REVIEW: ‘Locke and Key’ Season 2 Live Up to the Hype

Locke and Key Season 2 was officially released last week on Netflix. The series follows the Locke siblings as they move to Mattheson, Massachusetts, with their mom after their father is murdered. Upon moving into their father’s childhood home, named Keyhouse, they discover magical keys that lead them to face a sinister being from their father’s past.

In Locke and Key Season 2, the Locke siblings have become accustomed to using the keys they possess and have even found more keys. They enjoy a carefree life after having beaten Dodge (Laysla De Oliveira). Unbeknownst to them, Dodge is very much alive, as seen in the season 1 finale when it is revealed that Dodge is also masquerading as Gabe (Griffin Gluck). Kinsey (Emilia Jones) begins to suspect that Gabe is hiding something after Gabe spends too much time with Eden (Hallea Jones), who is now a demon after being hit with Whisper Iron during Season 1 finale. Tyler (Connor Jessup) is desperately trying to find a way to make sure that Jackie, his girlfriend, doesn’t completely forget the magic. Bode (Jackson Robert Scott) continues to search for more keys around the house and makes a new friend. Nina (Darby Stanchfield), the siblings’ mother, continues to try and connect with her kids while sparking a possible romance with newcomer Josh (Brendan Hines). While all of this is going on, Gabe and Eden conspire a plan to finally defeat the Locke family and get the Omega Key.

The first few episodes of Locke and Key Season 2 sees the Locke siblings with more keys and being much more comfortable in using them. Kinsey uses the Head Key as a way to escape from the world and find time to relax without any worries. Tyler uses the keys whenever he goes on a date with Jackie (Genevieve Kang). Bode uses the keys to explore more of the house and to find out the use of any new keys he finds. This carefree attitude is quite the change from when audiences last saw the sibling trio. However, it makes sense that they would act like this after thinking they finally got rid of Dodge. This explores the ideas of what kids and teens would do with magical keys and not worrying about the possible consequences of such powerful objects. Locke and Key season 2 does an incredible job of deconstructing the effects that the keys have on the siblings and everyone they care for. There’s also a heavy emphasis on life after becoming an adult and whether remembering magic is something that matters. This is an interesting theme as it begins to affect multiple characters in this season much more than in Season 1. One can only hope this theme is developed further in season 3, especially in the way Locke and Key Season 2 concludes.

The connection between the Locke siblings undergoes major development throughout Locke and Key Season 2. While this season expands the story with backstory and more characters, it still remains as the Locke siblings’ story. While they still mourn their father’s death, their coming-of-age story continues with the challenges of growing up, family bonds, and carrying a legacy that they did not choose. The chemistry between the leads is much more developed this season, making their bond much more believable. It’s clear that they all care for each other from the start of the series, but with everything they go through this season, it would be hard to imagine anything breaking them apart. For instance, there is a conversation that Kinsey and Tyler have in which Tyler says that he’s worried about forgetting about magic and what that would mean for Bode when Kinsey also forgets. Thinking ahead, even while dealing with Gabe and Eden, it speaks highly of just how much they care for one another.

It was announced on September 2020 that Ashmore would be promoted to a series regular for Locke and Key Season 2. Last season gave his character the necessary backstory without having to focus on it too much during this season. While he cares for his family, the damage done from attempting to find his missing memories of his past begins to get the best of him. The pain he feels throughout the season is rooted in the trauma of everything that happened to his brother. It slowly becomes too much for Duncan to deal with, despite his family being there for him. If anything, the show missed an opportunity to dedicate a full episode on the deeper effect that the trauma of what happened to his brother and losing his memories really had on Duncan. However, his character serves as an example for his niece and nephews as the effects that remembering magic can have. The life of happy memories and some not-so-happy are what’s to come for the Locke siblings if they eventually make the choice to remember everything.

As Locke and Key Season 2 continued to unfold, it became evidently clear that there was a serious lack of horror that added so much to the previous season. The main cause of the lack of horror was having Gabe be the face of the main antagonist rather than the original version of Dodge. Olivera put on a terrifying performance that made Dodge a truly menacing force that the Lockes had to go up against. Most of what Gabe does throughout this season failed to resemble anything remotely scary, taking away anything that made the Echo a believable villain. Even as the Lockes went up against Gabe, it seemed as if they were never really afraid of him. It could be argued that they were merely used to this new world filled with magical keys, but there were never moments that showed the Lockes being afraid. Eden and the thought of having to face the original version of Dodge proved to be more menacing than anything Gabe did.

The introduction of Josh in Locke and Key Season 2 had the potential to bring a compelling storyline for Nina but resulted in a big let-down. From the first moments he shows up on the screen, it’s clear that there he would be Nina’s love interest throughout the season, and possibly for the remainder of the series. Being a new original character specifically for the show, the possibilities for his character were immense. He was proving to be a character with many secrets that could potentially have caused harm to the Locke family. However, those secrets never amount to anything other than just to give him a convenient connection to Locke history. There also wasn’t any chemistry between Stanchfield and Hines throughout any of the scenes they share. Josh’s daughter made a bigger impact on the show even if all she was throughout the season is Bode’s friend. He is definitely a character that could not come back in season 3 without any real ramifications.

Ultimately, Locke and Key Season 2 lives up to the hype of its previous season through various elements. A major focus is put on forgetting about magic once people become adults and the choice someone has in the matter. This choice carries weight throughout the season as various reasons as to why people would and wouldn’t want to forget. The bond that the Locke siblings is further developed, making the chemistry between the lead actors stand out from the previous season. Duncan gets more focus put on him and quickly proves to be an integral part of the overall series. However, the show suffers from a lack of horror due to the new version of its main villain and the introduction of a new original character. It will be interesting to see the direction the show takes Season 3 and whether further world-building will come into play. While fans of the series wait for season 3, new comics expanding the world of the Locke and Key series are available to read.

Locke and Key season 2 is streaming now exclusively on Netflix.