‘Locke & Key’ Recap: ‘Best Laid Plans’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 207 of ‘Locke & Key’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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One of the hardest lessons we will learn in this life, is that nothing, absolutely nothing, will ever go according to plan. Because the universe is a place of constant change and chaos, and always manages to throw a curveball into the simplest of tasks in our lives and really… what makes that lesson so hard for us to deal with, is that we genuinely expect things to go smooth when we plan something to a tee, and the thought that we have to pivot and react accordingly, is just plain frustrating. But it is the nature of life and eventually we come to live with that reality and really, this painful lesson is top of mind today, simply because it is one that the Locke family had to learn in the next episode of Locke & Key on Netflix.
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For when we catch up with the kids in ‘Best Laid Plans’, they are indeed preparing a grandiose plan to capture Gabe and get him back into the well. Wherein he and his evil should dissipate thanks to the rules that have been broken. But while they were preparing an elaborate trap for evil, another important storyline was taking place and we would be foolish to not take a moment and talk about Nina’s journey. Since she needed to be Josh’s rock in this episode because he was badly broken up over losing the Whispering Iron to Gabe/Dodge. Mainly because, it was likely his last chance to reconnect with his wife since he knew quite well where it came from and what the Black Door could do. Which led to a beautiful moment of growth, wherein Nina imparted the wisdom and guidance she received when she was in a similar spot emotionally, and it’s wonderful that the show injected this early on, because this served as a welcome counterbalance to the ugly that awaited us.

Because eventually, Gabe and Eden arrived at Keyhouse, with the evilest of intentions in mind, but were blissfully unaware of the fact… that the Locke kids had indeed put together an intricate plan to stop this madness and well, it was such a good one that everything was going off without a hitch. For Eden was easily trapped with an assist from Jamie, and Gabe was so well distracted by Kinsey and Scot, that the trap was quietly laid down behind him and all that needed to happen now, was the perfect surprise moment to trap him in the well. But therein came the lesson, since a little bird from the well house, entered the second-floor landing, keying Gabe into the fact that something was amiss and well… it all went downhill from there. Because despite holding their own in a fight with a demon, Gabe eventually got the upper hand and captured Bode and reclaimed the Anywhere Key. Which in turn motivated Duncan to step forth and give Gabe whatever he wanted and that… brought about more problems for the family.

Because, naturally, Gabe took Duncan and Bode back to the lodge, allowing for him to get Duncan to forge a key while the rest of the family and Scot raced to that location to save the day. But without a key to get them there, quickly, the damage was done, and Dodge/Gabe’s master plan was revealed. In that… this demon wants control of humanity and with this new key in hand… that goal can be accomplished since it allows for Gabe to take control of anyone it touches. A reality that will now bring about hardship and pain for all of Matheson while the Locke family licks their wounds while absorbing the gravity of the aforementioned lesson. For chaos did indeed ruin the best laid plans and now how they react now is paramount. For everything is on the line and all we can hope for at this point, is that they quickly come to understand that chaos and surprise will surround evil at every turn and that they need to have a few counterpunches in their next bag of tricks, to ensure it doesn’t get the upper hand again.

But while we wait to see what the next move is from the Locke family; we can revel in the majesty of one intense and brilliant tale. Because not only did this one offer up an important lesson, but it also resurrected some of the core messages of the show, specifically loss and trauma, and it offered up some genuine terror as well. Because this was a straight action-horror story, the kind that upped the stakes and put the kids in real danger for the first time ever and this episode also deserves a round of applause, for letting the villain earn a win. Because it is a huge deal that Gabe’s plan came to fruition in this tale. In part because that means we are in for an unconventional home stretch in this story, but also because… you don’t normally see a monster of Gabe’s caliber have this much power this early before the finale. But this is a series that loves to shake things up and it will be quite interesting to see what comes next, now that the family has learned a valuable lesson regarding chaos. Until next time.

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