DEADLY CLASS Roundtable: “Reagan Youth”

DEADLY CLASS aired it’s pilot episode tonight. See what we have to say about the dark coming of age journey.

The Good

Ange: Lana Condor is a big reason why I wanted to watch this show and she doesn’t disappoint as the badass Saya. (Nor do the rest of the young cast, which appear to be relative up and comers.) The fight sequences are pretty awesome (which makes sense considering Joe and Anthony Russo from Marvel movies fame are a part of this project) and I can’t wait to see more. I also dig the ’80s setting and ’80s vibe soundtrack to match. I also liked how the show, which is based on a comic series, incorporated a bit of comics into the flashbacks.

Roz: The 80s! Henry Rollins! Lana Condor! I think this is about my aesthetic in myraid ways, but it’s a gory and gross look at a time that no one wanted to admit had flaws. Why pretend that the US in the 80s was all mass consumerism and growing wealth when people were forced into some horrible situations? This show is going to dismantle all the Happy 80s vibes, I know, and I’m here for it.

Leah: I went into this show completely blind, as Ange says, “Lana Condor is a big reason…” why I watched. She is amazing and the cast plays their roles very well. I’m excited to see where the show goes. I always, always say pilots are hard, it is a lot of information to get out in a short amount of space. I have high hopes for the trajectory of the show.

The Bad

Ange: Not a fan of the racial stereotypes – I totally get that the premise of the show is the kids of big crime lords training to become assassins but boy was I rolling my eyes a lot, particularly at Cartel son, Chico. You’re the big dog jock on campus, we get it.  I really hope we get to see a bit more dimension and depth to these characters as the series progresses on. There was a LOT happening in this pilot and while that isn’t necessarily always a bad thing, I had to give the episode my full focus to figure out what was going on.

Roz: I don’t know if I’m buying the downfall of Marcos at Saya’s hands, or whatever we’re meant to imply with Saya’s unfinished assignment. We can have a mystery, but the episodes was so good at one set up that to drop another in the last act felt odd, unfocused and maybe out of place. Sure it’s a school for deadly assassins in training – be it gang violence or crime syndicates – but why put all the kids in opposition to each other when they’re all working towards a similar end?

Leah: Honestly, the 80’s were my bad thing. I was not a fan when I lived through them and I’m not a fan of them now. It’s probably just me though and I’ll get past it, but it wasn’t a decade I care for, I guess.

You can follow along with our coverage of the show here.

DEADLY CLASS airs Wednesday 10/9c on SYFY