The Checklist: Deadly Class (S1 Ep10) “Sink With California”
It has been quite a while since I found myself filled with the level of anticipation I felt moments before the season finale of Deadly Class.
There are two reasons for this… for one, in today’s world where waiting for an entire season to be available for binge watching is fashionable, I instead found myself tuning in every single week making the ten week commitment and having that seven days to wait between each episode to get my mind racing.
The other reason… Deadly Class is like nothing I have ever seen before and the show did a damn good job building the characters and the conflicts between them… as I head into the Season One finale, titled “Sink With California”, I am fully expecting that the show’s main protagonist Marcus (Benjamin Wadsworth) is going to vanquish Chester “Fuckface” Wilson, Marcus’ former roommate/tormentor in the boys home that Marcus found himself in after his parents died tragically. It has gotta happen right? Then there’s the whole Master Lin (Benedict Wong) storyline as he is having his troubles from within his own family and with the head of a drug cartel… how is that going to play out? And back to Marcus… in the midst of his issues with Chester he’s also found himself in a love triangle with Saya and Maria… is that about to boil over given the fact that he’s screwed them both!?!?
I won’t spoil any of the answers to these burning questions for those of you who have not yet checked out the season finale, but I will put Episode 10 of Season 1 to The Checklist test to see just how Deadly Class this episode of Deadly Class was…
#1- Was there an animated flashback?
It was a nice touch that a series like Deadly Class that was based on a comic book featured some animation. Through out Season One the backstories of all the characters was told by animated flashbacks, so I was fully expecting more of the same in the finale, but alas… no animation.
With so much going on in the episode from start to finish and the backstories being so well developed in the first nine episodes it is easy to forgive but The Checklist is unforgiving. 0/1
#2- Did the show push the basic cable envelope?
Some hear “show based on comic book” and think it is aimed at kids… but that has never been the case with Deadly Class. Filled with violence, gore, profanity (one of the main characters is name “Fuckface” for fuck sake) and even some nudity here and there.
“Sink With California” did not tone any of the violence (in fact I am pretty sure it escalated it) and the language was stronger than ever with my personal favorite line being “You smell like a turd fucked an oyster”. 1/2
#3- Does anybody die?
Deadly Class is about Kings Dominion, a school that trains the assassins of tomorrow… so it is not unreasonable to expect that somebody dies in every episode. Given the fact that this particular episode is about Marcus and his friends going to the house that Chester and his white trash army are holed up in with the intentions of KILLING Chester… it is even a safer bet, because either Marcus and his friends will accomplish their goal OR they will die trying. Either way, the bodies are gonna hit the floor.
The body count is high on this episode with people dying by chainsaws to the head, being blown to pieces, shot, stabbed and even a death by animal. If the blood and guts aspect of the show is something you enjoyed, you’ll love the finale! 2/3
#4- Were there any notable guest stars?
Deadly Class did not go overboard with guest stars, but there were a few sprinkled through out the 10 episode season. “Sink With California” saw the return of David Zayas’ character El Alma del Diablo… a father hellbent on finding out what happened to his son Chico, a student at Kings Dominion, who disappeared and a man who put the blame on Master Li, since Chico’s disappearance happened on Li’s watch.
I will always associate Zayas for his work on Dexter, but action purists will remember him as General Garza in The Expendables or from his roles in 16 Blocks and Skyline. 3/4
#5- Was there any 80’s music?
One of the things I enjoy about Deadly Class is that the whole story takes place in my favorite decade, the 1980’s. And Deadly Class didn’t just use 80’s inspired music, they went the extra mile and paid the fees to get ACTUAL music from the decade into the show.
The season finale was no exception… the show opened up with “London Dungeon” by The Misfits and wrapped up with “Asleep” by The Smiths. In between there was “Mr. Crowley” from Ozzy Osbourne. 4/5
Final Score: 4/5 (80%) Don’t let The Checklist score fool you, the season finale was an A+ winner that answered some questions in a satisfying manner but asked way more… leaving the most important question being… when do we get season two?
