DISCLAIMER: This recap of Dead Boy Detectives Season 1 Episode 6, “The Case of the Creeping Forest,” contains spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
Episode six, “The Case of the Creeping Forest,” seemingly puts an end to Esther’s grand plan. Or does it? Night Nurse realizes the afterlife bureaucracy might not be infallible. It also sees Crystal beautifully coming into her own. This series is a fast-moving freight train of fantasy campiness, and it embraces that while diving deeper into these characters’ rich inner lives. Edwin is this close to telling Charles he loves him. The Edwin of episode one never would’ve embraced his sexuality or feelings for Charles like that. And that ending! Talk about a massive cliffhanger.
Light of Heart
We open with Niko (Yuyu Kitamura) packing her things in her room. After Maxine turned out to be a bloodthirsty stalker, Niko has been freed of her illusions about love. She tells Crystal (Kassius Nelson) that Jenny hasn’t talked to her since the incident. You have to give her time, Niko. You inadvertently set her up with her stalker. Anyway, Crystal reveals that David the Demon has upped his mindf*ck games. She needs to sever ties with him permanently.
So, the pair visit Mick (Michael Beach), who gives Crystal the Light of Heart, a magical item perfect for those formerly romantically involved with demons. It protects one from the repercussions of toxic entanglements and is also one-time use.
While ringing them up (Niko whips out a credit card courtesy of her mom), Mick tries to tell them his life story and how he wound up on land. Crystal brushes him off, but Niko encourages him to continue. He reveals his tale begins with a father and his daughter long ago.
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Tragic Mick’s Tragic Story
The duo find themselves on a boat during a storm. To appease the gods and score their protection, the man sacrifices his daughter, tossing her off the boat and into the choppy waters below. However, the gods were incensed, so they punished the man and made his daughter Sedna, the goddess of the sea. Sedna went on to protect walruses like Mick, ensuring they were well-fed and cared for.
But Mick longed for land. He wanted to experience a different life. Sedna granted his wish, stating he couldn’t return to the ocean and his former walrus life. Mick hasn’t seen Sedna ever since. So, Mick is this universe’s Ariel, the Little Mermaid? I can get behind that. Crystal and Niko are struck by Mick’s tragic story before they abruptly leave his shop.
Get Him Out
Later, Niko reads Mick’s directions for the heart-shaped gem. Crystal must close her eyes and state what she wants two times. “I want to keep David out of my head,” she says. The gem cracks in half, and Crystal feels its effects instantly. This includes the stripping of her powers. She’s no longer psychic. Uh-oh.
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Meanwhile, Esther (Jenn Lyon) puts the finishing touches on her grand plan to defeat Charles, Edwin and Crystal. It looks like a giant mushroom. She instructs Monty (Joshua Colley) to lure them into the woods and let her magical plan do the rest. It’ll destroy the ghosts. Then, Esther can feed Crystal to the hungry snake in her cabinet.
Later, Charles (Jayden Revri) and Edwin (George Rexstrew) find Crystal and Niko on the roof. Crystal refrains from disclosing her lack of powers despite Charles claiming they need her for a specific case because of them. Monty barges onto the roof, claiming his ghost friend, “Gladys,” is missing. Edwin feels terrible about what transpired after their kiss. Ergo, he also feels inclined to help Monty. Monty gives him the cold shoulder, though.
Meet Kashi
After the quartet puts it to a vote, they put their heads together to find Gladys. Monty reveals she was last seen walking in the woods. Elsewhere, Night Nurse (Ruth Connell) wakes up inside Angie at the bottom of the ocean. Kashi (Cheech Manohar), a well-traveled man who now resides in the belly of a sea creature, greets her. He thought she was dead. Night Nurse sets about finding a means of escape.
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Next, Edwin, Charles, Crystal and Monty wind up on the outskirts of the Tall Tree Forest. The ghosts lingering near the sign claim that any spirits who pass through said forest never return. They cease to be. However, this doesn’t scare our intrepid detectives. They forge ahead with magical stones in hand. By holding these stones, they can sense where Gladys is.
When that yields no fruit, Charles urges Crystal to touch a tree and use her psychic abilities to detect Gladys. She does as she’s bid. Charles notes that Crystal’s eyes didn’t turn white. Backed into a corner, Crystal finally tells the truth—a heart-shaped gem banished David from her head but took her powers in exchange. Magic always comes at a cost.
The Case of the Creeping Forest
Monty interrupts the conversation to reveal he found something. Our witch’s crow-turned-human is quite the actor. Edwin whips out a magnifying glass to examine a spore colony of Esther’s devising on some moss. Charles compares this development to “The Case of the Ghastly Greenhouse.” Side note: I hope this becomes a future flashback episode. Color me intrigued.
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Charles and Edwin reveal that the magical spores are from another universe and deadly to ghosts. They make them vanish into nothingness. Edwin compliments Monty’s excellent eye. After this, Charles tells Edwin he’ll take care of the Crystal thing; however, Edwin must figure out why Monty is giving him the cold shoulder.
At the butcher shop, Niko tries to strike up a conversation with a distant Jenny (Briana Cuoco). Jenny bites back, laying bare her feelings. Jenny’s anger is understandable, but I dislike seeing Sad Niko. It’s like someone turning off the sun. Meanwhile, the forest gang sees a ghost animal fall through the ground after becoming infected by the spores, or the “Forest Elemental.” Charles procures a mirror from his Mary Poppins bag and returns to their London office to fetch Edwin’s books.
The Elemental Grows
Edwin creates a concoction to banish the Elemental. While it works for the specific spot that destroyed the animal ghost, more sprouts up on the forest floor. It’s multiplying. Edwin notes its growth is exponential, so it’ll reach Port Townsend by morning.
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The gang decides to split up to track the Elemental’s point of origin. Only then can they vanquish it. Monty and Edwin go in one direction, while Crystal and Charles go in another. Meanwhile, Night Nurse is relentless in her pursuit of an exit. She tells Kashi that her job is to capture two errant teen ghosts and send them to their respective afterlife destinations. She adds that the afterlife is unique to each person.
After Night Nurse spirals, Kashi grabs her hands to calm her down. She notices the different-colored rings on each finger and asks where he got them. He states he’s a traveler who’s had many adventures. Kashi proposes that instead of provoking Angie, why not ask her to expel Night Nurse? He calls out to the sea creature and poses the question. Surprisingly, Angie obliges. We hear her swimming to the surface. Before Night Nurse departs, Kashi gives her one of his rings.
David the Demon Returns
Later, David the Demon (David Iacono) rears his ugly head to taunt Crystal and Charles. Charles finally meets her demon stalker ex. His face appears on several mirrors that stand erect on the forest floor. Crystal informs David that she no longer has powers. She’s “nothing special.” Charles pulls out his cricket bat and smashes all the mirrors, defeating (at least temporarily) the demon. He tells Crystal he’ll always use a cricket bat to save her. Aw.
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Next, Edwin apologizes to Monty for what happened after their kiss. Monty’s demeanor softens. He pivots, revealing that he “just remembered” that Gladys likes sailing. He’s trying to protect them from Esther’s evil scheme. Suddenly, the Cat King (Lukas Gage) appears. He was one of the cats who watched Edwin and Monty kiss. Cat King informs Edwin of Monty’s part in luring our heroes into a trap. Side note: I love Gage’s choice to “whisper” after admitting that he “always says the quiet parts out loud.” Funny.
Cat King outs Monty as Esther’s crow companion, saying she turned him human to romance Edwin and send the dead boy detectives to their doom. In response, Monty also says the quiet part out loud: Edwin has feelings for Charles. Edwin balks at this, but it’s true. Monty storms off, while Edwin reminds Cat King that the latter doesn’t own him. As Edwin leaves, Cat King states he’ll never remove the bracelet, meaning Edwin will be stuck in Port Townsend forever.
RIP Monty
Then, Esther confronts Monty, realizing he failed his mission to lure the ghosts to their demise. She kills him as punishment. RIP, Monty. After that, Charles, Edwin and Crystal run into Esther and her giant mushroom, Teeth Face. Teeth Face will drag the ghosts to their doom. The mushroom wraps its tentacles around Edwin and Charles. The boys grab roots to ensure Teeth Face doesn’t pull them into the ground.
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Meanwhile, Esther paralyzes Crystal so she can’t save her friends. She recalls the Washer Woman’s words about going inward. Her riddle finally makes sense. Crystal travels through one of the three eyeballs in her mind, arriving before a table of her female ancestors. All the women in her family have psychic abilities. She learns from Iris (Miranda Edwards) that most of those women make their way to this place. Technically, they are in Crystal’s head. However, the glowing pink tree to Crystal’s right is also her.
Iris also tells Crystal that demons have tried to subdue them for centuries. David wants Crystal to feel defeated. Iris reassures Crystal that she’s not alone and her ancestors are here to support her. Crystal returns to the surface once she realizes it’s all still in her. She breaks Esther’s spell and starts kicking ass. Edwin and Charles are dangerously close to falling through the ground and disappearing forever.
Leveling Up
Then, after Crystal touches the ground to communicate with Teeth Face and the Elemental. She declares that Esther doesn’t control them and that they are free to leave this realm. We see her eyes turn white as she channels her ancestors. It’s a powerful, resonant moment. Thankfully, Teeth Face departs, freeing our ghosts and taking Esther. Even though Esther is now trapped in another realm, she’s most likely still alive. After all, she’s immortal.
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Crystal tries to explain to the boys how she did that and how her powers returned (even though they never left). The scene shifts to Jenny entering Niko’s room. She tells Niko she doesn’t hate the latter but is not ready to forgive Niko yet. I appreciate seeing a conversation like this on TV. We’re not always ready to forgive right away, but that doesn’t mean we never will or hate those on the other end of that. Jenny encourages Niko to be the cute little lovesick human she is.
An Almost Confession and a Cliffhanger
Later, the trio hangs out in Crystal’s room. Edwin apologizes for not being himself that day, which Crystal and Charles are taken aback by—Edwin never apologizes. Crystal leaves to tell Niko about her resurfaced abilities. Next, Edwin tries to tell Charles how he feels about the latter. But before we get a love confession, Night Nurse appears, ready to take her boys off this plane.
Charles defends Edwin, refusing to let her cast him back into Hell. Edwin states he only went there on a technicality. Even Sa’al, the demon to whom his schoolmates sacrificed him, apologized for said technicality.
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Night Nurse examines her notes to find the technicality marked in red, plain as day. She looks at the ring Kashi gave her as it glows. She decides to temporarily take the boys to the Afterlife Lost & Found Department as they work to correct that technicality.
Suddenly, a creature from Hell bursts through the wall, grabbing Edwin. The spiderlike beast drags Edwin to Hell. Charles finds Edwin’s notebook and the Cat King’s bracelet (which vanishes) after the terrifying incident.
It’s time to rescue Edwin.
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Dead Boy Detectives Season 1 is now streaming on Netflix.
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
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