The Sarah Jane Adventures – The Complete Third
Season (BBC DVD)
Picture:
B- Sound: B- Extras: C Episodes: B+
One of
Doctor Who’s most loyal companions, Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) returns
in the third series of her own show, The
Sarah Jane Adventures. Once a
companion to both the third Doctor (John Pertwee) and the fourth Doctor (Tom
Baker), Sarah Jane became reacquainted with the strangeness surrounding the
character when she was reunited with David Tenant’s tenth Doctor in series two
of that show’s amazing re-boot. Since
that fateful episode, a groundswell of support for the Sarah Jane character
prompted BBC producers to launch Ms. Smith into her own unique show.
Now in
its Third Season, Sarah Jane
Adventures features some of Doctor Who’s most dogged adversaries, including the
Judoon and the Slitheen. Although geared
toward younger viewers, the stories in these episodes are still smart, and hit
upon the themes that make Doctor Who what it is: the value of friendship,
honor, and courage, and the rejection of overt violence to solve problems.
David
Tenant fans should take note that this set includes his last appearance as the
Doctor, and a touching goodbye between him and Sarah Jane, touchingly played by
Ms. Sladen, who somehow manages the difficult task of carrying decades of
experience while still remaining young and vital. Her three young co-stars (Tommy Knight,
Daniel Anthony, and Anjli Mohindra) carry the mail as well, satisfying younger audiences
while also giving solid performances.
Extras on
this set are thin, but do include a clip from an audio book The
Sarah Jane Adventures: The White Wolf.
- Scott Pyle
