This recap of Locke & Key contains spoilers, so reader discretion is advised. Welcome back to another recap of season two of Locke & Key, the show based on the comic book series by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodríguez. Last episode, Godge (Griffin Gluck) killed Erin in a maze (Joy Tanner ).
Related: Locke & Key Recap: (S02E06) “The Maze”
“All of this ends today.”
Our episode begins with Duncan (Aaron Ashmore), Tyler (Connor Jessup), Kinsey (Emilia Jones) and Bode (Jackson Robert Scott) burning Erin’s belongings. Duncan’s gonna deal with telling Nina (Darby Stanchfield) what happened to Erin. Kinsey says Erin was such a good person, and Tyler says she didn’t deserve what happened to her. And, while it’s true that none of the OG Keepers of the Keys deserved what happened to them … was Erin an especially nice person? I don’t know.
Scot (Petrice Jones) arrives at Keyhouse with his film equipment and gives Kinsey a big ole hug of condolence, while Tyler awkwardly watches in the background.
Nina exits the house and tells Scot how great it is to see him again. Nina pulls Duncan aside to ask where Erin is. His grand plan was just to tell Nina that Erin left the night before with a “Kthanxbai.”
Next, The four Locks + Scot are staring at the well house, asking each other if they’re clear on the plan. Everyone’s psyching each other up. So, if Godge is thrown into the well house, he’ll vanish into nothing. That’s why Dodge (Laysla De Oliveira) needed the Anywhere Key to escape out of the storage closet in the well house last season. (Godge currently has the Echo Key, right?)
“They have Keys they can use as weapons.”
Duncan’s not 100 percent on their plan either, since it doesn’t give him a lot to do. But, considering he’s what Godge is after, he needs to just wait around. Kinsey is v confident in their plan because they have the element of surprise on their side.
Over at the dorms, Evil-den (Hallea Jones) is once again questioning Godge’s naïveté. Does he really think they just want to film the sequel? Godge says no matter what they’ll planning, it gets him one step closer to Duncan.
Evil-den begs him to at least have a backup plan, but Godge has a couple, albeit convoluted, ones. He’s bringing all his Keys (except for the Echo Key … OK, so he does have it). Evil-den is not impressed: If she were in charge, they’d already have Duncan at the blacksmithery the Forge.
The two demons go back and forth a bit about who’s the bigger dumb dumb, whether the Lockes are on to Godge or not, how much Godge actually lurves Kinsey, blah blah blah. Godge wins this round and sends Evil-den off to get their “test subject.”
Elsewhere on campus, Mansplaining Weasel’s (Brendan Hines) in his office, and he receives an email from a burner address telling him they know who stole his precious. He tells Jamie (Liyou Abere) he’s got a quick errand to run, which means she’s alone with the dollhouse.
Mansplaining Weasel rushes up to Brinker (Kolton Stewart) and Javi (Kevin Alves) and announces that he got an anonymous tip that Brinker knows about his precious family heirloom. Brinker assures his professor that he has no idea what he’s talking about, while Javi sniggers on the other side of the foosball table.
So, then Mansplaining Weasel threaten to get Javi kicked off the hockey team for his little trick. Yeesh. This is all low, even for him. He throws something on the table, like a toddler. Nina witnesses part of his tantrum. She asks if he’d like to go have a chat.
“If I talk about it, you’ll think I’ve lost my mind.”
He tells her about the stolen Whispering Iron, though obviously doesn’t name it as such. She speaks to him as though he were a child, like “Yes, I’d be upset about that too. It’s clearly important to you.” lololololol.
But, Mansplaining Weasel doesn’t wanna share because he’s pretty sure she’ll think he’s lost his marbles, rather than a family heirloom. She’s all, I think you’ve forgotten how incredibly low my standards are.
So, he describes the Whispering Iron and says it’s been passed down along with his ancestor’s journal entry, which details where the Iron object came from. I find it funny that he keeps calling this person his ancestor and not “Great-great-great whatever.” In the grand scheme of things, the Revolutionary War was not that long ago.
Well, Mansplaining Weasel does tell Nina all about the journal and how it details the opening to the world Beyond. And that he thinks the iron is the key (hehe) to opening the door. Nina doesn’t judge him but assumes that he’s basically just coping with his wife’s death by looking for the supernatural. She also moved to Matheson to seek the answers about her husband’s death.
It seems that that is part of why Mansplaining Weasel wants to know there’s something being this world. She tells him, like Joe Ridgeway (Steven Williams) told her last season, that “It’s OK to lose yourself a little if you find yourself again.”
“What were we even doing again?”
Back at Keyhouse, Kinsey’s pacing her room. Scot joins her, and she gives him an out; he doesn’t have to be there for this showdown. He stays. She thanks him. They kiss.
Godge arrives with Evil-den. For kids supposedly interested in making student films, none of these characters can act. Evil-den barely pretends she’s there to help. Kinsey barely conceals her discomfort.
Scratch that, Bode is keeping it together just a little bit. Tyler, Evil-den and Bode head to the kitchen to work on craft services.
Godge won’t stop talking about, asking about Duncan. Dude. Duncan was barely around last season. He moved in towards the end of the summer. There is no way a real teenager would care this much. Godge, you have no chill.
Upstairs, Scot and Godge kiss and makeup and get ready to film the first scene. Godge then realizes it’s just the three of them. He asks where the rest of the crew is, and luckily, Scot and Kinsey do have excuses at the ready.
“Try and keep your eye on the grape.”
In the kitchen, Evil-den grabs a beer out of the fridge, and Tyler says, “Those are my uncle’s,” as if that would stop a demon from taking the booze as if a demon taking his uncle’s booze is their biggest worry.
Evil-den’s about to go upstairs when Bode distracts her with a magic trick. The trick is really just a distraction to give Jamie time to use the Small World Key to trap Evil-den in a water glass.
The Locke brothers are a bit too confident and Tyler goes upstairs, leaving Bode with Evil-den. Tee hee. They bring back the “Aloha” flipping-off joke from season one, but I guess Bode’s learned that it’s not a pleasantry.
Back upstairs, the Savinis are rehearsing. And Scot’s dialogue is on the nose. The scene is apparently all about seeing through to the real “Nethropida.” Tyler and Duncan are creepily peeping the rehearsal.
In the kitchen, Bode is taunting Evil-den, who starts punching away at the glass. Someone’s been working on her jabs … she cracks the glass. Bode screams for Jamie to hold on to the cup. Serious question: Why didn’t Jamie just squish Evil-den?
Scot’s still stalling for time and utters the most British of sentences: “Bollocks. I’ve left my light metre in my camera bag.” Tyler offers to retrieve it for him.
“How do you feel, Nephropida?”
Tyler uses the Anywhere Key to open Kinsey’s room to the well house. Kinsey’s just about to Chain Key Godge when a damned bird flies through the newly opened door, which clues Godge into what’s what. Kinsey immediately reacts by tackling Godge. He turns demon-face and yells, “You b****!” in his demon voice.
Then, because he’s the worst, Mansplaining Weasel comes home at the most inopportune time and drags Jamie away from the dollhouse. He doesn’t give her a chance to explain why what she’s doing is so important.
This dude is the true villain of the season. Fight me. Evil-den is more sympathetic, and people in her life are rude to her. Honestly, I’m half cheering her on half the time. And even Godge is a demon, like … can he help it? But Mansplaining Weasel is representative of a lot of what’s actually wrong with the world. The IRL horror.
Mansplaining Weasel may not kill or even hit people, but he yells, he physically pulls his daughter’s hand out of the dollhouse, he throws things at the students he’s meant to watch over. Ugh. I cannot stand him.
Also, everything else that transpires next is literally his fault. So, the Mansplaining Weasel takes the Small World Key out of the dollhouse. Evil-den is free.
“Ah, the man of the hour.”
Meanwhile, Godge has fought Scot, Kinsey and Tyler off. He knocks Tyler out, chains Kinsey up and wants to know where Duncan is. And of course, rather than watch his niblings get murderated, Duncan turns himself over to Godge.
Scot makes a last-minute grab for the Anywhere Key, but that just draws Godge’s attention to it. And now that Key is back in Godge’s hands.
Downstairs, Bode is fighting Evil-den off with a broom. Bless this child. He’s no match for her, though. Bode runs up the stairs to try to warn his siblings but sees that things are for worse up there.
Duncan tries to Matchstick the walls, but Evil-den knocks him down, giddy that she was right about the Lockes being on to them.
Godge releases Kinsey only to ensnare Bode, then uses the Anywhere Key to drag him and Duncan to the Forge. But, he leaves Evil-den behind.
Then, Evil-den and Kinsey scream, run at each other and tumble down the stairs. Cool. Scot races down the stairs to help out. All that accomplishes is Evil-den smashing a photo and using a glass shard to threaten his neck.
“That was impressive. Seriously, masterful performances by all.”
At the Forge, Godge congratulates Duncan and Bode on their fine showing, then cuts right to the chase. Duncan tells Godge that just because he made a Key once, doesn’t ensure he can make a second one. Godge says that if Duncan fails, Bode’s a goner. Bode says he’d rather die. This kid, man.
Again, of course, Duncan is a Gay Super Uncle and would never let Bode sacrifice himself for the greater good. Godge goes so far as to promise he’ll let them both go once the Key is made. Duncan needs to know Godge’s intention to be able to make the Key.
Over at Keyhouse, Tyler and Kinsey are trying to reason with Evil-den. Bored, she slashes Scot’s arm and makes a run for it. Conveniently, Evil-den left her jacket behind. Her jacket that is filled with delivery receipts.
“60 Bear Creek Road.”
So, our three teens head off to the Forge in the cabin in the woods. The Forge where Duncan is melting the Whispering Iron while exchanging barbs with Godge. Who destroyed more? D/Godge? Or Rendell?
Duncan cannot believe that Lucas still exists somewhere within Godge. Godge calls Lucas weak. Duncan says Lucas was funny, caring and kind. Godge thinks he himself is all those things.
Bode cannot take it anymore and shouts that Godge is going to be stopped! Godge is all, Stopped like all the other times you thought you stopped me?
Godge turns his attention back to Duncan, with an, Are we there yet? And Duncan’s all, It’d go faster if you’d shut up.
Then, there are some distinctly human noises in the background. When Duncan asks Godge who’s there, he pulls a knife on him. But the knife’s just for the blood sacrifice needed to make the Key!
Meanwhile, the teen trio is 10 minutes out, according to their GPS.
“We consume the chaos.”
The Key is ready, but Godge isn’t letting anyone go until he has proof it works. Who’s the guinea pig? It’s a BIPOC, of course: Javi! Duncan is incredulous, but … why?
Still, Godge kindly explains to him that his own world is chaotic, but this world has much-untapped potential for chaos. Griffin Gluck is eating his role up this season. The sarcasm and joy he imbues the character of Godge with is hilarious.
So, Godge is giddy to find out that his new Key works. What does it do? It turns Javi into a demon. A completely obedient demon, which Godge demonstrates by having Javi smash his own head against the wall.
Godge lets Bode and Duncan go, as he said he would. Then sends Javi after them to kill ’em. Always read the fine print. So, Javi’s chasing after them in the woods. They see a road, and Duncan tells Bode they need to split up, with Bode going towards the road. Meanwhile, Duncan takes on Javi.
The teens run into (not literally) Bode, and he catches them up with the happenings. Tyler and Kinsey send Bode to wait with Scot in their getaway car.
Uncle Duncan is no match for Javi, but Tyler gets in a couple good swings. It’s Kinsey, though, who is able to knock Javi down long enough for the three of them to escape. They make it to Scot’s car. He peels out of there.
Javi chases for a few feet, then gives up. Godge isn’t too bothered. Instead, he tells Javi they’re gonna go make him some new friends.
Honestly, this episode of Locke & Key probably could have been a little tighter. The actors certainly carried the episode and made it work, despite pacing and over-saturation flaws. The concept and cast of Locke & Key is so good that I get extra frustrated by the writing that isn’t always on par. Are y’all with me on that? Click below for the next recap.
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Both seasons of Locke & Key are available now on Netflix.
Author’s note:
My recaps for season two of Locke & Key were nearly complete by the time that Netflix leadership’s transphobia came to light. While it is absolutely true that all corporations are evil to varying degrees and that everyone has their “problematic faves,” in my opinion, this situation is quite different. Netflix is an international company with a yearly revenue of $25 billion. Their behavior towards marginalized communities matters.
I am a nonbinary person. It was not an easy decision for me to post these recaps. I have canceled my personal Netflix subscription and following this season of Locke & Key recaps, will no longer be covering Netflix content, unless they change their ways. However, I believe that rather than staying silent, the most productive way to help my community at large is to publish these recaps and provide resources at the bottom of each article.
Thank you for reading.
More about the Netflix controversy:
- “Netflix trans employees and allies release a list of demands ahead of the walkout”
- “Netflix’s CEO Is Wrong. Transphobic Media Causes Real Harm“
Help save trans lives:
- Glaad’s trans resource page
- The Trevor Project
- National Black Trans Advocacy Coalition
- Transgender Law Center
- The Okra Project
https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/27-queer-content-creators-of-color-we-love-and-support/
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