'Locke & Key' Episode 2 Review: 'Trapper/Keeper' explores the Keyhouse, Matheson, and the past
Where episode 1 established a lot of the show's biggest elements, the second one lets everything slowly unfurl. It teases out the mysteries brought up last episode, and introduces one more - what secrets did Rendell Locke (Bill Heck) hide about his past?
Not everyone's all that willing to go about solving mysteries, though. Even though they've just seen an actual magic occurrence before their very eyes, Tyler (Connor Jessup) and Kinsey (Emilia Jones) would much rather just figure out high school.
Tyler's need to escape his memories - and, as revealed this episode, the more personal reasons for his guilt - has him ride along with the first bad influence to come his way. There's still hope, however, that there's enough goodness in Tyler to see him from going full jerk.
That's not a problem for Kinsey, but memories of her father's murder still haunt her as well. Her trauma is brought right to the fore with a blood soaked film shoot.
While the trigger seems a little obvious in hindsight, the scene still brings its point across effectively - try as they might, Kinsey and Tyler can't just walk away from their trauma into brand new lives. If only they can forget as easily as Nina Locke (Darby Stanchfield) forgets about magic.
The whole "adults don't see the magic the kids experience" trope is a staple of fantasy, but 'Locke & Key' has made it literal.
This puts a pretty heavy barrier between Nina and her kids - she CAN'T be a part of the main plot. The mystery of whatever secret her husband is hiding in his past feels like a consolation quest for a character who's so forcibly sidelined.
Only Bode (Jackson Robert Scott) sticks to his guns (or bear traps, as it were) to give the audience what they REALLY came to see - the search for magical keys, and confrontation with the villain!
The exploration and planning scenes with Bode are some of the most delightful of the episode - Keyhouse feels like a house that's meant to be explored, making every key uncovered that much more exciting in their uncovering.
The Well-Lady (Laysla De Oliveira), in the meanwhile, is living her best life. It's not known how long she was trapped at the bottom of the well, but she's come out with quite an appetite, in more than one sense of the word. It's rare to see a villain who has managed to win this early in a series, and gets to have fun with it.
She luxuriates in her indulgences, whether it's food, partying, or, in what feels like a shocking departure from the show's tone, murder and sex.
The episode flows smoothly out of the previous one, playing well to the bingeable nature of the Netflix format.
Where some fantasy or sci-fi shows have come to lean on episodic villains with a larger overall plot, finding a new key every episode is a lot more exciting - especially given how bizarre and different each key is.
The Head Key looks to be a lot more fun than the Mirror Key was, and its discovery is excellent proof of concept.
All episodes of 'Locke & Key are now available to stream on Netflix.