The Sarah Jane Adventures: Series 4, Episodes 1-2 – “The Nightmare Man” (2010)

*Serial premise spoilers.*

The series 4 premiere serial is a banger, equal parts creepy and character-driven. Love it!

Thanks to Luke’s “superbrain” (trademark Clyde,) he was able to take his A-levels early, which means he’s going to be headed to university before his friends. His departure for Oxford is now a week away, and he’s worried about leaving home. This fear makes him an appetizing target for the Nightmare Man, a cruel being who feeds on those fears. If he can gain enough power, the Nightmare Man will manifest himself in the real world, trapping people inside eternal bad dreams.

For starters, I need to mention Julian Bleach. He’s an actor who’s achieved the rare Whoniverse hat trick, appearing on Doctor Who, Torchwood, and The Sarah Jane Adventures. After playing Davros on Doctor Who and a ghostly carnival barker on Torchwood, he’s featured here as the Nightmare Man. He holds nothing back, bringing a super creepy physicality and presence to the story.

One of the classic tried-and-true genre episodes is the ol’ I’m Trapped in My Nightmares/My Nightmares Are Coming to Life story. If done well, it always makes for a high-quality episode. It allows for creative visuals and plenty of spookiness, and what’s more, it’s always interesting to learn what the characters’ worst fears are.

This is very much a Luke-centric story, which is fitting. It’s Tommy Knight’s last regular appearance on the show, so of course they’d want to give him a good sendoff. Luke is a character who’s driven by logic and reason, and over the years, he hasn’t always had a good handle on human emotions. Here, he’s forced to confront a fanciful, illogical horror, something that he can’t work through like a math problem. It doesn’t help that the Nightmare Man gives him his first dreams ever—he’s really thrown into the deep end! At a time when Luke is feeling scared and preemptively homesick, the Nightmare Man plays on those fears and seeks to isolate him even more.

However, while the story gives plenty of focus and attention to Luke, it’s a strong showcase for all the characters. Everyone is dealing with their feelings about Luke leaving, and each of them handles that in a different way. And Luke’s nightmares aren’t the only ones we see—we’re treated to Rani and Clyde’s worst fears as well. I think the show does a really good job of exploring grounded, character-driven fears for them. Rather than easy scares like monsters, spiders, or body horror, their bad dreams are rooted in their personal insecurities and sense of self. But the show still brings those nightmares to life in a way that’s genuinely creepy and unnerving. Very nicely done!