Dead Boys Detective, Netflix’s new mystery series that debuted on April 25, doesn’t mince words when it comes to throwing the viewer into deep water: we start in London, where we meet two detectives, Edwin Paine (George Rexstrew) and Charles Rowland (Jayden We see Revri) in hot action. In other words, our heroes are on the run, pursued by the bloodthirsty ghost of a World War I soldier, when we join the duo’s adventures. The “Dead Boys” part of the title should be taken quite literally, Edwin and Charles are also ghosts, but of the well-intentioned kind, since they swore to rid the earth of dark forces, demons and other monsters.
Right from the first minutes, it becomes obvious that the Dead Boys Detective Agency is based on strong material, the characters sprung from the mind of Neil Gaiman and first debuted in the 25th book of the Sandman comic series, back in 1991. Since then, the duo has come a long way, and this is not their first appearance as live actors, as they also cameoed in Doom Patrol, shown on HBO Max, although they were played by other actors there. Originally, the series was supposed to be a spin-off of Doom Patrol, but Warner canceled it, which is how Dead Boys ended up on Netflix. From there, it was a given that the market-leading streaming service provider would do all it could to connect it to the Sandman TV series and make this work a spin-off of Sandman.
Accordingly, a familiar face appears already in the first case of Dead Boys, when the aforementioned First World War soldier crosses over to the other world – Death, also seen in Sandman, played by Kirby Howell-Baptiste, helps him through. Let’s add that in a very heartbreaking, dramatic scene compared to the fact that we are really talking about the very beginning of the series. But the cut was written by Neil Gaiman himself, so it’s not so surprising that it became one of the strongest moments of the beginning of the season. So that the rest of the Dead Boys’ Bureau of Investigation is nothing. It can be a good guilty pleasure to watch not only for those who have been longing for an Odaát supplement for a long time, but also for those who can hardly wait for the new parts of Sandman.
The Dead Boys Detective Bureau is not up to the quality of Sandman, it falls somewhat short of the parent series, but it is a surprisingly enjoyable, entertaining and sometimes horror-like, sick and thought-provoking spin-off. Interesting ideas just pour down our necks, the boys travel through mirrors, talk to the king of cats, and by the time we realize it, there are no longer two detectives, but three. They are joined by a girl named Crystal Palace (Kassius Nelson), who is a medium, so she can see and hear spirits.
The story gets interesting from the point that after showrunner Steve Yockey and his crew have placed the pieces on the chessboard, they start moving them. Somehow, this is how our main characters are transferred from Great Britain to the USA, to be precise, to a small American town always drowning in fog, where small children disappear, bunker-like elves invade people, and other supernatural goodies disturb the spirits of the residents. In addition, with a great move, the writers chain the Edwins here, who cannot go home, so the Dead Boys have no choice but to solve the local mystical mysteries, which they entrust the detective agency with.
It is an old-line procedural series, i.e. each of the 8 episodes deals with a separate crime case, but we also get cross-cutting threads so that the characters really stay motivated and their heads hurt all the time. On the one hand, Crystal is trying to get her memories back, which were stolen from her, on the other hand, there is the Dead Boys’ attachment to the place, that they cannot leave the town, and if that wasn’t enough, they even anger a witch, Esther Finch (Jenn Lyon), who constantly it would destroy the lives of our main characters. Oh, and in the other world, they notice one of the guys’ turpiness, and because of this, our heroes can constantly be afraid of Death, that he will come for them and take them to hell.
Is it too complicated? Maybe, but the chemistry between the main characters is great, and it doesn’t hurt that the Dead Boys get a tragic background story suitable for comic books, of which Edwin swallowed the stake, he’s been through hell once (by mistake), he’s a sarcastic soul, while Charles is a real rebellious punk , of the “don’t let anyone tell me what to do” kind. George Rexstrew is a joy to see as he opposes the addition of new member Crystal, played by Kassius Nelson, to the team, while Jayden Revri’s Charles tries to take the middle ground, the conciliatory role. The latter is obviously funny because it’s still a punk. When it comes to humor, this Netflix series isn’t short on humor either, it’s worth every penny for how stupid Crystal is always being seen as she bickers with ghosts invisible to everyone else, while passers-by and residents are horrified and afraid of her.
It must be said about the history of the Dead Boys Investigation Bureau and the writing that it is undulating and not perfect. There are parts, like the pilot, which are clearly put together, spin and deepen the Sandman universe, but there are also parts when we are forced to watch a soap opera that seems cheaper, and for a long time, because the playing time sometimes reaches around 60 minutes without reason. Mystical romance, that’s what we missed the least, but when the Dead Boys’ Bureau of Investigation starts and the Edwins are really busy with the investigation, then the whole thing works dirty. You can also guess that Greg Berlanti, the former head of the CW’s dreaded superhero soap opera, had something to do with Netflix’s novelty, but miraculously, Dead Boys doesn’t drown in the syrup, even so that sometimes the end result reminds a little too much of Arrow or the later, trashy seasons of Odaát.
From a technical point of view, the photography and the presentation of the foggy small town are sometimes downright ugly, but at the same time the ghosts look good, the games with neon lights, reminiscent of Sandman, are similarly worth a red mark. The creepy surroundings also contribute to the occasional jumpscare scenes, not to mention the great intro, the main title at the beginning of each episode puts you in the mood. Well, not that it’s necessary, because the Dead Boys Detective Bureau is typically the easy grind that’s hard to stop.
Of course, it is true of all of Neil Gaiman’s works that they do not take themselves too seriously, and among the adaptations based on the writer’s works, American Gods, Lost Prophecies, Lucifer or Sandman, Dead Boys’ Detective Agency does not stand out in a negative way. What’s more, it’s a very potent addition to the Sandman TV series. Recommended viewing even for those who shy away from the young-adult genre.
7/10
The Dead Boys Detective Office can be viewed on Netflix with dubbing and Hungarian subtitles.
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