Class. The oft forgotten spinoff of the modern series which lasted a mere season. Thankfully, Big Finish remembered its existence and graced us with four boxsets of new adventures set during the original season, yet the question of the final episode's cliffhanger still loomed in the air, unanswered. Despite my hopes for it, Secret Diary of a Rhodian Prince does not answer all the questions left at the end of the first season. What it does do is hint at what happened to the characters after the final episode and provide further backstory, especially for Charlie and Matteusz's relationship, and it does so in a way that is just as satisfying as if it had been a continuation of the original series. Beginning at the start of the school year, Secret Diary of a Rhodian Prince explores how Charlie adapted to life on Earth and how he met and fell in love with Matteusz. The bulk of the story focuses on their early relationship before the latter half begins exploring Charlie's feelings during the television series, and we are granted brief snippets into his mind at crucial points, such as the first Shadow Kin attack, Matteusz moving in with him, and his struggle over whether to use the Cabinet of Souls against the deadly flower petals. As I said, it's really wonderful to have some of these gaps filled, and I felt a deeper understanding of Charlie after listening to this episode.
Unlike other Class audios, which are almost entirely dedicated to side stories without even mentioning the events of the television episodes, this story directly addresses the Shadow Kin and the Cabinet of Souls, making the story seem more relevant than some other audios. The Doctor is also frequently referred to, though he does not show up directly. I'd love to discuss the ending of the episode, but as the behind the scenes segment specifically requests that the ending be kept as much a secret as possible so fans can experience it, I will not, though I will say I quite enjoyed it, and the episode as a whole. On the topic of behind the scenes features, Blair Mowat did discuss that he has no interest in doing any more stories set during the first season and that if he writes more at some point, he intends for it to be a continuation of the story. So that's good news. Overall, I quite enjoyed this release and it was good to hear from these characters again after being away from them for so long.
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