Comedy
Dead Boy Detectives
Dead Boy Detectives targets teens in style and story. But it comes with very adult, problematic content.
Attorney Patty Hewes could scare the Stetson off J.R. Ewing, cow The Simpsons’ Mr. Burns into a coma. A titan of New York City’s rough-and-tumble legal community, Patty’s ruthless tactics and devious dealings have made her almost invincible in court and almost unbearable outside it. She’s driven by an unflagging and often twisted sense of justice, and she feels that makes her underhanded, often unethical maneuvers OK. The end, she would likely agree, justifies the means.
Glenn Close’s Patty is the misshapen sun around which the show’s other characters revolve. There’s Tom Shayes, her loyal-but-doomed law partner. There’s Ellen Parsons, a woman whom she tutored before Ellen had enough of the Iron Maiden and moved to the District Attorney’s office. There’s Phil, Patty’s powerful ex-husband. And then, of course, there’s the cadre of people who, for one reason or another, tumble into Patty’s legal offices—willingly or not.
“The Dog Is Happier Without Her”
Three seasons into this FX drama, we’ve met the Tobin family, a powerful and rich clan whose patriarch is about to go to jail for setting up a massive Ponzi scheme. While the DA’s office is looking into the criminal aspects of the case, Patty’s firm has been tasked with recovering the family’s ill-gotten funds and returning what they can to investors. And, while the Tobins appear to be cooperating, Patty’s sure they’re hiding something.
And if Patty thinks you’re up to no good, watch out.
Joe Tobin, for his part, knows it’s wrong to keep the money. The family should give it back. He should tell Patty about it. But he doesn’t.
“Even if you go to Patty Hewes, who’s ever going to give you a job?” his father asks. “Who’s even going to trust you?”
So Joe rationalizes … everything. Keeping other people’s money can help you make sure your own family won’t have to suffer. After all, that’s what Dad would do.
“Promise me you’ll take care of everyone [with the money],” Papa Tobin says. “I’m not doing this for me, Dad,” Joe answers.
And we haven’t even talked yet about how Joe gets drunk, confronts his father’s mistress and then, for good measure, runs her over.
As for Patty, well, we actually don’t see much of her in this episode, though we do learn she loves her dog and hates her ex. (When Phil asks if they might ever get back together, Patty says, “I don’t need you anymore—and I certainly don’t want you.”) We also learn that Tom, who is destined to die by season’s end, lost his life savings in the Tobins’ scheme. (He refuses to disclose this to Patty, fearing she’d take him off the case.)
Mostly, though, the episode focuses tightly on Joe, offering a bit of insight on why seemingly good people can make unspeakably bad decisions. And we learn something we should all know already: It’s hard to be good.
Incidentally, the episode itself is a pretty fitting example of that principle, too, what with the cursing (characters say the s-word several times and misuse Jesus’ name once, along with a bevy of other profanities), nods to adultery and some rather disturbing images of a soon-to-be-killed Tom Shayes.
Paul Asay has been part of the Plugged In staff since 2007, watching and reviewing roughly 15 quintillion movies and television shows. He’s written for a number of other publications, too, including Time, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. The author of several books, Paul loves to find spirituality in unexpected places, including popular entertainment, and he loves all things superhero. His vices include James Bond films, Mountain Dew and terrible B-grade movies. He’s married, has two children and a neurotic dog, runs marathons on occasion and hopes to someday own his own tuxedo. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @AsayPaul.
Dead Boy Detectives targets teens in style and story. But it comes with very adult, problematic content.
An elf mage contemplates on connection and regret as she watches her human friends grow old and pass away.
