Deadly Class, Episode 2 Review: “Noise, Noise, Noise”

Pressured to go on a date with her boyfriend, Chico (Michel Duval), that ends with him shooting a man, Maria brings up that she wanted to go to a party with her friends instead. “They’re our competition.”, Chico responds, rejecting the idea of them being pals, but that’s what makes Deadly Class such an unusual hybrid. Last week Petra blasted John Hughes’ movies but what’s a bigger stable of the high school movie than an out of control house party that ends with the cops being called?

“Noise Noise Noise” doesn’t feel like your typical house party (a dildo gets sliced in half with a sword) but that’s despite the circumstances, not because of them. The soundtrack for the show continues to be phenomenal but nothing about the party is glamorized or feels like the 80’s being glorified, and you can tell a lot of thought went into the details (Brian Poshen is particularly excellent as the adult, Dwight, who shouldn’t be there but has weed and two cents to throw in, while making the guests question their life choices). While subtler than Preacher, there are some lovely visuals that hearken back to the series’ comic book roots (the mythic quality that’s given to the Quaker Oats tube when it’s found in the trash) and it’s cool to know that the animation sequences won’t be reserved for just Marcus, with a flashback to Willie’s childhood.

In his voiceover for the opening scene, Marcus talks about evolution and tribalism for survival, but when Master Lin poisons his AP Black Arts class for a pop quiz, tribalism almost gets them killed. Brandy and Victor don’t want to accept Marcus’ help, but he’s the one who jimmies the gate open and solves the riddle for the antidote, and when Maria administers it, tribalism doesn’t help Chico, when she almost doesn’t cure him but gives him the antidote last minute.

Maria might be better off without Chico, but that doesn’t change the fact that killing him would be murder and, as we see from Marcus’ mixed feelings about killing Rory, murder isn’t something the show takes lightly (which might came as a surprise, given the show’s premise). King’s Dominion continues to run by its own rules. You won’t get expelled for drawing a penis on the librarian’s face (Riverdale’s Barbara Wallace) but you will get kicked out for not getting past the “gothic oompa Loompa monks,” to use Billy’s colorful phrasing. When you walk away with your life and some coughed-up blood, that’s something to celebrate.

Which brings us back to Maria’s “friends” comment. At the party, Saya claims she can associate with Marcus because they aren’t on school grounds (much like she can maintain a Betty and Veronica friendship with Maria behind closed doors), but everyone at the party (besides Dwight) is a King’s Dominion student and other than Billy, who tells Petra how he really feels (if a little too strongly), nobody is being honest. Murder high schools don’t hold an exclusive on posers, but the deceptions are pretty serious, and they’re encouraged by the faculty. Already, in the short time Marcus has been there, Maria has lied to him, Saya’s sold him out to Master Lin, and Willie’s taken credit for his kill.

Marcus is so honest he can’t even lie at a funeral and pretend the man he murdered was a nice guy, but that doesn’t mean he’s not a poser, too. Instead of banding together and going after the teachers who devised this warped school, they’re being turned against each other, while the teachers (like Master Lin and Jürgen (Henry Rollins), who both approach Marcus this episode) play favorites for some unknown end. Will the students catch on or tear each other apart in the meantime?

Other thoughts on “Noise Noise Noise:”

• Throughout the episode Marcus seems to get a second wind whenever the possibility of procuring drugs is raised. I’m interested to see how the show will continue to address drug and alcohol addiction.
• Master Lin rewarding Willie, even though he suspects he’s lying, reminds me of a recent episode of Dirty John, where John’s father rewards him for lying at his sister’s expense. King’s Dominion alumni?

Deadly Class airs Wednesdays at 10 PM EST on the Syfy Channel.