‘Locke & Key’ Recap: ‘Irons in the Fire’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 208 of ‘Locke & Key’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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​Over the course of the past two years, the Netflix series, Locke & Key, has done a phenomenal job of immersing us within the magical world that the Locke family resides in. A feat made possible by quality storytelling and dynamic characters. Since we all find a bit of ourselves in the Locke family and their adventures have given way to world-building moments that make the magic of Matheson and Keyhouse feel organic in nature. But while that has provided us with comfort and exciting discoveries revolving around the keys and the evil that haunts this family, this story has managed to neglect one important aspect of this magical universe.
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Specifically, how the family came to understand the power of the keys and how they forged them in the first place and oddly enough, the writers’ room decided that now was the perfect time to explore the answers to those longstanding mysteries. For the next episode in this storied saga, ‘Irons in the Fire’ mostly steps away from Gabe’s plan to take over the world by channeling demons into people with the newly forged Demon Key, to explore the past and fill the last gaps in our understanding of this world. Which means we spent a fair chunk of time in this tale, back in the Revolutionary War era, and we quickly learned that the Locke’s of yore, were smuggling and building weapons for the war and that brought about a great deal of problems for the family.

Since the Red Coats came calling to check in on ‘illegal’ activity and of course found the stash and that led to a violent standoff at Keyhouse. One where a father fell while trying to valiantly defend his family and where the British soldiers that instigated this fight, led by a Captain Gideon… were forced to retreat to the caves near Keyhouse. A panicked decision that brought about the discovery of the portal that once housed Dodge and trouble. Since spirits traveled through the gateway and possessed some of the soldiers, including Gideon. But while a few bullets and a noose dealt with his evil and brought justice for the family, the Whispering Iron left behind and the way it spoke to the surviving Locke family members, allowed for the keys to be forged in the name of safety, and it was just cool to finally see the exact origin of the keys and come to understand what led to their creation.

Yet while that plot thread allowed for some engaging and fascinating moments, there was mention of the fact that this episode didn’t entirely abandon the Gabe mess, and well, once it returned to that… it wasted zero time in informing us of the fact, that the Locke family was in over their heads. Since Gabe had built quite the army of the damned and came quite close to turning Kinsey, and had it not been for Bode… he might have been successful, and this segment of the story was not without its sorrow. Since Gabe did get to Jackie and turned her no problem, and Josh is in trouble since he entertained what Eden had to say and really, these struggles and revelations became so concerning and so messy that they motivated Tyler to really ponder upon a way out and it seems as though our heroes might have found it.

For dear old dad had a touch of Whispering Iron hidden in a fishing lure on his hat and now that Tyler has it, and has responded to its whispers, he will be the one to build a key that hopefully will save the day. But before we dig into that; we can reflect upon one unique tale. Because a backstory themed episode, this late in a season is rare. But it works here, simply because it gives us more context and allows for the audience to breathe since things are getting dark in Matheson, courtesy of Gabe and well… now that this leg of the journey is complete, it is definitely time to dive into the next chapter. To see what kind of key is created and how exactly it is going to stop the growing evil that is quietly spreading through this idyllic town. Until next time.

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