With no new series of DoctorWho this year and by nature of it being the first spin-off in five years,
there was a lot riding on new high school set show Class – created by hit YA writer Patrick Ness. This Saturday –
coincidentally, also the tenth anniversary of Torchwood
– the first two episodes finally arrived. So how did they measure up?
Well, how much you
enjoy Class will depend on whether you find
its adherence to familiar format and elements endearing or offputting. Exec
producer Steven Moffat called it a "British Buffy" and fans of that show will find
many parallels with the Joss Whedon series here. In particular, the main set-up of teenagers dealing with monsters as well as their own adolescent problems. Likewise, Who fans will recognise ideas borrowed from previous Doctor
Who spin-offs Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures. i.e. a tear in time and space as the plot generator and an alien teen unfamiliar with human customs. Not to mention the conceptual similarities to Ness’
novel The Rest of Us Just Live Here.
Speaking of which, in contrast to his terrific novels, Ness' two scripts so far are fast-paced, frenetic affairs that leave
much underdeveloped. For instance, important details are quickly infodumped which
leaves the viewer frequently playing catch-up. Fair enough, this is something that Doctor Who can suffer from too on
occasion, but it's particularly a problem in a pilot that has to set up a new show.
Plus, both episodes' monsters are fairly unmemorable – which is pretty damming
for a show connected to Who. In the writer's defense, there are some great lines including a joke about the Bechdel Test and
some meta-references to other TV shows. More of this self-aware, slightly more anarchic, humour could
mark Class out as separate from other Whoniverse shows going forward.
There is also no disguising the fact that Class’s
debut episodes struggle to nail a consistent tone - it's mostly family-friendly until moments of blood, gore and nudity are stuffed in. Torchwood did the same thing in its first
run, of course, but the gleeful flaunting of its more mature demographic is brought
into sharper focus by the younger cast of characters and the inclusion of the
Doctor. It's odd to see him in a show with this much adult material.
Yes, Peter Capaldi returns to our screens in the first episode and, oh, how we’ve missed him. The much-touted Doctor cameo only lasts for about ten minutes, but it
is very much worth it and is naturally the highlight of the show so far. That
said, given how the rift is pretty much the Doctor’s fault – the TARDIS’
repeated presence there has worn reality thin – an opportunity to explore the consequences
of the Doctor’s actions was completely missed.
On the other hand, the main cast deserve
some praise for giving life to some familiar character types. The most fleshed-out right now are Fady Elsayed’s grieving footballer and Vivian Oparah’s whizzkid Tanya. Greg Austin’s alien prince got some stuff to do but we don’t really know
him as a person yet, and the same goes for Sophie Hopkins as shy April. Both show
promise for the rest of the series, though. Katherine Kelly also had some fun moments as ridiculously sarcastic teacher Miss Quill.
Overall, Class is currently - much like a teenager - still trying on different styles in a bid to figure out its own identity. I wouldn't say these opening two episodes get top marks, then, but it is clearly on a learning curve and may well improve its grades in future.
Is that enough school puns now?
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