Retro Rewind: The Sarah Jane Adventures “Revenge of the Slitheen” Review
Gustaff Behr takes a look back at the second story of spin-off series.
The Sarah Jane Adventures was a spin-off series of Doctor Who which ran for five seasons, from 2007 to 2011. The show followed former companion Sarah Jane Smith, after being reunited with the Tenth Doctor, and her friends/companions as they deal with alien incursions…all from an attic in Ealing, London. Retro Rewind travels back in time to see how this decade and a half old show holds up today. Has it aged like a fine wine, or some chicken that’s been left out in the sun for too long? This is Series 1, episode 1 and 2: Revenge of the Slitheen!
Revenge of the Slitheen was written by Gareth Roberts and aired 24 September to 1 October 2007. It was unique in that it introduced the main character Clyde Langer and re-introduced the Slitheen family, who would become a recurring villain for the Bannerman Road Gang.
It’s hard to pin down the tone for this serial. It’s equal parts silly and serious. Can you guess which is which? The Slitheen are the perfect villains for a CBBC TV series. Their fart gimmick will likely not go over well in 2022 with fat-shaming being a thing, but while watching this serial, I just could not stop grinning. The Slitheen are so shamelessly chewing the scenery they are in and acting hilariously evil that it’s hard not to laugh. You can tell the actors are having fun hamming it up for the camera. Not only that, but some fart jokes are actually well-timed. In one scene it happens right as they are making their way upstairs and in firing range of two students following them. In another scene the entire assembly laughs it up but the Slitheen leader quickly makes a separate joke to cover his tracks.
As I mentioned, the Slitheen are good villains for a children’s show. The costumes have always looked a little silly, and the actors inside them don’t run so much as they stumble about during chase scenes. The director and writers are well aware of this, which is why the first half of the story hides their true forms before going all out ham and cheese in the second half. The cliffhanger comes across as silly and ridiculous, but becomes infinitely darker when you realize that in order for it to exist, the Slitheen would have had to murder a child and skin them.
The serial is also notable for containing a clever bit of foreshadowing. Mr. Smith shocks Clyde at the end of the episode, but plays it off as a joke, also hinting to his true agenda in helping Sarah Jane.
And speaking of her, this episode continues the motherhood arc that started in the previous episode. I didn’t appreciate the efforts the writing and production team enough when I first watched this serial. They do a really good job of showing how clumsy Sarah Jane is at being a mother. She makes all the classical mistakes which is understandable. She is still getting used to the idea of taking care of Luke. During the scene with Maria and her father, she visibly reacts to how comfortable they are in each other’s presence. She is both curious and envious, and this is shown to the audience without being underlined or dumbed down. She brushes off the idea of being called ‘mum’ but secretly hopes it’ll happen, so when it does happen, she is visibly shocked and happy.
Luke’s arc of fitting in to society starts in this serial as well. Him making clumsy social mistakes mirrors what a lot of children go through. He calls Sarah Jane by her name instead of ‘mum’ and is convinced that since that is what she said he should do, that’s what she wants him to do. The serial takes advantage of Luke’s naivety and tricks him into helping the Slitheen, something that wouldn’t be possible if this serial was placed further along the series. He proves himself capable of both realizing his mistakes, dwelling on the potential consequences they have and setting them right in the face of being mauled to death by a campy looking Slitheen child.
Maria is given the backseat, while Clyde is introduced as a replacement to Kelsey Hooper. Likewise, Clyde does not do much except act like an insufferable jerk who is unaware that what he says is hurtful and reacting to how ridiculous the events of the story are. This paints him as rather unlikable, but not nearly to the degree of Kelsey. It sets up his arc of softening up and becoming less selfish. Clyde also redeems himself somewhat by deducing the vinegar solution near the end. Not only that, but his conversation with Sarah Jane at the end of the story is beautiful, even if it is basically a word-for-word repeat of the talk Sarah Jane had with Maria one episode ago. Still though, you can see his horizons broadening as he marvels at every word. Despite being brash and arrogant up until now, Clyde solemnly promises not to reveal their secret to the world.
Revenge of the Slitheen is a worthy follow-up to its predecessor. It’s shamelessly ridiculous and is fully aware of it. The serial continues to develop Sarah and Luke, introduces Clyde, sets up future plot points and manages to entertain its audience while still featuring call backs and Easter eggs for more veteran fans of Doctor Who.
So…after so many years, how do you regard Revenge of the Slitheen?
Your Scores So Far
Invasion of the Bane – 8.00
