Cathryn (formerly catslash) (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
remindmeofthe) wrote2009-10-15 11:21 pm
remindmeofthe) wrote2009-10-15 11:21 pm
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Sarah Jane Adventures!
SARAH JANE IS BAAAAAAACK. You guys, I am so happy about this. I love this show. I love everything about this show, with the possible exception of Rani's obnoxious mother, and I even kind of love her because if Gita Chandra is on my screen it means I am watching The Sarah Jane Adventures!
* This series is off to a promising start; it's fun to see races from DW or TW get recycled on SJA (except for the fucking Slitheen, god I hope never to see them again), and I am rather fond of the Judoon. The ep did a great job with exploiting the comedic potential of the Judoon without forgetting that they are, in fact, hired thugs. Well, more or less, Sarah Jane said they work for the Shadow Proclamation, which doesn't quite tally with what I remember from "Smith and Jones" (I don't remember the S4 appearance quite as well, I've only watched that ep twice) but whatever, I don't see why they can't diversify. Gotta fund the troops somehow.
* And can I reaffirm my love for Elisabeth Sladen, please? Her acting as Sarah-Jane-possessed-by-MotW is great. Total change of facial expressions, body language, tone of voice - the alien isn't pretending too hard to be Sarah Jane, and the differences are obvious and rather creepy without being overdone or hammy. (There was a hint of ham in the previews for tomorrow, but considering that she was like hissing or cackling or something, I don't blame her one bit.) It's not easy to change so completely without even different makeup to help the illusion, but Lis Sladen pulls it off beautifully.
(Why, yes, I am thinking of the shapeshifter on TW all "HEY JOHN BARROWMAN WATCH AND LEARN," why do you ask?)
* A freaky thing that always gets me: a character with their back to the camera. Because you KNOW that when they turn it around, it ain't gonna be good. The only reason I did not run and hide when they pulled that with the little girl was because SJA is a kids' show, so they couldn't do anything too awful. And then she looked perfectly normal when she turned around - except a couple scenes later she turned out to be possessed (or whatever, the show didn't really give a good term for it) anyway. Which for most people probably wasn't hard to see coming, even if we didn't know about the transbody thing at that point, but I am embarrassingly easy to fool when it comes to Big Surprises in fiction.
And because this doesn't need spoiler cutting unless you are hopelessly behind on your Whoniverse viewing:
* At one point in "Children of Earth," the question of why the Doctor hasn't come to chase off the 456 is raised (and dealt with stupidly, but whatever, I'm trying to keep it vague here). I know RTD probably felt like that question was the elephant in the room and had to at least be touched on or people would bitch. I am sure he was right, because Whoniverse fandom. My question is, why?
Look at the universe created by these three shows. The 456 were flashier than a lot of the things that threaten the Earth, but it's still nonetheless threatened constantly, and statistically, when you take into account the Whoniverse from 2005 and on, the Doctor doesn't even show up for most of it. People may as well ask where the Doctor was during "Sleeper" when scaryterrorist fighter alien cells were being activated, or "The Lost Boy" when the fucking MOON almost crashed INTO THE EARTH. I know Torchwood and SJA are very different-feeling shows - the threats on TW tend to be more intimate and localized because their incompetence would kill us all, where SJA's are more exaggerated because Sarah Jane can do anything as befits a kids' show, and comparing them seems a bit of a stretch. But: Doctor Who does both. It has "42," where the only thing at risk is a ship with a small crew, and it has "Journey's End," where the entire multiverse is almost destroyed. So, in-universe, why should anyone expect the Doctor to show up for the 456, when so much already happens on Earth that he's not there for?
Which is a weird tangent to go on in an SJA ep review, but watching the show and being reminded of how much happens in the Whoniverse all the time just made the idea that the Doctor "should have been" around for the 456 even more laughable than I thought it already was.
Of course, the Doctor is in fact slated to show up a few episodes from now. BUT THAT IN NO WAY DETRACTS FROM MY POINT OKAY. Hee, I hope there's a scene where Luke brags to the Doctor about Sarah Jane's awesomeness because she won't and Luke's too proud not to, and the Doctor just sits there all, ". . . a meteor? . . . the Slitheen . . . the moon?" and wonders whether he should relocate to the Earth permanently or stay away and just let Sarah Jane get on with things.
And they're airing two eps a week this season, so tomorrow shall be the conclusion! I am so happy this show is back. (Things airing Friday starting next week, for at least the next few weeks: SJA, Dollhouse, and The Thick of It. That's not going to be disorienting at all.)
SARAH JANE IS BAAAAAAACK. You guys, I am so happy about this. I love this show. I love everything about this show, with the possible exception of Rani's obnoxious mother, and I even kind of love her because if Gita Chandra is on my screen it means I am watching The Sarah Jane Adventures!
* This series is off to a promising start; it's fun to see races from DW or TW get recycled on SJA (except for the fucking Slitheen, god I hope never to see them again), and I am rather fond of the Judoon. The ep did a great job with exploiting the comedic potential of the Judoon without forgetting that they are, in fact, hired thugs. Well, more or less, Sarah Jane said they work for the Shadow Proclamation, which doesn't quite tally with what I remember from "Smith and Jones" (I don't remember the S4 appearance quite as well, I've only watched that ep twice) but whatever, I don't see why they can't diversify. Gotta fund the troops somehow.
* And can I reaffirm my love for Elisabeth Sladen, please? Her acting as Sarah-Jane-possessed-by-MotW is great. Total change of facial expressions, body language, tone of voice - the alien isn't pretending too hard to be Sarah Jane, and the differences are obvious and rather creepy without being overdone or hammy. (There was a hint of ham in the previews for tomorrow, but considering that she was like hissing or cackling or something, I don't blame her one bit.) It's not easy to change so completely without even different makeup to help the illusion, but Lis Sladen pulls it off beautifully.
(Why, yes, I am thinking of the shapeshifter on TW all "HEY JOHN BARROWMAN WATCH AND LEARN," why do you ask?)
* A freaky thing that always gets me: a character with their back to the camera. Because you KNOW that when they turn it around, it ain't gonna be good. The only reason I did not run and hide when they pulled that with the little girl was because SJA is a kids' show, so they couldn't do anything too awful. And then she looked perfectly normal when she turned around - except a couple scenes later she turned out to be possessed (or whatever, the show didn't really give a good term for it) anyway. Which for most people probably wasn't hard to see coming, even if we didn't know about the transbody thing at that point, but I am embarrassingly easy to fool when it comes to Big Surprises in fiction.
And because this doesn't need spoiler cutting unless you are hopelessly behind on your Whoniverse viewing:
* At one point in "Children of Earth," the question of why the Doctor hasn't come to chase off the 456 is raised (and dealt with stupidly, but whatever, I'm trying to keep it vague here). I know RTD probably felt like that question was the elephant in the room and had to at least be touched on or people would bitch. I am sure he was right, because Whoniverse fandom. My question is, why?
Look at the universe created by these three shows. The 456 were flashier than a lot of the things that threaten the Earth, but it's still nonetheless threatened constantly, and statistically, when you take into account the Whoniverse from 2005 and on, the Doctor doesn't even show up for most of it. People may as well ask where the Doctor was during "Sleeper" when scary
Which is a weird tangent to go on in an SJA ep review, but watching the show and being reminded of how much happens in the Whoniverse all the time just made the idea that the Doctor "should have been" around for the 456 even more laughable than I thought it already was.
Of course, the Doctor is in fact slated to show up a few episodes from now. BUT THAT IN NO WAY DETRACTS FROM MY POINT OKAY. Hee, I hope there's a scene where Luke brags to the Doctor about Sarah Jane's awesomeness because she won't and Luke's too proud not to, and the Doctor just sits there all, ". . . a meteor? . . . the Slitheen . . . the moon?" and wonders whether he should relocate to the Earth permanently or stay away and just let Sarah Jane get on with things.
And they're airing two eps a week this season, so tomorrow shall be the conclusion! I am so happy this show is back. (Things airing Friday starting next week, for at least the next few weeks: SJA, Dollhouse, and The Thick of It. That's not going to be disorienting at all.)
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The Doctor: "Oh hi, Jack, I thought I left you safely stranded on Earth since the awkwardness of having separate shows unfortunately requires me to be an asshole about that."
Jack: "What, that? I hitched a ride off about two hundred years ago, which Torchwood fans will recognize as plenty of time to have dealt with the events of 'Children of Earth' and get back to my normal self."
The Doctor: "Ah. Fair enough."
Jack: "Now let's run before the Janto fans catch on."
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