Relationship Spotlight: Sarah Jane Smith & Clyde Langer (The Sarah Jane Adventures)

Pretty much any combination of Sarah Jane Adventures characters will give you a good relationship to work with, and Sarah Jane and Clyde have one of the more dynamic ones. Their relationship undergoes a lot of change from where they start out, which makes their scenes together cool to watch.

By the time Sarah Jane meets Clyde, she’s already predisposed to have an unfavorable opinion of him. Clyde is one of the first new people Luke meets at school, and he quickly gives Luke an earful about what is or isn’t “cool.” Although Sarah Jane’s maternal relationship with Luke is still pretty new at that point, she’s very protective of him, so anyone who tells her son he’s not cool isn’t going to start out as one of her favorite people. Combine that with the fact that Sarah Jane isn’t thrilled about letting anyone new into the fold early on (she’s only just gotten used to Luke and Maria,) and you’re got a recipe for not starting on the right foot with Clyde.

And so, she’s unsure about him at first. She does her usual thing of trying to avoid bringing him in on the truth, even though he’s already seen aliens firsthand, and when he makes it clear he’s not just going to go home and forget about what he saw, she’s not exactly warm and inviting ot him. She attempts to keep him on a short leash and is pretty stern with him. Now, to be fair, Clyde does have a habit of ignoring directions when he thinks his way is better/cool/more exciting, and he occasionally stretches the truth when he knows he’s done something he shouldn’t have, so Sarah Jane’s instinct to keep him in line isn’t wholly without merit. But she does let her perception of him color how she treats him in those early days, whether by discounting his bright contributions or being quick to blame him when he and Luke get themselves into a tight situation (even on the occasions when it’s more Luke’s fault than his.)

But while both Sarah Jane and Clyde can be strong-willed, both are also willing to change their minds when they need to. As they get to know one another better, Sarah Jane realizes she doesn’t always need to have her back up with Clyde, that he’s a good, smart kid who can be counted on and who adds value to the team. She also recognizes that Clyde is a true friend to Luke and that, even when he gives Luke advice on “coolness,” it’s because he wants Luke to fit in and feel comfortable, not because he thinks Luke is “wrong” the way he is.  And for his part, Clyde learns to trust and listen to Sarah Jane more.  Sure, he’ll still go against her instructions when he has a mind to and he thinks he can get away with it, but he also understands the importance of leaning on Sarah Jane’s experience and gets that she just wants him and the others to stay safe.

The change in their relationship is, I think, more gradual than how Sarah Jane’s relationships deepen with Luke and Maria (and later Rani and Sky,) and so the shift doesn’t seem as dramatic at first, but it’s there.  I like their one-on-one scenes that build up over time, little moments, like him nervously showing her his artwork or her assuring him that being cool doesn’t mean he can’t be vulnerable with his friends.  When it comes to fighting aliens, they absolutely have each other’s backs, and they usually have a lot of fun together along the way.