Class Episode 5 Review - Brave-ish Heart

I don’t think Brave-ish Heart was quite as strong as the first part (Co-Owner of a Lonely Heart), but it was still a very watchable episode of Class.

As I make my way through Class for the first time, I keep wondering - am I enjoying this because it’s genuinely good, or just because it feels fresh and different from Doctor Who? Maybe it’s a bit of both.

There’s something refreshing about diving into a new set of characters, a different tone, and a series that steps away from the sillier or more whimsical aspects that Doctor Who sometimes leans on. After watching Doctor Who for years, maybe a change is as good as a rest, as the saying goes - even if the change is a spin-off.

@BBC

The second part of the story picks up right where we left off, with April and Ram jumping through the rift into the world of the Shadow Kin. In my last review, I compared the Shadow King and his fuck buddy to Swarm and Azure from Flux. Watching this episode, and hearing more about the Shadow Kin’s domain, the Underneath, which isn’t really a planet, I couldn’t help but think of Stranger Things and its Upside Down. Proof that I do watch other shows sometimes!

It’s actually wild to think that Class first came out just months after Stranger Things in 2016. One became a cultural phenomenon; the other quietly disappeared. Totally unfair comparison, I know, but I couldn't help thinking about it.

I really enjoyed the part where Ram talked about his religion, and I fully agree with him on everything he said.

April continues to be a total badass, which I am loving more and more. I was especially pleased with how the storyline involving her dad was handled. I genuinely thought he might die a noble death or be redeemed in some obvious way, but no. April telling him, essentially, to piss off until she wants to see him was a much more empowering and satisfying ending. It made me like her even more.

While the action in the Underneath was intense and visually gripping, the earth-side drama didn’t quite have the same punch. The petals and shadows were an interesting concept, flesh-eating petals threatening to consume the world. It was wonderfully weird in the first part of the story, and felt different from the usual monsters we get in the Doctor Who universe.

I couldn't help but feel the parents let this side of the story down though. They were kind of rubbish. I just didn’t buy April’s mum’s emotional responses, and the way Ram’s dad and April’s dad reacted to everything felt off. For something supposedly so terrifying and urgent, they looked like they’d just walked into the middle of a slightly confusing school play.

@BBC

That said, there’s a lot going on in this episode. And while Brave-ish Heart doesn’t perfectly balance all its elements, it does manage to keep you hooked. If Co-Owner of a Lonely Heart was a character-driven slow burn, this episode is the explosion. It’s not flawless, but it’s bold, emotional, and filled with just enough sci-fi weirdness to belong comfortably in the Doctor Who universe.

If April wasn’t your favourite character already, I’d argue this episode nudges her pretty close to the top. Though I’m still firmly Team Ram, for the record!

I still don’t know exactly where Class is heading and that’s part of the fun of watching something for the first time. Five episodes in, and Class feels like a show with its own distinct voice. It might not always get everything right, but it’s brave-ish. And honestly, that’s more than enough to keep me watching.

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What did you think of Brave-ish Heart? Let me know in the comments below.

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