Class: Volume Two 2.2 - Now You Know... by Tim Leng (REVIEW)

Class: Volume Two 2.2 - Now You Know... by Tim Leng (REVIEW)

Reviewed by Ellie

Clarification: This is an in-depth review of the story and may contain spoilers. You have been warned.

Out of all the audios, Now You Know, written by Tim Leng, was the one that I found myself being the most excited about. Given that Tanya and Matteusz are my two favourite characters on the show, I was curious on how their dynamic would play out when they work together without the others around (who can tend to overshadow them - quite literally in Brave-ish Heart).

After listening to Now You Know, my best prediction for when it’s set is between Nightvisiting and Co-Owner of A Lonely Heart. Given how close they seem in the latter episode, ‘Now You Know’ acts a nice transfer from them sharing confused eye contact at the prom to the friendship hinted at in Co-Owner of A Lonely Heart and Brave-ish Heart. Although, it’s possible they were friends before the series even started, given the age gap, I find it most likely they at best knew each other from the start of the year (after all, they do share at least two classes).

[Above: Tanya and Matteusz in Co-Owner of A Lonely Heart ~ Source: http://kissthemgoodbye.net/doctorwho/thumbnails.php?album=178] 

Timeline aside, I was very much delighted by their friendship explored in the audio. As Vivian and Jordan talk about in their interview afterward, both of their characters are outsiders - both in school and their bunghole-fighting group at times, which makes them teaming up together and trying to prove themselves without their friends (or Quill’s) help make a lot of sense. In fact, it’s the strongest justification to have just them, which the other audios lack. (For example, in Everyone Loves Reagan, Matteusz and Charlie go on a week long date.) Whilst Matteusz suggests a few times that the help of his boyfriend or friends may be useful, Tanya is eager for them to prove themselves: “We've come this far... We can do this without them.” She’s right, as they make a great team and actually use their sense of empathy (and Tanya’s hacking skills and blatant disregard for school rules) to stop the threat.

In a team dynamic, Tanya takes a natural leadership role (similar to Life Experience). Matteusz, being the ‘gentleman’ he is, is more than happy to learn and listen from her despite the age gap. In fact, he is very supportive of Tanya despite the age gap and uses the fact she skipped three years to empower her, rather than to bring her down, like the ‘bullies’ do.

Equally, Tanya is clearly trusting and shares her concerns about her Dad and her own life as result of the rift. It’s nice to see her be vulnerable and open around her friends. She’s implied to have opened up to Ram and April in the same way but this is the first time we hear Tanya talking about her Dad to her friends in more depth.

Their first conversation after the new caretaker  is taken into hospital is soft and reassuring whilst still acknowledging the danger that they are in at Coal Hill: “What if he [the caretaker] hadn’t told me to leave? Whatever happened to him could have happened to me too.” Matteusz reassures her that worrying doesn’t help. Whilst not my favourite scene in the whole audio, it’s up there because we learn so much about them both and it builds a strong foundation for the rest of their teamwork.

[Above: Tanya and Matteusz in Co-Owner of A Lonely Heart  ~ Source: http://kissthemgoodbye.net/doctorwho/thumbnails.php?album=178] 

Plot wise, the ‘bullying is bad’ message we get early on initially had me worried. Mostly because the message has been done by pretty much every show, book and movie that’s set in a high school. But, the more realistic viewpoint of what bullying is like in high school is refreshing (although somewhat extreme in some places). Michelle, an old friend of Tanya from primary school who uses her intelligence to isolate her (which I find very relatable personally) is a good example of a passive aggressive teenage girl with an ego problem (having just finished high school, I can think of a few ‘Michelles’ of my own). They also explore the more common misogynistic bully with Chris, which again, is a more realistic look at bullying. By the end, Michelle reaches out to apologize but Chris isn’t mentioned again, showing it takes a lot to change a sexist, xenophobic opinion. However, Michelle isn’t shown as perfect as her arc doesn’t end with her and Tanya reconnecting. By the end, they are different people and I agree with Matteusz that Tanya has a lot of strength to accept an apology from her.

Both bullies are essentially foil characters for the two protagonists. Chris’ unchanged hate and misogyny contrasts with how accepting and kind Matteusz is. On the other hand, Michelle’s passive aggressive bullying contrasts with how blunt and open Tanya is. (I think maybe having Ram in this audio could have been beneficial to his arc. He’s never really called out for bullying Charlie.)

What is also interesting is the general attitude of their fellow students. Whilst not openly cruel to our protagonists, they don’t help or step in when Matteusz is beaten up or publicly threatened. He puts it best after said fight: “and still they notice nothing”. High school bullying can be so isolating, especially when the other students are turning a blind eye, which they all played very realistically. This isolating feeling gives Matteusz and Tanya a lot of similar experiences which is why their friendship works so well in the context of the audio: “I understand, you and me… we do not quite fit in as neatly.” But, this actually gives them the edge over Dillard who sees their pain and decides they’re not “what we need” as being victimized has given them more empathy and they don’t have the hatred and anger he’s looking for. Whilst bullying is portrayed as negative, it also shows the strength and puts the blame on Michelle and Chris for being cruel instead of Matteusz and Tanya for being different.

[Above: Sophie, Fady and Vivian behind the scenes of recording the audios. Photo Credit: Big Finish.]

For such a seemingly simple message about bullying, Now You Know portrays this overall message and experiences in a complex and compelling way, adding a sense of relatableness and empathy to the ‘villian’. The ‘villain’ being lost student, Peter Dillard, who fell into the rift in the 1960s. His motivation is clearly revenge but after Tanya and Matteusz show he is now the bully (or at least on the same level) he has a moment of self awareness. The hybrid of Peter and an unknown alien that was in the rift collect the souls, or possibly emotions, of those he thinks deserve to suffer. (In a way, the concept reminds me of the Doctor Who episode The Bells of St. John and the Great Intelligence trapping minds in the Internet to feed off.) The unknown entity was “fascinated” by Peter’s emotion and was studying the trapped souls. After Matteusz and Tanya free the souls, it presumably dies or goes to its home, although it’s left ambiguous on the fate of both Peter and the entity he was bonded with.

Overall, I found Now You Know to have more positives than negatives. The friendship element with Tanya and Matteusz was obviously the highlight for me. Jordan Renzo does a fantastic job of portraying how expressive Matteusz is through the audio and his and Vivian’s banter felt very natural. There was a lot of great comedic moments, most noticeably the scene where they both poorly roast each other to draw out Peter, which undercut the tension to add a more light hearted vibe with the bonus of adding a little realism to their friendship.

Peter Dillard makes a complex and slightly unpredictable villain, even if his motivates aren’t the most original. The background music in the confrontation scene at the end is a great musical score. Similarly, the sound effects of Peter coming through the rift was very eerie and added suspense - the scene when they ran away from the rift and Michelle stands out to me.

If the ending and fate of Chris and the caretaker was a little bit more clear, it would be perfect. Going off the fact that Tanya and Matteusz don’t say otherwise, we can presume they survive but it’s not very clear. The message isn’t the most original, although I think it works well overall. In addition, the potentially triggering scene where Matteusz is essentially beat up by a homophobic bully should have been given a warning and was quite extreme.

Had there been a more coherent ending and the appropriate trigger warnings, it would be perfect but I give it an overall score of 8/10.

It’s a personal favourite of the audio collection and tied with Gifted on the top. I really hope that if we get more Class content from Big Finish, there’s more of the Tanya and Matteusz friendship developed. I think if they added a third member from the group and had a trio, it could also be quite fascinating. Personally, in the (hopefully) future audios, I’d love to see how Tanya, Matteusz and April would work together since April and Matteusz are quite similar personality wise. (Adding Quill could also be an interesting trio if they expand past the first season.) Although, they do make a great dynamic duo without anyone else.

Now You Know is great exploration of unseen friendships and realities of high school that took two of my favourite characters and made me like them even more. That’s what I would consider to be a success.