Dead Boy Detectives – Episode 4 Recap & Review

The Case of the Lighthouse Leapers

In episode 4 of Dead Boy Detectives, Niko and Crystal find that Jenny has been receiving love letters from a secret admirer but Jenny doesn’t want to know their identity so as to avoid being disappointed. Meanwhile, an annoyed sailor ghost, who haunts the lighthouse by the beach, asks the agency to get rid of the new ghosts who are hanging by his haunting site after throwing themselves off of the lighthouse. He offers them taffy and a call that reveals when a person is going to die.

The team visit the lighthouse and witness a woman committing suicide. They call the police but the police feels that the teenagers, Crystal and Niko, are pranking them. And so, while Niko goes with a gift shop owner to gather intelligence, Crystal and Charles proceed to talk to the ghost of the dead woman, before leaving to inspect the lighthouse. Through the ghosts, they find that a voice of their loved ones are luring them to their deaths. Meanwhile, Edwin is visited by the cat king, who’s ever so interested in him. Through the cat king’s enhancements, we learn that Edwin wants to solve as many cases and help wandering ghosts so if in the future he is dragged back to hell, he can make a case out of his good deeds.

 Meanwhile, the Night Nurse has arrived on earth and is looking for the two boys. She visits Jenny, enchants her and finds out that the detective team is by the beach. In the meantime, Charles and Crystal are on the lighthouse where Crystal hears a voice which she feels is her mother’s. It draws her to the ocean but Charles’ interruption saves her and they leave.

Edwin appears at the gift shop where Niko and Edwin learn about the goddess Lilith and washerwoman lore. They find the washwoman only meets those who are in need and also that many people are about to come to the lighthouse for a festival. They reunite with Charles and Edwin before Crystal almost throws her off of the cliff in the ocean under voice’s effect. As they later wander, Niko picks up a red stone and through the stone, when light bends, the team is transported to a magical place where they meet the washerwoman, washing the blood of those who are about to perish. She tells them about the monster in the sea through riddles and suggests that “it must play until it tires”. Later, only Crystal remains to ask her the solution for her situation and the washerwoman tells her to “look within”.

Later, the detectives end up at the magic shop and the owner tells them about Angie, the sea monster, who sends out a yearning with her light and people “fill in the blanks with who’re they desire”. He suggests to make her fall asleep than kill her. The team figure out the meaning behind “until it tires” and that they need to make her sleep with a lullaby. Charles find a device that superstitious sailors use to calm the seas and they decide to feed it the music ball.

The group scourage for scraps of meat from Jenny’s garbage can and try to disguise it. They also meet Monty and tell him that they’re on a case. They go back to the beach where they meet the Night Nurse who’s obsessed about taking the two boys back. She makes Charles relive his traumatic death where we find that he had been dumped in a freezing lake by his friends when he tried to save a boy from getting bullied, and likewise died of hypothermia. She also makes him relive his father’s abuse. This makes Charles lose his temper, he beats the Night Nurse and throws her off with the magic ball to be swallowed by the sea monster. The team finds his actions extreme but he breaks down over his traumatic experiences.

The next day, the mystery of the lighthouse is solved and the sailor ghost gives them their wins. Case Closed.

The four entire to their rooms with Edwin a bit awkward with Charles since the cat king sows the seed that he might actually like Charles. Edwin and Niko end up watching Scooby Doo and Niko finally gains the courage to read her mother’s letters, while Crystal and Charles share a kiss.

The Episode Review

In this episode, we discovered more about Charle’s trauma which hides subtle themes of familial abuse and bullying. Charles has been living with this baggage for years and his deep-seated anger manifests in his violent responses to the Night nurse, shocking all his friends.

We also find that Edwin might have been repressing his emotions which he so often denies to acknowledge, and the cat king might have just opened a pandora’s box. At the same time, Niko is also letting go of her traumas and finding courage to face her problems head on.

Moreover, it’s quite interesting how the show incorporates myths and legends like that of the washerwoman and the Greek goddess Lilith. These little titbits enhance the oomph of the plot and makes it more relevant and creative, with the right dose of oddball humour.