Netflix’s hit series Locke and Key finally returns for its second season this Friday and it’s bigger, more mysterious, and scarier than ever. Locke & Key follows 3 siblings who, after the murder of their father, move to their ancestral home only to find the house has magical keys that give them a vast array of powers and abilities.
The second season left off with a rather large reveal that left fans ready to dive into another season. Netflix clearly saw this and renewed Locke and Key for 2 seasons, so yes there is more coming after this. For now, let’s check out a preview for season 2 and then dive into our mostly spoiler-free review.
With danger lurking closer than they know, Tyler, Kinsey, and Bode unlock more family secrets as they dig deeper into the power and mystery of the keys.
Review
Season 1 left us with a rather big reveal that Gabe, the boy-next-door good guy of the group, was in fact not who we thought he was. It turns out Gabe was really Dodge the entire time. This changes the entire context of every interaction with him through season 1 and we get a mini flashback to point that out. So come the finale of season 1, if Dodge wasn’t who we sent into the void, then who was it? We sadly learned who it was, though the Locke’s don’t know that yet. Now, Gabe isn’t alone in his demon friendships as another has joined him, Eden.
LOCKE & KEY
So now that we did a quick refresher on those final reveals let’s jump into season 2. The story hits the ground running and we quickly learn that Dodge is on a mission to find more whispering iron. The reason is to make more keys. The original keepers of the keys were able to make more, and Dodge desperately wanted to make new ones. It was clear that he wasn’t going to get what he wanted from the Lockes and demons cant take keys from Lockes. What everyone was just figuring out with viewers was, just what does it take to make new keys?
Season 2 does a lot of back story building around the mythology of the void and how the Lockes came to be involved with all of it. The back-story was also expertly weaved into the current day story tieing together events and people who were now involved in the fight against Dodge, whether they knew it or not. In fact, we go all the way back to 1775 as we learn about the first instance of the void revealing itself. From here the story starts to get darker and more brutal as we learn just what lengths Dodge and the demons will go to get what they want.
Another engrossing aspect of season 2 is the new keys because what would Locke and Key be without more keys? The story quickly reveals a bunch of new keys early, though we don’t fully understand their purpose right away. Now you would think the kids, especially Bode, would have learned his lesson about being careless with the keys. Nope! And it drives you nuts as you watch the season but it also keeps you heavily focused on the details. And trust me, don’t turn away for even a moment or you will miss important details. Though I will say the kids do learn their lesson before the season is over, even if not at some cost.
The cast continues to bring great performances to the season, most notably Griffin Gluck who plays Gabe. Now as the main antagonist of the season, he has to continue to play the dual role of Gabe and Dodge at the same time. We as the watcher know the truth, but everyone else around Gabe doesn’t yet. Gluck does a brilliant job of balancing that menacing character throughout the season. The Locke children also continue to grow with the second season, Tyler and Kinsey are growing up and dealing with relationships, while Bode is starting to make friends and confide in others. There are moments where you want to scream at Bode and Tyler for their carelessness with the keys. But what would sci-fi be without some troupe-style character mistakes?
Each Locke gets their own love interest or close friend this season, which if you have ever watched any TV with horror, sci-fi, or demons, having a love interest or friend means they will be put in danger. And danger will be had this season. This meant the stakes were upped and went beyond the Locke family as they try to fight back against Dodge. Now everyone they know, love, or are friends with is equally in danger, and sharing information on the keys proves difficult as adults, and those turning 18 don’t remember the magic of the keys.
Every moment of season 2 was engaging and added to the mystery and questions we have about the void, the keys, and the goals of those from that world. I marathoned all of the episodes within 2 days because it was just that engaging. I have not read the comics on which it’s based. However, given that it was written by Joe Hill, Stephen King’s son, I have high hopes as the story continues. Netflix last year renewed Locke and Key for a third season even before the second had finished filming or aired. So you can go into season 2 knowing that even with the MASSIVE cliffhanger, you still have more coming in 2022.
Locke and Key Season 2 comes out on Oct 22nd on Netflix. If you have not caught up on season 1, now is your chance as all of season 1 is available on Netflix now.
