Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith
“...Some things are worth getting your heart broken for.”
“That's the life we lead. Sometimes it brings you such joy and sometimes it brings you the worst things in the world.”
“The universe has to move forward. Pain and loss, they define us as much as happiness or love. Whether it's a world, or a relationship... Everything has its time. And everything ends.”
...So I was going to post something flippant and fun about how I had the best Passover seder with makokitten, I was - then I heard the sort of news you can't ignore and you can't un-hear.
I learned that Elisabeth Sladen died tonight.
Noooooo.
I know there's hundreds of tribute and memorial posts out there, but I still want to ramble a bit about how absolutely fantastic she was as an actress, and the tremendous influence she had on the universe of Doctor Who. "School Reunion" was one the first episodes of Doctor Who I saw, and the first with Rose. And even then, without a bit of context besides Ari telling me that Sarah Jane used to travel with the Doctor, it felt special; she was a very important woman. After all those years, she gets her goodbye, and then what does she do? Walks off and keeps being brilliant.
Lis Sladen truly bridged the gap between periods of Who - her career as Sarah Jane spanned nearly four decades, almost twice as long as I've been alive. From Classic Who to School Reunion and The Stolen Earth to her own spin-off series, all brilliant... Even in her 60s, she continued to take risks and evolve the character, as Sarah Jane became a mother, nearly got married, and confronted the death of her parents and childhood friend; Sladen even portrayed Sarah Jane possessed by the alien criminal Androvax - a slinky, sensual, and predatory creature in the body of a beloved companion. (Seriously, if you have not seen this series, I'm probably not gonna convince you now, but it's definitely worth a watch.) Even though she worked for a kid's show, she helped transform it into something more, The Sarah Jane Adventures were scheduled for a fifth series; the last story aired was called "Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith." Then, it was a title that teased at Sarah Jane sliding into obsolescence, but ended on a high note, and she proclaimed, "With a team like this, I think I could go on forever." Now that seems fittingly poignant.
Now, I think I am off to watch Classic Who and try to feel okay. (I still have not seen more than a fraction of Sarah Jane's earlier episodes, which is in some ways consoling, but also depressing...) I hope you all have a good night.
As a certain Doctor - the seventh one Miss Smith met - once said: "We're all stories in the end. Make it a good one."
She was a truly amazing woman; may she rest in peace.
