Dead Boy Detectives – Episode 3 Recap & Review

The Case of the Devlin House

In episode 3 of Dead Boy Detectives, the detective come across many trivial ghost issues before an old lady tells them about her house where her sister’s husband killed his entire family over a rumour that his wife might have been cheating on him. She explains that before her death, she could feel “something inside” and she wants to make sure that her family is at peace before moving on to the afterlife. She offers a jar filled with coins as payment.

The team start working on the Devlin murder case. Niko and Edwin receive documents regarding the case from the librarian Maxine, and Crystal, with Charles, consult Jenny, the owner of the butcher shop and also her landlord, about the case.  

When Niko and Edwin leave the library, they meet Monty who weaves a story about how he can see ghosts after a near-death experience. And, he seems especially interested in astrology and Edwin, much to Edwin’s discomfort.

Elsewhere, Night Nurse’s request to go to Earth is not approved due to lack of “specificity” in her documents. In the meantime, Edwin, Charles and Crystal arrive at the haunted house of the Devlin murder case and they witness that the ghost family is stuck in an everlasting loop of the father murdering his wife and daughters repetitively for 30 years. Edwin explains about the Stone Tape Theory, that such a loop arises out of sheer trauma associated with an event. The ghosts are lost and the only way to free them is to find and destroy the trigger.

They assume that the trigger is a letter that the man found from someone called Hudson, which led to him killing his wife and children.  They destroy the letter but nothing happens. It’s also revealed that it wasn’t his wife cheating, but one of the daughters moving away to Hudson university that led to his drastic response. They discover in the daughter’s diary how her father was becoming more and more controlling and how she wanted to leave for university.

Meanwhile, Charles is getting more and more agitated since he had experienced abuse himself and tries to strike the man but gets stuck in the loop himself. Crystal and Edwin brainstorm and realise that the trigger is the music. They search for its source and find a hidden cabinet. It’s revealed that the father had installed cameras throughout the house and monitored his family’s actions.

Edwin and Crystal try to erase the song from the tape. This is when a misery wraith, creature from hell, which feeds off of negative emotions arrive. Edwin suggests Crystal to think “positive thoughts” but this is when Crystal’s toxic-ex, David the demon, arrives in Crystal’s head and she cannot think positive thoughts. Yikes. Amidst this chaos, Edwin somehow erases the files on the tape, breaking the loop and they escape from the cabinet.  The three run away from the house, before death arrives to retrieve the lost souls. Case closed.

While all this is happening, Niko roused by the sprites, arrive with pots and pans to help her friends, only she’s a tad bit too late but they acknowledge her efforts anyway. While they are going back, they meet Monty, again, who’s only interested in talking to Edwin. Elsewhere, in Afterlife’s Lost and Found department, Night Nurse is able to gain information on Edwin and Charles through the Devlin murder case victims, the daughters, who tell her about their saviours.

The Episode Review

The show has marvellous and engaging references to real-life institutions and it portrays them in a comical way. Take for instance, the entire After Life Department and all its attention to detail and specificity, not to forget the file work, resembling how the law enforcement and public institutions work.

It also gives us a sneak peek into Charles’ story, through the Devlin murder case, that he might have been harbouring an unresolved pain. Niko has some sort of character growth since she’s able to let go of her fear and shows courage in trying to help her friends.