Locke & Key - Review

Below is a spoiler-free review of Locke & Key Season 2, which debuts on Netflix on Oct. 22.

When Netflix finally released the first season of Locke & Key after nearly a decade of failed adaptations, it felt like a bittersweet victory. Yes, the characters were perfectly cast and Keyhouse was a character unto itself, but the tone was so different that it lost some of the charm and excitement of the original — even if some of the changes to the story hinted at a better Season 2. When the new season runs with those changes, it is a compelling, exciting, and at times even poignant show about memories and the fears of growing up, with an exquisitely despicable villain and some great set pieces. But when it remembers to go back to the source material, the season ends up feeling rushed and undercooked, with yet another bittersweet installment that has some great ideas and a not-so-great execution.

Picking up three months after the end of the previous season, evil has won, and they are not alone. The demon Dodge managed to trick the Locke family into thinking they had sent them back to the hell they came from, but instead took the form of their friend Gabe (Griffin Gluck), who now has a henchwoman in Eden (Hallea Jones), who got infected by a demon at the end of the season, unbeknownst to the Lockes. Thinking they are free from evil demons, Tyler (Connor Jessup), Kinsey (Emilia Jones), and Bode (Jackson Robert Scott) now spend most of the season dealing with a different problem — growing up.

If the first season changed the phantasmagorical and horrific tone of the comic in favor of Harry Potter-like whimsy, then this one trades Hogwarts for Narnia, as the first season focused on the terrifying realization that, eventually, you will grow up and forget about the magic in the world, and also the special keys around Keyhouse. The moment when an adult's brain is rewired to ignore the magic around them is treated as a death scene in a slasher film, with sound design that cues you in like the theme music for a horror villain, and extreme close-ups that show the terror on the characters' faces as they get reprogrammed against their will. 

No matter how powerful the keys are, there is no beating the passing of time, and Locke & Key finds plenty of emotional gravitas to explore in the characters' desperation to stop this from happening. It's hard not to see Tyler’s efforts to make sure Jackie experiences as much magic as possible before she turns 18 as an allegory for dementia and the desperation that comes with knowing a loved one’s mind will slowly slip away. Likewise, Duncan (Aaron Ashmore) gets a bigger role, with a heartbreaking story about what he lost when his memories were stolen from him as a kid, resulting in the best subplot of the season.

But the horror doesn't stop at the worries of becoming older. The season as a whole feels darker, scarier, and more dangerous. A trip to a character's head becomes something out of Nightmare on Elm Street, giant spiders crawl up on the Lockes, and people die gruesome deaths (while still not graphic enough that young viewers can't watch the show). In many ways, this is the Order of the Phoenix of Locke & Key, with the story being notably darker, characters being oblivious as to why, and evil building an army of its own. A big reason why this works is that the show finally lets Dodge be as terrifyingly evil as possible, without leaning into absurdist humor. Instead, it is Eden who becomes the butt of the joke as a villain, allowing Dodge to become as threatening as his comics counterpart. Griffin Gluck does a terrific job connecting to Laysla De Oliveira's performance as the female Dodge last season while making the evil entity his own, walking a fine line between an over-the-top Disney villain and a sadistic psychopath while making it look effortless. 

Eden is far from the only change to the source material, and when Locke & Key frees itself from having to follow the story by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez beat by beat, it introduces some fascinating and entertaining concepts that make the show worth watching, whether you're a hardcore fan or a casual viewer. This season greatly expands on the origin of the keys themselves in ways only hinted at in the comic, as well as how they are made and who can make them. These changes work to make the world of the show more fleshed out and detailed, as the season uses more frequent flashbacks to explore the past of Matheson and of Keyhouse, and its importance not only to the present, but to the future of the series. 

Locke & Key continues to suffer from wanting to cram in too many things at once.

Arguably the most surprising addition to the show last season was the introduction to the ghost of Benjamin Locke, a character that opened the door for an adaptation that could encompass more than just the story of Dodge, and this season continues that with the introduction of the Small World Key. The third episode, which features that key, is a highlight of the season, with a great set piece, impressive visual effects, and a fantastic use of Keyhouse itself as a character, with its many rooms and hallways given enough detail and care that you can imagine the centuries worth of stories in every texture. 

Unfortunately, Locke & Key continues to suffer from wanting to cram in too many things at once. There's the family drama, Dodge’s quest for evil, and the attempts to avoid growing old and forgetting about magic, but also The CW-style high school drama and a ton of flashbacks that end up putting us ahead of the characters constantly, making them seem dumb for it. As if there weren't enough characters already, this season also introduces a new family with a connection to the town, but the season doesn't really know what to do with most of these characters. In his review for the Alpha #1 issue of the comic, Joshua Yehl wrote, "everyone has been given an endearing quality, an all-too-human flaw, and a unique spark that makes them feel more like a real person than a comic book character," but the show seems to forget that, and relies on the viewer's connection to the comic to fill in the gaps in the characterization. This results in side characters that were changed or introduced in the show feeling underdeveloped, like Jackie or even Nina, whose momentum from her improved story in the first season comes to a complete halt in this one.

While the first half of the season focuses on characters and worldbuilding, slowly unveiling its main goal while letting us enjoy the ride, the second half rushes to get to the end. Plot points are quickly resolved and thrown away in order to rush to the next one without giving us a moment to take in the emotions or even the huge ramifications of some of the choices, resulting in an anticlimactic ending that undersells the supposed stakes at hand. In the end, it feels similar to the way Game of Thrones handled its last season, with a rush to the finish line as if it stopped caring about the story, focused only on what comes next, even if the beginning was strong and full of possibilities. If Season 2 of Locke & Key is drawing inspiration from The Chronicles of Narnia movies, then the ending hints at a Voyage of the Dawn Trader-like Season 3.