Jenny Green stands out as one of the more mysterious yet delightful characters in the Netflix adaptation of DC Vertigo’s Dead Boy Detectives. While her role may not significantly impact the series’ canon events, her presence is nonetheless warmly welcomed, particularly as a source of comic relief and even emotion. Operating a butcher shop in Port Townsend, Jenny also serves as the landlord for the apartments where Crystal and Niko reside. She is socially awkward and often shows disinterest in others. Sporting a punk appearance adorned with numerous tattoos, Jenny’s unique persona adds an intriguing layer to the series. On an additional note, I feel Jenny’s character seems like something Aubrey Plaza would love to play.
Spoilers Ahead
How does Jenny meet Crystal?
In the first episode, Jenny Green is introduced as a punk butcher in Port Townsend. Crystal meets Jenny when she stumbles upon the butcher shop looking for a room. Crystal claims to be twenty-two years old, which Jenny knows is a lie, but regardless, she allows her to have the room as long as she’s paying. Jenny did not want to be a butcher by profession, but after she inherited the shop from her father, she had no choice but to run the shop. Soon after, she started to find the work quite cathartic as well. Throughout the series, Jenny is seen expressing her nihilist opinions about the world, even though she secretly does care about people, she is bad at expressing these emotions.
How does Jenny react to her secret admirer?
Jenny’s temperament begins to change when she discovers that she has a secret admirer. Jenny has been receiving love letters from a stranger, about which she pretends that it doesn’t matter to her. However, Jenny is often seen smiling while going through the letters. Moreover, she keeps the letters safely in a box. When asked by Crystal and Niko about the secret admirer, Jenny dismisses any reciprocation from her side but admits feeling nice about receiving such letters. She says that it is the secrecy she likes the most. Jenny fears being disappointed in love, implying that she has had a past relationship that ended in heartbreak. As an adult with responsibilities, she feels she can no longer afford to mope over the burden of romantic relationships. Moreover, Jenny fears that this secret admirer might even be a psychopath since the letters have been typed rather than handwritten.
What happens when Jenny meets Maxine?
Despite Jenny’s disinterest in meeting her admirer, Niko goes out of her way to find the person sending the letters. She spots a woman holding a letter similar to what Jenny received and follows her to the library. It turns out the secret admirer is Maxine, a local librarian. Niko confronts Maxine about Jenny and sets up a date without Jenny’s approval. Upon returning home, Niko informs Jenny and convinces her to agree to it. Unexpectedly, Jenny and Maxine’s date goes excitingly well as they click with each other quite well. Maxine reveals that she developed a liking for Jenny immediately after seeing her. Like Jenny, even Maxine had an interest in serial killer documentaries. Near the end of their date, however, Maxine ends up blurting out the nightshirt she wears, implying that she stalks Jenny even at night. This revelation makes Jenny uncomfortable, and she asks her to leave. Maxine, who is persistent in trying to make things better with Jenny, brushes it off as a cute gesture. Maxine adds that sometimes she checks what movie Jenny is watching, just so she can go back home and watch it too.
Jenny, who is shocked and quite disgusted at Maxine’s sociopathic tendencies, sternly asks Maxine to leave. However, Maxine doesn’t take no for an answer and picks up Jenny’s meat cleaver and attacks her. Maxine corners Jenny, but before she can deal the final blow, she slips and impales her head on a skewer, dying on the spot.
How does Jenny make up with Niko?
Jenny is quite clearly traumatized by this incident, as anyone would be, but she also blames Niko for the incident. Jenny was quite adamant about not going on the date but was convinced by Niko; as a result, she even gave Niko a cold shoulder. As for Niko, even she is quite disturbed to learn about what happened to Jenny and blames herself, but Niko has her own way of dealing with problems and directly talks to Jenny. Jenny, an emotionally avoidant person, snaps at Niko and harshly scolds her for not minding her own business and for being invasive in Jenny’s matters. The harsh words from Jenny deeply affect Niko, and she shuts herself in her room.
Feeling bad for what she said to Niko, Jenny visits Niko in her room to apologize. Jenny admits that she feels sad that she put herself out there only to be disappointed yet again. When Niko says that she’d like to stay in and not help people, Jenny tells her to not lose hope in other people. Jenny is quite self-aware about being a nihilist but feels that other people do deserve to be happy.
How Does Jenny find out about Charles and Edwin?
When Crystal goes to the skating rink to confront the demon, Jenny assumes that she is going to confront her ex. Not knowing who David actually is, Jenny decides to accompany Crystal, believing she will be providing her with some emotional support. During Crystal’s fight with David, the demon ends up possessing her until Crystal defeats him.
Jenny wakes up in Niko’s room and demands an explanation from the girls over what has happened. It is then that Crystal reveals everything about the ghost boys and David being a demon. She learns about Esther being a witch as well, after Esther destroys her meat shop to capture Charles and Edwin. In the end, before Crystal and Niko head off to fight Esther, Jenny gives them each a meat cleaver. Not knowing if it would actually help, she just wants Crystal and Niko to be safe.
Will Jenny Be Back In Season 2?
I found Jenny to be quite an entertaining character in the series and would personally love to see her return in the next season. After Niko’s death, she contemplates whether her insurance would cover an explosion by supernatural means or not. Charles and Crystal offer to come back to London with them, suggesting she could run a meat shop there. Even though Crystal wonders if she’d actually do it, she does admit that her shop wasn’t exactly running in Port Townsend. Perhaps she’d become another member of the Dead Boy Detective Agency.
