Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Picture Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John H Watson re-imagined as amateur teen detectives, infused with gothic horror elements and modern Gen-Z sensibilities – you get the 2024 Netflix series “Dead Boy Detectives”. Sort of. Its leads Charles Rowland and Edwin Paine have many things in common – they are both inquisitive teen boys, they are both dead and on the run from the Grim Reaper, and together they run a detective agency to solve supernatural cases that can’t be cracked by humans. So the series probably feels a touch Edwardian because Edwin dies in 1916, and his language is reflective of the era.
Created by Steve Yockey and based on characters created by “Sandman” author Neil Gaiman, Netflix supernatural thriller “Dead Boy Detectives” spans eight episodes, each dwelling on a different case, some of which are exciting and wildly entertaining, others – not so much. George Rexstrew portrays the serious, introverted, bookish Edwin Paine, while Jayden Revri embodies the cheery Charles Rowland; the former serves as the brains, while the latter, in Charles’s words, is the brawn of their detective operation. While solving a case of demonic possession, the duo befriends human girl and psychic Crystal Palace (Kassius Nelson), whom Edwin reluctantly allows to join their team as Charles immediately becomes smitten by her charms.
Since the content is heavy on ghosts, demons, monsters and creatures from hell, the special effects is unexpectedly awful in quite a few scenes. In-fact, even in plain sequences where the characters are simply talking on a terrace, viewers can easily make out the background is a green-screen (and I wasn’t even watching this show on some fancy HD TV, just my reliable four year old laptop). Episode seven, the penultimate installment of “Dead Boy Detectives,” is set in Hell and fortunately, despite being laden with special effects, the visual elements aren’t as subpar as some of the demonic scenes that appear in the first half. For horror fans, there’s a generous amount of blood, gore, violence in the show.
Some of the little plot twists in “Dead Boy Detectives” don’t quite add up. For instance, Charles and Edwin claim that only humans who’ve had near-death experiences can see them. However, they often take on human disguises to interact with witnesses while solving their supernatural cases. A simple addition of a line from one of them about how perhaps they can also be seen by humans if they want themselves to be seen would have resolved this inconsistency. Nonetheless, given that this is a fantasy world with its own nonsensical rules, perhaps viewers should give logic a rest. And while the script leans on being a fun whimsical fantasy show, it has too many emotional outbursts, right from episode one, that could’ve been tempered down to make it more enjoyable. It’s something that Netflix’s “Wednesday” does very well, which is also a teen gothic-fantasy show.
While George Rexstrew and Jayden Revri work fine as the lead duo, the other supporting characters often outshine them with their performances. Although George Rexstrew’s portrayal of Edwin is more layered and memorable than Jayden’s depiction of Charles, the latter’s character feels somewhat one-dimensional and could have been played by anyone with a sunny personality. Kassius Nelson as Crystal Palace reminded me of Raven-Symoné from “That’s So Raven”, whose character was also a psychic teenager. Although Crystal isn’t as exuberant and wacky as Raven, she definitely has the same feisty teen vibe. The show features a considerable amount of romantic tension between her and Charles, along with other romantic subplots, including Edwin’s exploration of his sexuality when he encounters not one, but two potential male suitors in the series.
Yuyu Kitamura is hilariously cute as Yuko, a Japanese teen living in America. The protagonists meet her when they go to the U.S. for a case and then get stuck there for weeks over a magical issue. Yuyu Kitamura’s portrayal of Yuko seems to be on the lines of Ariana Grande’s character Cat from the teen comedy show “Victorious”. Although Yuko doesn’t attend school regularly, she is a recluse with no friends and an Otaku (obsessed with Manga and anime). Joshua Colley has a smaller supporting role as Monty, but he is quite endearing as the handsome teenager who befriends Edwin with ulterior motives. Lukas Gage is creepily delightful as the “Cat King”, who can take human form and becomes a persistent problem for the “Dead Boy Detectives” after one of them messes with a cat.
Among the older cast members, two actors who stood out are Jenn Lyon as the evil witch Esther Finch, who continually creates trouble for the teens, and Ruth Connell as the “Night Nurse,” an officer from the afterlife department tasked with tracking deceased children. Despite embodying the archetypical villain as a centuries-old witch who sustains her youth by preying on humans, Esther Finch proves to be a formidable antagonist. She devises inventive schemes to exact revenge on the boy detectives when they thwart her plans.
The last two episodes of the show weren’t as fun or gripping as the rest of the series, but the creators to manage to keep up viewer interest until the very end. Overall, “Dead Boy Detectives” is an amusing one-time watch, and I would definitely watch a season two, hopefully, the special-effects would be better the next time around.
Rating: 6.5 on 10. Watch the show on Netflix.
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