Class was far from the strongest entry in the Doctor Who universe.
The concept was a great idea, effectively introducing a Buffy the Vampire Slayer-style ensemble into the mix with a group of classmates fighting evil to defend their school. What we got was a dysfunctional troupe that made the Torchwood team look like the model for lining up ducks.
My core complaint throughout was how the Coal Hill Defenders couldn’t gel as a functional team. Despite having a common enemy and goal, everyone remained selfish and isolated. The writing certainly didn’t help since it was often nebulous – Steven Moffat’s tenure on Doctor Who is no stranger to that – but lacked the magic of the main show’s adventures.
Unfortunately, the lack of a hook in this series robs us of the more interesting threads that would have driven the second series of episodes: The implications and fallout from Charlie’s genocide, April’s new conflicted existence in Corakinus’s body, and the mystery of The Arrival (which would have taken us to the Weeping Angel homeworld and explored a civil war among them).
Maybe these can find a home in the future.
Overall, Class finishes with a 2.7 score. That’s lower than Torchwood: Miracle Day (which scored 2.9) and Series Three of The Sarah Jane Adventures (which scored 3.3). There is only one set of Doctor Who episodes that scored lower (the Twenty-Second Series scored a 2.5), placing this collection at about 36th place (out of 37) compared to the main show.
For Tonight We Might Die – 3
The Coach with the Dragon Tattoo – 2
Nightvisiting – 2
Co-Owner of a Lonely Heart & Brave-ish Heart – 4
Detained – 2
The Metaphysical Engine, or What Quill Did – 3
The Lost – 3
Class Average Rating: 2.7/5
With the spinoffs out of the way, the Timestamps Project will now pick up where it left off with Peter Capaldi, Series Ten, and the Twelfth Doctor’s final adventures. After that, it’s a straight shot through the Thirteenth Doctor’s run. If everything stays on course, the Timestamps Project will catch up to the Doctor Who televised universe around the 60th anniversary later this year.
UP NEXT – Doctor Who: The Return of Doctor Mysterio
The Timestamps Project is an adventure through the televised universe of Doctor Who, story by story, from the beginning of the franchise. For more reviews like this one, please visit the project’s page at Creative Criticality.
