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Review: Locke & Key “Echoes” S1E9

Posted on February 15, 2020 by SHAY REVOLVER

In the beginning of “Echoes” we come full circle and through flashbacks, we see that Ellie is the one who made the call that caused the man to use the key to burn himself in the premiere. We also learn that Lucas showed up at Ellie’s right after the well lady, aka Dodge, escaped and asked her for help, which is what she was doing in the house when Nina found her a few episodes back, she was stealing a tiara “The Crown of Shadows” and, looking for one thing he couldn’t find, the key that he wanted to go along with it.

We also solve the mystery of what got Mr. Ridgeway killed, he snapped a picture of Lucas and Ellie talking on his cellphone and was going to tell Nina about it, once he got the phone, despite Ellie protesting, he killed him and tried to make it look like a suicide. Lucas then used the anywhere key to escape leaving Ellie alone there when Nina showed up and discovered the body and tried to save him while Ellie used that chance to sneak out and run home where she confronts Lucas and shoots him multiple times but, he doesn’t die because he’s an Echo. We then discover Ellie’s motivation for helping him, he threatened to kill Rufus.

Back in the present, Kinsey & Tyler finally show Bode the memory of the demon dodge and what really happened to Lucas, when Bode identifies him as Rufus’ cousin. Back at Ellie’s Lucas tasks her to search Rendell’s ashes to find the Omega Key. Bode visits Rufus and fills him in on what’s going on and Rufus, in turn, shows him the crown, setting Bode up to go on a quest to find the other key to save his family and his friend.

WHAT WORKED: Throughout the season each episode has built upon the mythology of the keys and the story from the previous episode. In “Echoes” we get a more detailed account of all of the missing pieces that bring the story for this season together, just in time for the finale. I loved the mystery based cinematography, the writing was well done and clever, the acting made me forget that I was watching a TV show and I found myself really invested in the lives of the Locke kids and the possible mental deterioration of their mom, Nina. This episode continued the trend of organically unraveling a story so that the viewer felt like a part of the story itself instead of just an observer. This episode was a good way to tie up the loose ends and lingering questions about what was going on with the keys and who Dodge was. We also learn why Mark killed himself so that Dodge couldn’t get the remaining keys by getting into his head since he hid the remaining keys. It was more than a placeholder, it was a box of index cards with a highlighter so that people would know what was up for the season finale and it was helpful & informative, while still maintaining some entertainment value.

BEST MOMENT: When Dodge gets the key, I don’t know if it was the music or the action or the sheer sinister nature of his grin and action, or a combo of all for but, it was epic evil and a nice solid way to end the episode and force you to skip the credits and intro to get right into the next episode so you could see how it ends.

BEST LINE:

“I know I should choose but, what if I didn’t?”- Kinsey to Scot and Gabe (on her having feeling for them both and deciding to be honest) then she dipped before they could answer to take a phone call and tells them to “Think about it!” as she walked away, which was a boss move, filled with self- awareness and autonomy and I loved it.

EPISODE MVP: TIE-

Bode, DUH! I mean he’s the only character in this show consistently with his head on straight, he is the stuff of Arthurian legends are made of. He’s brave, true, honest and compassionate. He’s also the only one who isn’t hellbent on using the keys for personal gain and it’s nice to see him be the voice of reason because of his age but, like his dad always said, and he reminds Kinsey & Tyler, ” I’m very discerning for my age.” Yes, you are young man. Yes, you are!

and,

Rufus! Hiding keys, watching everything, dry snitching for the benefit of his fellow man, he does the right thing, even if he’s told he shouldn’t, he’s not afraid to ask for help and he’s brave AF! He’s amazing and kind and if this was Harry Potter he’d be Gryfindor down so, I’m here for it.

OVERALL: 8.9

Review: Locke & Key “Ray of F***ing Sunshine” S1E8

Posted on February 14, 2020 by SHAY REVOLVER

In Locke & Key “Ray of F***ing Sunshine,” Lady Dodge is on a mission to use the Head Key to get into the memory of one of Rendell’s old friends and find out where they hid the key that she needs the most. Kinsey finds out that her dad and his friends were once the keepers of the keys and took their oath to keep that door lock and the world safe from Dodge very seriously. We learn that Lucas, or at least his body, is alive and well and living with Ellie and a very terrified Rufus and that Nina has a drinking problem but, her inebriated lack of inhibitions allows her to remember everything about the keys. In the aftermath of Sam dying in their house Scot forgives Kinsey for leading the Savini’s to there possible doom, and the definite loss of their equipment, in the sea cave but, things get really awkward when Gabe emerges from Kinsey’s bedroom during their reunion.

WHAT WORKED: Locke & Key is very formulaic but, still manages to have shocks and reveals. The creative team seems to be very fond of slow, emotional, story-based scenes that drag on just long enough to lull you into a false sense of security before hitting you with a new piece of information or a shock that enhances the story and pushes it along. “Ray of F***ing Sunshine” does all of the usual stuff and more, it moves slowly in the beginning as the family picks up the pieces after Sam’s break-in and dead but, it also throws everything at the viewers but the kitchen sink. This episode was full of body-swapping , head key hi-jinks, and a Lucas reveal. Ray is an episode full of crumbs that are meant to be pushed together into a delicious cookie that the writers have been slowly baking since the pilot and now everything’s set at a nice warm temp ready to eat in the final two episodes.

I DON’T TRUST IT: I thought it was sweet that Scot showed up on his lunch break, intent on starting fresh with Kinsey in the Sam aftermath but, when Gabe showed up to interrupt I thought that was a bit off and the timing was hella suspect. Between the Box/Key urging and this, I don’t trust him especially after Kinsey spilled 90% of the Key beans to him when she was venting.

BEST MOMENT: Early on in the episode, the Locke kids realize that their mom, Nina, is drinking again and her remembering the keys is an unintended side effect. While it sounds good in theory to have their mom actually able to help with all the crazy demon stuff they’re dealing with, it also kind of sucks because the only way she can do that is if she’s drunk. The kids have to have a real talk about what to do and ultimately decide that they would rather have their mom, whole and healthy, than a drunken version of her there to help them out. It was a sobering and selfless moment that showed real growth and a cohesive, unified front for the Locke kids who had been fighting their own inner battles for most of the season.

OVERALL: 8.1

Review: Locke & Key “Dissection” S1E7

Posted on February 14, 2020 by SHAY REVOLVER

There’s a whole lot of Lady Dodge in this episode of Locke & Key, not only is she serving as a distraction to Tyler in an attempt to get the head key from Tyler but, she loses the anywhere key to him in a miscalculation. She’s also about to clarify the rules for Bode and the rest of the Locke kids when she comes into the house and takes a key for herself. In a flashback heavy episode “Dissection“ shows us what lead up to Sam breaking into Locke’s house back in Seattle. We learn about how Lady Dodge turned him against his former friend and his mentor Rendell and we see the Locke family join forces to defeat the enemy in the house.

WHAT WORKED: The sheer honesty of it all. Most of the episode centered around the family and their dynamics, despite the fight that Tyler and Kinsey had earlier that day there was no question that he would defend her with his last breath, in fact, I was so wrapped up in the show and characters that all I kept thinking was, wait until Tyler comes home. When Tyler uses the anywhere key to get into the house and hears Sam’s voice, we all knew what time it was and Tyler did not disappoint, unfortunately, Sam still had the fire key and managed to escape and tie him up. I liked that Kinsey was able to tell Tyler where her keys were hidden in a way that only a sibling would get and that she chose to make sure Bode was safe instead of going for Sam’s gun when her fear attacked him. All of these little choices were so realistic and showed real love and a bond that only siblings could have and it was beautiful to watch and so flawlessly portrayed by the brilliant young actors. Locke & Key has a way of making you get emotionally involved with the Locke kids and at times you feel involved in the story like it’s a really good book.

WHAT DIDN’T: I thought that it was hella cliche that Lady Dodge’s plan to get the head key from Tyler was to seduce him. Up until that point she had been portrayed as a master of manipulation, calculated deception, brilliant plotting, and ruthless evil, knowing all of that it seems out of character for her to sleep with Tyler to get the key. There’s no way that she sincerely thought that sleeping with him would get her that key which means the sole purpose for the sexy time was to give Tyler a chance to get the anywhere key and move the story along, which considering the stellar writing everywhere else in the show seems a little lazy as far as story progression and logic. This is especially true when Lady Dodge gets the key back from Sam at the end of the episode anyway, so I don’t get why she wouldn’t just wait for Sam to do her dirty work and collect the keys later. I’m all for ancient demons getting their sexy time on but, only if they really want to and, if she was using Tyler for just sex that would have made more sense and been more in line with her actions up until that point than that convoluted plan.

BEST MOMENT: Tyler finally gets some inner peace. We learned in previous episodes that Kinsey didn’t help her parents because she was comforting and hiding Bode. Throughout the season, Kinsey has been painted as a bit of a self-centered brat but, we give her a bit of a pass because we know it’s just her trauma response and her guilt at not helping but when it comes to Tyler he’s filled with rage at not being able to defend his family. Watching him pound on the door outside his house because he lost his key as his mother is attacked and his dad is murdered is heartbreaking, it immediately had a trauma bonding effect on us all, very early on in the season. When we find out that he thinks that Sam killed his dad because he made an off-handed joke to him about swinging by his house and killing his dad first, your heart drops. But, this episode gave Tyler some comfort when he asks Sam if what he said had anything to do with him killing his dad and he asks him what he said, you can see all the heartache, pain and guilt lift from him and that was beautiful and needed. In that one moment, Tyler was able to get his head back in the game and it was realistic and honest and pure.

I FELT BAD: For Sam, when after he destroys all the good things in his life because of the things Lady Dodge told him and made him believe, as he is dying, she tells him that there was nothing special about him at all. It was kind of a gut punch because, after seeing Sam’s full story, all he wanted was someone to love and care for him and she used his vulnerability to her advantage. I still think he was trash for kidnapping the remaining members of the Locke family after killing their dad but, it’s still sad that his isolation and lack of mental health help or safeguards against his violent home life left him vulnerable to Lady Dodge.

OVERALL: 9.3

Review: Locke & Key “The Black Door” S1E6

Posted on February 14, 2020 by SHAY REVOLVER

In Locke & Key “The Black Door,” Kinsey is still fearless and reckless and Tyler is done trying to reign her in for her own good and the good of the rest of his family. Bode is trying to sort out ways to stop Lady Dodge from getting the rest of the keys now that he’s realized she can’t just take them from him. Sam is out of prison, all fired up and headed to the Key House to wreak havoc and be the bestest sidekick Lady Dodge could ask for. Kinsey tricks the film crew into going into the caves with her to film their movie’s final scenes, as a rouse to explore the black door since Tyler isn’t willing to go along with her ill-thought-out plan. Nina is still trying to sort out what Joe Ridgeway wanted to tell her the night he was murdered and thanks to some memory jars hidden in the backyard, the kids learn that their dad may or may not have been a murderer.

WHAT WORKED: The sibling dynamic, Kinsey wants to be treated as an adult, Tyler is tired of being the adult and finally decides to let go and Bode IS the only actual adult. Kinsey and Tyler are stealing dealing with the residual effects of their trauma and are acting accordingly but, throw the impending doom and teenage angst into the mix and it creates a tasty cocktail of realism. The writing in “The Black Door” is just as consistent and story progressing as the rest of the season and I like that it’s not trying to throw everything at you at once. There’s something to be said about a story that unfolds in a way where you can keep the focus on the central story and enjoy the side stories as they unravel. At its core I find that Locke & Key is a great story about a family, first and foremost, they’re just dealing with some supernatural dark stuff on top of it all and it gives what could be just another piece of teenage, supernatural fluff a real heart.

WHAT DIDN’T: I can forgive a lot of the bad choices that the Locke kids make in this show, they’re kids and kids do dumb stuff because they’re learning. Some of the adult’s actions in this show seem a little silly and off even if they can’t remember the keys. I know that in shows where kids take center stage, there is often a sense of making the adults in their world bumbling, know nothing idiots but, here the adults aren’t stupid, they’re just not clear, goal-orientated or logical in their actions and often seem like an afterthought to the writers. It’s not enough to turn me off the show but, it is enough to make you pause the few times an adult shows up in the show because it’s usually not to provide guidance but, to do something that might put the kids in danger. It’s not enough to make the show unwatchable but, it is enough to be a little annoying.

RANDOM THOUGHTS: Locke & Key seems to be the master of the slow burn, you can tell that the creative team really wants to make the decade long wait for this show something the OG comic fans can really enjoy. This was not a show made to watch, walk away and come back to, it’s a show that is specifically crafted for the binge. Individually each episode doesn’t hold it’s own because it’s meant to be consumed as a whole but, when you get to this episode and you start to see that all the pieces do fit together and the creators have made a carefully crafted and beautiful dark world, it’s easy to push through from this episode until the finale to see how it all falls into place. I really like the pacing of the series as a whole because this show was tailored to the medium that it was made for.

OVERALL: 9.0

Review: Locke & Key “Family Tree” S1E5

Posted on February 13, 2020 by SHAY REVOLVER

In “Family Tree” we see a bit of a shift and everything we thought we knew about the characters and situation gets flipped on its head. Kinsey uses her newly found key to control her new schools mean girl Eden and embarrass her in front of everybody at Gabe’s urging which leads to Scot’s disappointment. Tyler is feeling the pressure of protecting his family from a new type of danger which weighs heavy on him because of his guilt about not being able to save his dad or protect them from Sam when they were back in Seattle. Nina does a little investigation into her husband’s past and the death of Joe Ridgeway and we all know something hinky is up when she comes home and finds Ellie in her house.

WHAT WORKED: The show seems to be continuing down the path of kids will be kids and with the new key, Kinsey takes that to brutal extremes. With her fear dead and buried she’s up to all the no good without being scared of any consequences which we all know is going to spell trouble. The story moves along in a very organic way that seems effortless and keeps you interested in the lives of the Locke family members. There’s something about seeing all the ways that things could go wrong and having to hold your breath with every move the kids make, you feel like you have a stake in their lives and well being which keeps the viewer on their toes and glued to the screen.

HOT TAKE: “Hurt people, hurt people” is a saying for a reason and Kinsey is hurting but, that doesn’t give her the right to do remove Eden’s body autonomy with her puppet box and key. The way that scene was written and directed started off as simple pranking and escalated to next level creepiness, viewers were forced into a situation that we couldn’t escape from and it made us feel like participants. It was supposed to make us feel uneasy and it was shot and directed in a way that made us feel trapped in a situation that we couldn’t escape from, not as bad as Eden was but, just enough to freak us out. I commend the director, writer and DP for creating such a well thought out scene that served so many purposes.

BEST MOMENT: When Kinsey uses the Puppetmaster Key on Eden and Scot tries to call her off. Everything about Kinsey upping the ante on Eden making her do more and more outrageously humiliating things was cringe-worthy and wrong and we all wanted to stop it but, being outside the fourth wall we couldn’t but, Scot was every one of us when he urged her to stop and walked away when she wouldn’t. We all understand as outsiders looking in, knowing that she is using this newfound control as a trauma response from feeling powerless and small when her father was murdered but, there is a healthy response and a not so healthy response and her response is downright toxic. Scot choosing to walk away and remove himself from a toxic person was the best moment because he forced Kinsey, even if she was too blind to see it at the time, to deal with real-world consequences of her crappy behavior.

OVERALL: 8.6

Review: DC’S Legends of Tomorrow “Slay Anything” S5E3

Posted on February 13, 2020 by SHAY REVOLVER

Iron Heights Penitentiary 2004 Freddy Meyers is being executed for seven murders that he committed in June of 1989. As the hearse drives him from the electric chair to the morgue he awakens in the back seat, causing an accident. When the driver gets out to check on the damage, he becomes victim number eight.

Ray tries to comfort Nora who is not loving her new fairy godmother life because happiness doesn’t come from getting a pony. While B and Nate hold Zari hostage onboard, the team heads to an 80s themed prom where Ava goes all serial killer fangirl for the Prom Night Slasher and Tiffany Harper, his final girl. We find out that Mick went to school where the massacre took place. Constantine heads back to his old place with his apprentice Gary so he can get a break from the Encore issue and finds out that’s where Charlie has been hiding out. In an attempt to save Freddy from becoming a slasher, Nate and Ray go back in time to 1989 which leads Nora to end up as Freddy’s fairy godmother… What could possibly go wrong?

WHAT WORKED: In keeping with the Legends‘ tradition of framing each episode around the central theme of the time, this episode squared mostly in the ’80s is all about the slasher flick, which makes it all kinds of fun. I also liked the Friday the 13th style reveal, which the writers managed to do in a way that was original. The writers always seem to be able to find a unique twist that makes even the most predictable of plots new and exciting which is why Legends is a consistent fave of mine.

BEST MOMENT: Zari is back! And, I love that they found a way to bring her into the Legend’s fold again while giving us a full reveal of who she was to them and what happened between her and Nate before the timeline changed is sure to play out in interesting ways and I can’t wait to see how it all plays out.

EPISODE MVP: Nora. She’s been through a lot and she’s not exactly loving her new role as Fairy Godmother but, in this episode, she got to find a whole new appreciation and meanie for her Godmother gig. Being able to share her troubles and struggles with darkness and toxic parenting helped her to connect with her latest godchild in a way that only she could. I love watching her character’s evolution and everything that she brings to the table.

BEST LINE:

“…We’ve gone from Hughes to Carpenter…” – Ray (when the 80’s prom became a slasher party)

FINAL WORDS: Legends is a master at being entertaining and giving us camp, conscience and action, and this episode was no exception. This episode hit all the high notes and quality entertainment that we’ve come to know and love from the Waverider crew.

OVERALL: 8.7

Review: Locke & Key “The Keepers of the Keys” S1E4

Posted on February 11, 2020 by SHAY REVOLVER

“The Keepers of the Keys” is one of the most realistic episodes I’ve seen in a long time in a TV show. Upon finding new keys and realizing what they can do, everyone but Bode uses the Head Key exactly how you would expect teenagers entrusted with such magic to use them. Tyler crams a bunch of Parker impressing knowledge into his head and Kinsey shares her mind with Scot before snagging a kiss. But, just as you’d expect when magic and dark forces are afoot, the Well Lady aka Dodger aka the series’ big bad, shows up all over the house to reclaim the keys and terrorize the Locke family.

WHAT WORKED: While it’s not exactly rocket science, I like that the creators know what their dealing with and don’t make the Tyler and Kinsey the most responsible protectors of the keys. As usual, this role falls to Bode who doesn’t have a huge grasp of what’s going on but, knows that when a creepy lady at the bottom of the well shows up, tricks a key away from you and starts making threats, that maybe you’d better be careful. What works is Bode realistically in the situation takes on the role of guardian and investigator trying to foil Lady Dodge and find out what she’s really after.

WHAT DIDN’T: I found it completely unbelievable that Parker would ever date Tyler, no matter what trauma he faced with the loss of his father after he lied about sleeping with her best friend. I know that they need to connect to bring the story along but, I don’t think she’d warm up to him that easy after he did such a scum bag thing to someone she’s been friends with for years. It’s unrealistic and kind of left a bad taste in my mouth. It’s a fantasy series so, I’m willing to suspend reality to an extent but, I’d like to think in any reality or genre that knowing a little bit about Jane Austen would be enough to forgive such a trash mammal action.

BEST MOMENT: Bode standing up to Lady Dodge and figuring out every bit of knowledge he can about the Matheson house to combat the evil that is on the way. I especially liked him forming an alliance with Rufus that is full-on friendship.

OVERALL: 8.7

Review/Recap: DC’s Legends of Tomorrow “Miss Me, Kiss Me, Love Me” S5E2

Posted on February 11, 2020 by SHAY REVOLVER

Since the second episode of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow season 5 didn’t air as promised because of the State of the Union, the CW slipped it on Sunday night with little fanfare. Luckily, I have Legends on my DVR’s always record list, so It was nice to see this episode when I came up for air after binging on Locke & Key. It also means that we get TWO episodes of Legends this week.

In “Miss Me, Kiss Me, Love Me“ the Legends are on the hunt for the evil fresh from hell released souls. Constantine visits Astra in Hell and she is living her best demon life, living for all the power that she’s getting from the corruption her released serial killer souls are causing. Nate is trying to find a way to replay the secret message from Zari that no one remembers but him and he goes to meet Z’s family with her brother, Behrad, who has taken her place on the ship and in the team’s mind. This makes things hella awkward when Zari shows up and is a social media celebrity and not a figment of Nate’s imagination like everyone thought.

While Ava & Rory stay on the ship to provide “support,” Sara, Ray & Constantine, head to 1947 Los Angeles on the hunt for this episode’s encore, Bugsy Siegel and the latest timequake who’s using hellfire to take over the city after coming back from the dead. The 1947 members of the team find themselves working as PI’s to help hide out Bugsy’s girlfriend who is very afraid of him and his new powers so Ava and Rory get to join the mission.

WHAT WORKED: This episode was a beautifully crafted camped up film noir complete with double-crosses and more femme fatales than you could shake a stick at. It was so well written and cohesive that even in the scenes where Nate and B are in the future/past with B’s family the social media lite version of Z is acting hella femme fatalesque in her mission to find out what her brother is really up to.

Legend‘s manages to build a believable, interesting and clever story around what would under any other circumstances be ridiculous. From the way they introduced the characters to the way that they take them down, everything fits together in a way that makes sense and allows you to let go and become immersed in the world of the Legend‘s. I also love the way that each episode makes the story style conform to the period that the Legend‘s have traveled to.

BEST MOMENT: When Zari gets beamed up to the Waverider after threatening to expose B as a fraud and freaks out. It was nice to have her back on board even if she isn’t Z that we grew to love and I look forward to seeing how this whole thing plays out.

BEST LINE: Not a line so much as a whole scene of lines in the form of a song when Ava does a beautiful 1940’s version of Poison and I was living for it with complete jazz band and it was everything… especially when you realize that it was all in her head and she is in fact that worst singer on the face of the timeline!

EPISODE MVP: Ava. She doesn’t just take one for the team, she takes the whole episode with her do anything for the mission and her girl mentality. She was so open and honest about her feelings about going from the big boss to essentially a sidekick, she also talked about her uncertainty about what comes next and her need to be wanted and useful. Ava always comes off as a tough, headstrong cookie and to see her vulnerable side was refreshing especially since the writers wrote the scenes in such a way that there was a build-up to the emotional honest moment with Rory, making it so that she came out of that bar scene appearing stronger and even more badass than she already was.

It was also very nice to see her finally let go and to see how much Sara truly loves her, when she lets her keep on having fun and doesn’t give her crap about her bad singing and dancing or when she stops Rory from showing her the video of her beautifully tragic performance. It was loving and caring and beautiful to see on TV.

OVERALL: 9.2

Review: Locke & Key “Head Games ” S1E3

Posted on February 11, 2020 by SHAY REVOLVER

Locke & Key‘s third episode was all about the Head Key. The kids enter Tyler and Kinsey’s minds to dig up more memories of their father and deal with the trauma from their sudden loss of their dad. Bode finds the Ghost Key and uses it to talk to some of his ancestors since he can’t talk to his dad with it. Lady Dodge grabs the Fire Key from the ruins of Mark’s house and Kinsey literally buries her fears.

WHAT WORKED: In Head Games Bode finally comes clean about the Lady, which is some info that the older siblings should have had from the beginning since they had no idea what they were actually up against. The title is a play on words and gives off a lot of hints about things that directly affect the episode’s progression. We learn more about the Head Key, how it can put things into your head and take things out just as easily as it allows you to just look around. The episode also deals with trauma and recovery from it, in some very real and honest ways, Tyler and Kinsey have been holding a lot of emotions, from guilt to anger, about their actions when their father was being murdered.

All those emotions are pushed front and center as the kids use the keys to open up memories but, to confront their inner demons (Kinsey does this literally and figuratively, although not in the healthiest of ways) and try to make sense of things. Up until this point, the keys were just fun and games, an easy fix to their real-world problems but, in this episode, the other shoe drops and the kids are forced to get somewhat on the same page with the Lady Dodge threat becoming real for all of them.

I liked that the writers took time to showcase all forms of dealing with stress and emotional trauma, they seem to have carefully written the story to make it clear that there is no right, or wrong way, to grieve or deal with trauma and there are no short cuts to dealing with it either. What was great about the way they handled their trauma depictions was that they didn’t say there was a wrong way or a right way, they just showed what was and it made their pain understandable, heartfelt and sincere which created a connection with the viewer on a human level.

BEST MOMENT: When Lady Dodge snatches a kids key from him and throws him on a subway platform through a new door it was shocking. But, it also provided us with first-hand visual knowledge of how ruthless she was and it set the tone for her future interactions with the Locke kids and anyone else who gets in her way. This seems summed up everything that you really needed to know about who Lady Dodge was and in a few simple frames took Locke & Key from a fantasy kid’s show to a dark fantasy show where anything could happen.

OVERALL: 8.4

Review: Locke & Key “Trapper/Keeper” S1E2

Posted on February 10, 2020 by SHAY REVOLVER

In the second episode of Locke & Key “Trapper/Keeper” the Locke kids dig deeper into the mystery of the keys while dealing with their mom, Nina, who still has no idea that anything hinky went on with the mirror. Bode discovers the “head key” and takes a fun voyage around his mind to see lovely memories of his dad and they figure out that some keys don’t open doors with handles, some keys can open doors using your body as a keyhole. We also get to meet Lucas which means Bode gets a new friend and if this goes anything like the comics, he’s super important to the story.

WHAT WORKED: The siblings are really starting to work together, I also liked the slow intros of the new characters that are going to round out the stories. The show seems to be deviating a bit from the source material, which is to be expected, but they seem to be pulling it off flawlessly in a way that keeps source fans interested and on their toes and, allows new viewers to get immersed.

I thought that the acting, directing and writing were all spot on. The darkish colors in the production set against the brightness and hope that Bode seems to beam off of his ever-light face was visually brilliant and showed a literal light at the end of the tunnel. The story was easy to follow and engaging even if you didn’t know anything about the comic before your friend, or the internet, told you that you had to check the show out.

WHAT DIDN’T: It’s not so much that it didn’t work but, it just kind of annoyed me that Tyler lied about having sex with Eden. That was a trash thing to do especially when he knows how he would have reacted if anything like that happened to his sister and while I’m a fan of men/boys coming to a decision on how to treat people based on how they want to be treated based on their existence as a human being, it just stung a bit more because it was out of character for Tyler as a “person.” The whole thing kind of was a footnote and wasn’t really brought up, aside from Parker saying she knew what really happened, and if it wasn’t going to be a plot point or an impediment to Tyler and Parker, I don’t know why it happened at all. Especially since, in the real world, Parker would have avoided Tyler like the plague for that, whether he came clean or not, so it was just a bit unsettling.

BEST MOMENT: Kinsey on set helping Sam and the Savini’s make their horror movie magic. When she froze, covered in blood because of her trauma flashback, it was flawless, a moment filled with realness, emotion, and honesty. The talent that it took to make the viewers know what she was feeling and in some way feel what she was feeling while she sat there, covered in blood was beyond amazing. The show really has a way of making viewers connect with the audience and feel like they too are apart of the story and the key hunt is pure magic.

OVERALL: 8.2

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