Reagan Youth is the premiere episode of Deadly Class.It is directed by Lee Toland Krieger and written by Rick Remender and Miles Orion Feldsott. The episode first premiered on December 30, 2018, On-Demand, before airing on Syfy January 16, 2019.
Synopsis[]
A disillusioned teen finds purpose and fights for survival at an elite academy for the Deadly Arts. Marcus, a homeless orphan, is recruited to join King's Dominion, a top secret assassin academy.
Plot[]
San Francisco, 1987.
In King's Dominion prep school, Master Lin is giving a lecture about how World War I was started by a teenage assassin. When some students start passing notes, he slams his cane onto desk of Marcus Lopez Arguello and then whips it around to crack the nose of blonde girl who passed the note, Brandy, right in the face, bloodying her nose. She licks the blood off her fingers to prove it.
Lin then asks the class: If you had the choice to kill anyone, like that assassin who started WWI, who would you kill?
Yesterday
We flash back to "Yesterday," as we see Marcus stare at the rubble of what once was the Sunset boys home, his former digs. After accused for burning the Sunset Boys Home, he's wanted by the cops for "more than a dozen murders." So he's living on the streets and eating out of trashcans. Later that night Marcus smokes a dust-laced joint and thinks that Ronald Reagan is speaking to him from a broken TV set. Marcus, just say NO, dude.
While in the middle of his run away, Marcus runs into a Day of the Dead parade where he encounters three new friends - one with glorious Day of the Dead Makeup.They all help him escape the cops who are hot on his trail. While on the run, Marcus meets yet another new friend and this one has a big motorcycle and sword attached. While his new pal - and her sword - takes care of the fuzz, the others kidnap Marcus.
Awakening in a meat locker, Marcus learns the four teens are Saya Kuroki, Billy Bennett, Maria Salazar and Willie Lewis--who are joined by their Headmaster, Master Lin, who offers Marcus a spot at his school where Marcus can learn the "deadly arts". Marcus throws the offer and decides to peace out and flee.
Afterwards on that same night, Marcus is feeling low and recalling his parent's murder. Deciding to end it all by jumping to his death from Coit Tower, Marcus is stopped by Saya, who shows up, kisses him and tells him he doesn't have to be alone, convincing Marcus to return. Back to the butcher shop. Saya tells Marcus the only rule he can never ,ever, give up their secret location. The other rules are: no disobedience, no drugs, and no sex (Maria says there are always way around on the last one).
Saya then gives Marcus a welcome tour through Kings Dominion. Marcus, intrigue abound, comes face-to-face again with Headmaster Lin explains the roots of Kings Dominion to Marcus: "In service to the greater good,there can be nobility in killing." Lin's great-grandfather came to America looking for the American dream, only to find indentured servitude and abuse.So he taught himself to kill and founded King's Dominion and dedicated it to "the self-liberation of oppressed people."
Marcus decides to join the school, trading his old street clothes for a new starched school uniform and starting supplies for a new assassin-in-training.While walking through the halls of King's Dominion for the first time, he's greeted by couple of unfriendly, unfamiliar and familiar, faces. Marcus open his locker, only to find a creepy doll with the knife and paper on it, labeling him as child killer. Standing behind his locker, Maria appears and advises Marcus to join a school clique as a means of survival--specifically the clique she is apart of, the Soto Vatos, just before her boyfriend and leader of the Soto Vatos: Chico, rolls up and challenges Marcus to a fight for talking to his woman.The bell rings before they get into a fight, but before he goes, Chico humiliates Marcus by using a passing Billy's drinking cup and spilling it on Marcus's head, enraging the latter.
Present-Day
Back at the class situation, Marcus is horrified. Looking at Brandy, who has just been cracked by master Lin, Marcus opens the note that he was given, only to find a series of swastikas (the Nazi symbol) drawn on the sheet; a clear threat.
In A.P Dark Arts, Marcus and the other students are given their first assignment: find someone who deserves to die and kill them without being caught and leaving no evidence. The target Marcus goes for is Rory, a chaotic man who roughed him up at the homeless shelter and on the street during his time.
In Hand to Hand combat class, the teacher, Ms. Deluca puts the students in pairs. Billy, in a fight with his opponent Viktor, gets a hard beating while Maria gets her hands on Marcus, her chosen partner. When Maria concludes their spar by getting the upper hand on Marcus, he finds himself looking at a busy Saya.
Next class is the Poison Lab. Marcus gets paired with Billy, who asks of him a little favor by being a distraction for the German student Viktor--who Billy wants to enact vengeance on--so Petra and himself can pull of a prank. So, they successfully put a laxative into his soda. After drinking it, Viktor undergoes the immediate effects, and being denied to leave by the teacher; Mr. Jurgen Denke, he is forced to face public humiliation while Billy and Petra go about content.
At Lunch, Billy explains to Marcus that one's social standing at King's Dominion is determined largely by who your parents are.The legacy kids are the sons and daughters of organized crime (cartels,the mafia,yakuza) government types. Brandy teamed up with the white-nationalist Dixie Mafia for the Nazi, while Willie is the head of the Final World Order. Saya rules the Kuroki Syndicate while Maria remains as the girlfriend to the Soto Vatos's leader, Chico. Billy tells Marcus that because his dad is a mere wife-and-child-beating cop,while Marcus is an orphan, they are "at the bottom of the food chain". The Rats.
Marcus is led to the roof by Billy afterwards, where he meets with Petra and another Rat named Lex. Billy then ask him about the assignment they received in AP Black Arts, who's Marcus dreaming to kill. Marcus tells the gang that he's going to assassinate Ronald Reagan. Petra and Lex doubt that'll happen since Chico is sure gonna kill Marcus first after his declaration to fight the latter back at the lockers.
Marcus then goes to seek out help in Saya at the ladies bathrooms. Saya tells him to fuck off, but Marcus's begging soon makes her relent. He confesses to her that he's not really a killer. He didn't actually burn down that boy's home, unlike what everyone believes. He asks her what he should do. Saya give her only advice for him: run.
Taking Saya's advice, Marcus tries to take off from the school. While running through the halls, though, Marcus bumps into Maria. He finds out Chico gave her a black eye, which causes Marcus to then storm off and confront Chico. This leads to a bloody confrontation in an area of King's Dominion, where Marcus attacks Chico but fails to apprehend him for long until Chico gets the upper hand, producing a knife to supposedly kill Marcus after insulting him. But, before the fight goes further, Master Lin shows up. Chico tells Marcus they will finish this another time, and leaves him alone. Afterwards, Marcus goes to leave King's Dominion once and for all, but is oblivious to the watchful eye of Willie, who sees him leave.
While trying to figure out what to do next, Marcus is approached by Willie in a car who suggests that they partner up on the Black Arts assignment. When Marcus doesn't agree at first, Willie pulls a gun from his jacket, threatening the boy and commanding him to get into the car with him .Marcus then agrees and they head to the homeless camp to find and kill Rory. But first, Willie confesses that he's not really a gangster and it's all an act to keep himself alive, failing to kill the homeless target. His mom actually sent him to King's Dominion so he can toughen up. But it seems that didn't work.
Unfortunately, Willie's failure to kill Rory becomes a grand mistake, for the latter wakes up and catches Marcus and Willie in the act. The two both scatter, but Rory is quick on their heels, and after the two deviate, he chooses the pacifist Willie to hunt down, cornering him in an alleyway. While attempts to hurt, and presumably kill, Willie, Marcus appears and cracks Rory across the head with a metal pipe, but then finishes the job further brutally. With help from Willie, they toss the body into a Dumpster, and set Rory's body on fire within.
Back at Kings Dominion. Marcus tells Willie to go ahead inside while he smokes, but when Willie does, Marcus looks down at his hands, and they're shaking. Maria shows up without her black eye, telling Marcus all of that was actually just an act so she can coerce Marcus into ending Chico. While Marcus initially is angry at her, Maria kisses him. Deflating his anger, she then warns Marcus that Chico and the Cartel are coming for him, before walking away.
Meanwhile, Saya meets with Master Lin, presumably before the party. She asks him if her assignment is completed and over, only to find out that master Lin has a new assignment for her in mind her in mind. He produces and pushes forth a photo of young Marcus in her direction.
Master Lin, afterwards, shows Marcus to his new dorm and sleeping quarters, a broom closet with a cot and old tools. And, later that night, Marcus, joined by Billy, Maria, Willie, Petra and Lex, attend a rooftop party. While he's hanging out with Maria and enjoying his time, he happens to glance Saya looking at him deeply before the end credits roll.
Cast[]
Starring
- Benedict Wong as Master Lin
- Benjamin Wadsworth as Marcus Lopez
- Lana Condor as Saya Kuroki
- Maria Gabriela de Faria as Maria Salazar
- Luke Tennie as Willie Lewis
- Liam James as Billy
- Michel Duval as Chico
Co-Starring
- Erica Cerra as Miss De Luca
- Ryan Robbins as Rory
- Taylor Hickson as Petra
- Siobhan Williams as Brandy Lynn
- Henry Rollins as Jurgen Denke
- Sean Depner as Viktor
- Jack Gillett as Lex
- Chad Riley as Cop #1
- Gary Hetherington as Ronald Reagan Type
- Graeme Meekison as Jaden
- Juan Grey as Juan
Music[]
| Title | Artist | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Behind The Wheel | Depeche Mode | |
| Too Young To Die | Agent Orange | |
| The Holy Hour | The Cure | |
| The Killing Moon | Echo & The Bunnymen |
Trailers and Clips[]
Trivia[]
- The episode shares its name from the comic book counterpart.
External Links[]
Reagan Youth on IMDb
| Deadly Class | |
|---|---|
| Season 1 | "Reagan Youth" • "Noise, Noise, Noise" • "Snake Pit" • "Mirror People" • "Saudade" • "Stigmata Martyr" • "Rise Above" • "The Clampdown" • "Kids of the Black Hole" • "Sink With California" |