I do not know much about this Netflix original series but when I read the synopsis, I thought why not give it a try. Frankly I was a bit doubtful as it seemed to be like supernatural horror type, but once I got into it, it was unlike what I expected. Anyway, let's start with the show now.
Brief Story Line
After the death of her husband Rendell Locke, Nina (Darby Stanchfield - Scandal TV series etc) and her children, the teenagers Tyler (Connor Jessup - Falling Skies TV series etc) & Kinsey (Emilia Jones - Brimstone etc) plus the youngest Bode (Jackson Robert Scott) moved to Rendell's old family home called Keyhouse in small town Matheson.
All Locke family members had to deal with the loss of Rendell in their own ways and things were not easy with the news of what happened to them traveled fast in Matheson. Kinsey who at first reserved to herself, finally made friends with Scot (Petrice Jones) and later with another student Gabe (Griffin Gluck - American Vandal TV series etc). Meanwhile Bode who loved to explore the big house, found that it had a lot of secrets, in particular mysterious keys that have magical effects. However, it would later revealed that the keys which seemed to be fun at first would change the Locke family's life and also related with old family secrets. Things also got complicated with the appearance of mysterious young woman referred by Bode as the well lady (Laysla De Oliveira) who had a major interest on these keys.
As it became more dangerous, the Lockes have to deal with guarding the keys and saving their lives from the people wanting them. And how would the story conclude? You could find them all in this quite magical fantasy series.
End of Brief Story Line
Well this was quite interesting. I thought the pilot episode was smartly done, with the introduction of the characters who obviously had some prior bad experience which was revealed little by little. And it did not take long for the mystery and magic to start with the first key being found (and what a way to introduce us to the keys). It was a bit creepy and fun at the same time. As the story progressed, we got to know more of the other keys and the interaction between Bode and well lady/Dodge was truly the highlight, especially in the first 3 or 4 episodes.
However, when I got to latter episodes, I felt the pace became much slower with the focus shifted more towards Kinsey and Tyler's story at school (in particular Kinsey's complicated relationship). But once I reached 7th episode which I think was the best in the first season, it seemed to realign the focus on the magic keys mysteries. I also liked the 9th episode which seemed to set up for a big season finale. Sadly though, the finale was a bit anticlimactic (at least at first), with the supposed major surprise could have been smelled miles away, but the ending did give something to look out for and a different kind of surprise which should make for interesting second season.
The thing I liked in the series was the revealing of magical keys and the excitement it brought when the keys function was shown. There was a Spiderwick Chronicle feel about the series especially when the story was focusing on Bode exploring the house. Btw, the series was categorized as supernatural horror drama which to me was rather misleading, in particular on the supernatural part. I personally thought fantasy might be a better term. There were no horrifying images to scare you (except maybe a little in the first episode) while the rest did not terrify me at all.
In addition to the magic, the mystery element was quite strong as well, related to the secret of the Keyhouse and the history of Rendell Locke. The cast were also quite nice to watch. As I said above, Bode was an interesting character (you might knew him as the young Georgie in Stephen King's novel adaptation It and the sequel It Chapter Two) and I also like Scot Cavendish as the good guy that brought light to Kinsey plus his sense of humor. There were also numerous supporting cast as guest stars, such as Aaron Ashmore (Warehouse 13 TV series etc) as Duncan Locke, Sherri Saum (The Fosters TV series etc) as Ellie, Steven Williams (21 Jump Street TV series etc) as the English teacher and few others.
From what I noticed in the name credits shown in the series, this one was adapted from graphic novel (comic) series of the same title written by Joe Hill and illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez. A little trivia, Joe Hill is the son of famous novelist Stephen King, so I guess great writing runs in their family. Anyway, from what I briefly read on the internet about the comics, there were a lot of magical keys and we have only got glimpses of very few of them in the first season, making it even more exciting and intriguing future seasons. Oh and you might want to pay attention to the opening sequence showing the Locke & Key title as it was different in every episode.
Overall I had quite fun watching this series. It is only having 10 episodes which should be easy to finish (I completed it during the weekend). The first season, especially early episodes were amazing with a bit of darkness, though the pace slowed down in the middle but the last 2-3 episodes were pretty great. The critics seemed to quite enjoy this one with their praise on the "handling of loss and trauma", even though for casual audience like me, it was not the main attraction as compared to the magical keys. So if you are looking for this kind of drama series (and if you like it when combined with some high school romance), then you should be able to enjoy this just like I did, especially the magical element and the curiosity of finding out the key's hidden secret.
Mike's movie moments rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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