Maybe I’m just getting used to the voice of the TV version
of Deadly Class, but the fourth
episode of the Syfy hit feels like the most confidently made chapter to date.
It’s not as reliant on clichéd “teen drama” tropes as the first three, forming
its own identity by allowing its ensemble some time to develop as characters
instead of archetypes. “Mirror People” even has a thematic motif as we learn that several of
King’s Dominion’s top students have family connections that have defined them,
and are often represented physically – a father’s katana, a dead brother’s favorite
Cure tape, a mother’s eyes. And then we end with the defining act of an abusive
father and a pledge to kill him.
After a funny prologue involving Brian Posehn, Iron Maiden,
and an argument about the quality of Risky
Business, the meat of “Mirror People” gets underway as Marcus, Petra, Viktor,
Chico, Saya, and a new kid named Jaden (who might as well have been named “red
shirt”) are dragged away by hooded figures for the KD version of detention. For
their violent behavior at the dance last week, the six students will have to
spend 48 hours locked in a room with minimal supplies and growing animosity
toward each other. It’s a very Breakfast
Club set-up for a show that openly riffs on ‘80s pop culture, but at least
the writers don’t exploit the connection too much. There’s no quirky dancing or
talk of anarchy. At least not yet.
It’s not long before Saya is kicking at the door and Marcus
is prying the lock to escape their confinement and seek out Lin’s secret stash.
You know the room at your school where the principal put all of the
illegal material taken from students? Imagine that at a school for assassins.
There are fireworks, wine, even a chainsaw and a motorbike, which Saya uses to
perform a cool stunt.
Meanwhile, a couple of mysterious masked men assault King’s
Dominion, first getting their hands on Saya’s katana and then coming for the
mysterious young woman herself. While Chico is listening to The Cure and revealing
that he lost a little brother who was into Robert Smith, the assault begins.
First, Jaden’s hand is cut off by the masked assassins, and then a fight breaks
out. As the students flee, Chico pushes the handless Jaden into the path of the
enemies, allowing him to fulfill his “who is that guy” destiny by dying. Chico
is cold.
Locked in a room, Saya reveals that she didn’t exactly leave
Tokyo on good terms, and that the men after them are the Kuroki, assassins sent
by Saya’s family…and they are her cousins. Chico immediately wants to hand Saya over. He’s
just that kind of guy. When that plan doesn’t get any traction, he flees the foxhole,
escaping through a tunnel, through which he locks a gate behind him. Yep, super cold.
While Saya and Marcus are trying to figure out how to
escape, Petra and Viktor are struggling with their wounds from the fight. We
get a bit of disturbing Petra background via animation – her dad thought he was
the New Messiah, killed Petra’s mom, and put mom’s eyes in a mason jar in the
fridge for Petra to find them. It’s a truly crazy WTF scene that Deadly Class could use more of to stand
out, and I dig when it goes animated, really recalling its source material and
allowing it to show things it otherwise can’t even on Syfy.
While Willie is getting Maria a passport to escape Chico’s
grip, Marcus and Saya are overcome by the Kuroki, and they carry her off
presumably for a trip back to Japan. Time for Lin to save the day! He comes
into the diner to catch Saya’s cousins in the act and body parts strewn all
over the cooking area. Metal guitars kick in on the score, and Lin starts to
kick some ass, helped by Marcus and eventually Saya. The bad guys end up dead,
Saya ends up crying, and then ends up holding Marcus’ hand on the roof. Nothing
brings a couple together like carnage.
Once again, Deadly
Class eschews the expected ending of Saya and Marcus on the roof for a
couple epilogues. First, we see Shab’s parents come home to a destroyed home
and Marcus’ nemesis from the boy’s home using Brian Posehn as a pet. Second, Billy
gets a heartbreaking scene. He comes back to school from a trip home with
bruises all over his face. His father is an abusive asshole and Billy has had
enough. But he can’t do it alone. They need to take a trip to Vegas to kill his
dad. Road trip!
Stray observations
- I can’t wait to see how the Vegas arc from the source plays out here. Should be fun.
- The ‘80s references can sometimes be a bit much but I could
listen to Chico trying to explain Robocop
to Viktor for an hour. - There are only three major music cues this week but they’re
great ones: “Wasted Years” by Iron Maiden, “In Between Days” by The Cure, and “Did
You Wanna Die” by Youth Brigade. - One of the reasons this episode worked better than the first
three is it felt like a true ensemble, moving away from the Marcus arc to give
nearly everyone at least one strong character beat, including Petra, Chico,
Saya, Lin, Maria, and even Viktor. Keep it up.