Mock

"They weren't welcome on their own world."

Writer: Alfie Shaw

Format: Audio

Released: April 2020

Series: Class Volume 4.01

Featuring: Charlie, Miss Quill

Synopsis

As the students of Coal Hill Academy prepare to tackle exam season, Quill and Charlie find themselves tested to their limits. Childhood memories from their homeworld threaten to hijack the present – and there are no easy answers.

Verdict

Mock was an excellent start to the fourth volume of audio adventures for Class! I think this is one of my favourite episodes yet from the range and was a brilliant way to kick off a boxset. I must admit that I was slightly underwhelmed by the prospect of a mock exam to fill a Doctor Who-universe set story, but by the end I really appreciated how clever that was and a fine way of utilising the school setting. This story was all about Charlie and Miss Quill and exploring their relationship an connection harking back to Rhodea, but it was nice to get cameos from the likes of Tanya, Ram and April as the gang prepared for a mock exam. They all had differing opinions on the importance and relevance of a mock exam which really took me back to my schooldays, and I was of the opinion that they did matter and really good practice ahead of the real thing. Hearing Miss Quill give the instructions as the invigilator was hilarious stuff and a perfect use of her character. I think Dervla Kerwan is doing a stellar job in making that role her own whilst honouring the original actress and character's personality. There really doesn't feel like much of a change and whilst the audio format obviously helps with that as there are no visuals, I'm really impressed and I think this must go down as one of the better recasts. The story of Rhodea and the place of the Quill on the planet was excellent and I loved how the voices were in Quill's head. She mistook them for students talking during exams which obviously was not permitted, but she soon cottoned onto what was actually happening and the episode really took off from there. This was a terrific exploration of the relationship between Quill and Charlie, and with them literally being bonded that is always troublesome. However, I think they realised just how important they are to each other by the time this episode was done and that shared connection was crucial. Despite their differences on Rhodea, they were bonded by being the last survivors of their respective race and had it out for the Shadow Kin. The Cleaver made for an interesting perpetrator behind events and the story of Rhodea being repeated, and his desire to free Quill of her bond to Charlie was intriguing and certainly appealing to her! Referring to her by her given name felt a little odd and showed the history the Cleaver had, and I loved how Quill challenged him on how he hid away whilst the Shadow Kin invaded and destroyed. The use of the story throughout was magnificent and I was a really big fan of it in its own right. The students all writing it down on their exam was amusing, but not quite as funny as Quill demanding Charlie use the toilet to get him out of the exam hall when the voices started. Charlie realising rather quickly that Quill wasn't the real article was good and I liked that dynamic. Quill getting a taste of being free from Charlie was really well done and I imagine the temptation for that to become permanent was very strong, but she fantastically emerged and used the story against the Cleaver to send him packing in emphatic fashion. Overall, a really enjoyable story! 

Rating: 9/10