Locke & Key, review of the second season of the Netflix original fantasy

Locke & Key

We had got to see the first season of Locke & Key even in the pre-covid 19 era, back in February 2020, when the stories of the three brothers Locke, Tyler, Kinsey and Bode, had appeared for the first time on Netflix screens in this series. original. At the time he had not really convinced us, amidst the lights and shadows of this dark fantasy series with a slightly excessive do-goodness.

The first season had ended leaving some issues open and creating a clear cliffhanger with the second season, due out on Friday 22 October, complete with all ten episodes and of which the third is already in production. Let's discover together then, without excessive anticipation, the events of the continuation of this story, taken from a series of graphic novels written by Joe Hill and with drawings born from the mind and hand of Gabriel Rodriguez.

Locke & Key, personality exchanges and new relationships

First of all, it is good to specify that the first episode is connected directly and in total continuity with the finale of the previous season, so let's recover together with what we saw last year. Based on the story of a house populated by magical keys, which turn out to be able to make changes to the lives of the protagonists in a not indifferent way, the first season ended with the discovery by the brothers and their friends of a sort of magical passage, into which they threw Dodge / Echo to get rid of it, at least in appearance. In fact, the spectators of the first season have learned well that the keys are capable of transforming even people and their appearance, therefore they have not at all got rid of enemy number one, on the contrary. Echo has taken the place of Kinsey's boyfriend, Gabe, and another demon has managed to get out of the portal, taking possession of Eden, a friend of our heroes, and the two now plot together behind each other's back to eliminate the Lockes.

Meanwhile, Nina, the Locke's mother, had proposed to the family to leave the Keyhouse, the magical and haunted house in Lovecraft, Massachussets, where they had moved after the death of their father, but the three children are now well set in this place, not only because they are curious to use the different keys to their liking, but also for their love and friendship lives that are developing. The series restarts precisely from these events, where the young Kinsey is promoting the film she made with her friends, while her brother just wants to spend time with his girlfriend and little Bode tests the new powers he is conquering thanks the use of keys.

How to change

This season, however, we are witnessing several changes, not only physical: if it is true that Kinsey has changed the color of her hair and the actress who plays Eden has changed, we can finally see how the use of magic is now broader. Not only the younger protagonists, but also the adults now become more active from this point of view and new roles are consequently assumed by some characters, fundamental to reconstruct the past of Rendell Locke, the missing father of the three brothers. Meanwhile, his wife is the protagonist in turn of a potential new relationship with Josh Bennett (Brendan Hines), a man extremely passionate about the history of the Locke and all their mysterious past. Could it be the right "key" for her to be able to reopen her heart in a peaceful way, or will this encounter bring new misadventures and pitfalls?

Not only the ex-wife, but also Rendell's brother Duncan (Aaron Ashmore), whom we knew very little about, is now ready to help his nephews against Dodge, having announced immediately in the season premiere her upcoming marriage to partner Brian. Alongside these novelties at the plot level, the story gets complicated and becomes decidedly more interesting and succulent: the three Locke brothers are increasing their powers, they are called to become the keepers of the keys and, consequently, great responsibilities derive from great powers. . Followed by big problems to face.

The second season now out allows us to witness a quite evident change in his tone of voice: if in the first season the tones were a little warmer and closer to those of a classic teen adventure, now the plot and the events take on a very different aspect and the atmospheres become even darker. Enemies grow even stronger, the stakes for the Locke brothers rise, with necessary and inevitable losses along the way. On the other hand, the number of keys also increases, being able to create new ones, and the demons who are entering the scene can't wait to grab them. A series of new elements, therefore, quite adrenaline-pumping, which however led us to a finale not up to the depth that the season was acquiring, episode after episode, leaving us a bit of a bitter taste on the last sprint and some doubts about how events can develop further.

In conclusion

This second season of Locke & Key certainly involved us more than the previous one, bringing characters to the screen who are still young and fresh, but more adults and grown up than last year. Their emotions are always perceptible and the dramas deriving from the new responsibilities, and their consequences, are clear and palpable, thus leading to an overall result that is not entirely exceptional, but much better than the previous season. Even the issues dealt with are important and delicate, first of all that of loss, people and memories, making us even escape a few tears. All assumptions that lead us to await the third season with high enough expectations and no less high curiosity.