Welcome back to the second season of Locke and Key the Netflix tv show based on the IDW Publishing comic. It has been three months (in the show) since the last season ended, and the Locke kids unknowingly threw their friend behind the Black Door rather than the echo known as Dodge. The finale also revealed that she was pretending to be Kinsey’s love interest, Gabe. So let’s just see where Kinsey, Tyler, and Bode are up to in this first episode.
1. Kids Are Using The Keys Pretty Loosely
Last we’d seen the kids, they were using the keys secretly and cautiously, even from one another. From the beginning of this new season, we see that has changed drastically as we find Kinsey using the head key for her personal relaxation zone, Tyler using the fire key when he sees fit, and Bode finds a new one called a Hercules key that he uses to try and move a giant couch from a room in the house. It seems like they’ve gained a new sense of confidence and maybe power that they feel comfortable enough to use the keys inside of their home and with their friends when they want to. It’s also a little messed up because Nina Locke comes into the room shocked to see little Bode lifting an oversized couch like it was made of styrofoam, and as he loosely explains the keys, he’s almost counting down the seconds until her mind is wiped of what she just saw. The kids no longer have a fear of being caught by their mom because they know she simply won’t remember, so it’s making them reckless with their actions.
2. Uncle Duncan
Uncle Duncan, played by Aaron Ashmore, was a side character that popped in here and there during the first season but was more of a tool for history on the house and the kids’ Dad. He didn’t provide too much due to his lack of memories from when he was a kid, which was later revealed that they were taken out of his head and put into little jars outside of the house hidden away. It’s been revealed that he will be the main character this season and stay at the Key house with the family. It’s an interesting dynamic because the memories will play a role in what the kids can and cannot talk about in front of him since he used the keys when he was a kid. Duncan has already proposed a restoration project with Tyler, despite not knowing anything about cars, so they’ll have plenty of time to have life talks and bond.
3. Movie Premiere
As the title of the episode alludes to, the episode’s main event is the movie premiere for Kinsey’s movie “The Splattering.” It’s a good tool and event to check in on the characters such as Scot, who quit his job at the ice cream parlor to focus on the final cut of the film and his new friendship with another girl. It’s also where a murder happens, not on the silver screen when Eden (possessed by a demon) kills a concession stands guy, and Gabe (actually Dodge) has to help clean up her mess. It feels a little Scooby-Doo since Nina catches them sliding the body into another room, but with the help of the Anywhere Key, it magically turns back into the movie theatre. Having Nina question her sanity in what she just saw gives the audience the idea that she may be able to remember more than we thought she would. Since it was also her daughter’s boyfriend that she saw hiding the body, it may be a minute before she questions Kinsey about it.
4. Memory Loss
Speaking of memory loss, it seems that being an adult in this show starts as soon as you turn 18 or are on the verge of it. While talking with his girlfriend about the movie and how Scot and Kinsey used the keys for certain special effects, she becomes visibly confused and unaware of what he is talking about. Despite Tyler just starting a fire for them with the key she had forgotten all about the magic that the keys possessed. Tyler realizes that she turns 18 in a few weeks, and the idea of magic is already starting to slip from her memories. It also becomes a countdown for himself because he turns 18 in a few months, so it’s only a matter of time before magic may be out of his life for good as well.
5. Gabe & Eden
As we watch the Locke kids play around with the keys and deal with their personal issues, we also get to see what Gabe and Eden are up to and create their sinister plans to get the keys. Since Gabe is actually Dodge, the power dynamic is clear with Eden as the lackey for everything they do. After the incident at the movie theatre, Gabe is quick to remind Eden that she can die while Dodge is an echo and can only be imprisoned back into the well. In the episode’s final minutes, we realize that they have found a way to create a Skull Key of their very own. They used some of the grey stones that came out of the Black Door and melted it down, which leads the audience to believe that all of the keys we have seen thus far come from this mysterious place. It’s also worth mentioning that Gabe and Eden say the word “demon” during one of their spats, leading to a much more supernatural element in the show and continuing this darker tone for the season.
