Sarah Jane Adventures Enemy of the Bane II
Dec. 9th, 2008 01:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakAnd thus, a great season ends.
Okay, I had to fight my "want more Brig!" impulse by reminding myself that much as Jack Harkness on DW or Martha on TW, he's a guest star, and the regulars have to come before him. What we did see of him was lovely, and the secret weapon! cane and the Brig delivering another save-the-day shot were a great touch. Also, I'm really relieved my demand that Incompetent!Officer was to be revealed as a Bane was met, chaps. It would have detracted from my enjoyment of the episode if he had been a genuine UNIT man. Also, as far is the actor is concerned: all is forgiven, he was obviously directed to be horribly wooden in the first part.
Samantha Morton shone again, and I have to say, considering this storyline had to deal with the problem that of course the audience doesn't believe, even for a moment, Luke would choose Mrs. Wormwood over Sarah Jane, they really needed an actress of her calibre which paid of beautifully, because in addition to some immensely compelling scenery chewing which never becomes caricature, the scenes with her and Luke were great to watch despite us knowing he wouldn't switch sides. Also, kudos to the script for actually keeping that bit of ambiguity in letting her be genuinenly attached to Luke. And of course they kept the Star Wars joke running, what with the holding out of hands and "Join meand we'll bring an end to this destructive conflict, this is your destiny" phrases. And Luke jumping into the ventilation shaft running away. If we count the series pilot as A New Hope and Enemy of the Bane as The Empire Strikes Back, it stands to reason that the next time Mrs. W. (btw, loved Clyde calling her that in an approving manner!) returns, as she inevitably will one day, we get Return of the Jedi complete with Luke deciding he wants to save her from herself and a touching death scene with "I wanted to save you" "You already have". (I'm even willing to bet on a "tell Sarah Jane Smith you were right about me". ) Incidentally, on Luke's part what I got was that while he wasn't a bit tempted by the whole rule the galaxy with me bit and of course knew who his mother was, he was fascinated by Mrs. Wormwood and started to feel something for her. (Though he never let that distract him from the big picture of saving the day. You're a great kid, Luke. The Force is with you.)
I must say Sarah Jane's lecture about what love is was a bit cringeworthy in comparison, not least because of the damage The Temptation of Sarah Jane has done to her characterisation, because when she went on about how you don't destroy planets or want to rule galaxies if you love your child/parent, I couldn't help but think: Except if you knowingly risk the utter destruction of the planet and/or the galaxy for a look at your parents, then decide to save their lives even though you damn well know better since decades, and then, even after you've seen the horrid dystopia that results from it, still are too damn selfish to do anything about it, meaning the world would have ended if it had been up to you and love. Yes, love is really the all time surefire preventer from world destruction. I'm not getting over my dislike of that two parter any time soon. It really is to SJA for me what The Long Game is - again, for me - for DW; the episode in which I thoroughly dislike the main character of the show. In neither case, this ruins the show for me, and just as I liked the Doctor again in subsequent episodes, I like Sarah Jane in Enemy of the Bane, too - but that lecture still sounds hypocritical to me, given recent events. But you know in which scene I LOVED her? When she destroyed the scroll, because yes. Do not leave dangerous artifacts around for the next megalomaniac to use.
Looking back, with the exception of The Temptation of Sarah Jane, this was a really good and strong second season. The departer of a major character and the introduction of a new one was gracefully done, and the result was a benefit for the show in that s1 mostly teamed up Sarah Jane with Maria and Luke with Clyde, leading to two separate dynamics, s2 used the wake of Maria's departure for a restructure so that Sarah Jane got stories and scenes with all three of the kids, and all three had scenes with each other in different combinations. (I.e. not just Luke and Clyde, though I adore their friendship, but also Clyde and Rani, as well as Luke and Rani.) Clyde's role in general was strengthened and his background fleshed out; Rani's parents were the first since New Who started to be both sympathetic and together at the same time, and to have a great relationship with their daughter. They're still living in the Sunnydale field of denial, but hey, can't have everything. Although if Gita gets possessed next season again, she and Sarah Jane really need to talk about breaking records. The tie-ins to the other shows in the 'verse multiplied this season, with the Sontaran at the start and the end (Sontar-ha! indeed), the multiple Doctor mentions up to the blue police box in the 50s gag and of course the return of the Brigadier. As far as villains/antagonists are concerned, Mrs. Wormwood rules supreme. (On her way to become the Master of SJA?) I stand by my claim of her having great chemistry with Sarah, and making her get emotionally invested in Luke while remaining bad news was inspired. My favourite two-parter of the season, though, remains Mark of the Beserker. (Brig or no Brig, Enemy of the Bane loses by a tiny margin because of the heavy-handedness of Sarah Jane's speech; if you compare it to the scene between Clyde and his parents, both together and apart, at the end, and indeed his epilogue scene with Sarah Jane, which are also about love, the comparison is especially glaring.) Go, Joseph Lidster. Given that you also wrote my favourite Torchwood s2 episode, A Day in the Death, I hope you'll write one for s5 in 2010, sir.
Okay, I had to fight my "want more Brig!" impulse by reminding myself that much as Jack Harkness on DW or Martha on TW, he's a guest star, and the regulars have to come before him. What we did see of him was lovely, and the secret weapon! cane and the Brig delivering another save-the-day shot were a great touch. Also, I'm really relieved my demand that Incompetent!Officer was to be revealed as a Bane was met, chaps. It would have detracted from my enjoyment of the episode if he had been a genuine UNIT man. Also, as far is the actor is concerned: all is forgiven, he was obviously directed to be horribly wooden in the first part.
Samantha Morton shone again, and I have to say, considering this storyline had to deal with the problem that of course the audience doesn't believe, even for a moment, Luke would choose Mrs. Wormwood over Sarah Jane, they really needed an actress of her calibre which paid of beautifully, because in addition to some immensely compelling scenery chewing which never becomes caricature, the scenes with her and Luke were great to watch despite us knowing he wouldn't switch sides. Also, kudos to the script for actually keeping that bit of ambiguity in letting her be genuinenly attached to Luke. And of course they kept the Star Wars joke running, what with the holding out of hands and "Join me
I must say Sarah Jane's lecture about what love is was a bit cringeworthy in comparison, not least because of the damage The Temptation of Sarah Jane has done to her characterisation, because when she went on about how you don't destroy planets or want to rule galaxies if you love your child/parent, I couldn't help but think: Except if you knowingly risk the utter destruction of the planet and/or the galaxy for a look at your parents, then decide to save their lives even though you damn well know better since decades, and then, even after you've seen the horrid dystopia that results from it, still are too damn selfish to do anything about it, meaning the world would have ended if it had been up to you and love. Yes, love is really the all time surefire preventer from world destruction. I'm not getting over my dislike of that two parter any time soon. It really is to SJA for me what The Long Game is - again, for me - for DW; the episode in which I thoroughly dislike the main character of the show. In neither case, this ruins the show for me, and just as I liked the Doctor again in subsequent episodes, I like Sarah Jane in Enemy of the Bane, too - but that lecture still sounds hypocritical to me, given recent events. But you know in which scene I LOVED her? When she destroyed the scroll, because yes. Do not leave dangerous artifacts around for the next megalomaniac to use.
Looking back, with the exception of The Temptation of Sarah Jane, this was a really good and strong second season. The departer of a major character and the introduction of a new one was gracefully done, and the result was a benefit for the show in that s1 mostly teamed up Sarah Jane with Maria and Luke with Clyde, leading to two separate dynamics, s2 used the wake of Maria's departure for a restructure so that Sarah Jane got stories and scenes with all three of the kids, and all three had scenes with each other in different combinations. (I.e. not just Luke and Clyde, though I adore their friendship, but also Clyde and Rani, as well as Luke and Rani.) Clyde's role in general was strengthened and his background fleshed out; Rani's parents were the first since New Who started to be both sympathetic and together at the same time, and to have a great relationship with their daughter. They're still living in the Sunnydale field of denial, but hey, can't have everything. Although if Gita gets possessed next season again, she and Sarah Jane really need to talk about breaking records. The tie-ins to the other shows in the 'verse multiplied this season, with the Sontaran at the start and the end (Sontar-ha! indeed), the multiple Doctor mentions up to the blue police box in the 50s gag and of course the return of the Brigadier. As far as villains/antagonists are concerned, Mrs. Wormwood rules supreme. (On her way to become the Master of SJA?) I stand by my claim of her having great chemistry with Sarah, and making her get emotionally invested in Luke while remaining bad news was inspired. My favourite two-parter of the season, though, remains Mark of the Beserker. (Brig or no Brig, Enemy of the Bane loses by a tiny margin because of the heavy-handedness of Sarah Jane's speech; if you compare it to the scene between Clyde and his parents, both together and apart, at the end, and indeed his epilogue scene with Sarah Jane, which are also about love, the comparison is especially glaring.) Go, Joseph Lidster. Given that you also wrote my favourite Torchwood s2 episode, A Day in the Death, I hope you'll write one for s5 in 2010, sir.
