Now You Know...

"We've got to find someone who is being bullied."

Writer: Tim Leng

Format: Audio

Released: July 2018

Series: Class Vol 2.02

Featuring: Tanya, Mattheusz 

Synopsis

Following a series of freak attacks on staff and pupils, Tanya and Matteusz find themselves investigating a mystery that dates back to the 1960s. Together, they hope to solve it – even if that means turning on one another to do so...

Verdict

Now You Know... was a decent little story to continue the second series of audio adventures for Class from Big Finish. This allowed a focus on what I'd consider two of the least exciting cast members in the for of Tanya and Matteusz, and I wouldn't ordinarily think of those two working well as a pair. We started though with Tanya and her childhood best friend of Michelle, who was less than keen on her new friends that form the main cast of Class. Things soon started to boil at Coal Hill following an attack on the caretaker and Matteusz was quick to let Tanya know everything that was going on with the multitude of crowds at the school alongside the media frenzy. I thought the discussions between Tanya and Matteusz regarding popularity were very powerful and probably the highlight of this particular adventure. It was a good way to incorporate the school setting, although I'm still having trouble seeing Tanya as a fourteen-year-old as she is far more mature than that in my opinion. Chris talking down to the pair was a little sad and Matteusz confronting him afterwards had us on the brink of violence, but then it came in a strange form with the tear at the school ensuing and something coming through to protect Matteusz was intriguing. I also liked the idea of him hearing the caretaker within the tear as that led us to think those already taken were being kept beyond in some kind of realm. I found the coverup from Coal Hill putting the medical instances down to a bacteria was amusing and I did enjoy Tanya's hacking of the school emails to get information on what was happening. Mr Deacons the caretaker was comatose and unresponsive in a deteriorating condition, whilst Chris was in a similar situation. Things looked bleak for those effected by the mysterious voice proclaiming that now they knew. Michelle's racism and sexual disparaging of Matteusz was awkward as a way to precede her getting attacked from the same boy. Tanya realising that there was a pattern of bullies being targeted was great and I liked the idea of the culprit being a child from the past. Hearing Coal Hill referred to as a school instead of academy was wonderful and Tanya scouring the digital files to try and find the identity of the boy was brilliant as we got a lovely reference to An Unearthly Child with two schoolteachers and a pupil going missing in 1963. Marvellous. She soon found that he was Peter Dillard who went missing in 1969, whilst Matteusz just found him attractive which was a bit out of place. The appeals of his mother Brenda through the years and seeing them through the archived news was very good. Tanya and Matteusz trying to be nasty to each other in effort to attract Peter to them was a little laughable as I just couldn't take them seriously, but the logic was sound. He eventually did come and reeled off his personal story of being bullied and how he was taken away from it all through the rift, and he was now in union with the creature as the two had a relationship where it could learn about humanity whilst Peter took revenge. Tanya and Matteusz following Peter into the tear was good and I liked how Tanya challenged Peter about him being a bully himself now, even though it's something we've seen many times before. He just wanted to scare not kill, and upon giving up the realm was destroyed and everyone returned to normal in a neat little conclusion. Overall, a decent little story! 

Rating: 7/10