The Sarah Jane Adventures from the beginning

[Jason Thompson]

Despite watching Invasion of the Bane waaaaay back on January 1st 2007, I have never managed to catch a single episode of the series. It was always something I intended to catch up on later. The recent sad death of Elisabeth Sladen prompted me to buy the first three series on DVD, and so I have begun to watch them all from the start. I thought I'd share my thoughts with you as I went along. So...

Invasion of the Bane

A solid start. I enjoyed this on first transmission, and I enjoyed it again. It feels like a lighter version of Doctor Who, and neatly introduces all the characters. The best decision in narrative terms was not making Sarah Jane the 'main' character. Of course many viewers will know her from Doctor Who, but to the majority of the children the show was really aimed at she is just a one-off character from the show, so far better to give them Maria as their 'anchor' and to find out more about Sarah Jane through her.

The plot resembles Rose, in that our main character finds herself unwittingly caught up in an aien invasion, and meets a strange person who is working to stop it. She even gets told to go home and not get involved, but of course fails to follow that advice.

The performances are all pretty good. Mrs Wormwood is definitely worthy of a return. The only disappointment really was the realisation of the Bane themselves. Somehow in their alien form they looked just that little bit too cartoon-y for a live action show.

Oh, and Kelsey is really annoying, so I'm glad she did not become a regular!

[Paul Clement]

Oh, and Kelsey is really annoying, so I'm glad she did not become a regular!

I assumed she didn't become a regular because of the reaction to her following that episode.

[WhiteCrowNZ]

The good news was Clyde was an inspired choice for the series, really adding a level of cool to the gang. It would really be impossible to imagine the series without him now.

[Dino]

Oh, and Kelsey is really annoying, so I'm glad she did not become a regular!

I assumed she didn't become a regular because of the reaction to her following that episode.

Is it silly rumours or did the actress who played Kelsey say some rude things about what she thought about the show and the producers thought "Right... would you check the actress who played Kelsey's contract on termination of employment please?"

Sarah Jane Adventures "loss" was Burger King's "gain!
I'm glad you are finally getting round to this series Jason. Happy viewing, and you have so many treats coming to you!

[Jason Thompson]

Revenge of the Slitheen

This one definitely feels like a kid's show, but that is not to say it's bad. The Slitheen teachers are somewhat overacted, and there's a fair bit of farting. That said, there's some good stuff. Luke's naievty leading him to give the Slitheen the way to destroy the world is nicely done, and the reveal that the kid is a Slitheen child was one of those moments you only twig the second before it actually happens. Nice to see the female Slitheen avoiding the cliche of the smooth villain giving veiled threats, answering the question of whether she is making a threat with a plain and simple 'yes'.

The real high point, however, is Clyde. What a great character brilliantly acted that boy is! Since it has been months since Invasion of the Bane was shown, the addition of a new character allows Sarah Jane to give the introductory spiel about the Doctor again, and how nice is that little moment at the end when she quietly agrees with Clyde's opinion that the Doctor is cool? Then of course Clyde gets to prove his worth to the team by working out the vinegar.

The inclusion of Maria's dad in the plot is good, and I quite like him. The series proper is off to a very good start.

[Jason Thompson]

A further thought that occurred is that the Slitheen are the perfect monsters for a kids' show. Your teachers could be Slitheen, maybe even your parents. They fart, and what kid doesn't like that? Bluntly, they are quite funny aliens, and the fit the series perfectly.

[Rob McCow]

I thought they fitted fairly well into RTD's Doctor Who, but Sarah Jane Adventures really made them their own monsters. The Slitheen child was a brilliant inclusion!

[SiHart]

Oh yes, I loved the kid Slitheen. There's that great shot of the adult and kid walking down the corridor with the adult one having his arm protectively around him. I really liked that.

I also really liked Sarah Jane becoming a Mum for the first time and worrying about Luke's first day at school and all of that. Really lovely stuff from Lis Sladen.

[Jason Thompson]

Eye of the Gorgon

A suitably creepy beginning, and some excellent performances. This is really a stand-out episode. The different layers of the sotyr mesh so well together it's quite a joy to watch. The mystery about what the Gorgon is and what its plans are keep things from getting too stale, and there is enough human interest to keep things grounded even as an alien invasion threatens the world. Maria has to deal with her parents, Bea is surrounded by people who think she's gibbering nonsense but is in actual fact accurately remembering the things she and her husband saw (another spin off show? Bea and Edgar invvestigate? lol). The performance from Phyllida Law is absolutely stunning, and she seems to pull up the rest of the cast in any scenes she is in.

Luke's continuing failure to understand the subtleties of human communication is a nice touch, as he fails to grasp that although he never explicitly told Sister Helena that he had the talisman it was quite clear from the other things he said that he did have it.

Even Chrissia Jackson gets some development here, rather than just being the irritating ex-wife, although he continuing failure to get Sarah Jane's name right frankly has worn thin by this point. The scene with her talking to the stone Alan is about the first time we might have a smidgin of sympathy for her.

A highlight, certainly.

[Rob McCow]

Eye of the Gorgon is an early high for the show and a definite Hinchcliffe-esque story. A throwback to the 70's, but with plenty of 21st century character-building.

[SiHart]

Eye of the Gorgon is quite possibly my favourite SJA- excellent story full of creepy moments and some very emotional moments too. I love the revelation that Bea has been telling the truth the whole time. It works really, really well.

The Gorgon is suitably creepy and evil Nuns are always a good idea.

I'd like to see this one again. Must get the boxsets.

[Dirk Gently]

Eye of the Gorgon is quite possibly my favourite SJA- excellent story full of creepy moments and some very emotional moments too. I love the revelation that Bea has been telling the truth the whole time. It works really, really well.

The Gorgon is suitably creepy and evil Nuns are always a good idea.

Absolutely spot on. I can't remember another episode topping it for me.

[Jason Thompson]

Warriors of Kudlak

A fairly middling episode, this. The Uvodni mask looks pretty good, especially with its constant twitching. What is less clear is why Grantham is so easily accepting of an alien boss. There's some pretty mature stuff in the start when Sarah points out why the nickname might be insensitive, but the ending where a whole bunch of teenagers say they're just kids seems a bit wrong (how many teenagers are happy to be thought of as kids?). Kudlak appeared to be two different characters in the two episodes, suddenly becoming much more sympathetic in part 2, though his realisation of the enormity of what he had done was nicely played.

What was that weird, Willy-Wonka-esque machine all about?

So, OK but nothng special.

[SiHart]

We've rewatched Invasion of the Bane this evening and I'd forgotten what a strong start to the series it was. Lis nails the approach right from the start, making Sarah Jane a bit harder and pricklier like she was in K9 and Co, and then softening her as the series goes on.

Kelsey is a mis-step, but at least they realised before they went to the series. She wasn't missed at all, but was a bit better than I remembered.

I really like the Maria and Alan relationship. Right from the start it's warm and convincing and ever so well played. I'd also forgotten the clever way they used Chrissy at the start, making it look like they were a family before she walks out and leaves them. Really good.

As was Samantha Bond, who nails the approach as soon as she appears. Just the right side of overplaying, she gives her all and is tremendous. We laughed every time she was on screen! Best lines were all hers- "Next time I'll use a harpoon!" was a particular favourite as was, "Kill her again and do it properly this time!" Just brilliant!

Did you watch any of the others Jason?

[Jason Thompson]

I watched the lot actually, I just forgot to write about them! I'll get back on that soon...