Class: The Metaphysical Engine, Or What Quill Did Next

Miss Quill has been one of the more interesting characters in the series, and we have finally reached an episode that is devoted to her. It's a particularly important turning point for her, as she is about to release the Arn, with a bit of help from Dorothea, a shape-shifting surgeon called Balon, and a device known as the metaphysical engine. What should be a fairly straightforward surgical procedure made more dramatic through the metaphysical imagery.

Compared to the previous episode, the visual scope was certainly greater. The Metaphysical Engine allows Quill, Dorothea and Balon, to visit a vast number of terrains, including a pink leafed forest of 'Arn heaven' and the cave of Lore hell, while culminating in a desert manifestation of the Cabinet of Souls. We also get a decent monster this week in the manifestation of the Quill Goddess.

Despite the greater number of locations, this was once again an episode which focused on a small group of characters, albeit less familiar ones. Quill, Dorothea and Balon all get some development here. With Quill, we learn about the death of her mother, see her come face to face with the Quill Goddess, become closer to Balon and then forced to watch him kill himself. We see how she has become a fighter to cope with the things taken from her.

We also get to see the more vulnerable side to Dorothea Ames as she is thrown into an unfamiliar situation. It makes the character surprisingly more likeable. Her words suggest that she is genuinly interested in Quill's well-being, unlike the rest of the Governors.

The newest character, Balon, Miss Quill's surgeon, is suitably played. There's not much of a personality, a gim guy who turns out to be likeable but he is okay. Ultimately we come to pity both him and Miss just at the point where they kill each other. The alternation between them chatting and them killing each other is nicely done.

A few nice Doctor Who references thrown in what with UNIT and Zygons. It would be nice if more actual elements from the parent series would appear in this show, but what we got here was okay.

It ends as last week's episode ended with the promise for more to come, but this time we see what happened next. Quill collapses. How her students cope with her now remains to be seen.

7/10