‘Locke & Key’ Season 2 Premiere Confirms the Mind-Blowing Truth About Gabe’s Identity
On Oct. 22, Netflix dropped season 2 of Locke & Key, the adaptation of Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez’s comic book series. At the end of season 1, viewers learn that Kinsey Locke’s boyfriend, Gabe, was actually the evil demon Dodge in disguise. The season 2 premiere takes that shocking twist a step further, revealing exactly how Dodge and Gabe came to be one person. Knowing this truth about Gabe could give fans an entirely new perspective when re-watching Locke & Key Season 1.
[Spoiler alert: The following story contains spoilers for Locke & Key Season 2 Episode 1.]
Gabe is a newcomer to ‘Locke & Key’
Locke & Key’s writers created Gabe for the Netflix adaptation, so even comics fans aren’t familiar with him when he arrives on-screen. The teen boy (played by Griffin Gluck) moves to Matheson, Massachusetts, around the same time the Locke family moves into Keyhouse. Kinsey Locke (Emilia Jones) meets Gabe while filming The Splattering with Scot (Petrice Jones) and the Savini Squad.
Kinsey eventually tells both Scot and Gabe about the magical keys she found with her brothers, Tyler (Connor Jessup) and Bode (Jackson Robert Scott). Scot feels unsure about the safety of the magic, but Gabe expresses interest in their power. He and Kinsey grow closer, and she develops feelings for him after he saves her life in the underwater caves.
In the season 1 finale, Gabe, Scot, and friends Jackie (Genevieve Kang) and Eden (Hallea Jones) help Kinsey, Tyler, and Bode take Dodge down for good — or so they think. After a battle in Keyhouse, the teens carry an unconscious Dodge to the caves and throw her through the Black Door. Little do they know that it’s actually the Lockes’ neighbor, Ellie (Sherri Saum), in Dodge’s body. Meanwhile, the real Dodge is using the Identity Key to pose as Gabe. He hatches a revenge plan with Eden, who became possessed when a Whispering Iron hit her at the Black Door.
‘Locke & Key’ Season 2 Episode 1 reveals that Gabe never truly existed
Viewers see Gabe and Eden’s plan in motion in season 2 episode 1. They have to find a way around the fact that demons can’t take keys from the Lockes. Eden suggests using the Identity Key to become Kinsey, but when she tries, it doesn’t work. Then, Gabe uses the key to return to Dodge and reveals that the key only turns its user into a new person, not someone who already exists.
This means that Gabe was never truly a real person; Dodge made him up. He’s just another one of the demon’s alter egos, like Lucas. It also means that Dodge planned to use Gabe as a tool to get close to Kinsey from the very beginning. Every time Gabe showed interest in the keys, it was Dodge and her dark intentions.
Griffin Gluck says he was ‘excited’ to take on a villainous role
In an interview with The Nerds of Color, Gluck explained that it was a challenge to play a villain posing as a good guy. However, getting pushed out of his comfort zone helped him grow.
“We’ve talked a lot about how much fun it is to play an evil character. It’s not something we get to do often,” he said. “It’s a little bit out of my comfort zone…you get to involve yourself so much more into the character and make so many more things your own because it’s not real. And so, whatever you perceive to be the right thing in your scenario is the right thing. It’s hard, but you get a lot of creative liberty, and it’s so rewarding to see a character come to life after you’ve done all that.”
Locke & Key Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.
