and respect the power of the keys more than anyone else in his family. He could see that they offered great potential, but only if used with great caution.

Locke and Key somehow made me feel like things were actually going to be safer when the little brother was around, which is a pretty epic feat. It actually seemed like everyone got into a lot more trouble when he wasn’t the one shepherding the keys.

While Kinsey and Tyler were both running around and making out with various versions of Dodge, Bode made a valuable connection and friendship with Rufus, a character who many overlooked. This friendship turned out to be essential in helping them get through the season’s final conflict. Obviously, Bode’s rainbow lightsaber was equally integral to their survival.

Bode Locke quickly became my favorite character in Locke and Key, which is a real testament to the show and of course, Jackson Robert Scott, the actor who brought Bode to life in the Netflix show. It was just so refreshing to see a little brother who was equally intelligent and enthusiastic, while still feeling real.

Bode could fit right in with the Stranger Things kids, and he’s half their age! He brought me the same delight that Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Will and Eleven do, but in a way that was even more innocent.

When done right, children can be such a great addition to fantasy shows, and Locke and Key absolutely nailed it with Bode. I can’t wait to see how he grows in future seasons of the show, and becomes even more awesome!