Review: Locke & Key Season 2, Episode 1: The Premiere

Now, I'm not usually one for teen dramas (well, aside from The Vampire Diaries), but I have to admit that I'm really enjoying Netflix's new-ish original series Locke & Key. I mean, magical keys and well monsters? It's a pretty original premise. And, although I could do without the teen relationship drama and moodiness, it's a creative show with interesting plots and fantastic special effects. What else can you ask for?

In case you need a recap, Locke & Key follows a family that returns to their ancestral home after their father is murdered. While settling in to their new home in New England, the Locke family discovers their family's long history with magical keys, and many magical trails and tribulations ensue. I recently finished watching season one of the show, so I was glad to see that a second season had been recently released. 

So far, I have to say that season two is off to a good start. I thought that season one had a slow start, so I was delighted to see that season two hit the ground running. Seriously, the writers of Locke & Key managed to cram a whole lot of plot into 53 minutes. 

That being said, I have to say that I found all the teen romance plots in this episode very boring. I don't really care about Kinsey's relationship with Gabe or with Scot, and I'm equally uninterested in Tyler and Jackie's romance. None of these characters have any on-screen chemistry with each other as far as I can tell. I also don't really care that Scot may or may not be returning to England. Maybe this is an unpopular opinion, but I find him to be a fairly forgettable character. Aside from his interest in films and horror, he doesn't really have any other personality traits. In my opinion, he could easily leave the cast without damaging the show.  

The only interesting thing to happen in any of these relationships was Jackie forgetting about the existence of the keys. At least now we know that Nina is not alone in that problem! I am a little confused that the Locke siblings seem to think that all adults forget about the magic. Clearly both Ellie and their father remembered the magic. We also know that Rendell's other surviving friends remembered the keys, although the siblings don't necessarily know that. So, it seems pretty weird that they assume Tyler will eventually forget. I do hope that the show explores this phenomenon in a little more detail. It's an interesting little mystery! 

On the other hand, Gabe/Dodge really stole the show in this episode. I guess that shouldn't be surprising since Dodge was far and away the most interesting part of season one. I feel like we're finally getting to explore Dodge's motives and goals in this episode, which is fascinating. It finally feels like we're learning something about the world behind the Omega door and the creatures that live there. I found the whispering metal and the creation of the key particularly interesting. It's also pretty enjoyable to watch Dodge boss Eden around; she remains an annoying character, even while possessed by demons. I guess some things never change. 

In terms of the Lockes themselves, I found the Locke siblings to be a little boring in this episode (with the exception of Bode; Bode could never be boring. He's easily my favorite character on this show). Although, I have to say that I'm impressed by the comfy setup inside Kinsey's head. I would hang around in my own mind too if I could walk on water and float around in a cute little swan boat. All and all however, I wasn't too interested in Kinsey and Tyler in this episode. I assume that the show is trying to indicate that they've moved on with their teenage lives, but that's not particularly fun to watch in my opinion. If I were them, I would have been far more interested in the giant rat skull Bode found. It would have made for a more stimulating conversation than college admissions!

I'm also curious to see if Uncle Duncan brings any interesting new plot lines into the show. The writers didn't really give him anything to do in season one, so I wonder if he'll contribute anymore when he's living in Key House. It would certainly be interesting if he regained his memories and was able to offer insight into the magic keys. 

Overall, I did like that this episode was framed around the premiere of the Savini Squad's movie. It was a nice carry over from season one, and a good event to structure the episode around. Plus, it was fun to see all the characters coming together to watch the movie. This was a good first episode; I'm looking forward to watching the rest of the season!

Rating: 7/10