The end of the fourth series is here for The Sarah Jane Adventures, and with it comes extra drama, as two of the cast come a little closer than usual to death, and a couple of familiar faces make a welcome comeback.
So did this finale feel important enough? Does it tie off the series with flair and gusto, leaving us longing for next year?
How To Deal With Your Evil Double
The other shows in the Doctor Who universe have set up their heroes’ evil duplicates, with the Doctor facing the Master and Captain Jack Harkness snogging Captain John Hart. So now Sarah Jane gets her turn, with the introduction of Ruby White.
Which bodes well for a bit of finale drama, although it would have perhaps worked better if we’d had this earlier in the year, and the last one featured Ruby returning for revenge. As it is, it’s fun enough, and the scene where one character thinks he’s about to die is quite sad, but it doesn’t quite summon up the cataclysmic end-of-year despair that we’re used to from other shows in this stable.
Not that Sarah Jane Adventures is incapable of this, the first couple of series had very strong endings, but this one wasn’t quite it. On the other hand, it’s a perfectly good episode. I had just hoped for a little more pulse-pounding action.
Reflections On A Series
Looking back on this whole series, it has been a decent run. Highlights include Matt Smith’s guest appearance in “Death Of The Doctor”, which reminded me why Russell T. Davies’ Doctor Who was good, and Clyde and Rani’s solo jaunt in “The Empty Planet”.
Other episodes were bitty at times, and the mostly-absence of Luke was a shame. His PG-rated university life continued this week, as he mentions “the union” and models a ridiculous floaty scarf. Oh, and K9 makes a comeback as well, which thrills me personally, though I probably can’t beat the whole series with that particular stick.
But let’s not turn negative, it was a very good year. I enjoyed most of them a lot. If they’d pulled out a more dramatic finale, it could’ve been one of the better ones. On the up side, the renewal for a fifth series has already been confirmed, and rumour has it we will be seeing a new character to fill the void left by Luke. Here’s hoping we like them. In the meantime, thanks for reading, and do watch the episode on iPlayer and let me know how you’ve found this series.
More Sarah Jane Adventures on Dork Adore | Sarah Jane Adventures: Lost in Time – Dork Review
Nick Bryan
Nick learned to read and write at an early age. This has developed into an unhealthy need to either write stories or consume them for later dissection. He reviews film and TV on Dork Adore and The Digital Fix, lives in London and enjoys a nice white beer.
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Good to see Luke in the finale, but he didn't do much- disapointment
I admit it was a bit disappointing how little he had to do when he appeared. I am curious whether he'll play much part in the next series, or just quietly disappear.