Another Neil Gaiman adaptation has hit the big screen and fans are clamouring for more Dead Boy Det ectives after that suspenseful finale.
The Netflix series, starring George Rexstrew and Jayden Revri, shows Charles and Edwin, two dead teenagers, running a detective agency to solve cases of trapped ghosts who can’t move on – all while escaping the clutches of Death, played by Kirby Howell-Baptiste, who reprises her role from The Sandman.
Along the way, they meet Crystal (Kassius Nelson) and Niko (Yuyu Kitamura), who become part of the group – until tragedy strikes in the end.
Let’s analyse everything that happened in that brutal final episode and how the ending sets us up for more adventures from our dead detectives.
Dead Boy Detectives: Niko’s fate after the shocking finale
Everything points to Niko not being alive – but she could still be around in the world of the dead.
The final episode begins with Edwin and Niko having a heart-to-heart, where he thanks her for saving his life and indirectly tells her that he has confessed his feelings for Charles.
As the group says goodbye to Crystal (we’ll talk about that later), the butcher’s shop explodes due to sabotage by Esther (Jenn Lyon). She captures Charles and Edwin, and Crystal and Niko agree to rescue them.
Niko and Crystal track down the Cat King (Lukas Gage) who admits he’s been terrorised by Esther ever since she almost killed him. He tells them Esther’s story – she made a pact with the goddess Lilith for eternal life, but not eternal youth. So she feeds young girls to her pet snake in order to steal their youth.
The Cat King warns them that they need enchanted black salt to defeat Esther, so the pair head for Tragic Mick’s. Realising he can’t stop them, Tragic Mick (Michael Beach) gives Niko a good luck charm – a bear pendant – to thank her for listening to his story.
Crystal and Niko sneak into Esther’s house. Niko goes to free Charles, with the help of Monty the crow. She rushes to free Edwin while Crystal distracts Esther.
Ruthless, even with the black salt, Esther continues to torture Edwin while Charles kills the snake that was devouring the children. Crystal tries to distract her, but it’s not enough and Esther notices Niko sneaking up on her.
Esther casts a spell on Crystal in an attempt to kill her, but Niko jumps in front, sacrificing himself for his friend.
After Crystal defeats Esther, she, Charles, Edwin and Jenny mourn the tragic loss of Niko. But is she really dead? The final scene of the series shows a mysterious figure hiding in an igloo, accompanied by Niko’s sprites (played by Max Jenkins and Caitlin Reilly).
Although the figure doesn’t speak, it extends its gloved hand to reveal the bear amulet given to Niko by Tragic Mick.
On the possibility of Niko still being around, showrunner Steve Yockey kept a low profile, but hinted to RadioTimes.com: “I think if Niko is still out there, she’s got a big journey ahead of her to get back to the rest of the agency.”
From our perspective, it looks like that could set up a second season! Yockey commented on the potential future of the series: “We’re currently in a state of anticipation. We have a plan for the second season and ideas for a third, so any Netflix executives watching… There is this central mythology, but as is the case this week, it seems like it could go on, so clearly we’d love to do more.
What about other hints of a possible second season? Yockey revealed that we’ll probably see “more time in London” as we revisit our favourite detective agency.
What happened to Charles and Edwin in Dead Detective Boys?
At the end of the series, it is determined that Charles and Edwin will be able to continue the Dead Boy Detectives detective agency .
A mysterious figure, credited on IMDB only as “The Director” and played by Tamlyn Tomita, orders them to finally move on to the afterlife. However, she soon realises that Charles and Edwin are just doing a job similar to the Lost and Found department and that their work is actually useful.
So she assigns the Night Nurse to accompany the boys on their detective work.
Something tells us that this isn’t the last we’ll see of Tamlyn Tomita in the Sandman universe, especially considering the mystery surrounding her character.
What happened to Crystal in Dead Detective Boys?
Episode eight begins with Crystal recovering her memories – and it’s not a pleasant experience. She discovers that she was a horrible person in her past life.
What’s more, she remembers her parents, but to her chagrin, she realises that they don’t care about her and haven’t even noticed her absence. Faced with this, Crystal decides to leave.
But first she has to explain to Jenny that she was possessed by a demon and can now see ghosts. A complicated situation! Crystal offers to erase Jenny’s memory, but her friend says she’d rather know the truth.
