Co-Owner of a Broken Heart

"You will be whole again."

Writer: Patrick Ness

Format: TV

Broadcast: 5th November 2016
Series: Class 1.04

Featuring: April, Ram, Tanya, Charlie, Miss Quill

Synopsis

April starts to feel greater effects of sharing her heart with Corakinus, and is troubled by her newfound power. Meanwhile, something sinister is invading the streets.

Verdict

Co-Owner of a Broken Heart was another stunning episode of Class and I must say that at the halfway point of the Doctor Who spinoff series, I am very pleased with how well things have started! I have no idea how well the show is doing in terms of viewing figures but with the availability being limited to online, I do hope that what probably seem relatively low numbers (I assume) are actually good for the service. I really didn't know what to expect from this spinoff as the main character was not familiar to us from the parent programme but I think that's actually helping things. After a nod from the Twelfth Doctor in the first episode, the little gang are slowly learning and dealing with everything that comes with attending Coal Hill Academy. This episode seemed to be pretty much a sequel to For Tonight We Might Die which was good but I must admit I wasn't expecting the aftermath of that story to be felt quite this early on. The return of the Shadow Kin and more prominently Corakinus was excellent though and the palace in which his majesty ruled was quite the spectacle. He certainly did rule from underneath but he was perhaps not quite the feared ruler he once was thought as because he now shared a heart with April. We could see the effects on both quite clearly in this episode with April almost becoming possessed by the Shadow Kin King. On more than one occasion she had to resist the urge to kill her father who unwelcomely had returned to her life after being released from prison. That was an intriguing insight into the story and we certainly did learn a great deal about April as a character. She's still my absolute favourite but the sweet and kind nature was almost non existent in this episode which gave us a good switch in dynamic. Her relationship with Ram developed considerably but I was quite surprised that it was taken to the physical level. She did admit that it wasn't planned but after their kiss in the last episode, things certainly escalated quickly with the timing somewhat questionable considering the discomfort April was in with her heart. Or part lack of. Corakinus instructing the very best of his people to find a way to make his heart whole again was good and we got to see the Shadow Kin being quite brittle which was quite different from their previous appearance in which the Doctor was needed to dispel them. The references to The Coach with the Dragon Tattoo and Nightvisiting were excellent and I also liked how the mystery behind the mysterious Governors and Miss Quill was extended. The name of the former is extremely clever for a school based setting and I'm looking forward to seeing that unfold, especially with the knowledge the new headmistress at the school has about Quill and Charlie. Matteusz pushing Charlie about the Cabinet of Souls was interesting, especially with the revelation about just what it could do as a weapon. It was rather frightening! If Charlie ever decided to turn evil, the human race could be doomed. Tanya had quite a quiet episode but she still managed to interject some humour which was great. April and Ram getting caught in the aftermath of their having sex, when they were supposed to be at school, was also humorous but what followed was not with April going under some immense emotional strain in managing to resist the urge to kill her father and appearing to somehow manage to cure her mother of being paralysed. She would then go one step further and claw a crack in time and space and head to the lair of the Shadow Kin to get her heart back. Ram quickly dived after her but the rip in space closed before anyone else could follow. Overall, a fantastic episode and I can't wait for the rest of the series to see how things unfold!

Rating: 9/10