Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Class 1x04 Recap: “Co-Owner of Lonely Heart” (Much Better Than an Owner of Lonely Heart) [Guest Poster: Stephanie Coats]


“Co-Owner of Lonely Heart”
Original Airdate: May 6, 2017

For a show in its first season, you might expect a formulaic plot or a lot of moments of teamwork and trust building. Class gives us the latter on a weekly basis while deftly avoiding the former. Last week, Tanya got the spotlight. This week, it’s April’s turn.


MOOD SWINGS


It seems almost strange to revisit the plot that started everything, but only three episodes after they first popped out of the shadows, the Shadow Kin are back. The King is trying everything possible to get his heart back and yet all he really succeeds in doing is strengthening the bond between himself and April. She can even summon swords to into her hands, heal herself, and go into some scary fits of anger. Not helping her emotional state is her recently released father. You know, the guy who tried to kill himself and his wife and daughter and ended up paralyzing the wife. He’s out of prison and calling April again and again.

Eventually, he shows up while she’s being consoled by Ram. The pair had skipped Quill’s class because April had an outburst at school. When her father appears, her double dose of hatred and anger spill over until she’s got swords in her hands and her father cowering at her feet. It’s hard to feel much sympathy for the guy. There’s something kind of awesome about a child showing such strength in the face of her abusive parent. But okay, maybe this is a little far. April doesn’t kill her dad but she admits later to Ram that she wanted to.

LOVE IS IN THE AIR


What’s sweet and surprisingly mature about the April and Ram relationship is it’s built on mutual affection, friendship, and security. They each admit the other makes them feel safe. While this isn’t a revolutionary idea for TV couples — or even teen ones at that — it’s nice to see a teen relationship founded on something other than lust. Which is why April and Ram falling into bed together left me with fewer hang-ups about how long they’ve been dating/been friends or how it’s only been a month since Ram’s girlfriend was murdered in front of him.

Awkwardly enough, April and the Shadow King are so connected, her emotions influence him to get it on with a minion named Kharrus. Yeah, you read that right. The evil monster from another world hooking up with a fellow monster because the teenager with whom he shares his heart is also hooking up. That is the most Buffy the Vampire Slayer thing to happen on this show yet.

The awkward continues when April’s mom comes home before Ram leaves. The three have a sit-down talk, which Ram handles surprisingly well. He leaves to inform their friends about April’s worrisome condition (not about them having sex, although Tanya deduces that bit).

TAKE A HINT


But April’s dad wasn’t scared away after all. Swearing he’s concerned for his daughter, he butts in where he’s not wanted and at the worst time. Corikinus and Kharrus are trying to steal her heart and in the midst of fighting back, April’s anger is unleashed yet again. She advances on her father with swords for the second time that day and is about to strike him down. Thankfully, Ram talks her down because if she killed her dad, she wouldn’t be April. Kharrus isn’t so lucky; Corikinus give into his anger and kills him.

It looks like no one is dying this episode. Except then April plunges her hands into her mom’s chest. I know, right?! It’s super unclear what she’s doing and we don’t get an explanation. All we know is when April’s done, her mom is no longer paralyzed. Knowing Corikinus is whipping up his troops to come to Earth, April uses her snazzy swords to slice an opening into time and space and leaps through to his world instead. With barely a moment’s hesitation, Ram follows her and the opening closes behind him.


THE UMBRIDGE OF COAL HILL


Once again, we find Quill oblivious to the problems her charges are facing. Although, in all fairness, she has another threat staring her in the face. Coal Hill has its own version of Professor Umbridge, a new head teacher named Dorothea Ames. She knows far too much about everyone, especially our team, and calls Quill in to make her an interesting offer. Some carnivorous alien flowers have come through the rift and are multiplying at an alarming rate. They feed on blood and will soon either kill or smother everyone. Ames tells Quill if she helps the Governors fight the petals, they’ll remove the Arn from her brain.

It’s a tempting offer, particularly since Charlie had earlier ordered her to find a way to attend parent’s night for him. He wants to know how he’s progressing in his classes. For all his sweetness and naivety, Charlie is also a massive contradiction. Throughout the episode, he and Matteusz argue about the Cabinet of Souls. It can be used as a weapon by selecting a Rhodian soul and using it to kill another person’s soul. It can also be used to restore the Rhodia by uploading their soul into someone else’s body.

Matteusz sees this as the same thing — it’s still killing another person or race. Charlie sees some justification in the second option because he’d be restoring his people. That doesn’t mean he’s itching to do it, but it’s something he hasn’t entirely dismissed. And that is what truly unnerves Matteusz.

Final Thoughts:
  • There’s an emerging theme of Charlie treating Quill far too much like a master would treat a servant. It’s unsettling to watch and makes me kind of root for Quill to have that Arn removed after all. But then I think, Charlie and Quill each saved the other during the war on Rhodia. Does that mean there is some true kinship between them? 
  • I didn’t expect to be cheering on a relationship between Ram and April and yet here I am, totally here for it. 
  • In other news, Tanya curiously asking Matteusz if Charlie is all human nearly made me spit out my drink.  
  • Add flowers to the list of ordinary things the Doctor Who universe has made terrifying.

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