Fans of the “Deadly Class” comic, it’s finally here! The acid trip that cemented Wes Craig’s art as god-tier has been adapted to TV in the episode “Saudade” and folks, it’s beautiful. Not only that, but we see the Chico storyline come to a head, Billy goes after his Dad, and everyone goes to Vegas.
Strap yourselves in for a wild ride, and be wary of BIG OL’ SPOILERS!
1. Acid is fun!
As I said, Deadly Class gets its token acid trip scene, and its a big one. Usually, each episode gets a sequence that lets some Wes Craig-inspired animation run wild, but we get that in spades in “Saudade”. It all starts when typical Marcus tries to prove how much of a hot shot he is, by necking a solid seven tabs of acid in one fell swoop. We get a hint of what’s to come as the supplier exits the scene hastily, anxious for what could happen. This is immediately followed up with a shot of Marcus hiding under the car, hallucinating virtual wireframe mountains while a neon green haze perpetuates the scene.
The scene really hits its stride when the gang drives through the main Vegas strip. Marcus is intensely swept up by the encompassing, iconic neon of the town, which the show starts to slowly warp into a slick visual feast, intensified by the fact that Marcus had a quick hit of Billy’s joint before it all started. The visuals and production level here is stellar, as reality shifts into a CGI chibi-version of itself, big eyes and all, while the background is an ocean of purple. The animation then shifts into a 2D, Adventure Time style of hyper-fun animation, before turning into something resembling a Flying Lotus music video or Junji Ito manga. It’s super fun to experience and take in the level of detail went into each dang panel of this scene.
2. Marcus has a really good time, followed by a very bad time.
Marcus is still on the slow road to becoming more bearable, this time aided by the ever-helpful use of recreational drugs. His false bravado is a little annoying at the start when he walks into the Hippie commune and announces himself the Acid King, but when he decides to take the seven acid tabs, we start to feel a little protective of him, with these feelings shared by his classmates around him. Luckily, Marcus seems to be having a genuinely great time instead of being constantly cynical. Between the visual candy acid trip and exploring a casino with his friends (also on acid, but one-seventh the amount), Marcus gets to really enjoy himself for the first time in a long time. Hey, even his token interior monologue gets to be externalized a few times as he drawls on to his friends.
Like any good trip, however, it’s too good to last, and everything sets in on Marcus all at once. He first witnesses and aids Billy in killing his Dad (more on this later!). He’s then caught by the casino security, who interrogate him in a terrifying showdown made even worse by the peak of the acid slowly creeping towards a heavy fall. Also, Master Lin might have appeared as his ego shouting him off his high horse? Regardless, he is then caught in an elevator by an old phantom, the oft-teased Fuckface, reminding him that he survived the orphanage fire and that he’ll be back later to really mess with him. Marcus then gets hot and heavy with Maria before being caught by Chico and thrust into an alley to fight, still reeling from the effects of the acid. It’s impossible not to pity Marcus, regardless of the fact that he got himself into this situation, as he gets tossed from one bad scenario to another.
3. Chico’s terrifying arc comes to a climax.
Remember how last week we got to see a friendlier side of Chico? Forget about all that because the vindictive, grudge-bearing student comes back this week in all his creepy stalker and heavily boisterous glory. For the first half of the episode, we cleverly only see Chico once: just as the gang is embarking on their road trip, we see him following close behind in his own vehicle, looking menacing. The show puts a whole bunch of acid-tinged scenes in after this to distract us and catch us off-guard for his next entrance, and it’s quite the doozy. In the middle of Marcus and Maria’s passionate hook-up, Chico busts open the door, leaving the pair (and viewers) shocked and terrified.
Continued belowChico proceeds to bring the fight into the nearby Giant Generator (neat Easter Egg!) convenience store, where he starts to cement his status as unlikeable by shooting an old man. The two then drag themselves over to a nearby alley, where Marcus is helped by the rest of the gang arriving to try and stop Chico. In the process of this, Chico STABS BILLY (!!!) and proves himself truly beyond redemption whilst also taunting Willie to shoot him as he doesn’t think he’s tough enough to do it. The show’s slow development of Chico pays off big time in this episode, and it’s satisfying and terrifying simultaneously.
4. Billy goes darker.
Oh Billy, our beloved Billy. Starting this episode off with a clear mission statement to kill his problematic father, Billy kicks off with a whole lot of attitude. It’s quickly offset however by Marcus taking acid, as is everything, and Billy resumes his happy-go-lucky persona. Also, Billy got a blowjob that he may or may not have paid for… which would probably help shit your mood too. After the chaotic acid scene ensues, Billy starts to have something of a moral crisis. Waiting anxiously with a tremendously high Marcus in the hotel room next to his Dad’s, Billy ponders if he can really kill his Dad, as he still remembers moments of good within him. Marcus convinces him that his Dad’s no longer like that, but it doesn’t change the fact that Billy’s become a much more complex and better person than his Dad because of this internal debate.
The next scene shows Billy in his Dad’s room trying to choke him to death. It’s a highly emotive scene, mostly because of Billy’s untrained and unrefined rage keeping him from securing a quick kill. Billy’s Dad yells one last line at him, saying that he wished that his son would remain obedient, sending poor Billy off the edge with Marcus intervening too. His Dad ultimately falls on the edge of a table, bleeding out heavily and dies. Billy falls next to him, and cries out in a seriously heavy scene, with both he and Marcus both still under the influence and unable to properly process what’s happened. Billy’s raw emotional state tugs at your heartstrings and he doesn’t even get to process it until the end of the episode, with the show closing out on Billy’s depressed and mournful face.
5. Maria reclaims her agency.
With Chico’s arc coming to a peak in this episode, it’s only natural that Maria’s should do the same, and she gets some fantastic highlights. From the start, Maria still gets to be the fun, extroverted personality that keeps the gang in high spirits, regardless of her ulterior motives. We see this drip-fed to use throughout the acid trip as well, as she constantly tells Marcus that everything will be alright and keeps his mind on positive thoughts. Later on, Marcus stumbles upon her room and finds her fake passport to escape Chico. It shows her willingness to try and escape has grown significantly since the first episode as she is finally taking the step to leave him. Maria even lets herself be with Marcus in a passionate embrace, asserting her independence even more.
The most satisfying moment, however? After watching Chico take his anger out on everyone else in the gang, Maria steps up with fiery hatred and slices his throat with her razor fans. It is incredibly cathartic, especially considering how well the scene is paced, as we see the sequence slow down for us to fully witness Maria’s assassination of her former lover. Music plays droningly in the background as Maria lets her emotions free next to Chico’s body, resulting in the first big step in her character development. We see her unafraid to resume her relationship with Marcus at the end of the episode too, showing that she’s still passionate.
That’s it for this week, folks! Do you have any thoughts? Did you also love the acid sequence? Do you ship Marcus and Maria over Marcus and Saya? Let us know in the comments, and come back next week for more!
