‘Locke & Key’ Season 2 Ending Explained: A Fantastical Final Battle
(Warning: This post contains major spoilers for “Locke & Key” Season 2.)
Season 2 of “Locke & Key” delivered just as much action-packed adventure, heartwarming moments and wild plot twists as the first one. Most importantly, the sophomore season introduced some major changes that set an interesting stage for the Netflix fantasy series’ third — and possibly final — season.
With much more at stake than when they first moved into Keyhouse in Matheson, Mass., the trio of Locke children — Tyler (Connor Jessup), Kinsey (Emilia Jones) and Bode (Jackson Robert Scott) — had to figure out a lot of new keys on the fly in Season 2. Familiar faces like mom Nina (Darby Stanchfield) and uncle Duncan (Aaron Ashmore), as well as friends like Scott (Petrice Jones), Doug (Jesse Camacho), Zadie (Asha Bromfield) and Logan (Eric Graise), returned to the imaginative fantasy story, some with more knowledge about magic and Dodge than others. And speaking of Dodge, Tyler and Kinsey’s respective love interests — Jackie (Genevieve Kang) and Gabe (Griffin Gluck) — returned as well, but Gabe definitely had more than a romantic relationship on his mind. Enter Eden (Hallea Jones) as Gabe’s, aka Dodge’s, new demonic sidekick, and this second chapter of the Lockes’ story packed a powerful punch.
Even more layers of Matheson and the Lockes’ history unfolded with the help of the town’s newest residents, The Bennetts. Josh (Brendan Hines) chose to move to Matheson with his daughter Jamie (Leishe Meyboom), who befriends Bode, after the death of his wife and Jamie’s mother. Josh teaches history at the boarding school, and his ancestors actually interacted with those of the Lockes.
Since Season 2 ended on an actual “Cliffhanger,” which was the title of the final episode, fans probably have a ton of questions about where the show is headed. Below, TheWrap will do its best to answer them.
Will Dodge be back?
Dodge — at least in the form of Gabe and her original personality (Laysla De Oliveira) — has been defeated after that fantastical final battle. But that doesn’t mean the mysterious blue door demons have left Matheson for good. Eden summons the echo of Captain Frederick Gideon, who killed Peter Locke way back in the day, to serve as she did for Dodge. Unfortunately for Eden, Captain Gideon has his own plan in mind, and it doesn’t involve her. Last we see of him for now, he picks up Eden, drops her down the well and uses the Anywhere key to avoid crossing the Wellhouse threshold, which he can’t do, as an echo of the real Captain Gideon. So much for “happily ever after” with those keys.
What about the Keepers of the Keys?
In several crazy turns of events, we unfortunately lose Erin Voss (Joy Tanner) in the battle for the keys (new and old), but Ellie Whedon (Sherri Saum) somehow returns from beneath the sea cave and the blue omega door opening. It seems like Uncle Duncan becomes an honorary key keeper since he gets his memories of magic back. The Locke children have also definitely earned their spots.
Who is leaving and who is here to stay?
Tyler Locke has decided to forgo using the newly discovered memory key like Uncle Duncan did. At the end of Season 2, he leaves to travel for Winter Break, and his siblings hint that he will turn 18 soon. Jackie, Tyler’s girlfriend, demonstrated what starts to happen with memories of magic and keys when she turned 18 earlier on in the show, and although it is not explicitly said, it seems like Tyler wants to forget magic as well. In one of the saddest scenes of the season, the Lockes lose Jackie, even though Tyler poured every ounce of himself into a key that would reverse the effects of Gabe’s demon key, to which Jackie had fallen prey.
In the midst of the siege on Dodge and her minions, Scott reveals to Kinsey that he actually did get accepted to the prestigious film program that he hints at applying to earlier on in the show, so it looks like he’s headed there. As for the rest of the crew, including Eden, things seem pretty up in the air.
When will Season 3 come out?
Netflix has not announced an official release date for Season 3 of “Locke & Key,” but the show did get renewed for a third season at the same time that season 2 was announced. According to Connor Jessup’s Instagram, filming for Season 3 has already wrapped.
How many keys are there now?
According to my calculations, there are now 20 keys. Season 1 introduced us to the “Anywhere,” “Mirror,” “Head,” “Ghost,” “Music Box,” “Plant,” “Matchstick,” “Mending” “Crown of Shadows,” “Omega,” “Echo” and “Identity” keys. Season 2 added several more keys to the mix, including the “Hercules,” “Small World,” “Memory,” “Chain,” “Demon,” “Alpha” and “Angel” keys.
Season 2 of “Locke & Key” — which was unlocked on Oct. 22 — is now streaming on Netflix.
