‘Locke & Key’ Recap: ‘Crown of Shadows’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM. YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Normally in horror stories, the final showdown between the protagonist (or protagonists) and the great evil that populates said story is a fairly structured affair. One where the forces of good have figured out evil’s weakness and they overcome every obstacle imaginable, both internally and externally, in order to fight this agent of darkness and they often come out victorious. If anything, that particular structure to horror stories makes them quite satisfying in the end, if not a touch formulaic here and there. But while that is a lovely way to handle the final act of a scary story, one has to wonder what that final battle would look like, if the forces of good were woefully underprepared to fight.
​
For that would create a vastly different kind of tale, one that would offer up unexpected twists and turns and some potentially horrifying moments and it just so happens, that the season one finale of Locke & Key, felt the need to take us down that more disorganized and darker path. For ‘Crown of Shadows’ brought the Locke children face to face with Dodge at her strongest and well, they really weren’t ready for this battle. After all, they only had a rudimentary understanding of the magic that flows within the walls of their house, so when the big moment arrived and Dodge and her haunted army appeared on their doorstep, they improvised with interesting results.

Because they were actually able to hold their own against Dodge and her shadow soldiers, and they were able to improvise in order to keep themselves safe from harm and thanks to some quick thinking from Bode, they were able to win the fight and wound Dodge badly. Which afforded them the opportunity to ponder upon how they could potentially put an end to this nightmare once and for all and well, that led Tyler and Kinsey to execute a dangerous plan. One where they would call in a little help and drag an unconscious Dodge to the Sea Caves so they could toss her back into that other realm, and oddly enough, it was a plan that worked and just like that, it seemed as though life was going to return to normal for this battered family.

But the happy ending, really doesn’t seem like something that would fit within the framework of a story this intelligent and this dynamic and as it turns out a joyous finale was nothing more than a ruse. For as the ending rolled along, we came to learn that not knowing one’s enemy and fighting them on the fly can lead to disaster. Because in essence, the Locke family underestimated Dodge and in doing so, they allowed for some serious mistakes to happen. For Dodge used the Identity Key to slip away from the fight at just the right moment, which means the ‘Dodge’ the kids threw into another dimension, was Ellie all along. And to complicate matters further, it turns out that she’s been using that Key for some time now to keep close to Kinsey, since Dodge is also Gabe.

Which means that this monster is simply biding its time and what’s worse, it now has a genuine ally in this world as well. For another demon came through the portal and infected Eden and two of these beings will undoubtedly cause incredible trouble for this family in the future. In the end, however, this really was a stellar season finale. Because it took us on a thrilling ride that was filled to the brim with all kinds of surprises. But while the shock ending was definitely worth our while, what matters more is that the Locke family healed over the course of this season, and they learned a lot about themselves and character growth is always a wonderful thing to see in any story and it’s a good thing they’ve found some newfound strength in their new home. Because they’re going to need it in future seasons when Dodge and her new friend make their move to seize the magic of Key House. Until next season.  

---