Diksha Sundriyal
‘Locke and Key’ follows the story of three siblings who move into their ancestral home after the death of their father. There they discover a number of magical keys, each with a unique function of its own. In ten episodes, the show familiarises us with a bunch of them, and as the story moves forward, the characters rely on different keys to protect themselves or attack their enemies.
Because so much information is unloaded on us in a short span of time, it becomes difficult to keep track of the keys that have been presented and the people that possess them. But you absolutely need to know about every key if you are to fully grasp the events that are in store for the Locke family. Here, we have listed down all the magical keys that appear in the TV show. We also talk about where are the keys in the end. If you haven’t yet seen ‘Locke and Key’, head over to Netflix. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Matchstick Key
The very first key that we witness in the show is the Matchstick Key. It has the power to burn anything that it comes in contact with. It is one of the simplest keys to use, as it doesn’t have to go in any particular lock. Due to its ability to create fire, it proves to be a powerful weapon to anyone who possesses it.
When Rendell and his friends decided to split keys, Matchstick Key was given to Mark, who also hid other keys in Key House. When he heard about Rendell’s death, he used it to kill himself, so no one could use the Head Key to find out about the rest. Dodge gets it from one of the kids who had raided Mark’s house. She passes it on to Sam, who uses it to escape from prison. Finally, it ends up in the possession of the Locke kids and is currently in Key House.
Anywhere Key
This is the first key that Bode discovers in Key House. Rendell got it in the split and embedded it in a bracelet that had belonged to Erin. He, later, gave it to his daughter, Kinsey, and then Bode discovered it. He had to give it to Dodge when Nina got trapped in the mirror. It stays with Dodge for a while and she uses it to go around looking for other keys. Tyler possesses it for a while, but Dodge gets it back. At the end of the season, Dodge still has it.
Mirror Key
The next key discovered by Bode is Mirror Key. The lock for it opens up into any mirror. The function of this key is to lure someone inside the mirror and then hold them as a prisoner. Bode shows it to Nina who gets trapped inside it and comes out with the help of Tyler. She instantly forgets about it as adults can’t remember magic; however, the event does come back to her when she goes back to drinking. The key doesn’t come into use again. Sam takes it from Bode at the Key House. Then Dodge takes it from him; Rufus finds out the bunch, and it eventually ends up in the hands of Locke siblings.
Head Key
Head Key is one of the most potent keys of all. The lock goes into the back of the neck of a person. While the body is frozen, a door is opened into the brain of the person. Others can enter the brain through the door and access the memories. They can remove something, like a memory or even a feeling, which will lead the person to forget that thing. If something is kept inside, they will instantly know everything about it. (This makes for a great trick for studying during the exams.)
Head Key jumps around from the Locke kids to Sam to Dodge, who uses it to access Erin’s memories. She hides it at Ellie’s house, along with the other keys in her possession. Rufus discovers the hiding place and then, Ellie, Tyler and Kinsey use it to look into Ellie’s childhood memories. Rufus keeps it safe, and in the end, hands it to Bode.
Ghost Key
The next one to pop up in Key House is Ghost Key. Its lock is fixed to a particular door. It can be used to separate one’s soul from the body. The body drops dead and in the ghost form, the person can fly around places, pass through walls and communicate with other ghosts. However, others are neither able to hear, see or touch the ghost form. One very important rule is that the door should stay open as long as the person is in their ghost form, otherwise they will get trapped on the other side and not reunite with their body.
The key remains with Bode the whole time. In Key House, Sam unknowingly passes through the door while the key is still in the lock. He is separated from his body and before he can come back, the door is closed. Ghost Key is still in Key House.
Music Box Key
At first, Bode is the only one who hears the calling of the keys, but later Tyler and Kinsey also get the ability. The first key that they discover is the Music Box Key. When used with its music box, it allows a person to make others do their bidding. For safekeeping, the key is entrusted to Kinsey, but she gets reckless and uses it to humiliate Eden. The key remains with her until Sam arrives. Then Dodge gets it, and it is recovered by Rufus, eventually returning back to the Locke siblings.
Plant Key
The second key discovered by Tyler and Kinsey is the Plant Key. Though we don’t get to know the full extent of what it does, the one thing that’s clear is that it helps remove certain memories from someone’s head. The lock goes inside a tree, which then reveals boxes of memories buried in the ground. The key had been used on Duncan Locke and is perhaps why he doesn’t remember a lot of things about his childhood in Key House. The key remains with Locke kids for the rest of the season.
Mending Key
The next key discovered by Bode is Mending Key which goes into the cabinet that Nina finds in the basement of Key House. At first, it looks like nothing, but then Nina accidentally discovers that it can mend things. She uses it to bring back Rendell, but it doesn’t work that way. She forgets about its magic the next day. The key remains in possession of Locke siblings.
Omega Key
In the sea caves, Kinsey finds the Black Door, which can only be opened by Omega Key. This is the key that Dodge is after. It opens the door to another world where demons reside, which is where Dodge is from. In the split, Rendell got to keep it safe. Using the Head Key, he put it inside his brain.
After his death, he was cremated and the key turned into ashes. But when Nina put the urn in the Mending Cabinet, hoping to bring back Rendell, the key was repaired and Tyler found it in the ashes. Tyler, Kinsey and their friends use it to open the Black Door and throw Dodge, who is actually Ellie, to the other side. The key remains with them at the end of the season.
Identity Key
In the split, Ellie got to take care of Identity Key and Echo Key. When she brought back Lucas, who is actually Dodge, the demon took over the key. She uses it to change her form and goes around as Lucas, Dodge, Gabe, and maybe even someone else. The lock for it goes under the chin and allows its possessor to change their face. Dodge has it all the while. She also uses it on Ellie to turn her into herself. It remains with her at the end of the season.
Echo Key
In the first episode, the Lockes are unable to find the key to the Well House. Turns out, Ellie had it, and it is the Echo Key. It allows anyone to access the well and conjure the echo of a dead person. It does not bring anyone back to life. The echoes are not able to leave the Well House, which is why Dodge was stuck there until she got Anywhere Key.
Shadow Key
Paired with the Crown of Shadows, Shadow Key is another powerful key to come out of the bunch. The combination allows the owner to control terrifying shadow figures. These shadows can only be repelled by light. Ellie finds the crown in Key House but doesn’t get the key. Bode figures out where it is, and they plan to use it to throw Dodge back into the well. But they meet a setback when Dodge takes it from Ellie and attacks Key House. The crown and the key remain with her at the end.
Read More: Locke and Key Ending, Explained
