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Saturday, May 16, 2020

Class: Volume Four 4.3 - Queen of Rhodia by Blair Mowat (REVIEW)

Class: Volume Four 4.3 - Queen Of Rhodia (by Blair Mowat) Review

By Jamie H. C.

Clarification: This is a review that may in certain points delve critically into the story in such a way that there may be what is considered spoilers. Any such point will be clearly 'bookmarked' by SPOILER ALERT and END SPOILER ALERT so you can avoid them as and if you see fit. However, I have also included a brief 'prelude' paragraph that reviews the story entirely without risk of spoilers.


The boxset cover for Volume 4.

4.3 Queen of Rhodia by Blair Mowat

PRELUDE SPOILER-FREE PARAGRAPH
A fantastic writing debut for Mowat that is wild, unexpected and wonderfully original. Paired with some superbly engaging cast performances and emotional scoring, this tale stands out as perhaps one of the boldest and brilliant tales Big Finish has ever told. It also serves as a resonating and occasionally meta potential farewell to the Class gang.

FULL REVIEW
Well, this was certainly quite the story. Mowat hits the ground running with the script and doesn’t let the pace go until the very end… And what a wonderful script it is.

I think it’s safe to say (with all respect meant to the other writers) that Mowat, having read and watched the TV episodes so much for composing the score, is in a position of familiarity with the characters beyond most. Which makes him the perfect person to take Class as we know it, and flip it completely on its head.

Dervla Kirwan, having already shown amazing promise in prior audio episodes, is allowed to really shine. Where Sweet Nothings showed Quill’s yearning for love and for a future beyond Earth, Queen of Rhodia puts her in the frying pan on her own. She’s bitingly sharp with her remarks (executed effectively by Kirwan’s faithfulness to the main vocal rhythms and mannerisms of Quill that were set down by Katherine Kelly) and her no-nonsense inquisitiveness is on clear show. Her calm analytical ways bounce rather well off Simon Armstrong's privately frantic and nervous Corporal Blood.


Kirwan and Armstrong - or Quill and Blood
And just when you think the opening has laid you in for a story in which Quill is somehow back on Rhodia as she once knew it, Mowat ingeniously subverts the expectations of everyone. And he continues to do that throughout the story, slowly unwrapping the layers of what is quite the onion. Just as Kirwan gets to showcase Quill in a more free capacity, the rest of the main cast get to as well… in rather spectacular fashion. 

SPOILER ALERT

Did anyone expect Renzo to ease out the accent for a second story in a row? Because he does as a sadly rather short-lived but loyal lieutenant. It’s interesting to note how his loyalty has gone from one of love into one of eagerness for violence, and it’s a contrast that stands as a clear point to the listener. This is not the Matteusz we know by any means. The posh and crisp vocals of Austin stay somewhat recognisable, but he leans into his new role as a rebellious figure. Gone is most of the innocent obliviousness of Charlie Smith. Replaced with a confident and almost brash man.

Hopkins becomes a panicked rebel, broken by captivity and torture. Elsayed gets to throw in when you least expect it briefly as a much more restrained and stern soldier. It is a little sad that the pair couldn’t be a little bit more featured within proceedings but to hear them in it was nevertheless a nice touch given the placement of the story. And of course, McGibbon gets to be the titular Queen of the piece. She flickers from calm and playful banter into a venomous and deranged figurehead with ease. END SPOILER ALERT

The sound design must also be appreciated for how it helps carry across some beats to the audience as well. Quill’s loud outburst regarding Charlie being prince brings the background discussion in the situation room to a screeching halt and it’s at once clear that the statement has horrified all others present.

One of my few grievances was that Mowat, having deliberately used the Doctor’s theme in the TV show to help cast ambiguity on which incarnation had saved Quill & Charlie from Rhodia, decided to pin the point down and say that it was the 12th. (Okay, maybe you could read ‘crotchety old Scotsman’ as the 7th if you squint…)

SPOILER ALERT

There’s plenty I could say on the crazy and yet skilled nature of the plot, and all that hints at said nature - but I’ll tackle just one little genius foreshadowing to be picked upon: Sergeant Blood gives away that he knows more than he’s letting on in that he refers to Quill as Andrea (as opposed to An’drath) and Matteusz as Andrejewski (where the Queen refers to him as Andrew Whisky). And of course, Charles Smith was never called Charles Smith on Rhodia, was he? END SPOILER ALERT

And of course, as I haven’t touched upon this yet - the story is awash with glorious nods and jokes. “Can you reverse the polarity of the garbage flow?” gave me quite the chuckle, but you’d also want to keep your eyes out for:
· Charlie being referred to as buff and muscular: if you keep up with Greg Austin outwith Class, you’d see where that’s come from.
· SPOILER ALERT Queenie’s little “check which way the gun is set to fire” trick?: the first time it’s tying into the recent death of Ballon, the second time it becomes a parallel to how we originally see Quill at the start of the show. No longer is she doing this trick for her own self-survival but rather for the people she knows that she needs to deal with. END SPOILER ALERT
· It’s a little subtle but when Sgt. Blood talks to Quill about her being the one to unite Rhodia, which piece is that playing underneath the discussion? And when Quill asks him later about what the truth of the matter is… what’s that piece? Think on that…
· “Death by air con. Or rather, lack of.”
· Mowat’s cameo. Brilliant.

As the story heads towards its climax, it turns just a little bit more meta than what might have been expected. But it's a good fit for the story as it leads us, eventually, to what could be our final farewell to Class. And if it is the end, then it's a pretty great way to go out. We get a final dialogue reminiscent of a certain speech... that ends on a line we should've all been expecting. And then Mowat plays us out with a rather emotional piece. We go on, Class fans,
and on and on and on...



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Class: Volume Four 4.3 - Queen of Rhodia by Blair Mowat (REVIEW)

Class: Volume Four 4.3 - Queen Of Rhodia (by Blair Mowat) Review By Jamie H. C. Clarification: This is a review that may in certain...