Welcome back to Matheson. As Multiversity’s resident “Locke & Key” fanatic, I was eager to open the door to Keyhouse, and unlock its every shadowy secret. It turns out, this Netflix adaptation of one of my favorite comics has made a lot of changes. But I’m in it until the Omega Door dear reader, and I hope to find some insight into what works and what doesn’t on the latest Netflix adaptation. So won’t you join me as we watch Locke & Key’s second episode, “Trapper/Keeper.”
1. The Riffel Rule
Though it is not yet identified by name, we open the second episode with the Riffel Rule, the enchantment that prevents adults from remembering the magic of Keyhouse. It’s pretty startling, but not played for abject horror. Nina just completely glazes over and forgets everything that happened with the mirror in the last episode. But instead of spending the episode grappling with the emotional punch of your mom getting memory wiped this episode is just about… stuff. Like, events happen but we are really suffering from the patented Netflix Pacing Problem™.
This immediately turns into one of those shows where no one talks to anyone about anything. The four major Locke characters (Bode, Kinsey, Tyler, and Nina) barely interact throughout this episode, and when they do, it’s pretty unpleasant. The key stuff in this episode is pretty limited, and its only in the final moments that Bode figures out how to use the Head Key (which, judging by the title, will be the subject of episode 3). In a more traditional network show, there are Monster of the Week episodes and Myth Arc episode (to borrow a term from the X-Files). In Locke & Key terms, that means that every episode should either feature a Key adventure, or the kids learning a secret of Keyhouse. Despite rocketing through the plot of the entire first book in one episode, not a lot is accomplished in episode 2.
2. Meet Ellie Whedon
We do get introduced to some pretty important players though. Ellie Whedon is one of them and yes, she is named after Joss Whedon. Whedon’s “Astonishing X-Men” was really hot when the “Locke & Key” comic was first revealed, and Joe Hill had references to that series, and the works of Garth Ennis and Grant Morrison among others. So far, Ellie just seems to be an angelic neighbor type, but she clearly knows a bunch about Nina’s deceased husband Rendell, and his childhood friends including his BFF Lucas Caravaggio who gets ominously name dropped.
It’s notable that in the show Ellie is played by Sherri Saum, when in the comic Ellie was white. I point this out not to be one of those butthurt internet racists (and indeed let me be clear: fuck those guys) but to draw attention to an element of the story in the comic. “Locke & Key” was extremely heavy handed with how it dealt with racism, homophobia, and bigotry. And Ellie was at the center of a lot of that story. As in the show, Ellie dated Lucas when they were kids, and Ellie’s racist mother abused her horribly, in part because Lucas is Italian. Ellie’s mother tried to isolate her from her non-WASP friends, and that’s at the core of a lot her her motivation. Sherri Saum is a fantastic character actor, so I’m excited to see what she makes of the role, but I hope the show remembers to write a character for her. It’s cool to make changes, but taking out a major subplot and replacing it with nothing is a questionable decision.
We also meet one of my favorite characters from the comics, Rufus Whedon. Again, lots of changes here. Comic Rufus is a young teen, on the spectrum, and a target of his grandmother’s horrific abuse. Here, he’s the groundskeeper of Keyhouse and seems to be the keeper of a whole lot of keys. The magical-disabled-character is a Stephen King tradition, and while Joe Hill does a marginally better job than his dad, Rufus walks a pretty thin line. Still, a couple of specific details really helped make Rufus a three dimensional character and helped connect him to my family experience with autism. Actor Coby Bird brings a lot of charisma to the part, so I find TV Rufus to still be pretty lovable. But I hope he doesn’t go full Dick Hallorann, and gets to have a character arc of his own.
Continued below3. Dodge International
Last episode our nameless antagonist (who I am going to call by her most frequently used comics name Dodge) got the Anywhere Key. This episode, we get to see what an experienced Key Keeper can do, and it’s pretty rad. She goes on an international crime spree, stealing expensive clothes, jewelry, and money. It’s a fun sequence! But it’s not scary? I’m trying to adjust to the tone, but I think it’s kind of muddled. There’s the weird scene where she picks up a random French dude, makes out with him in their underwear and then chokes him to death extremely quickly. I think it was supposed to be unsettling but it just made me giggle. It was unmotivated, but not disturbingly so.
Later in the episode, Bode tries to catch her with a bear trap. This was actually the biggest scare of the episode. Not anything that Dodge does, just watching this little kid play with such a dangerous toy. The trap plan is a bust because Dodge isn’t a Looney Tune, and then she starts to choke Bode in a similar way to how she coked the French guy she was bedding? Weird vibes show, weird vibes.
4. Savini Faux Pas
Jury is out for me on this whole Savini club. It sits a little bit weirdly, but it seems to be done with affection. Like, none of these teens read as believable to me, but none of the teens on Buffy ever felt real to me either, and I do love me some Buffy. I guess the question is whether or not I like these kids, and I am still not sure. It’s also weird to have this meta-horror element… but not really any real horror elements? Maybe it would make more sense if they were trying to make the new Goonies? Or if the show fully embraced the meta and they were all obsessed with Stranger Things?
It’s hard to know who to be frustrated with though. Scot is doing his best to be friendly with the new girl (and pretty transparently trying to get in her pants). He didn’t have the good sense not to take the murder survivor to a horror movie screening. But then Kinsey, trying to be cool, asks to star in their amateur splatter flick? And surprising no one except for all the characters on the show, it does not go well, and covering her in blood triggers a PTSD panic attack. And sure, Kinsey said she was cool with it, but come on guys! Actually, having this little sense is very teenager.
5. Hot Rendell Summer
I’m ragging a lot on the show, and I think my biggest problem is the writing. I’m pretty pleased with the cast though, who I think are doing an admirable job. One actor really sticks out as incongruous to me though, and that’s Bill Heck as Rendell Locke. We see Rendell in his element here, bossing around his son as the school guidance counselor. It’s an incredibly bad move on Rendell’s part (don’t mix work and family stuff together like that my dude) but the part that throws me off is how hot Rendell is. He looks like peak hotness Luke Perry. And his dialogue makes him sound like Michael Bluth, it’s incredibly disconcerting.
Tyler of course, does not react well to being bossed around by his dad at school. Their conversation starts out well enough, Rendell trying to appeal to Tyler’s leadership skills to befriend Sam Lesser. We know (though the characters don’t), that Sam is gonna eventually murder Rendell, but the line gets crossed when Rendell pulls the, “Actually, I’m not asking” card. It’s a lousy guidance counselor move, and an even worse dad move.
Later in the episode, Tyler continues to be extremely unlikable. I guess that’s his journey. It’s how he’s processing trauma. But man, it was hard to watch. He doesn’t support his siblings, hangs out with the worst kids in school, and gets caught up in the most hackneyed booze shoplifting scheme. He gives his mom the cold shoulder, when clearly she’s the one going through it the hardest. And when he finally wises up to how awful his new friends are, he keys their car for parking in the handicapped space. Way to be an ally Tyler.
I really hope these characters shape up soon. This cast is too good to give them such lousy material.
