More posts on the recent new Who specials will be coming, but I wanted to get back to reviews of past episodes too, so let’s do a bit of The Sarah Jane Adventures today. The Sarah Jane-lite story of series 3 is pretty fun. The kids have to work together to stop an alien threat in a unique setting for them, and I enjoy the creativity and the unexpected turns of the story.
Luke, Rani, and Clyde go on a class field trip to an art museum, where one of Clyde’s pieces won a contest and is on display. Also visiting the museum? The Mona Lisa! But the excitement over seeing the famous work of art turns to concern when the painting is brought to life. Mona Lisa has been stuck on a wall for centuries, and she’s ready to get more out of life. Our heroes have to stop her power trip while also avoiding suspicion from Rani’s dad, their headmaster.
The most interesting wrinkle to this story is that the Mona Lisa who comes to life isn’t the subject of the painting. It’s not even an “It’s Hot Up Here” situation from Sunday in the Park with George—it’s not the subject of the painting who knows she’s a work of art while also retaining her original personality. The enemy here is very specifically the painting itself, a fact that hits home with the museum curator Mr. Harding, who’s been obsessed with it for much of his life. The quiet beauty and enigmatic smile are traded in for a coarse manner, a list of grievances, and a mission to find her “brother,” another living painting in the museum. Before Suranne Jones ever played the embodiment of the TARDIS, she played Mona Lisa, and while I understandably prefer her as the TARDIS, she’s still pretty great here.
The Sarah Jane-lite stories come about in different ways. Most dramatically, she’s been temporarily erased from history, while on another occasion she was simply out of town dealing with a pesky alien. In this serial, she’s physically around but is largely separate from the kids during the main adventure. This is due to Luke, who won’t let Clyde or Rani contact her because he’s still upset from an argument he had with her earlier in the day. It makes for a different dynamic here, because at the start, the kids could call Sarah Jane for help but are instead purposefully trying to handle the situation on their own.
Still, on their own is awfully capable. Clyde’s knowledge of art, and his understanding of the museum overall, naturally comes in handy. They make good use of Luke’s remarkable memory, and he comes up with clever, inventive ideas as well. Meanwhile, Rani brings her practical knowhow and quick thinking to the table.
Even before the alien stuff kicks off, I just enjoy watching the kids on the field trip. Luke and Rani are both more studious than Clyde, but when it comes to an art museum, he’s way more psyched than either of them. Apart from seeing his winning piece on display, which they’re all excited for, Clyde is the one who takes charge, consulting the museum map and urgently teaching Luke some new social norms (like, you know, “don’t touch the artwork.”) And Rani can’t help but notice that Clyde’s “imaginative” art includes a few not-so-imaginary details from their adventures with Sarah Jane. These three are always fun to watch together, and putting them in a story mostly separate from Sarah Jane puts a different spin on things.
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