Elisabeth Sladen Tribute
I just watched the Elisabeth Sladen tribute which was run after the Doctor Who episode. It was lovely.
I've never met her(but by all reports, she was gracious to her fans), so I can only speak to her work. That being said, I will try my best.
For me, Sarah Jane was (and is) THE companion. ES brought so much life and warmth to a part that could have easily fallen flat. That takes skill, and talent--to bring something extra to a character, something more.
The amazing thing is, she kept giving more to that character, throughout the years: new layers, nuances. ES made Sarah Jane believable--one of the reasons I think, for me, Sarah succeeds as a character is that she's allowed to be vulnerable, and angry, and loving, and irrational--all of the things that make us human.
I do not mean to discount the writers, some of them are brilliant, and I know how hard it is to put words to a page. That being said, /so much/ of the character development in Doctor Who is up to the actor and the viewer. Sarah Jane would be just another in a long line of companions without Sladen's effervescent performance.
There's a reason why Sarah is the only companion I really remember from half-seen reruns in my childhood. Sarah Jane survives, and no one else could have portrayed her better.
Rest in Peace, Ms. Sladen. You are remembered.
I've never met her(but by all reports, she was gracious to her fans), so I can only speak to her work. That being said, I will try my best.
For me, Sarah Jane was (and is) THE companion. ES brought so much life and warmth to a part that could have easily fallen flat. That takes skill, and talent--to bring something extra to a character, something more.
The amazing thing is, she kept giving more to that character, throughout the years: new layers, nuances. ES made Sarah Jane believable--one of the reasons I think, for me, Sarah succeeds as a character is that she's allowed to be vulnerable, and angry, and loving, and irrational--all of the things that make us human.
I do not mean to discount the writers, some of them are brilliant, and I know how hard it is to put words to a page. That being said, /so much/ of the character development in Doctor Who is up to the actor and the viewer. Sarah Jane would be just another in a long line of companions without Sladen's effervescent performance.
There's a reason why Sarah is the only companion I really remember from half-seen reruns in my childhood. Sarah Jane survives, and no one else could have portrayed her better.
Rest in Peace, Ms. Sladen. You are remembered.