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So, last night at the local Doctor Who fan club meeting, I got to see two stories worth (4 episodes) of The Sarah Jane Adventures, the latest Doctor Who spin-off series.
This was my first exposure to the show. I enjoyed it a lot, more than I expected considering that it's very much a kid's show. My strongest reaction was, "Dang, why wasn't there stuff on TV like this when I was a kid?" The basic premise is: Sarah Jane Smith, an investigative journalist with a more than passing experience of aliens thanks to her time spent travelling with this bloke called the Doctor, saves the world from alien invasion with the help of her adopted teenage son, his best friend, and the girl from across the street. It's light-hearted, fast paced, and, for the most part, cleverly written. (Sometimes I find the writing falls flat - the scenes in "Eye of the Gorgon" where Maria argues with her parents didn't sound right to me - like all the characters were being much too articulate about what was really on their minds.)
I'm rather unexpectedly smitten with the Yasmin Paige, who plays Maria, the girl from across the street. I don't think I've been so thoroughly convinced by a smart, spunky teenage screen heroine since I saw Labyrinth. (I should note that I was 13 when I saw Labyrinth - whether that would have made me more or less critical, I'm not sure.) I like that she gets to be a bit girly, but likes math and gets to more or less as much action stuff and playing with alien gizmos as the boys. Luke and Clyde, the boys, aren't quite as interesting, though I'm not sure if that's the fault of the actors or the writers. (Actually, I'm quite sure that the writing gets some of the blame. Clyde, in particular, is written perilously close to the stereotype of the wisecracking and streetwise (black) sidekick. But I'll need to see more than two stories' worth before I can really pick apart what the writers are doing wrong and doing right.)
I think I want Elisabeth Sladen's wardrobe person to go shopping for me. I especially love the outfit she wears in the episode "Eye of the Gorgon" - the burgundy overcoat and knee-high boots evoke a feminine and stylish version of Tom Baker's 4th Doctor costume.
I do hope that this show gets picked up by some channel here in the States, or at least gets a region 1 DVD release so that more people in this country get a chance to see it. It's a marvelous kids' show, and it's got a lot to offer adults looking for a good sci-fi romp. (The audience of adults plus two toddlers at the fan club meeting last night gave both episodes resounding rounds of applause. Ironically, the toddlers were the least impressed, as far as I could tell, but they're still a bit younger than the show's real demographic, and are almost never impressed by anything that's not a Dalek.)
Some spoilery comments on the individual stories follow:
( Eye of the Gorgon )
( Warriors of Kudlak )
This was my first exposure to the show. I enjoyed it a lot, more than I expected considering that it's very much a kid's show. My strongest reaction was, "Dang, why wasn't there stuff on TV like this when I was a kid?" The basic premise is: Sarah Jane Smith, an investigative journalist with a more than passing experience of aliens thanks to her time spent travelling with this bloke called the Doctor, saves the world from alien invasion with the help of her adopted teenage son, his best friend, and the girl from across the street. It's light-hearted, fast paced, and, for the most part, cleverly written. (Sometimes I find the writing falls flat - the scenes in "Eye of the Gorgon" where Maria argues with her parents didn't sound right to me - like all the characters were being much too articulate about what was really on their minds.)
I'm rather unexpectedly smitten with the Yasmin Paige, who plays Maria, the girl from across the street. I don't think I've been so thoroughly convinced by a smart, spunky teenage screen heroine since I saw Labyrinth. (I should note that I was 13 when I saw Labyrinth - whether that would have made me more or less critical, I'm not sure.) I like that she gets to be a bit girly, but likes math and gets to more or less as much action stuff and playing with alien gizmos as the boys. Luke and Clyde, the boys, aren't quite as interesting, though I'm not sure if that's the fault of the actors or the writers. (Actually, I'm quite sure that the writing gets some of the blame. Clyde, in particular, is written perilously close to the stereotype of the wisecracking and streetwise (black) sidekick. But I'll need to see more than two stories' worth before I can really pick apart what the writers are doing wrong and doing right.)
I think I want Elisabeth Sladen's wardrobe person to go shopping for me. I especially love the outfit she wears in the episode "Eye of the Gorgon" - the burgundy overcoat and knee-high boots evoke a feminine and stylish version of Tom Baker's 4th Doctor costume.
I do hope that this show gets picked up by some channel here in the States, or at least gets a region 1 DVD release so that more people in this country get a chance to see it. It's a marvelous kids' show, and it's got a lot to offer adults looking for a good sci-fi romp. (The audience of adults plus two toddlers at the fan club meeting last night gave both episodes resounding rounds of applause. Ironically, the toddlers were the least impressed, as far as I could tell, but they're still a bit younger than the show's real demographic, and are almost never impressed by anything that's not a Dalek.)
Some spoilery comments on the individual stories follow:
( Eye of the Gorgon )
( Warriors of Kudlak )
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