The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Curse of Clyde Langer and The Man Who Never Was
I've been hesitant to watch because after this, there will be no more SJA episodes, and this in addition to the death of Elisabeth Sladen hurts all over again. Because this is such a delightful show, and the recent episodes were great; it's going out swinging yes, but oh, it could have gone on.
Aka SJA tackles the homeless issue. I couldn't help but be reminded of Neverwhere for obvious reasons, with Clyde in Richard Mayhew's position, except of course for Clyde staying in London Below was never an option. It was good to see his mother again, and albeit under a curse, at least one parent on SJA got to complain about being constantly lied to. (Sorry, pet peeve; that I love the show doesn't mean I am willing to overlook said pet peeve.) But really the episode brought home yet again how well Clyde was developed. I hesitate to say this because I liked Maria in s1, but her actress leaving might have been one of the best things to happen, because if s1 suffered from one thing, it was that most episodes split the team between Sarah Jane and Maria in one plot thread and Luke and Clyde in another, with Clyde usually getting the funny sidekick role, and hardly any interaction with the rest of the cast. When Maria left and Rani was introduced, the show didn't make the mistake of just giving Rani Maria's role and make her relationship with Sarah Jane identical to the one Maria had. Instead, Clyde not only got the Maria role of audience pov (emphasized in the new title sequence with him as narrator leading us to Sarah Jane's door) but also the Sarah Jane's apprentice role. Sarah Jane now had interaction with all three kids on a regular basis, and they formed relationships with each other. I love all the cast members, but I think a case could be made Clyde became the heart of the show.
The gimmick of this particular episode - due to plot device, everyone's affection to Clyde turns to hatred and he's thrown out of his normal life - is a child's nightmare. (Well, it certainly was mine. I had this super angsty scenario in my head where my parents would deny ever knowing me. Sorry, APs!) So the angst really hit home, and script and acting sold it without overdoing it. Loved the way the moment where Clyde sacrifices his drawings to keep him and Ellie warm was handled - no sudden fanfares on the soundtrack or Ellie realising what was going on, just that one moment of hesitation so the audience knew what he was burning. Speaking of the drawings: lovely, lovely continuity, keeping Clyde's comic book aspirations alive through the show.
Sky being immune to magical Clyde aversion due to being new and alien worked for me. I was also glad to see Sarah Jane kept trying to solve the case of the week while under the influence. And because this audience member has become so attached to Clyde, the tears from her, Rani and Clyde's mother very much felt earned.
Aka SJA does the slave trade, illegal alien workers' exploitation and also Luke comes home. This story tackles the Torchwoodian theme of "never mind aliens, humans can be the biggest bastards of them all", but with an optimistic twist; in addition to the exploitative and cruel industry boss of a company with an unfortunately timed resemblance to Apple (the computer one, not the Beatles one), you also have the decent worker (herself one of the - human - exploited and imigrated) who solidarizes with the aliens and helps Sarah Jane to engineer their escape. Still, the idea of a slave trade with stranded aliens going on on Earth is spectacularly nasty, and now that I think of it, didn't Gareth Roberts write the s4 DW episode Planet of the Ood? Go figure.
Luke reminds us why he's still in the credits, and the show addresses head on that Sky has taken his old place room in a story that then shows she exists in addition not in ursupation, which must be reassuring to younger watchers. I was sold on the Sky and Luke bonding through their adventure even though Sarah Jane leaving Rani and Clyde at home the second time felt a bit forced; you knew they needed to be so they could be available later. This being said, was very amused by Luke falling prey to the Curse of the Internet Pairing Names and calling them Clani. And they did look great in formal wear.
My other favourite moment of humour was the Munchkins, err, Skullions accidentally activating the hologramm's "sexy smirk" instead of "confident smile" when Sarah Jane was interviewing it, and Sarah Jane's deadpan reaction. Oh, and Mr. Smith's reaction to K-9 being mentioned! Their snarkyrobotlove must continue. But as I said: for SJA, this was pretty dark, and it didn't shy away from the horror of the aliens' situation before they were freed.
The end montage, repeating Sarah Jane's speech from the end of s1 over an overall assembly of scenes from the show, was evidently added after they realised this would be it, the final episode, but it works as a summary of SJA. The ability to find friends and family, the adventures waiting just next door. It feels right that they didn't choose to kill off Sarah Jane via some standin but end with this, and the written assurance that "the story goes on... forever", because while there are stories that need to end, the one of this most optimistic version of the Whoeverse does not, and if we have to let go, let's go on that particular promise. (And with the hope of seeing some of the kids again. If not on screen, then in fanfiction.)
This entry was originally posted at http://selenak.dreamwidth.org/721409.html. Comment there or here, as you wish.
Aka SJA tackles the homeless issue. I couldn't help but be reminded of Neverwhere for obvious reasons, with Clyde in Richard Mayhew's position, except of course for Clyde staying in London Below was never an option. It was good to see his mother again, and albeit under a curse, at least one parent on SJA got to complain about being constantly lied to. (Sorry, pet peeve; that I love the show doesn't mean I am willing to overlook said pet peeve.) But really the episode brought home yet again how well Clyde was developed. I hesitate to say this because I liked Maria in s1, but her actress leaving might have been one of the best things to happen, because if s1 suffered from one thing, it was that most episodes split the team between Sarah Jane and Maria in one plot thread and Luke and Clyde in another, with Clyde usually getting the funny sidekick role, and hardly any interaction with the rest of the cast. When Maria left and Rani was introduced, the show didn't make the mistake of just giving Rani Maria's role and make her relationship with Sarah Jane identical to the one Maria had. Instead, Clyde not only got the Maria role of audience pov (emphasized in the new title sequence with him as narrator leading us to Sarah Jane's door) but also the Sarah Jane's apprentice role. Sarah Jane now had interaction with all three kids on a regular basis, and they formed relationships with each other. I love all the cast members, but I think a case could be made Clyde became the heart of the show.
The gimmick of this particular episode - due to plot device, everyone's affection to Clyde turns to hatred and he's thrown out of his normal life - is a child's nightmare. (Well, it certainly was mine. I had this super angsty scenario in my head where my parents would deny ever knowing me. Sorry, APs!) So the angst really hit home, and script and acting sold it without overdoing it. Loved the way the moment where Clyde sacrifices his drawings to keep him and Ellie warm was handled - no sudden fanfares on the soundtrack or Ellie realising what was going on, just that one moment of hesitation so the audience knew what he was burning. Speaking of the drawings: lovely, lovely continuity, keeping Clyde's comic book aspirations alive through the show.
Sky being immune to magical Clyde aversion due to being new and alien worked for me. I was also glad to see Sarah Jane kept trying to solve the case of the week while under the influence. And because this audience member has become so attached to Clyde, the tears from her, Rani and Clyde's mother very much felt earned.
Aka SJA does the slave trade, illegal alien workers' exploitation and also Luke comes home. This story tackles the Torchwoodian theme of "never mind aliens, humans can be the biggest bastards of them all", but with an optimistic twist; in addition to the exploitative and cruel industry boss of a company with an unfortunately timed resemblance to Apple (the computer one, not the Beatles one), you also have the decent worker (herself one of the - human - exploited and imigrated) who solidarizes with the aliens and helps Sarah Jane to engineer their escape. Still, the idea of a slave trade with stranded aliens going on on Earth is spectacularly nasty, and now that I think of it, didn't Gareth Roberts write the s4 DW episode Planet of the Ood? Go figure.
Luke reminds us why he's still in the credits, and the show addresses head on that Sky has taken his old place room in a story that then shows she exists in addition not in ursupation, which must be reassuring to younger watchers. I was sold on the Sky and Luke bonding through their adventure even though Sarah Jane leaving Rani and Clyde at home the second time felt a bit forced; you knew they needed to be so they could be available later. This being said, was very amused by Luke falling prey to the Curse of the Internet Pairing Names and calling them Clani. And they did look great in formal wear.
My other favourite moment of humour was the Munchkins, err, Skullions accidentally activating the hologramm's "sexy smirk" instead of "confident smile" when Sarah Jane was interviewing it, and Sarah Jane's deadpan reaction. Oh, and Mr. Smith's reaction to K-9 being mentioned! Their snarkyrobotlove must continue. But as I said: for SJA, this was pretty dark, and it didn't shy away from the horror of the aliens' situation before they were freed.
The end montage, repeating Sarah Jane's speech from the end of s1 over an overall assembly of scenes from the show, was evidently added after they realised this would be it, the final episode, but it works as a summary of SJA. The ability to find friends and family, the adventures waiting just next door. It feels right that they didn't choose to kill off Sarah Jane via some standin but end with this, and the written assurance that "the story goes on... forever", because while there are stories that need to end, the one of this most optimistic version of the Whoeverse does not, and if we have to let go, let's go on that particular promise. (And with the hope of seeing some of the kids again. If not on screen, then in fanfiction.)
This entry was originally posted at http://selenak.dreamwidth.org/721409.html. Comment there or here, as you wish.