In this episode of Deadly Class, Saya and Maria prevent a race war, Billy and Lex have a three-way with Petra, Master Lin and Master Gao choose sides, and Marcus tells everyone the truth.
REVIEW
Episode 8 was a bit of a bottle episode as it forced certain characters together. What was brilliant, was who the episode choose to put together: Willie with Marcus and Victor, Maria with Brandy and Juan (Maria’s subordinate. Chico’s best friend), and Saya with Shabnam and Riku (Saya’s subordinate. Yukio’s best friend). The scenes provided much-needed character depth and worldbuilding.
As such, it’s crazy how layered this episode is, as even minor characters such as Shabnam, Victor, and Brandy, are looking to manipulate the situation in their favor. The splitting factions between Gao and Lin seem like a great hook implying the beginning of the end.
Now, since the pilot, I’ve been waiting for a war between factions. I really thought that the obvious choice would’ve been the Dixie Mob (as they’re racists), so I was impressed that it was between Soto Vatos and the Kuroki Syndicate. Especially, given Saya and Maria’s friendship. It was nice seeing the girls deal with their relationship outside of jealousy over Marcus. What’s even better, was seeing them kick-ass and take command as leaders. Something the show has shied away from.
I liked how this episode addressed the nature of these friendships, as I found it odd that no one ever mentioned how the ‘the gang’ consists of King’s Dominion’s biggest leaders. This episode comments on that, with Maria and Saya’s faction war – showing solid writing and decision making, that adds depth to this series. I especially love how they built the tension up in the cafeteria scene.
Finally, I take back my doubts from last week, as Lin has become lovable again. He seems to be the only parental figure in King’s Dominion who’s not a complete asshole.
FINAL SCORE 8.9/10
RECAP
SAYA VS MARIA
The group plays the boardgame monopoly at the graveyard. Marcus says punk rockers survive the apocalypse because they’re always anticipating the end. Billy agrees and supports not having a real-life goal. Lex calls it classism in America, but Willie calls it racism, which Petra agrees with.
Saya interrupts their debate and asks Marcus for a moment alone, upsetting Maria, who is also present. Saya tells Marcus that someone killed one of her crew, and she suspects it’s Chester (fuckface). A jealous Maria interrupts them and asks for a minute alone with her boyfriend. Saya sardonically quips that she was just giving him archery tips (a reference to when Maria shot an arrow at Marcus’ face and Saya saved him).
Willie asks Saya what’s going wrong? She admits Yukio was killed. It upsets him, but he tells her that she doesn’t have to always keep her guard up. She rebukes him, by asking him when was the last time he was honest with anyone?
In private, Maria admits to killing Yukio to Marcus, but says at least Diablo thinks Chico’s death has been avenged. Marcus is upset, as Diablo will want revenge against a person at the top: he’ll want to kill Saya.
In school, everyone is gossiping about Yukio’s murder. Riku tells Saya the Kuroki Syndicate are worried his death makes them appear weak. Maria asks Saya for a moment in private to talk. Distracted, Juan attacks Saya out in the open. She defends herself easily, and then accuses Maria of trying to set her up, as she shot an arrow at her the night before. Marcus breaks up the fight between the girls, and the monks soon arrive to initiate a lockdown.
Marcus tries talking to Saya about Maria’s murder of Yukio but they get split up. He is locked in his room with Willie and Victor. Willie is upset because he was supposed to go on a date with Gabrielle. Marcus just wants to escape to warn his lady friends. Both Willie and Victor, call Marcus out for being a pretentious narcissist.
Maria reprimands Juan. He admits that he was under orders from Chico’s father, and would rather face Lin’s wrath, rather than Diablo’s. Juan finds it concerning Maria won’t go after Saya. Brandy is locked in with them and points out that people close to Maria often find themselves in danger. Playing devil’s advocate, she reminds Maria that Saya is known for her revenge. As a result, Maria writes a fake order to put a hit out on Saya, but in actuality, sends a note out to Marcus. She asks her boyfriend to tell Saya that she requests a truce. Brandy is happy, as minorities killing each other saves Dixie Mob the effort.
In Marcus’ room, Maria’s note gets literally eaten by Victor. Marcus never reads what it says. Willie doesn’t help out, so Marcus busts out on his own. Willie warns him that if he’s caught escaping during a clampdown, Lin will fuck him up. Marcus goes anyway, and surely enough, is caught by Lin.
In Saya’s room, Riku accosts her for always hanging out with the rats and Maria. Saya claims it’s her clan and her problem, and decides to deal with this alone, declaring Juan is a dead man. As Madame Gao calls the students for lunch, Saya reminds Riku to only take out Juan and then takes a shiv with her.
In Maria’s room, Juan says they’re going to jump Saya at the cafeteria. Conflicted, Brandy plays devil’s advocate again, breaking Maria’s trust in Saya. Maria takes a lethal hairpin with her just in case.
In the cafeteria, Saya moves in to take out Juan but because Maria is next to him, it seems like she’s attacking her. Maria retaliates against Saya. The girls have an epic duel against each other.
Madame Gao arrives, and has the monks break up the fight, and then takes Maria into custody. Seeing her as the school’s common problem string, she calls Maria a cancer, one that needs to be removed. Maria is taken away and Gao gives a suspectful nod to Riku.
Moments later, Maria is strapped to a chair and is approached by a very angry Riku. She admits that Yukio was her oldest friend, and that Maria knew he had nothing to do with Chico. She cuts Maria but Saya breaks in and tells her to back away. Saya kicks Riku’s ass. Riku threatens that Saya choose the wrong side.
Maria admits to Saya, that she discovered Yukio betrayed her. Yukio allowed the Kuroki to enter King’s Dominion, slaughter the monks, and kidnap Saya during detention. Saya asks why Maria didn’t just tell her? She realizes, it’s because Maria doesn’t trust her.
Saya admits she was just trying to help her best friend. Maria tells her: Don’t.
THE RATS HAVE A THREESOME
During the lockdown, Lex gets high off model glue. He debates with Billy over the future, as Reagan is still president, so all hope is doomed. Petra argues Lex always fights with her because he has crush on her. Lex says she’s confusing him with Billy. Moments later, Lex and Billy continue huffing glue. Petra reads the Vampire Lestat (one of my favorite books) and asks if his dock worker father would approve. Lex admits his dad was a hero, and we go into his flashback animation.
Lex’s father was a dockworker and honest man, his brothers, a horrible influence. One night, they snuck into the docks using their dad’s keys and when a theft went sour, they shot murdered a guard in the escape. Lex accidentally dropped his father’s badge at the scene of the crime. When the police came the day after, his father took the fall for the stolen goods and the murder. Lex has been living on the streets since until Saya recruited him to into kings.
Later during the lockdown, Billy and Lex fight over Petra again. She asks them to just admit they’re in love with her, which Billy does, but Lex scoffs at. She reprimands them both, as it’s up to the woman to give her permission. She then talks about her liberated views of sexuality and offers to have a threesome to check it off her bucket list. The boys reluctantly agree, but also, have no idea how to start.
A long time after, Petra complains she’s done all she can by herself. Billy and Lex debate on how to go about doing this without it being weird. Even Lex admits he has real feelings for Petra, and both would rather do it with her, alone. Petra asks why everyone can’t just have a good time physically, and whatever happens emotionally, just resolves itself. Billy finally fully agrees but Lex still hesitates. She says it’s both of you or none of you, and that when they’re 40, looking back at the wild stories of their youth, they won’t regret it. Also, Petra admits she wants to do this with guys she trusts. They finally agree to the threeway and Petra takes her boobs out.
A little bit after just get started, the lockdown is officially announced over. Petra is glad and says that she’s starving and puts her shirt back on. She claims there were too many feelings. Lex asks her, “Is it because we have feelings that you’re leaving us like this? Or is it because feelings disgust you?”
Petra says one word: “Yes.”
Then leaves the two boys.
TEAM LIN
Master Lin speaks with Gao before the lockdown is called. She admits that after seeing her niece, Naya, that she was wrong to be angry at her brother. At the same time, she threatens that if Lin doesn’t find out what happened with the deaths of Yukio and Chico, that the guild will descend on them, and she’ll have to take Naya ‘to protect her’.
During the lockdown, Marcus tries escaping his room. Victor says he’s just desperate for people to think he’s unique. Willie claims Marcus is a selfish narcissist, as he doesn’t respect people and nobody else is allowed to have an opinion besides him. When Marcus escapes, he is caught and interrogated by Lin.
Lin beats the life out of Marcus, asking what happened to Yukio and Chico. Marcus calls Lin a hypocrite, and so Lin shows Marcus a video of him as a child with his parents. He asks again, who killed Yukio or Chico. Marcus keeps the secret, but gives a tell away to Lin, when asked about the kids in the orphanage. As hours of torture pass, Marcus asks Lin if Jurgen’s death was necessary? Lin denies his death (he did let Jurgen escape, after all) and shows videos of Marcus’ dead parent’s bodies to torture him. Lin tells him to confess and reminds him that he’s not the bad guy – that he has only helped him, every step of the way. He threatens to kick Marcus out of school, forcing him be alone, again.
The fear of being utterly alone causes Marcus to finally break. He confesses everything to Lin about Las Vegas. How Chico followed them and caught him and Maria fooling around, and how she murdered Chico in self-defense and eventually pinned it on Yukio to help Saya, and how Yukio was the one who let the Kuroki in, the same ones that murdered Lin’s monks and friends in the school. He thanks Marcus and retreats. That evening, Lin lies to Chico’s father, Diablo. He tells him that Yukio was a drug addict, one who owed Chico a large debt. When Chico tried to collect, Yukio killed him. That if Chico hadn’t been dealing drugs on schoolgrounds, Lin would’ve been able to prevent this.
Diablo is upset at the convenience of this answer and threatens Lin. Lin tells him that he has no loved ones and that he should find peace in the justice served to his son’s killer. For now, it seems Lin is looking out for the group.
TEAM GAO
The episode begins with Madame Gao reading Marcus’ diary in her office – the same one where people act as furniture. Shabnam is with her, as he has been going through Marcus’ belongings and decided to share. She orders Shabnam to track every move Marcus makes, making him officially on team Gao.
Later, Shabnam calls his mother at the house and shares information about the Yukio situation. He also hears barking in the distance, which is a signature sign of Chester (Fuckface). Given the information about Marcus in school that Chester seems to know, it’s evident, that fuckface is getting intel from Shabnam indirectly: in the form of his likely kidnapped parents. This makes Shabnam, unknowingly, a double-agent for Gao and Chester.
Towards the end of the episode, Victor and Brandy share what they learned during the lockdown, to Gao. Victor shares that it seems Marcus is center of all the school’s problems. Brandy shares, that Maria doesn’t have control of the Soto Vatos anymore, as Diablo doubts her resolve. Consider both, on team Gao as well.
MARCUS TELLS THE TRUTH
At the end of the episode at the graveyard, Marcus meets up with Maria and confesses that he’s been trying to reach her. She admits that she’s fine but the two find it sweet that he cares. Saya joins them shortly after, and Marcus defends Maria’s honor by telling Saya what she did. How Maria’s actions were for helping Saya with Yukio. Saya denies him, saying Maria did it to help herself.
Willie is dressed up to surprise his girlfriend, Gabrielle. Telling Saya that he’s taking her advice and being more honest. This emotionally hurts, as Saya’s honesty this episode has done nothing but brought her pain.
Marcus decides to address everyone. Especially, because of the self-revelations he had while under torture. He states that his friends are the only family he’s had since his folks died. That he can’t afford to lose them. He admits that he didn’t kill the kids at the boy’s home. But he accidentally helped Chester, the mass murderer who did, escape. Chester had followed them to Vegas, and now, has Chico’s body. Marcus tells his friends that Chester’s given them a deadline, and now, they’re running out of time.
