I mean I imagine someone's already mentioned, but all MoL keys work for all MoL buildings. That's how they got in
Someone did mention it, but I do appreciate this.
Hopefully this is a clearer response. The last response I made was off the mark, I think.
At the time I watched the episode, just seeing Ketch and the BMoLs just waltz inside the Bunker got to me. It was the ease of getting into the fortress the writers previously established in previous seasons as difficult to get in. I also missed the part about the key, so that’s why the original post is, er, the original post.
Here’s why I was upset about that scene. The Bunker is a place Sam and Dean assume to be a protected place. A home. Having Sam acknowledge he didn’t see the Bunker as home initially, then later accepting it as a home for him and his brother … pretty significant. But then you have Ketch and the BMoL crew in black infiltrate the bunker, going through Sam and Dean’s things, taking objects and info without Sam and Dean noticing. Those scenes got to me.
It reminded me of Lucifer!Cas in season eleven, infiltrating the Bunker while Sam and Dean continue to find a solution to stopping Amara. Or when Chuck and Lucifer went through Sam and Dean’s things (Lucifer in Sam’s room; Chuck using Dean’s stuff). I have other grievances about the Bunker in season twelve, but in this instance about the key, the Ketch/BMoLs in the Bunker scene(s) did its(their) job well.
Looking back at my initial reaction, it was an illusion shattered (100% on me), because I gave that piece of world building more credit than necessary; doing so robbed me of a chance to see the potential of the Bunker’s weaknesses. Because, in a broader sense, everything, no matter how fortified or impressive it may be, has fail-safes, overrides, and faults.
Grievances aside, addressing the key, and the use of MoL keys in general, in this season is a clever move. It gives the BMoLs the upper hand. Knowing they can use their key to access all the hidden locations, the BMoLs have an asset that can gain leverage or [ruin their chances.]* It also stays consistent with canon; Henry did say the only way to get inside is with a MoL key. His words were open-ended enough for the writers to expand what he meant, allowing the BMoLs, and MoL members from other branches, to get inside without Sam and Dean knowing about it. As you pointed out, as of 12x18, [all MoL keys work for all MoL buildings.]**
Still, wards and magic carefully placed to block out every evil threat become useless. The BMoLs waltz in, overriding protection with their key. It’s easy, plausible, and convenient for the BMoLs. The Bunker’s Achilles’ heel. The BMoLs are potential bad guys, but they’re human so warding doesn’t effect them. The exploitation of the key is intriguing for some people, frustrating for me. I’ll get over it, as I tend to do after thinking things over.
Thank you for the ask, nonnie. :)
Notes (in asterisks) and Headcanons under the keep reading cut:
