Retro Rewind: The Sarah Jane Adventures “Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane” Review
Gustaff Behr takes a look back at the fifth story of the 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 7 and 8: Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?!
Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane? was written by Gareth Roberts and aired 29 October to 5 November 2007. It was unique in that it introduced fan favorite villain the Trickster, who became a recurring villain for the Bannerman Gang.
Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane? is often cited as a fan favorite, and it’s not difficult to see why. In many ways, this serial is the “Blink“ of the series. Much like in that story, the main protagonist is absent for most of the adventure and it falls to a lesser character to save the day (sort of). Unlike “Blink“ however, Sarah Jane’s presence is felt throughout the entire story. The serial cleverly introduces a world-ending threat at the start but plays it off as nothing major. There is an easy fix for it. The gang just needs to wake up on time. But then the Trickster shows up and removes the key to solving this ridiculously easy dilemma, causing this mundane problem to become a major threat. The effects of the meteor are quite dated unfortunately and the editing during the big “crash” is choppy, but this can be forgiven since the “real” threat of the episode has already been dealt with by that time. In fact, one of the funniest moments for me is how dramatic and serious the gang act in the attic when Mr. Smith does…whatever he does in that scene. The acting is cringe-worthy bad, but thankfully over quickly.
Uniquely, this episode puts the spotlight on Maria Jackson, and rightfully so. She is the first real friend Sarah Jane made in the series, not counting Luke, who unfortunately has to be absent in order for the plot to make sense. But Maria, throughout the story, shows steel determination. Rewatching this serial today, it can easily come across as an innocent child being gas-lit by everyone around her. You feel sorry for Maria when even Alan doesn’t believe her. In hindsight, her choosing to lie when her father suggests they seek psychological help made me wonder how many other people with valid claims of abuse or trauma are being forced to do the same. Nevertheless, Maria shines. She comes across as particularly cruel when she exclaims that Andrea should have died in place of Sarah Jane. There is not a trace of mercy in her voice.
While he doesn’t get to do much, you do get to see the subtle changes to Clyde ever since joining the gang. Not knowing Sarah Jane or Luke, he is back to being abrasive and rude and comes across as arrogant and unintentionally insensitive.
As mentioned earlier, this episode is most notable for introducing the Trickster, who actually seems to adopt the name after Alan calls him such. He never gives his actual name. Still, he is a formidably complex villain and a popular one at that. It’s a mystery why Doctor Who has never used him in the main show. The Trickster has the power to bend reality, but only after striking Faustian Deals with unsuspecting victims of fate. Unfortunately, the episode doesn’t explain his powers very well, but we see enough to fill in the gaps ourselves. The look of the Trickster is amazing. He is played brilliantly by Paul Marc Davis and easy to see why he kept coming back for more stories.
The Trickster’s victim in this episode is Andrea Yates. No relation to Mike Yates by the way. The actress playing her, Jane Asher, turns in a great performance as the suburban larger than life, friendly as a peachy next-door neighbor. The script, unfortunately, stubs its toe trying to make the viewer sympathize with her. As Alan mentions, she doesn’t regret what she has done, just that she was found out. In that respect, she comes across as a whiny, selfish person who is only looking out for number one. This is proven by her deleting Maria from reality just so she can be happy in her safe space again. Even in the flashbacks, we are shown that she is what I like to call a ‘poisonous’ friend to the much nicer Sarah Jane.
But the MVP for me personally is Alan Jackson. I’m not sure a side character has ever saved the day to such an extent as he does in the story. After Maria is blipped out of existence, he becomes our lead for the second half of the story. Not only is he the one who confronts Andrea, but he also works out what and how she is doing everything, and he is the one to bring back Maria. Even Alan’s embarrassing super skateboarder skills become relevant later in the episode. That is how you use a Chekhov’s Gun people. Or, in this case, a Chekhov’s Skill. I genuinely don’t remember thinking this fondly of him during my initial viewing back in the late 00s, but he really is a wholesome character.
Lastly, let’s discuss Sarah Jane. Even though she is out of focus, we still get to explore her early life and see the event that shaped her into the woman she came to be. It’s not given that much attention, and it relies a little too much on “please remember this person we’ve never mentioned or even hinted at in forty years”, but it serves its purpose well enough. It’s also nice to see the color palette change when Maria is transported into the past. That or it was just really sunny that day.
To recap, Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane is a great episode that ticks all the right boxes while still telling a good story. It’s well worth a rewatch. After so many years, how do you regard Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?
Your Scores So Far
- Invasion of the Bane – 8.00
- Revenge of the Slitheen – 8.08
- Eye of the Gorgon – 6.86
- Warriors of Kudlak – 6.95
