| |
STORY PLACEMENT
THIS STORY TAKES
WRITTEN BY GARETH ROBERTS
DIRECTED BY ALICE TROUGHTON
RATINGS 1.4 MILLION
RECOMMENDED PURCHASE 'THE COMPLETE FIRST SERIES' DVD BOX SET (BBCDVD2700) RELEASED IN NOVEMBER 2008.
BLURB Maria and Luke, along with their new friend Clyde, discover an alien race called the Slitheen have invaded their school... in the form of teachers. They have another plan to take over Earth, but will their plot be foiled by the ever-faithful Sarah Jane Smith? |
|
24TH SEPTEMBER 2007 (2 EPISODES)
Almost two years after I sat down to watch the broadcast of Invasion of the Bane, and having just refreshed my memory of it thanks to the DVD box set, I eventually came to Revenge of the Slitheen. And, pretty soon, any doubts that I may have had about the suitability of The Sarah Jane Adventures for us oh-so-sophisticated grown-ups went right out of the window.
Revenge of the Slitheen really sees the show find its feet. The introduction of Clyde lends the show’s dynamic the balance that it seemed to lack in Invasion of the Bane. Not only does it provide Luke with a friend of the same age and sex to learn from, but it also turns what were once cringes into chuckles. Clyde is a good old fashioned loveable rogue; the Captain Kirk to Luke’s Spock.
Better still though, Revenge of the Slitheen sets the standard for the series in terms of plot, pace and structure. Gareth Roberts could not have picked a better set of baddies than the Slitheen to recur throughout the series; it’s hard to believe that they were not created exclus-ively for this series. And by sticking them inside a contemporary school and introducing an adolescent Slitheen, Roberts has stumbled upon a marriage made in heaven.
What really clinches it for me though is having a cliffhanger – the old fashioned Doctor Who twenty-five minute format truly fits this show like a glove.
|
|
Copyright © E.G. Wolverson 2009
E.G. Wolverson has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988 to be identified as the author of this work. |
|
The Sarah Jane Adventures proper start with Gareth Roberts’ Revenge of the Slitheen. Immediately there are some obvious changes to the format – instead of a single, hour-long episode, we have two half-hour parts per story. The benefit of this is that each story has a good, old-fashioned cliffhanger, something that’s missing from much of modern Doctor Who. Kelsey is nowhere to be seen, with no explanation of her absence given. Instead, with Maria and Luke starting their first day at their new school, we get to meet Clyde, played by Daniel Anthony. Some-what older than his character, Anthony provides the cool character perspective much better than his predecessor. Clyde’s troublemaker / joker persona is brought to life by Anthony’s always watchable performance, and he plausibly brings the character round from avoiding the weirdo Luke to being his best mate, all in the space of an hour. Clyde’s inclusion also addresses the sex balance of the main cast, which otherwise may have been a bit too female for many of the little lads watching.
I’m no great fan of the Slitheen, but here, in a show purely for kids, they work much better. Hammy performances from fat actors don’t seem out of place here, and it’s a great idea to make snidey teachers the disguise for alien monsters. The Slitheen costumes have been improved, now moving much more realistically. Even the fart jokes work. The plot is pretty much perfect for the short slots – the first half setting up the aliens’ plot to destroy the Earth as an act of revenge, the following half an action-packed race to stop them. There are some great moments, particularly the Sun going out (although surely ten minutes of sunlessness should be a bit more serious for life on Earth than this mild inconvenience?) The main cast of four work brilliantly together, particularly now that Luke’s gaucheness has been toned down. Above all the episode has an obvious theme, one that resounds through the series as a whole: family. Sarah and Luke a new single parent family, reflecting both Maria and Clyde’s home life, and exploring how the different individuals deal with broken or atypical family life. And, of course, the Slitheen are a family; their plan is both one of vengeance for their fallen brothers, and a twisted attempt to set up their children for a better life. There’s even a kid Slitheen in the episode.
|
|
Copyright © Daniel Tessier 2009
Daniel Tessier has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988 to be identified as the author of this work. |
|
Unless otherwise stated, all images on this site are copyrighted to the BBC and are used solely for promotional purposes. ‘The Sarah Jane Adventures’ is copyright © by the BBC. No copyright infringement is intended. |