Comedy
Dead Boy Detectives
Dead Boy Detectives targets teens in style and story. But it comes with very adult, problematic content.
Joe Connolly is 11 years old, and he’s finally moving up to O’Malley Secondary School. Though he’s a little nervous, Joe’s confident that, with his best friend Frisbo at his side, there’s nothing at the “Big School” that he can’t overcome.
Except, as it turns out, a lot of new challenges come with the school. For one, the teachers aren’t as forgiving. For another, Joe’s classmates aren’t as slow to make fun of him when he gets into embarrassing situations. And what’s all this talk about girlfriends and puberty?
As Joe experiences school dances, uniform mishaps and relational troubles, he’ll come to understand that he, like his favorite animal the dodo, each problem will lead him one step closer to utter extinction if he isn’t careful.
It’s undeniable that there are some differences between the British and the American school systems. For one, the British say “maths,” which some would say makes more sense as the shorter version of mathematics, but I refuse to accept it. For another, school uniforms are a lot more common on that side of the pond.
But when we take a look at O’Malley Secondary School through Joe Connolly’s eyes, there’s plenty that’ll remind American viewers of the awkward mishaps of that forsaken land known as middle school. Apparently, changing from one school to another also changes what’s deemed cool and what’s deemed childish. Sliding on your knees at the school dance? Out. Having a girlfriend? In.
It’s a confusing time for many tweens, and Joe’s no exception. Though his active imagination pictures himself as the cool, suave guy, it also feeds him thoughts of extreme failure. Like, if Joe doesn’t get a girlfriend, he’ll never be allowed aboard the rocket ship that’ll take couples to another planet to populate it when they’re inevitably forced off Earth. Desperate to avoid those dire consequences, Joe often ends up going to extreme measures and embarrassing himself further, collecting those awkward stories that we all have from growing up.
Generally, HBO Max’s Dodo is a clean comedy that’ll have both kids and parents laughing at Ricky Wilson’s dry narration. However, parents will want to be aware of a few elements. One episode references “bits,” where the students learn off-screen about puberty. In another, Joe’s friend Frisbo informs Joe that “if you don’t get a girlfriend by the time you’re 12-and-a-half…it falls off.” There’s additionally a couple brief instances in which we see a gay couple holding hands or sitting together.
As Joe begins his first day at O’Malley Secondary, everything seems to go absolutely wrong.
Joe’s brother hits him on the arm for using his deodorant. Joe rips the seat of his pants, and he is seen by other students in his underwear as he tries to fix the tear. Joe, whose nickname is “Dodo,” is called “Doo doo” by another student. Joe’s friend Frisbo picks his nose.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
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.
