Alright class, I hope you enjoyed your break, but now we’re back full force for the rest of the semester. Did you do your homework I gave you over break? Well? Of course you didn’t. Anyway, what did you all think of Brave-ish Heart?
Made me jump for joy (and through a rip in time and space) 27.03% (10 votes)
Better than Co-Owner of a Lonely Heart 24.32% (9 votes)
Not as good as Co-Owner of a Lonely Heart 10.81% (4 votes)
Just Underneath average 13.51% (5 votes)
It felt like I was being slowly consumed by petals 24.32% (9 votes)
Well, I can’t say I saw this coming! This episode has the most negative votes so far this season. Where were you all when I ranted about Co-Owner of a Lonely Heart? Because, well, I liked part two way more than part one.
Before we get into the story of this episode, let’s talk about the directing. This episode is the second half of the two-parter directed by Philippa Langdale and as this is her last episode she went out with a bang. In the last instalment of Night Class, I said I appreciate a lot of her more subtle directions, but this episode showed Philippa’s talents at directing Class‘ equivalent of a summer blockbuster. Sword fights on alien planets? Sign me up!
So I had one main thing I wanted from this episode; wrap up the Shadow Kin. I’ve spoken before about how frankly boring I found them and how I feel last episode sort of ruined them completely. Did this episode change my mind about them? No, not really. Although I did like that April (Sophie Hopkins), who I’ve also voiced is a weak part on the show, became the new Shadow King. It was an interesting, however brief, idea that reminded me of Owen Harper’s stint as King of the Weevils over on Torchwood. Anyway, I’m glad the show can now (hopefully!) focus on the Governors; it’s actually an interesting ongoing story.
Speaking of the Governors, let’s talk about the stuff I actively liked in this episode. Brave-ish Heart‘s other story involved a stand-off between Charlie (Greg Austin), Mrs. Quill (Katherine Kelly), and Dorothea Ames (Pooky Quesnel) – aka all the parts of Class I like and am actually interested in – about the petal disaster that just gets more and more gory the further it goes on. I personally was quite engaged by this conflict and didn’t expect a situation that almost required the use of the Cabinet of Souls so soon. As the season goes on, you can feel the tensions rise between Charlie and Mrs. Quill as the Governors make themselves more of a presence.
Another thing I liked in this episode was Ram (Fady Elsayed) talking about his religion. His beliefs were introduced in a respectful and mature way, and contributes to the shows overall strength of embracing and discussing its characters diversity. I’m also glad this episode chalked down April and Ram’s activities in Co-Owner of a Lonely Heart as just sex, as that doesn’t betray their character arcs like I thought it did originally.
My only complaints about this episode are minor ones. The Shadow Kin in the end were consistently underwhelming, and wrapping up their story now makes them feel inconsequential to the story the show apparently really wanted to tell, which is about the Governors. Also, making April’s dad (Con O’Neill) into the comic relief of the episode seems like an odd move that made me feel weird anytime he was given the punchline of a scene.
Our own Philip Bates had mixed feelings in his review:
“Still, Brave-Ish Heart has its moments, despite a few scenes that’ll make your eyes roll. Its inevitable conclusion isn’t particularly a bad thing: it’s the journey that counts. In Class‘ journey, this two-parter is a slight stumble, but not enough to put you off the whole trip.”
So, what did you all think?
I hear the bell ringing so class is over for tonight; you can all go home. Well, normally you would go home. Guess who’s got detention? You do! Guess who’s supervising detention? Me! Thought I forgot about all that work I gave you for the break, didn’t you? See you then, class!