'Locke & Key' Episode 3 Review: Magic is properly unlocked, bringing a sense of joy and wonder
Spoiler alert for 'Head Games' - Episode 3 of 'Locke & Key'
One of the most fun elements of a fantasy story is when it introduces something you desperately wish you had in real life. With the introduction of the Head Key, 'Locke & Key' has done just that. It's also a wonderfully convenient storytelling device - another thing that good fantasy stories tend to have an intriguing variety of - as a look through the Lockes' memories highlights just how close the family is, and how much their father meant to them.
We get a literal look inside the minds of two of the Lockes this episode - Bode's (Jackson Robert Scott) and Kinsey's (Emilia Jones) - and both are fun interpretations of the characters. There are also a few touching scenes of Rendell Locke (Bill Heck) retelling stories to his children - it's obvious that the Lockes had a lot of love for each other.
This is the first time we really get to see the Locke children as a team. Now that they've decided to accept that magic is somehow a part of their lives, they come together in a way that's quite endearing. Tyler (Connor Jessup) may have wanted some distance, but protecting his family is very obviously his priority.
The episode also gives us a look at another key - one that lets Bode project his spirit through the grounds of the house. Having been slow to really go all in on its own magical premise, once the show goes all in on it, the sense of wonder that it brings about is beautiful - it's everything you want from a fantasy series. Now that magic has been ulocked, as it were, it's a joy to see it so fully expressed. As Bode perhaps puts it best - "What's the point of having magical keys if we can't even use them?"
All episodes of Season 1 of 'Locke & Key' are now available to stream on Netflix.