Class Review: Episode 5 – ‘Brave-ish Heart’

In Episode Five of Class, ‘Brave-ish Heart,’ April ramps up her display of strength even more, while Charlie is faced with a complicated decision that will have dire consequences no matter what.

April and Ram in ‘Brave-ish Heart’ (credit: BBC)

*** This review contains spoilers. ***

While this entire season of Class has had a direct story arc, Episodes Four, ‘Co-Owner of a Lonely Heart,’ and Five, ‘Brave-ish Heart,’ in particular have together had the feel of being a two-parter — in more ways than simply their titles.

‘Co-Owner of a Lonely Heart,’ left off on a cliffhanger. April had bravely ventured into the Shadow Realm to do battle, and Ram had impulsively followed. ‘Brave-ish Heart’ (derived from Braveheart, or Brave Heart Lion, I wonder) begins with April killing a Shadow Kin to save Ram from imminent death. Unable to use the swords to return to Earth, they head toward Corakinus in April’s quest to kill him. Along the way, she explains to Ram things that she has learned from her connection with the mind of the king.

The Shadow Kin call their planet “The Underneath,” as in underneath “the rest of the Universe.” It is something of a cross between Hell and The Upside Down from the Netflix show Stranger Things.

April and Ram in ‘Brave-ish Heart’ (credit: BBC)

When they enter a room with prominent cave structures, she continues her explanation:

"Ram: What are these? Is there something you know?April: Yeah. The Shadow Kin believe that they’re an evolutionary mistake. Like… a peek into the Universe’s dark side that it never wanted, so they were cast down here to live in our shadows and be forgotten. They’re pretty pissed off about it.Ram: Yeah. I’ve noticed.April: These are here to remind them that the Universe will crush them if they don’t defeat it. All of it.Ram: Pretty bleak.April:Yeah, well, most religions are.Ram: Not all. Not mine."

This leads to an interesting discussion about Ram’s Sikhism.

The parallels between their journey and that of Frodo and Sam through Mordor into Mount Doom in Lord of the Rings is so obvious that Ram makes a reference to it, despite only knowing it as “some old movie [his] dad likes.” April does not seem to understand why he calls her “Frodo.” I find it hard to believe that they are that ignorant of the franchise… but perhaps I am just old.

Meanwhile, Miss Ames reveals more about the Governors to Quill. This is when we begin to learn just how manipulative the organization really is. For starters, they did not step in to help in previous situations because they wanted to learn more about the personalities and capabilities of our heroes.

Matteusz and Miss Ames in ‘Brave-ish Heart’ (credit: BBC)

Somehow, the Governors were also able to learn Quill and Charlie’s history on their home planet, including the power of the Cabinet of Souls. Miss Ames tells Quill that they must force Charlie to use it to eradicate the deadly alien flora, or the fauna of the Earth are doomed. This is the price of getting the arn out of Quills head, which Miss Ames offered her in Episode Four. Now aware that Charlie was lying about the cabinet, however, Quill once again pressures him to use it against the Shadow Kin. To convince him to comply with her own demands, Miss Ames pulls a gun on Matteusz. Despite a suggestion that they should attempt to get the Shadow Kin to fight the flowers, she is adamant that her plan is the only way.

If Charlie does what Quill wants, everyone on Earth will die. Whether he does this or what Miss Ames wants, he is afraid of losing the souls of his people, as well as the love and respect of Matteusz. Why it is that Earth is in danger in one scenario, but not the other, I am not sure. In any case, Miss Ames later reveals that the Governors suspected the petals of having “only one aggregate soul between them,” thus only needing one in exchange. She did not tell our heroes about this earlier because she was testing them. The Governors had also calculated the odds of everything that had just happened. Once again, their level of manipulation is revealed.

Right before April and Corakinus begin their battle, she and Ram pause to have an awkward conversation regarding their feelings for one another. This is amusing until she slut shames promiscuous footballers. Corakinus patiently waits for them to finish and then disgustedly comments, “Ugh, teenagers.”

When April healed Jackie’s paralysis at the end of Episode Four, it somehow made April’s connection with Corakinus stronger. He describes it as putting the Shadow Kin’s “lifeblood” — a force that links their entire race — into her. This, naturally, also connects mother and daughter. Following a suggestion from Tanya, Jackie intensely focuses her thoughts on April. By doing so, a signal is sent to April, leading to her successful attempt at opening a rift to Earth. Instead of the teenagers going home, however, their fathers, Huw and Varun, come through to join them.

Huw, Jackie, Tanya, and Varun in ‘Brave-ish Heart’ (credit: BBC)

Due to the influence of Ram and Huw, April defeats Corakinus without killing him, which would have killed her, as well. Instead, she orders him to be locked in a dungeon. Through her victory, she gains his authority and powers. Matteusz knocks out Miss Ames after she points the gun at Charlie, who then slowly prepares to use the cabinet. At the same time — following the instructions texted from Matteusz to Tanya — April orders the Shadow Kin to destroy the petals. Just in time, Charlie sees this and decides not follow through… but what was he planning to do? He later reveals to Matteusz that he did not know.

More from Winter is Coming

Cleverly, April orders the Shadow Kin to destroy the path as they return to the Shadow Realm, so as to make it harder for them to find Earth again. Corakinus somehow removes from his chest the triangulated bond with April and Jackie, ending April’s reign as king.

In the end, Miss Ames tells Quill that the offer to remove the arn still stands. Still not ready to have a relationship with her father, April sends Huw away indefinitely. Despite the connection with Corakinus being severed, Jackie is still healed, and begins the arduous process of learning to walk again.

A few side notes:

Miss Ames suggests that ingesting living matter is indicative of something having a soul. While I will concede that souls have been established as being real in the Whoniverse, I do feel the need to point out that her reasoning is still highly flawed. Why would what something ingests have anything to do with whether or not it has a soul? It seems that consciousness would be a much better indicator. It is unclear whether or not the flowers possess this, but it does not seem so.

Also, Miss Ames states the following about the flowers:

"They don’t burn. You can’t mulch them, melt them with acid, poison them with pesticide."

Later in the episode, however, they are seen being crushed by Varun’s windshield wipers. This discrepancy between how the flowers are described and how they are actually depicted is a curious plot hole.

My favorite joke of the episode is when, to break the tension after their victory, Tanya says, “Well, I’m glad my mum didn’t come.”

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