The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Complete Fifth Season (2012)

NOTE: I KNOW IT SAYS 'NO SPOILERS' AT THE TOP OF THIS PAGE, BUT THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS MILD SPOILERS FOR SEASON FOUR.
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The fifth season of TSJA is both the shortest and the last of them. It's not because the series was losing its audience or appeal, but because the actress that played the title character, namely Elisabeth Sladen, sadly passed away before it could be completed. Of the planned twelve episodes, just six were made.

Luke (Tommy Knight) is still at university, but Sky (Sinead Michael), the young girl that Sarah Jane and her team rescued at the end of Season Four, is still around, bringing the number of human helpers the reporter has back up to a comfortable three. Well, four, if you count the times when Luke is back on Bannerman Road. He gets paired with Sky in the season's final two-parter, The Man Who Never Was.

They're both Sarah Jane's 'adopted' children, so it makes a kind of sense that they'd end up side by side. And it works well; the duo, despite their differing backgrounds and ages, have things in common (such as not being human, for a start) and they've a wonderful brother/sister chemistry, as believable as the bond that formed between Rani (Anjli Mohindra) and Clyde (Daniel Anthony) in the previous years.

Thematically, the short season includes musings on identity and upbringing (e.g. we can't choose our parents at birth, but we can choose to be not like them as we grow). The issue of homelessness is given some attention, it's slight but may well be enough to make a youthful audience notice its existence in the streets around where they live. It even touches on how relationship break-ups can leave a hole.

As an adult viewer it was pleasing to see the inclusion of something that's often overlooked: Sarah Jane's journalistic skills aren't just useful for researching aliens, they're also what pay the bills. I'm sure Mr Smith costs more than a penny to run.

I'll genuinely miss the series; I loved the opening music, the creepy stories, the sonic-lipstick jokes, and, of course, Elisabeth, who brought to the role a distinctive level of sincerity and gentleness that was all her own. The final episode ends with a moving montage of moments that give credence to that feeling. The Doctor Who franchise will endure for as long as there's money to be made from it, but I feel that the extended universe will be lessened without Elisabeth Sladen's presence.

6 episodes, approx 27 mins each.

3 galactic coincidences out of 5

The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Complete Fourth Season (2011)

Sarah Jane's son Luke (Tommy Knight) features prominently on the cover art, but the character is only in the fourth Season occasionally, and mostly it's from the other side of a webcam chat. His absence is used to highlight the kind of feelings that a parent may experience when their only child leaves the nest, and the sense of abandonment and fear of further separation that a small but close-knit group of friends can feel when one of their members is no longer present.

In one of the two-parters, within a dream scenario (the subject's first, incidentally) lurks an Elm Street / Pennywise-esque creature that preys upon self-doubts and anxiety, which is something that the youths have much of at that time. It has a creepy nursery rhyme jingle, too, which is often a plus in that kind of scenario.

Additionally, looking at the same situation from a different angle, it shows how we can draw courage and strength from trusted friends when we need it most.

Rani (Anjli Mohindra) and Clyde (Daniel Anthony) have always worked well together, both as characters and with regards the actors' onscreen chemistry, which is just as well because with Luke absent the duo are required to step up and fill multiple roles. One such situation has them running ragged while trying to save the entire Earth from ultimate destruction - so, no pressure, then.

Throughout the series there's commentary on how we are frequently influenced and inspired by our family and friends, the latter being something that I was reminded of very recently in my personal life. (If you're reading, TYVM.)

There's another welcome Doctor Who connection, which plays a role in the season's best two-parter (Eps 5+6), a story dealing with the death of a loved one, with subsequent denial, and how such unfathomable change can make us appreciate those we still have; it contains a superbly written and admirably concise explanation of grief, one that a young person could understand. Also, it has lots of stuff from Who's past, for fans who enjoy both the old and the new.

And finally, for this review, at least. there's a time-travel episode that reminded me of the wonderful Sapphire and Steel (1979-82) TV series.

12 episodes, approx 27 mins each.

3½ enduring echoes out of 5

The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Complete Third Season (2010)

Bannerman Road's most famous resident continues the good fight. With the aid of an extraterrestrial super-computer housed in the attic, Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) and her three young companions hold the line against all kinds of alien nasties that want to inhabit earth for various nefarious or profitable reasons.

The word 'alien' has negative connotations, but while it can be prudent to keep in mind Virgil's 'Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes,' it's unwise to judge on appearances, so the idiom 'don't tar all with the same brush,' is an equally relevant one.

Events in season three go back as far as 1665 and forward to 2059, with the immediate present playing a crucial role in one of the more notable two-parters, The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith, which has a very special guest star.

Her travels with the Doctor(s) and much of her life since has been filled with the unknown, but something she never thought she'd have to deal with is motherhood. It's a challenge at any age, but having a son that's an artificial human created by the Bane makes it a little more difficult still. Luckily, Luke (Tommy Knight) is learning to stand alone against the odds, which he proves more than once.

While all of the stories would classify as 'Adventures', some of them do a much better job with important themes than others do. Some of the better ones include, but are not limited to, the destructive affects of jealousy; being careful what you wish for, especially in anger; the pangs of regret; the desire to feel appreciated and fit in; and the healing power of second chances. Yes, it's still a children's TV show, but that doesn't mean it has to compromise on subtextual depth.

Threats include nanotechnology and a not-too-bright but very determined Judoon police officer, but what I'd run from most are Rani's (Anjli Mohindra) parents, adults who are somewhere between sit-com and soap opera - a useful combination when the script calls for an adult annoyance, but damned aggravating when it doesn't.

6 two-part stories (12 episodes), approx 27 minutes each.

3½ broader horizons out of 5

Hammer House of Horror: Volume 4 of 4 (1980)

The Thirteenth Reunion
Ruth (Julia Foster), a reporter for a small newspaper's 'women's section' goes undercover in a weight-loss clinic to find out if their unusual methods work or not. So far, so normal. But the clinic is up to something shady, so Ruth digs deeper.
The amateur sleuth vibe that you'd expect to accompany that kind of story is almost completely absent - whether by fault or design, I don't know. What remains is a woman who's out of her depth but determined to get the story, in the hope of helping her career. It's not a very engaging 50 mins, for the most part, only really coming alive in the last third. — 2½ virtues of necessity out of 5 —

Carpathian Eagle
Inspector Clifford (Anthony Valentine) investigates a series of murders in which male victims had their heart cut from their chest. At the same time an author (Suzanne Danielle) is researching a Carpathian Countess who did some grisly things in her spare time. The gathered evidence suggests supernatural means, but the sleuthing detective explores the psychological side, too. Not the typical Hammer Glamour model, the seductive murderess nevertheless successfully adds a touch of sexy class to the production. It also features Siân Phillips as a descendent of the bat-shit crazy Countess. — 3 jobs for the ladies out of 5 —

Guardian of the Abyss
If GotB was an attempt by Hammer to create something that feels like another Dennis Wheatley adaptation, then they succeeded, with bells on. It's not a carbon copy of The Devil Rides Out (1968), but it does have similarities; i.e. black magic rites, a private individual carrying out a time-sensitive investigation, and an initiate (Rosalyn Landor, who played Peggy in the aforementioned film) on the run from a hypnotising occultist. It's familiar thematically but still manages to hold its own in the TV medium. Overall, great stuff. — 3½ horror scopes out of 5 —

Growing Pains
A comfortably rich research botanist named Terence Morton (Gary Bond) and his diplomat wife Laurie (Barbara Kellerman) adopt a young boy named James (Matthew Blakstad), a replacement for the son they tragically lost. James is a polite youth, but his arrival brings with it some very strange happenings.
It's an average end to the short-lived series, but the acting is generally good and the predominant theme is well-explored. The ending, despite having some avoidable flaws, is also pretty dramatic. — 2½ living proofs out of 5 —

4 episodes, approx 51 minutes each.

Kamen Rider W: Hidari Shoutarou's Hardboiled Delusion Diary (2009-10)

These shorts were included as extras on W's myriad DVD releases. Because the plot points that are mentioned in each delusion don't always line up with the Dopant suits that appear, I recommend viewing these post-series for the sake of ease. If you absolutely insist on risking it, just don't watch number 11. It contains a catastrophic spoiler for the endgame. You've been warned.

12 shorts, ranging from 3-5 minutes, apiece.

Hammer House of Horror: Volume 3 of 4 (1980)

Rude Awakening
Denholm Elliott stars as an estate agent named Norman Shenley who gets stuck between a nightmare and a fantasy. On one side is Emily (Pat Heywood), his wife of many years, while on the other is Lolly (Lucy Gutteridge), the young, sexy secretary that he has eyes for. Norman's life is thrown into chaos when he's asked to survey a neglected manor house filled with fake cobwebs and accusing voices.
Directed by Peter Sasdy, whose Hammer credits include Countess Dracula (1971) and Hands of the Ripper (1971), the story plays around with what's real and what's imagined, hiding truths in the line between the two. — 3 bed roles out of 5 —

Charlie Boy
A timely windfall helps middle class Graham (Leigh Lawson) out of a financial pickle, but it comes with supernatural baggage; i.e. a hideous fetish statue - that's the totemic/juju kind, not the 'ooh, baby, spank me!' kind. Thereafter, we're treated to tragic events with ominous build ups that may just be coincidence but most likely aren't, because that would be boring. — 2½ travelling violations out of 5 —

Children of the Full Moon
A rather shocking opening scene (in any era, not just 1980) sets the tone for an entry that is by turns standard drama, creepy, gothic-esque, feral, and disquieting. The differing styles each serve a purpose and don't clash too much, thanks in part to the director (Tom Clegg) and the actors, including great work by Diana Dors.
It's an altogether classier piece than the previous episode, despite having a threat that's equally as overused in the horror genre. — 3 mutton broths out of 5 —

3 episodes, approx 51 minutes each.

My Own Worst Enemy (2008)

A short-lived series starring Christian Slater as a man who's living a double life. The hook is that his two lives are very separate, and only one of them is even aware that the other exists. Well, until something goes wrong! Ho ho... hum.

Thereafter Mr Slater's life becomes a painfully contrived juggling act of dedicated family man with trite wife and two kids on one comfortable side, while super-spy for a shady covert US government agency sits dangerously on the other - a role that sees him jet-setting unrealistically all over the damn world for clandestine assassination and retrieval missions, etc.

To be fair, it's not the worst scenario that TV has asked us to swallow in the past decade (I'm thankful that it at least had no superheroes or zombies), but nor is it a particularity appealing one. I only bought it because it qualified me for free P+P on an item that I did want, making my purchase cheaper than P+P would've been.

The writers seem to know that it lacks spark, so spend the first four or five episodes trying to outdo the previous one by applying ever more twists and turns atop a framework that's falling apart quicker than I can face-palm myself, thereby burying anything remotely relatable for the common man to get a hold of.

There's nothing wrong with wild escapism, I enjoy it myself, but just as a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, so too would a shitty mess smell as pungent regardless of the genre in which it finds itself. My Own Worst Enemy is not the aromatic rose in that scenario.

I'd lost interest by episode three. I didn't care about anyone. I was tired of his wife (Mädchen Amick) adding nothing interesting to the plot; bored with the spy antics; annoyed by the awful camerawork and editing; dismayed that I'd picked up yet another US show that didn't understand the concept of less is more. I gave it the full benefit of the doubt by going to the show's end, but it did nothing to change the feeling that I'd not spent my time productively.

9 Episodes, approx 40 minutes each.

2 living adjustments out of 5