LOCKE & KEY (S:2). Where Are the Keys For Chrissakes?

After watching the first season of Locke & Key, I was already skeptical about a continuation, and to be honest, I completely forgot about the second one. The further fate of the Locke family was totally indifferent to me. The mystery behind the character from the well didn’t make me think about it day and night, and the subsequent failed seasons of Riverdale and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina only confirmed my belief that it’s hard to make a good teen thriller series that doesn’t eventually fall into self-parody and absurdity. Does Netflix’s continuation fare much better than the previous season?

WARNING – SPOILERS AHEAD!

In my opinion, it’s even worse than before. My main complaint is that it’s boring, and the mystery behind the magical keys has been pushed to the background, buried under a ton of pseudo-intellectual nonsense and endless exposition. After the first season, I had a glimmer of hope for change, sparked by its rather lukewarm reviews, but nothing has changed in that regard. It’s as if the creators decided that sticking tightly to so-called safe choices was the best move, where every risky step – one that could have made this production at least bearable – was automatically rejected.

I’m sure some people will say: but this season is darker, a lot of weird stuff happens, and overall it’s much better to watch than the first one. Well, I disagree. Throwing in a few darker scenes doesn’t make the show better. It just makes it an average production that hides its narrative shortcomings, stupid plot twists, and the fact that it’s extremely boring behind a darker tone.

On the positive side, the first part of the season, when the main characters are enjoying the summer and using the keys, is at least somewhat interesting. I really like the idea of exploring the powers of the mysterious keys. That was one of the few elements from the first season that was genuinely good both narratively and visually. I think that instead of the typical kids versus evil story, the show could have gone more in the direction of exploring the magic behind the whole thing.

I realize that, as in every show like this, everything must eventually lead to a final battle between good and evil, but honestly, I’d rather watch ten hours of a slow-paced series in the style of Call Me by Your Name, with the keys as the main focus. Maybe I’m getting old, but instead of an epic battle, I prefer mysteries, surprises, and the stories behind magical objects. Unfortunately, the second season focuses primarily on cheap thrills, which for most of the time is extremely irritating.

As for the main villain, I expected more. Dodge – the mysterious character from the well located at the Locke family’s house – even though she was a typical villain, surprised me in the finale of the first season. It turns out she’s one of those characters who talk a lot but secretly pull the strings from behind the scenes, and no one even realizes it. I had serious doubts [spoiler] about whether she could pull it off in the guise of one of the main heroine’s boyfriends, Gabe. And unfortunately, she didn’t.

That’s a general problem with young actors. You can tell they’re trying hard, but they lack experience and that certain something that makes you want to watch them on screen. And speaking of the main antagonist, I actually preferred her version from the first season, even though, as I mentioned in my review, it wasn’t an ideal role. Back then, she reminded me at times of Famke Janssen from Hemlock Grove. However, compared to Gabe from the second season, that was practically the role of a lifetime. Dodge is a ruthless, beautiful, and hypnotic woman who knows how to dress and how to defeat her enemies.

Her new version, on the other hand, is just a pompous teenage jerk you’d rather punch in the face to make him calm down than run away from in fear. Maybe that was the creators’ intention, but I felt more of a Batman v Superman vibe, where Jesse Eisenberg’s overacted, almost caricatural villain was more silly than scary. The same applies here in the new season of Locke & Key. The Locke family’s enemy is a sulky teenager planning to build an army and take over the world. Nothing we haven’t seen before.

And speaking of the antagonist’s plan, the plot this season focuses mainly on stopping them, which makes the whole thing feel quite chaotic. Unfortunately, the scenes of the kids fighting the villain come off rather weak compared to the story of the keys and the portal to the demon world. It’s a shame the creators don’t focus more on those threads, which are far more interesting than the main storyline. The keys themselves are a huge missed opportunity. I’ve seen opinions that they’re shown more as cool superpowers for kids than as tools that could make the whole second season much more engaging.

For example, take the key that lets you talk to the dead. It sounds incredibly creative, but the creators do nothing interesting with it. The same goes for the key that allows you to enter someone’s subconscious. There are many such elements, but they’re all pushed aside, because the main focus is stopping the teenager who wants to take over the world. To sum up, the new season of Locke & Key has its moments, but the more interesting aspects we explore in the first episodes are completely sidelined as the season goes on. And yes, I realize that subsequent seasons of shows are usually bigger in scale and scope, but even knowing what’s supposed to come next, I’m not at all interested in continuing.

Although the source material offers plenty of creative freedom, those responsible for the production decided to take the safe (read: boring) route. It’s hard to watch because there are simply shows out there that do this much better. I’m disappointed that so many great elements got lost in such an uninteresting story. And I don’t think the already confirmed third season will change that. If you liked the first season, you’ll probably like the second one too. But if you were hoping the creators would raise the bar, you’ll be sorely disappointed. For me, it was a few wasted hours I’ll never get back.