Let's talk about locked doors, and how Irrational used them to tell a story. Normally, a locked door tells the story, by its nature, that someone or something does not want you entering an area or room. Same here. However, Bioshock Infinite took the opportunity of a basic game mechanic, like unlocking those doors, and turned it into a moment to improve the story.
Everyone hates cutscenes. They artificially break the flow of the game, and I don't need to go into that here. The story Bioshock tells is that locked doors need picked, and Elizabeth is an excellent lock pick. In that way, when you encounter a locked door, Elizabeth spends some time unlocking it. During that, you speak with her in what would normally be a cutscene. Since Half Life, very few games take away agency from the player now during storytelling moments, but Bioshock works that agency back into the story loop - making the lack of progression make sense in the story. You're not just looking around a room because people need to speak to one another. You're actively participating in moving through the world (unlocking this door), while getting to know more about the world through which you are moving.
Another great trick they employ here is that it is a "catch up" time for Elizabeth. Locked doors also act as a checkpoint, where if Elizabeth had somehow been caught on geometry back in the level, or you had somehow outrun her - the locked door gets her back by your side, since you can't move through it without her. This usually means an event or battle is coming up in which Elizabeth will need to be present.
It's just another way Bioshock Infinite cleverly incorporates a necessary mechanic into the story.
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