Locke and Key Season 3 Review: The Final Outing Is Fitting but, Is It Enough?

Locke and Key Season 3 is the final chapter in the series. The show is based on the comic-book series of the same name by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodríguez and has become a cult classic over the years. Well, it is no wonder how much love the Netflix series has received, right?

Developed by Carlton Cuse, Meredith Averill, and Aron Eli Coleite, Locke and Key stars Darby Stanchfield, Connor Jessup, Emilia Jones, Jackson Robert Scott, Laysla De Oliveira, Petrice Jones, and Griffin Gluck in the main roles. The final season has eight episodes in total, unlike the seasons before it. The runtime for each episode is 40-50 minutes.

– Netflix’s Locke and Key Season 3 Review Does Not Contain Spoilers –

Locke and Key Season 3 Review

After the events of Locke and Key Season 2, everything seemingly looks normal for the Lockes. It has been two months since Dodge and Eden are gone and Bode, Kinsey and Nina are all preparing for Duncan’s upcoming wedding. The only missing participant is Tyler, who has left for college and has not come back since. He is aloof and does not communicate much with the family and Nina suggests they give Tyler more time to recover given Jackie’s death and Tyler’s age making him forget about the keys.

As Duncan’s wedding comes closer, things inside and outside the Keyhouse shake-up. As we know from the last season, Eden has foolishly called back Captain Frederick Gideon from the past who is now a demon. Knowing about the keys, Gideon actively seeks for them, be it through the use of other demons trapped in a snow globe or creating echoes to invade the Lockes.

Meanwhile, Bode, Kinsey and Nina have found more keys since we last saw them with a dangerous key called the Timeshift Key that Bode uses and unwittingly invites our iconic dead villain from the past. With everyone’s lives in danger, Duncan gone and Tyler on the brink of losing it all, the Lockes and their friends will have to join forces to fight the multiple evil creatures that are set to make the magical keys their own.

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With the first season being the perfect founding body to kickstart this adaptation and the second season taking a dark turn, Locke and Key Season 3 seems to not have everything in its grasp to call itself the final chapter. To start off, the episodes really have a lot going on without giving much time to the characters to have their footing. The involvement of multiple subplots and okay-ish villains does not create enough space for the emotional breathing of the characters.

One of the reasons why Locke and Key Season 2 was dark and daring was because it had such charismatic emotional moments, be it Duncan and Nina choosing to remember all the magical memories or Jackie’s death and Gabe’s reality. There have always been threats haunting the Lockes but, the bonding the family has as well as the heartfelt moments each of them shares with one another makes up for a wholesome drama. This is something season three lacks as it paces from one moment to another without much thought.

There are also some unnecessary characters that do absolutely nothing for the plot but, do make an appearance here and there. For instance, Carly might just be Tyler’s potential love interest but, her presence really does nothing to the storyline but, rather acts as a filler. We also have two nonsensical echoes in this season, who are nothing like we expect echoes to be. Josh, until the last season, was a pretty unreliable character with a dark season but, this season he seems to have taken a step back from his curiosity in the black door.

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The improvement, however, comes in form of the discovery of new keys and possibilities reflecting the charm of the first season. The actors too are really good at doing what they do. The highlight has to be Jackson Robert Scott’s dual nature performance and Darby Stanchfield’s emotional support for her kids. Connor Jessup felt rather unutilized in this Locke and Key Season 3 given how much he has delivered in the previous seasons but, it could also be because of his character not remembering the keys for the longest time.

Locke and Key Season 3: Final Verdict

Overall, Locke and Key Season 3 is pretty enjoyable and wraps things up decently. The first few episodes are a letdown but, somewhere towards the end of the fifth episode the show gives us all the thrills we signed for. The climax, like its predecessors, is unique and takes place in a really unexpected setting that keeps you biting your nails.

Yet this season had the potential to do so much better. As we know, Locke and Key Season 3 is the final chapter for the Lockes, the Keys and Keyhouse, so maybe there could have been more elements of mystery and magic involved. Nonetheless, for fans, this is the final ride and you ought to take it.

You can stream all episodes of Locke and Key Season 3 now on Netflix.

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