This article contains spoilers for Dead Boy Detectives episode 4, "The Case of the Lighthouse Leapers". Dead Boy Detectives is a Netflix supernatural horror-comedy series (part of The Sandman universe) revolving around the titular detective agency set up by two ghostly best mates, Edwin (George Rexstrew) and Charles (Jayden Revri).
Following their harrowing evening at the Devlin House, our detective team picks up their next case. A disgruntled ghost who's been haunting the Port Townsend lighthouse for years called Dagfinn drops by the office. Two people have been drawn to the lighthouse and been compelled to throw themselves into the water below... but why? That's exactly what the boys want to find out.
Here's a full recap of Dead Boy Detectives episode 3.
A grumpy ghost
Dead Boy Detectives episode 4 opens with Jenny reading a letter from who we learn (after Niko and Crystal pay rent, and torment her about it) is one of several from the butcher's secret admirer. Dagfinn the ghost interrupts the chat, and the pair take him upstairs to meet with the detectives he demands to see.
Dagfinn's haunted Point No Point lighthouse for decades, and he wants the other ghosts who've taken up residency there in the last couple of days evicted. He explains they're victims who appeared and promptly jumped off the widow's walk into the sound.
The group makes their way to Point No Point just in time to see another person doing the same exact thing, bringing the number of deaths up to three. The latest ghost appears next to the previous two victims, sitting wistfully on a wall looking out over the water. The two girls called the jump in to local police, but the officer who attended the scene presumed they were trying to play a prank and left soon after. Asha, the local gift shop owner approaches and invites the girls for a chat in the shop. Niko acquiesces, but Charles and Crystal opt to interrogate the ghosts... while Edwin slips away to speak with the Cat King after a cat swipes him.
The ghosts don't give up much information; all three seemingly heard the voice of a loved one below the waves; the calls were loudest from the top of the lighthouse, and compelled them to step off. Even now, they still believe their relations are below the surf. Afterward, the pair climb the lighthouse to investigate at the top. Up there, Crystal encourages Ed to open up more about his trauma and how it filtered through the Devlin house horror, but he refuses. Then, Crystal starts to hear a woman's voice coming from the water; luckily, Charles distracts her and breaks the charm.
Ed offers up his latest guess at the number of cats (he's way off, apparently) to the King, who continues to flirt, unsuccessfully, with Edwin, by morphing first into the image of Monty, then into Charles. During the encounter, the Cat King swats Edwin's form, forcing him to reveal the truth of why he sticks around to solve cases. Edwin does genuinely want to help the spirits no one else can... but he secretly also wants to do as much as he can on Earth so that, if he's ever forced to return to Hell, he can argue for a case for leniency in how he's punished. Elsewhere, the Night Nurse arrives in Port Townsend, on the hunt for the detectives.
Meeting the Washer Woman
Inside the gift shop, Niko learns several important details. Asha tells her there's a festival coming to the coast tomorrow (meaning a lot more potential victims of whatever's in the water). Asha also painted numerous images of folkloric creatures, including some mermaids (whom Niko believes could be luring people into the water), an image of Lilith (the goddess Crystal saw inside Esther Smith's mind), and a painting of "The Washer Woman", a local folkloric woman said to be an oracle. The painting includes a riddle on how to find her. During this chat, Ed appears inside the store and compliments Niko's detective instincts.
The detectives regroup and share their findings, though when it transpires Edwin was going to keep his latest meeting with the Cat King a secret, Charles grows pretty angry. During their disagreement, Crystal's compelled towards the edge of the water and nearly jumps in. Niko intervenes and stops her just in time, and Charles restrains her until the charm fades away. Crystal explains that she heard her mother's voice, and felt she had to go to her.
Niko and Edwin head down to the water's edge. After musing about Edwin's potential romance with Monty, Niko picks up a piece of red sea glass, claiming it'll offer him some courage. Edwin recalls the riddle in Asha's painting and holds the prism up to the light. All four of them find themselves standing in front of the Washer Woman and hear a high-pitched screech which comes from whatever creature's hiding below the waves.
The Washer Woman tells them that the being is far larger than a mermaid (Edwin reasons it must be a sea monster, then), and she offers them a riddle that hints how they might defeat it. Edwin, Charles, and Niko then disappear, leaving only Crystal present. The Washer Woman then invites Crystal to ask what she wishes (to recover her stolen memories and figure out who she is), offering up a cryptic riddle in response: "When the ground moves, and the bird cries, stop looking without and look within." When Crystal is reunited with the gang, they promise to help her solve the mystery.
Armed with the Washer Woman's knowledge, the gang heads to Tragic Mick's magic emporium to find something to help destroy the monster. They explain what's been happening to the victims; from their description, Mick reasons it's a creature he dubs "Angie", one who is normally quite shy and rarely seen above water. Crucially, he says Angie doesn't deserve to be murdered, and posits they could lull her back to sleep, instead.
At that, and from the riddle ("measure for measure, it must play until it tires"), they realize they could try to play some music. And Charles just so happens to find a maritime music box in the store. Because of Angie's size, they'll have to get the box very close to her for it to have the desired effect, so the gang has their next step: they're going back to Jenny's butcher shop to get some bait, so they can feed Angie the box. Before they leave, Mick notes he's been trying to see the Washer Woman for decades, but she only shows up for people who are 'in great need'. At that, Niko tells him how they managed to come across her (the red sea glass).
Bait and switch
Before they can return to the Tongue & Tail, Night Nurse drops by, pretending to be an old family friend of Crystals's. At the shop, she uses her powers on Jenny to force the butcher to reveal Crystal and Niko's whereabouts. When the group finally return home, they acquire some bait, Jenny tells Crystal her "family friend" is looking for her, and then Monty pops along to return the latest book to Edwin and asks him out on a date!
That evening, the group returns to the waterfront, where Night Nurse confronts them. The figure explains who she is, and says the family connection was entirely a lie: she's just here for the boys. Crystal tries to stop her taking them back and taps into the Nurse's mind. She soon regrets the move, as she sees some terrible visions in there.
Edwin is staunchly against being taken back to Hell, and the Nurse turns her focus on Charles, who never passed into the afterlife. She uses this as a tool to try and convince him to her side: what if he's meant for a life in Heaven? Charles' version of the afterlife could be much nicer than life on Earth as a ghost.
Predictably, Charles doesn't want to leave his friends as he thinks he has a place here. This prompts the Night Nurse to take Charles on a tour of his tragic memories, to show him the world he's still in is cruel, unforgiving and cold. He manages to escape her clutches, eventually, and when he's back in reality, he winds up the music box and starts walking towards the Nurse.
Proclaiming he wants to stay here because he still has a purpose, he smacks the Nurse with the music box, hands it to her and then pushes her off the ledge into the water... where she's swallowed whole by Angie (who looks like a giant anglerfish, by the way).
The group is shocked by Charles' ensuing emotional outburst, where he blasts having to keep up spirits constantly, and how he doesn't feel like he can help anyone; they've still not solved Crystal's case, he couldn't stop his abusive father, and so on.
The following morning, Dagfinn thanks them for wrapping up the case and banishing the other ghosts, paying them with a cursed Magic 8 Ball which tells users the moment they'll die. Back at the butcher shop, Ed and Charles commit that they can both talk about their predicaments going forward, and then the ghosts split up: Edwin goes to Niko's apartment, and Charles goes across the hall through Crystal's door.
The episode ends with Niko revealing Crystal's family woes have inspired her to finally open the letters from her mother she'd been putting off reading. Meanwhile, Crystal and Charles talk about life and how it lately seems to just... suck. In that moment, Charles kisses her: Crystal asks if he felt it, and he says no, but it doesn't matter, and they start making out.
Dead Boy Detectives is now streaming exclusively on Netflix. And if you're looking for more shows to enjoy, check out our round-up of the best shows on Netflix.
