7 Lessons from Locke & Key
Locke & Key is a Netflix series based on a comic book series. As of February 2022, two-seasons are released, and season 3 is expected to come out this year. There is a great deal of speculation as to when, but sources say that season 3 was done filming before season 2 even came out.
The show is about the Locke family. The father was murdered before the show begins, and the mother moves her three children across the country to live in their father’s childhood home. The home, referred to as “Key House,” is a magical place filled with magical keys that give the kids various superpowers.
I would describe the show as a slightly updated, serialized, Harry Potter-style show. The themes include magic, darkness, and the triumph of legacy over evil; all while retaining a childhood whimsy.
One of my favorite things about the show is that it’s a jumping off point for interesting discussions. Here are my biggest takeaways and lessons from the show:
Fear of what other people think keeps us small. We see this with Kinsey, who was able to dye her hair, dress how she wanted, and really come into her own when she took the fear out of her head.
No two people are the same. People’s individuality is so palpable when we see the inside of their heads, which are all wildly different.
Everything comes with duality. The Locke’s magical keys open the door to more magic, fun, and excitement imaginable, but are also the doorway to the worst things that have happened in their lives. Good always comes with bad.
We grow through what we go through. If you had the option, would you erase the most traumatic things that have happened to you? Many of you might think yes. What if erasing the event would also erase everything you have learned as a result of it? My guess is almost everyone would choose not to erase. In the show, we see examples of people removing memories from their minds. However, removing the memories does not seem to fully erase the trauma, it merely makes them more disconnected from themselves.
There is a fine line between anxiety and intuition. It’s often difficult to know the difference between the two. We see Kinsey fight this battle when she removed the fear from her head. A good rule of thumb: intuition is quiet, anxiety is invasive. For more on the difference, listen to episode 52 on iTunes or Spotify.
The importance of connecting with your inner child. One of the main tenets of the show is that adults cannot understand and remember magic. Isn’t this true in real life? We’re born with infinite potential and belief in ourselves. The process of growing and inevitably experiencing trauma form our limiting beliefs. But we don’t need to stay stuck in this adult, magic-less, place. Through meditation and visualization, we can connect with the magic that our inner child craves.
Community is everything. The Locke’s secret power isn’t the magical keys, it’s actually the community they have within each other and that they have built around them. Without them, the Locke’s would have failed in the fight against demons, regardless of the magical keys. Our interpersonal relationships are the number one indicator of the quality of our lives. That’s why I started this podcast.
To hear more on Locke & Key, fear, confidence, magic, and more, listen to episode 64 on iTunes, Spotify, and everywhere else you listen to podcasts.
