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Ms Hertz
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"You taught us that wood doesn't conduct electricity!"
#54 Lyoko Minus One
Name: Suzanne Hertz
Occupation: Science teacher
Family: No information. She does not seem to be married, as Jim appears to long for her.
Other: Ms Hertz seems to be in love with a certain Pedro (episode 62 “Nobody in Particular”) whom she wants to impress with ballroom dances such as the Argentinian tango. But she is embarrassed by the idea of mentioning it in front of the students (episode 75 “Hot Shower”). She is the most authoritarian teacher.
Also, during the third season, she is the class teacher of the ninth grade students (that is to say, Jeremy, Aelita, Ulrich and Odd). | | |
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"But there are in fact 'army ants' that destroy everything in their path. And it's true that you'd best stay out of their way! They live in South America. Down there the phenomenon is called Marabounta."
#36 Marabounta
As a representative of authority, Ms Hertz is emblematic of the obstacles in the fight against XANA. Several times, our heroes get stuck in her class during an attack, since the old teacher is stricter than Mr Fumet.
Ms Hertz gets even more troublesome when, due to the demands of her job, she puts pressure on the heroes because of their bad reports, especially Ulrich, who she wants to send to ninth grade remedial (episode 62 “Nobody in Particular”).
However, there are times when Ms Hertz' scientific explanations enable the heroes to figure out XANA's schemes. For instance, in episode 75 “Hot Shower”, it is her scientific literacy that convinces the principal that Kadic must be evacuated when the meteor shower starts.
Contrary to what some people sometimes say, our heroes do not need any help from Ms Hertz: the science teacher lost the vitality of her youth, she is too old to actually fight XANA; what's more, as you know, her personality is a hindrance to our heroes when they need to skip a class.
But the only time when Ms Hertz is actually a real nuisance is in episode 54 “Lyoko Minus One”. During a school trip with year 10, she gets xanafied, along with Jim and the rest of the class. William is the one who suffers the consequences of her xanafication, especially when she sends him flying into a tree trunk. In episode 91 “Bad Connection”, she is once more under the program's influence, as well as the rest of Kadic. | | |
| |  "Your grades were almost all Cs and Ds. Obviously, as always, there are exceptions! Belpois! I gave you an A-. The minus was a reminder that there is no such thing as perfection.
Stern, you are clearly pushing the limits of your I-don't-care attitude. A nucleus is not made up of croutons, but protons. D-! If memory serves, and mine is more reliable than yours, you promised you'd put in an honest effort, didn't you? Whereas it seems quite clear to me that you didn't even glance at your notes! This is not going to help you at the academic review tomorrow morning...
#62 Nobody in Particular
As a very experienced teacher, Ms Hertz knows how to use stinging words and display lots of authority, unlike some of her colleagues of the same age, who seem to feel lost in front of the new generation. She does not tolerate any misconduct and does not hesitate to punish inopportune chattering or to take severe measures (episode 9 “Satellite”).
If a student gets bad marks, she makes it public information, sometimes harshly (episode 62 “Nobody in Particular”), and on the contrary, she praises good students like Herb and Jeremy.
She is a teacher who likes to explain everything, but she is also very demanding and her tests sometimes result in what you may call a slaughter!
As soon as she makes a decision, she is very determined. So she won't bow, even in front of a mob of junior high-school students begging for their confiscated phones (episode 9 “Satellite”), or when all her co-workers stand against her during an academic review (episode 62 “Nobody in Particular”).
To conclude, I would say that Ms Hertz is a good teacher, who does not hold a grudge against dunces (we can see this in episode 30 “A Great Day”, when she acknowledges the improvement of Odd's performance) and accepts admitting her mistakes (episode 24 “Ghost Channel”).
Ms Hertz rarely has a comical role, except when she makes fun of Sissi or Nicolas, or when she begs Jim to give her dance lessons!
Indeed, it is hard to be funny when your behaviour is so acetic! In episode 15 “Laughing Fit”, the students (and the viewers as well) are astonished to see the old woman bursting out laughing after inhaling laughing gas. | | |
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