*Guest star spoilers.*
Just as Doctor Who seasons often have a Doctor- and/or companion-lite episode to meet their busy shooting schedule, most seasons of The Sarah Jane Adventures also had a Sarah Jane-lite serial. This is that story for season 2, and it’s one that I really love.
Luke is staying over with Clyde while Sarah Jane’s away, but their best-friend time is disrupted when Clyde’s deadbeat dad suddenly comes back to town. Trying to connect with his dad, Clyde opens up about the adventures he and his friends get up to with Sarah Jane, not realizing that his dad has taken a powerful alien artifact from Sarah Jane’s attic. Soon, unbeknownst to Clyde, his dad has him under the thrall of the artifact, and it’s up to his friends to break the trance.
I can’t remember when Clyde became my favorite of the kids, but I’m pretty sure he was already my guy by this point, so I was happy to get such a centric story for him. Before the sci-fi stuff kicks off, it’s fun just getting a look at Clyde’s home life, with his teasing, affectionate mom and the talents he’s kept hidden because he doesn’t think they’re “cool.” And I always like when genre shows delve into real-life troubles alongside the aliens/monsters/whatever, so it’s good to see Clyde’s complex feelings when his dad rolls up: he’s missed his dad but is still angry about him leaving, he doesn’t know if he can trust this buddy-buddy dad who’s suddenly reappeared in his life, and he’s fiercely protective of Luke, who his dad brushes off as odd.
One thing I think is done well is that, even before alien artifacts get involved, we see the power Clyde’s dad has over him. Clyde has some of the best instincts out of any of the characters on the show: if he has a bad feeling about someone, they always turn out to be bad. With his dad, though, his spidey sense gets thrown out of whack. Early on, he knows something doesn’t smell right about this, but he’s also so starved for his dad’s love that he makes himself ignore it, to the point where he gets in real trouble. This feels very true to the character for me.
At the same time that we get a spotlight on Clyde, it’s a good showing for the other characters as well. Clyde’s mom and Luke are both worried when Clyde goes off with his dad, and as the sci-fi plot starts ramping up, Rani is in the thick of the investigation. Without Sarah Jane around (and with Mr. Smith off-limits until she gets back,) Luke and Rani have to stretch different muscles to figure out what’s going on and how to help Clyde. It even involves calling in some help long distance, and we get a guest appearance from Maria and her dad in the second episode! And although Sarah Jane is absent for most of the serial, she still comes through when it counts.
On the whole, it’s a nice blend of a human story about family, an alien mystery that ties into Earth mythology in a cool way, and a strong showcase for Clyde as a character. Win-win-win!
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