Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Dead Boy Detectives’ takes the audience into the supernatural world of two teenage ghosts who have started their own detective agency. The only difference is that the cases they tackle are of paranormal nature. By the time the events of the show pick up, the boys, Edwin and Charles, have been at it for decades and have developed a knack for tackling all sorts of things. No matter how dangerous a thing might seem, they are ready to take it down, save their client, and close the case.
Even with their status as ghosts, there are a few things they are scared of and try to avoid. As a part of their ritual, whenever they close a case, they make it a point to leave the location as soon as possible because they don’t want to be caught up in the blue light that follows. SPOILERS AHEAD
Why do Edwin and Charles Avoid the Blue Light?
Being a ghost comes with all sorts of perks, but that still doesn’t make Edwin and Charles as powerful as one would imagine. There are numerous supernatural beings more powerful than them, and the most powerful of all is Death. The second oldest of the Endless, Death is, well, death personified, and in the ‘Sandman’ universe, is played by Kirby Howell-Baptiste. She appears in the first episode of ‘Dead Boy Detectives,’ after Edwin and Charles help a ghost from World War I find peace.
Death’s role in the joint ‘Sandman’ and ‘Dead Boy Detectives’ universe is to carry dead souls to the other side. She appears to a person when they are dead. If they accompany her, they will leave the mortal plane and accept whatever fate awaits them on the other side. If not, they will live in the mortal world as ghosts, which is what Edwin and Charles have chosen for themselves.
When Edwin died, he was dragged to Hell and spent decades there being tortured beyond belief. When he finally escaped, he decided he was done with Hell. Because he was sacrificed to a demon, it made sense to him that should he meet Death again, she will send him back to Hell. So, there is no doubt in his mind that he cannot, under any circumstances, face her again. Meanwhile, when Death came for Charles, he decided not to cross over to the other side because he had already befriended Edwin and didn’t want to part with his only friend.
Charles and Edwin made a pact that day that they would stick together no matter what, and to survive their new situation, they would have to make sure that they never cross paths with Death again, which is kind of tricky considering that their new job requires them to help other ghosts solve their unresolved issues and find peace, which is when they are greeted by Death. The blue light marks her arrival, and Charles and Edwin do whatever they can to avoid it.
While Death appears in the first episode, we never see her again because we follow Charles and Edwin’s point of view, according to which they should be far away from wherever Death is supposed to be. They almost always witness her arrival from afar, and it is the blue light that confirms she has appeared, which is also a seal of confirmation that their case has, in fact, been closed.
