The Metaphysical Engine, or What Quill Did

"You really will either end today dead or with your freedom." 

Writer: Patrick Ness
Format: TV
Broadcast: 26th November 2016
Series: Class 1.07

Featuring: Miss Quill

Synopsis

Miss Quill embarks on an extraordinary mission to remove the Arn from her had and reclaim her freedom, travelling to astonishing and dangerous worlds...

Verdict

The Metaphysical Engine, or What Quill Did was another very good episode of Class and appears to have set up the series finale very nicely, even though it ended in pretty much the exact same way as Detained did. That's the one thing that really bothered me about this story and that was the fact that we had seen the ending before the episode had even began. I mean, we got to see Miss Quill detain the other four main characters in detention while she went off to Dorothea to try and get the creature that prevented her from using weapons and forced her to protect Charlie out of her head. I liked how she didn't believe it was possible at first but as the events of the episode advanced, her belief in the possibility of the Arn getting removed grew and so did the pain inside her head as the creature realised what was happening. The idea of metaphysics being explored was very intriguing and Dorothea having the power to take Miss Quill and Ballon to places that existed because of pure belief was quite an incredible concept. It was actually quite difficult to comprehend but I think that was actually part of its appeal in being a good plot. I think we might have gone a place or two too many but it actually took me a little while to realise just what was going on which, without trying to be too modest, is rather unusual. The idea is just brilliantly confusing and I was left wondering whether the places that the trio visited in the story actually existed. I guess the ambiguity was a large part of the appeal and I was certainly hooked by it! Ballon was a great character and I liked how with him being a shapeshifter, reference was made to The Zygon Invasion/The Zygon Inversion and even Quill knew how the Zygons were protected on Earth. Despite not being happy with her punishment and what she considers to be a slave status, she knew a great deal about the planet she was now stuck on. Or was she? The idea of beliefs being questioned seems to be an unintentional theme during my blogging this week and I liked how challenges were made to the main characters once again. We saw Ballon's idea of hell and then we got to see Miss Quill's idea of heaven, a belief that she and her people had given up long ago. The contrasts were very different and I liked how protective they both were when it came to defending their own religion or belief. Dorothea manipulating events and bringing everything down to percentages of probabilities was good but the choice left for Miss Quill and Ballon was horrible. The Arn had been removed from Quill in quite a hideous way and the glance we got at the gash that replaced her eye following the creature's removal was quite awful I must say. That was quickly repaired though with just a scar to show. She didn't mind that though as no soldier should have scarless features. Ballon would get more than he bargained for though as after winning the battle for the gun that was left and with it the trip home, he fired and it was a trick. The gun fired invertedly and he was dead. Quill was drained and now inside the Cabinet of Souls of all places, but she was free. Things were certainly going to change and after a return to the school, I do wonder if her intentions were to kill Charlie before fainting and after saving him. I think the episode was partially hurt by the absence of April, Ram and co but the fact that it was not completely shows just how strong a character Miss Quill is. Katherine Kelly was wonderful and even though we knew the ending, it was still a very good episode! Overall, a great set up for the series finale.

Rating: 8/10