‘Locke & Key’ Recap: ‘Head Games’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

​Our minds are quite the fascinating creation. For not only do they control every vital system of our existence, they also house a lifetime of memories and they generate the emotions that guide us through life. Which can be detrimental at times, since fear and sadness can take hold in our brains and never quite let go, prompting all of us to wonder what our lives would be like if we could reach into our brains and remove our problem emotions with ease. But alas, while the reality of that is likely something we will never see in our lifetimes, stories always find a way to dive into such matters and it just so happens that the next episode of Locke & Key took the time examine this possibility in fascinating fashion.
 
For ‘Head Games’ picked up mere moments after the last episode, wherein Bode was in two places at once, courtesy of the aptly named Head Key. And his bubbly demeanor existed simply because he was free of the confines of his body and was now fully able to explore the power of his mind and this was, a supremely awesome notion for certain. Because Tyler and Kinsey were able to venture into their little brother’s brain and see how it organizes his thoughts and his emotions, and oddly enough, the power of this key actually allowed for emotion to transform itself into a physical manifestation and well, this journey into Bode’s chaotic and colorful mind inspired Kinsey. 
 
Because the pain that she carries in her soul, and her outstanding belief that she is a coward, prompted her to take a voyage into her own mind to see if that could give her any insight into how to deal with her issues and initially it seemed as though this voyage was nothing more than a waste of time. Because everything in her mind was a jumble once she and Tyler (who came along for safety’s sake) arrived. But it didn’t long for both of them realize that the jumble was designed to keep the darker thoughts and the dangerous manifestation of her fear from coming to the surface. And while they eventually were able to flee her mind with a few bumps and bruises, this seemingly worthless trip did indeed provide Kinsey with some powerful insight.
 
For now, she truly understood just how much her fear controls her mind and her life, and the last straw for her was when she went to meet Scot for the concert and chickened out because of her fear. Which prompted her to try something new and return to her mind, wherein she hunted down her fear and violently murdered and buried it. Which is, a unique way to handle such matters in storytelling, and truly, this idea made for one interesting episode, since it was filled to the brim with powerful metaphors on fear and how we deal with it when it takes over our lives. Obviously, the message is clear in that we must confront it and resolve it, but the bigger question at hand is whether or not confronting it in violent fashion will come back to haunt Kinsey or not… since it probably should have been dealt with in healthier fashion.
 
Either way, this really was one quality episode when all is said and done. For it truly dove deep into some fascinating concepts and of course, it continued to push the plot along. Since we now know that our mystery woman and the gentleman who immediately ended his life in fiery fashion in the series premiere, know one another and that dear old dad hid lots of secrets from his family. Because Bode was able to discover that Rendell made use of the many keys in this house, after having a conversation with his late great grandfather, courtesy of the Ghost Key, and that does lead one to wonder just how many more keys are hiding within the walls of Key House. In the end however, this was another great chapter in this magnificent tale, and it’s wonderful to see a series in this vein take its time to properly world build and flesh out its characters. Because that means great care has gone into this story, and that the payoff for sitting through the slow burn is going to be nothing short of spectacular. Until next time.

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