Dead Boy Detectives episode 2 recap: A wacky psychedelic invasion of sprites

Our Dead Boy Detectives soon find themselves trapped in Port Townsend thanks to Edwin's little spell placed on a cat in the first episode. In this magical universe, messing with cats gets you a one-way ticket to the Cat King, who rules over his domain of feline friends with a lot of swagger.

Spoilers ahead for Dead Boy Detectives episode 2

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In walks Lukas Gage, dripping with charisma and sex appeal, as the enigmatic royal. Since Edwin cast a spell on a cat, he'll now be punished by the Cat King. Though his punishments are clearly an open door for sex. A very flustered Edwin rejects the king's advances, and the Cat King shackles him with a golden wristlet instead. One that prevents him from leaving town under any circumstances, not even via mirror portal. Edwin must count every cat in Port Townsend before the king removes his fancy bangle.

DEAD BOY DETECTIVES (2023) — DEAD BOY DETECTIVES. Lukas Gage as Thomas The Cat King in episode 2 of DEAD BOY DETECTIVES. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2023

And that's how we find our trio stranded in America, unable to return to the agency for supplies in the interim. But Edwin isn't about to give up so easily. He and Charles visit a local magic shop run by Tragic Mick, a walrus cursed to walk the land as a man (played by Michael Beech). The shopkeeper gives Edwin the bad news: that bracelet's spell can only be broken by the caster and the Cat King made his demands clear. He let the boys take a glass jar enchanted with ocean sounds as a parting gift.

Meanwhile, Crystal gets to know more about her roommate, Niko. Every time Crystal looks at Niko she sees a halo of psychedelic colors. She's also taken to spontaneously fainting and nosebleeds. After a quick trip back to London to consult Edwin's textbooks (Charles does the actual traveling and searching while Edwin finds his arm frustratingly trapped at the wrist due to the bracelet), the boys deduce that Niko is plagued with something called "dandelion sprites." Sounds cute, but they're deadly.

These devilish sprites are addicted to attention, explaining the technicolor aura we see around Niko that forces people to look at her. When the host has given all they can, the sprites depart their vessel through explosive means, killing the host. The only way to get rid of them is to trap the sprites in an enchanted vessel. Again, Charles and Edwin venture into the woodland area Niko had been when she was infected to find the sprite's domain and a vessel to contain them. Unfortunately, Charles breaks the vessel by mistake.

Things only escalate back at Jenny the Butcher's flat as the sprites abruptly force Niko to walk downstairs into the crowded shop to dazzle the entire crowd. It's only then that Crystal realizes there might be a way to save Niko while Edwin and Charles find a better solution. She invites the sprites to infect her instead. What could be better than a host that can give them attention from the living and the dead?

Unable to resist the prospect, the sprites jump ship, just in time for Charles to use the enchanted glass jar from the magic shop to snag them before they can take roost in Crystal's body. In real life, the sprites are no more than two little beings barely an inch tall, one of whom is somewhat randomly played by comedian/TikTok star Caitlin Reilly. Crisis averted, Niko is saved and since she had a near-death experience, now she can even see Edwin and Charles.

Like the first episode, this one again ends with a visit to our favorite neighborhood witch Esther Finch. Unbeknownst to Edwin and Charles, she'd been in the stacks of the shop and overheard their confession that they're stuck in town, giving her an opportune moment to concoct a plan of revenge. One that involves a bloody transformation of her beloved crow familiar Monty into a handsome teen boy with the same name.

Odds & Ends

Crystal and Niko share a bonding moment where we learn that Crystal is desperate to find her parents, but doesn't know where to begin due to her amnesia.
Edwin is clearly attracted to the Cat King, though he seems unable to admit it to himself yet. Struggling with his sexuality, or just his straitlaced nature?
Another trip to the afterlife's Lost & Found Department tells us that Edwin somehow skirted crossing over and Charles escaped hell. The Night Nurse, one of Death's accomplices, is intent on finding the lost boys and ensuring they get to their appropriate afterlives.