Welcome back to Key House, where the Locke kids are preparing to trap Gabe and hopefully get some revenge for Erin. The kids have to each play their part if it means getting rid of Gabe and keeping Eden from getting in the way. So let’s jump right into episode seven of Locke and Key.”
1. Motivation
At the top of the episode, the audience is reminded of Erin’s death and its impact on the family. They decide to have a private “funeral” by burning her things, and we get to see the pamphlets for the mountains she was going to explore and possibly move to. They also have to lie to Nina Locke and say she moved away, which is challenging for the kids to try and lie about, but they have no choice if it means not involving Nina. Although it was brief and a bit strange that they burned all of her stuff, it felt like it was necessary to get rid of all loose ends for her character. I think without this death, the kids would have been playing it safe for far too long and dragged out unnecessary things; it also shows them that they need to be careful, or they’ll end up the same way. A dead body dragged into the ground by magical roots, talk about brutal.
2. Mr. Bennett’s Revelation
Mr. Bennet’s hunt for his missing artifact continues as he gets emails from a mysterious person telling him they know who took it. Nina sees firsthand the final moments of him interrogating two students, including threatening suspension from the school’s hockey team if he doesn’t get a straight answer. Bennett finally reveals to Nina that he moved back to Matheson to find the “Black Door” that his ancestor referenced in an old journal entry. It finally feels like we’re getting some truth out of him because it means a great deal to him, and the audience has seen the additional stress it has added since the artifact’s disappearance. From the model of Key House to following clues to the town’s history, Mr. Bennett has had an ulterior motive this whole time, and though his intentions with Nina may be (or maybe not) pure, his hunt for the “Black Door” I think to outweigh any feelings for her. He is bordering the fence on some crazy stuff, but he may not be far off the Locke family’s magical history.
3. Damn Bird
The Locke kids, Uncle Duncan, and Scot all plan to capture Gabe/Dodge and get them trapped back in the well by the house. Things start smoothly as Gabe and Kinsey pretend to film a scene, and Tyler uses the Anywhere Key to change a room into the well, only to be screwed over by a bird flying out of it. Gabe quickly realizes what is happening and flips the script on all of them by going demonic and using their strength and smarts to outwit them all. I knew it wasn’t going to work on the sole idea that it wasn’t the season finale yet, but it was still a clever plan that got so close to being accomplished. It was also good for the Locke kids and the audience to see how ruthless Dodge can be. There has been this question on whether they were developing feelings for Kinsey or not, and now it seems like it’s finally been answered. If push comes to shove, Dodge will get rid of all of the kids if it means surviving for their ultimate goal. In their final moments, Dodge manages to kidnap Duncan and Bode Locke to ensure safety in their escape.
4. Left Behind
As Gabe makes his big escape from the Locke kids, he leaves Eden behind at Key House. She escapes being trapped in a glass thanks to Jamie Bennett and the Dollhouse Key, only to leave behind by her “partner” Gabe. It seems Eden’s constant questioning of the plans he comes up with and whether his feelings for Kinsey are affecting his choices seem to have finally caught up with her. This discarded moment is a chance for her to take a break away from him and perhaps do things on her own as she’s been talking about. Tyler Locke even tries to reason with her to switch sides after being left behind, but for now, it seems her only thought is survival. It looks like the demon inside of Eden is only trying to make sure that she can keep living for now. It’s been clear to the audience that being the lackey for Gabe was never the ideal position she wanted to be in, so betrayal wouldn’t exactly be out of the question for her.
5. Gabe Gets His Key
With Bode held hostage Duncan has no other choice but to make the key for Gabe, but what exactly does he want it to do? The entire season his goal has been to create another key, but there has been no sign or hint at what it was supposed to do, until now. Duncan makes him a key that turns people into demons and listens to his every command without question or second thought. (He tests this by having a kid he kidnapped bang his forehead on the wall until he starts to bleed.) This is what I’ve been waiting for this whole season. Aside from killing Erin, we haven’t seen Gabe’s full power or more evil acts, so now that he’s going to build an army, the Locke kids will have their hands full. Between Gabe and Mr. Bennett, it’s starting to become a question of who the audience should be keeping their eyes on.
