I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I first sat down to watch The Sarah Jane Adventures from the start, having only seen the stories in which the Doctor guest stars. I knew the show skewed younger and was prepared to find it pleasant but inconsequential while I enjoyed Sarah Jane herself and satisfied my completist nature. But even if the first few episodes of the show are fairly uneven, its potential is still immediately evident, and much of that is down to the relationship between Sarah Jane and Maria (a few spoilers for the pilot, as well as new Who’s “School Reunion.”)
After her travels with the Doctor end, Sarah Jane spends a long time feeling unfulfilled. Although she continues to investigate the inexplicable, she does it with a longing eye on the past, dwelling on the TARDIS life she no longer has. While running into the Tenth Doctor in “School Reunion” helps her realize she can honor/appreciate her past but still live for the present, she doesn’t quite get all the contentment she needs after that encounter. Why? Because, even if she’s found a way to scratch her itch for adventure, investigation, and heroics, she’s doing it mostly alone. Not that the friendship she had with the Doctor can be replicated, but she carries on largely in solitude, without many friends to share the wonder of the universe with.
When Maria Jackson moves in across the road, all that changes. Oh, Sarah Jane tries to keep to herself, convinced that it would be irresponsible to let anyone else in on her alien-chasing extracurricular activities, but Maria isn’t having it. The moment she spies an alien in Sarah Jane’s garden, Maria can’t go back to pretending life is normal, and one way or another, it’s inevitable that she’ll become the first human to join what will eventually be Sarah Jane’s team.
Sarah Jane resists at first, “frosty” as she is, but Maria ably demonstrates the value of having a friend and teammate. Despite Maria’s youth and inexperience, she’s brave, clever, and determined, and Sarah Jane works better when someone has her back. What’s more, Maria shows Sarah Jane that it’s all right to let others in and share the secrets of her incredible life with them. Maria opens the door to Luke, and then Clyde, which eventually paves the way for Rani and Sky. None of that would be possible without Maria making the first stubborn overtures.
Once Sarah Jane does manage to let her guard down a little, she and Maria quickly develop a close relationship. Sarah Jane is a mentor to Maria (along the lines of Giles and Buffy,) but they’re also just friends. Sarah Jane delights in showing the wonders of the universe to the awed Maria, and the two of them have a blast rigging up DIY sci-fi gizmos together. When Maria is dealing with issues at home, Sarah Jane instantly sees that something’s up, and when Maria lashes out at Sarah Jane under a moment of extreme duress, Sarah Jane doesn’t take it personally, welcoming Maria back with open arms when she cools down. In “Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?”, Sarah Jane confides that Maria is the person she trusts the most, and (given that the Doctor is rarely around in Sarah Jane’s life anymore,) I believe her absolutely. Maria is Team Sarah Jane all the way and won’t let her friend down for anything.
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