Who is Crystal Palace? Kassius Nelson’s ‘Dead Boy Detectives’ Character, Explained
The Dead Boy Detectives have arrived on Netflix—and they’ve brought a whole team of sleuths with them.
Longtime fans of the Dead Boy Detective Agency will recognize Crystal Palace, the psychic medium who helps Edwin Paine (George Rexstrew) and Charles Rowland (Jayden Revri) solve supernatural mysteries. If you’re new to the character, though, here are the basics!
Crystal Palace throughout Dead Boy history
Crystal made her first appearance in Dead Boy Detectives issue #25. As a psychic medium, Crystal has the power to see and communicate with the dead. Unlike most living people, she can interact with Edwin and George, making her a perfect liaison to the world of the living and a natural member of their team.
When Edwin and Charles made the jump from comics to the screen in DC’s Doom Patrol, which premiered on Max in 2019. Although Edwin, Charles, and Crystal weren’t introduced until season 3, they quickly earned a devoted fan following.
Crystal Palace in Dead Boy Detectives on Netflix
The newest incarnation of Crystal Palace, played by Kassius Nelson, stays true to some of the best parts of Crystal’s character while putting a new spin on her.
In the first episode of Dead Boy Detectives, Edwin and Charles are approached by a Victorian-era ghost with a new case. The ghost’s living friend Crystal has been acting odd lately. It turns out that Crystal has been possessed by a demon, and Charles and Edwin perform an exorcism to get that demon out.
But Crystal’s troubles aren’t over. It turns out the demon took a bunch of Crystal’s memories with him when he left, and he’s itching to get back in her head. As season 1 progresses, Crystal tries to figure out how to get her memories back so she can recover her old life and find out who she really is. She also helps Edwin and Charles solve mysteries, of course. She also makes friends with two new characters: Niko Sasaki (Yuyu Kitamura) and Jenny the Butcher (Briana Cuoco).
Who is Crystal Palace, really?
Warning: this section contains massive spoilers for the end of Dead Boy Detectives season 1.
When Crystal finally gets her memories back, she makes an upsetting discovery: in her previous life, she was a total jerk.
It turns out that Crystal is the daughter of rich parents. While her parents spent their time at gallery openings and other hoity-toity affairs, Crystal shopped, went out with friends, and mistreated everyone she came across. That odious personality is compounded by Crystal’s discovery that her parents didn’t even know she was missing.
How will Crystal deal with her newfound discovery? Let’s cross our fingers for a season 2 so we can find out.
(featured image: Netflix)
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