My Review of Class's 1x08: "The Lost"

Written by Patrick Ness
Directed by Julian Holmes

April: "Why is everyone looking at me like that?"

After eight weeks (or seven mainly as we did open with a double bill), this spin-off comes to a conclusion for now with an episode that managed to partially resolve one threat while setting up a whole new and far more interesting one.

The Shadow Kin have not been a great antagonist for this series overall. While the design for them has been decent enough, as villains they've felt rather toothless and while they upped the kill ratio here by bumping off Ram's father and Tanya's mother in scenes that didn't really hit the mark they were hoping for, this episode finally saw them defeated.

Granted we had to have April's mother being threatened, Tanya's brothers nearly killed and Matteusz used as leverage (they seriously need to give him something substantial) before April and Charlie ultimately stepped up to the plate. Thanks to combination of mutual sacrifice and finally using the Cabinet of Souls, the Shadow Kin were taken out as well as April and Charlie too.

Except that Quill decided to save Charlie at the very last minute and it now seems that April's soul is stuck in Shadow King guy's body, ending this episode on a slightly awkward note. Even more awkward if this show doesn't get picked up for a second series. Either way, let's be glad that they're mostly gone for now.

As for the second threat, we finally got to see the Governors and Cyril Nri certainly had a nice creepy factor as the Chair. Ames on the other hand found her days being numbered when a Weeping Angel stepped in and murdered her. Whatever the Arrival is, it involves both the Governors and Weeping Angels, which means you almost have to hope the show gets a second series in order to see more.

I do think had the show started off with the Governors as the ongoing threat, the show would've benefited from it. The Shadow Kin simply didn't cut it as baddies but this lot have actual potential. Then again if this show does get cancelled, then perhaps this plot can be resolved briefly on the parent series itself.

- Quill is only carrying one offspring. I quite liked the scenes with her and Tanya in this episode. She's slightly warming to the kids here.
- Cyril Nri was previously The Shopkeeper in the The Sarah Jane Adventures stories, Lost In Time and Sky.
- Music in this episode was on point with Jim Moray and Sophie Hopkins The Lost as well as Black Is The Colour.
- Chronology: Over a week since the events of The Metaphysical Engine, Or What Quill Did.

The Lost rounds off an okay ending to a series that's had a few moments of potential but ultimately feels like it could've been a little better. I do hope if the show gets a second chance that some of the characters are fleshed out better and that the Governors/Weeping Angels/Arrival storyline leads to something truly great.

Rating: 7 out of 10