Locke & Key – Season 2 Episode 9 “Alpha & Omega” Recap & Review

Alpha & Omega

Episode 9 of Locke and Key Season 2 begins wit Duncan working with Tyler to make the Alpha Key. While they set to work, Kinsey implores the other film crew members to go into hiding, given this fight is about to get ugly. And it doesn’t take long before Gabe makes the first move.

He rocks up in Keyhouse and suggests that Kinsey join him. When she refuses, Gabe shrugs and decides to use Nina as collateral, promising to kill her instead. In order to think it over, Gabe tells her she has 24 hours to decide what to do.

Meanwhile, Josh probes Jamie about the keys, and specifically the Omega Key. Jamie remains vague, but soon feeds this encounter back to Bode. Nina overhears from the hallway and immediately starts researching on her own. Now, it turns out the Omega symbol was actually connected to Rendell but Bode tries to protect his mum, telling her he doesn’t know anything.

Josh though is still being manipulated by Eden, who encourages him to press Jamie for more information. Now, Javi happens to be watching them together from the window and rings Gabe to confirm what he’s seen. In return, Gabe tasks him with killing Eden. Instead, Eden gets the better of him, slashing his throat and pushing him through a doorway (courtesy of the Anywhere Key) into a desert.

With Josh out his office, down by the sea caves, Gabe sneaks in and finds the picture of the Black Portal. He figures out this is where they’re going and hurries off. Unbeknownst to him, Bode and Jamie happen to be watching this from the closet, and soon realize they need to go down to the sea cave too.

Back in Keyhouse, Scot returns and makes up with Kinsey. While they’re talking though, the fireplace suddenly starts freezing. Given this happened earlier with her coffee cup, Kinsey decides to follow the clues. And wouldn’t you know it, she uncovers a harness that could just hold the key (again, no pun intended) needed to turn the tide of battle.

However, without the Ghost Key it falls to ghost Chamberlin to conjure the power of birds to find a key tucked away inside the birdhouse. Only, it turns out it’s not actually Chamberlin responsible for this, it’s Sam.

Back in the cave, Gave appears and dons his crown, conjuring forth those same shadows from the opening parts of the first episode. These shadow sprites immediately begin clawing away at the roof, threatening to destroy everything. Eden commands Josh to use his flashlight to thwart the threat, which works for a little bit. The cave does eventually collapse, trapping Eden and Josh inside.

On the other side though happens to be Bode and Jamie, with the former using the Hercules Key to singlehandedly find a way through.

Now, given the adults suffer from this memory loss, Josh’s initial surprise soon paves way for confusion as he forgets the entire incident has even happened.

Now, in the wake of all this drama, Duncan and Tyler successful create the new key and head off to stop Gabe. With Jackie obviously under Gabe’s control, Tyler confronts her in the woods, intending to outsmart her. And it works too.

He leans in for a hug, eventually using the key and helping to dispel the demon inside her. It works for a while but just as things look to be rosy, Jackie gasps for air and collapses on the ground. She’s dead.

Down in the caves, Gabe has now turned into Dodge again and she manages to skip away to safety, just as the entire cave collapses.

The Episode Review

The penultimate episode of Locke and Key sees Duncan and Tyler work together to create this new key to get rid of the demons infecting the different kids. Unfortunately it has the adverse effect of killing Jackie in the process. Whether this is an intentional side effect or some sort of loophole that hasn’t been foreseen is still up for debate. Either way, it certainly doesn’t pose well for our characters.

Nina off in rehab is a nice way to give her character some depth, in what’s otherwise been a pretty underwhelming plot for her so far. Between the romance to Josh and the obliviousness to the threat surrounding her, she’s been the one character that’s not really been utilized that well.

Most of the other characters have played this cat and mouse game with Gab for the season and the sheer lack of imaginative rooms and ideas – beyond the excellent descent in Eden’s memory and the spider attack – has made this fantasy feel far more grounded than it perhaps should.

Either way, the ending sets everything up nicely for a very dramatic finale to come.