TV Review: The Sarah-Jane Adventures Pilot Episode "Invasion Of The Bane" [Emz]

So as it was announced that all episodes on The Sarah-Jane Adventures are now on BBC iPlayer, I decided to start watching it.

I decided to start right at the beginning with the Pilot episode, Invasion Of The Bane.

This episode starred Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah-Jane Smith, Yasmin Paige as Maria Jackson and Tommy Knight as Luke.

This Pilot and the series that followed were produced off the back of Elisabeth Sladen portraying Sarah-Jane Smith in Doctor Who, School Reunion (series 2, episode 3) 

This first aired on BBC One on the 1st January 2007.

Here is the Synopsis:

Investigative journalist Sarah Jane Smith teams up with her new, thirteen-year-old neighbour, Maria Jackson, to face the scheming Mrs Wormwood, the head of a company producing a popular and addictive soft drink called "Bubble Shock!"

Review:

I remember watching this episode when it was first aired on BBC One, New Years Day 2007.

If you weren't already aware this was the second spin-off from Doctor Who, after Torchwood.

So we begin with a new family moving to Bannerman Road, The Jackson Family. The family consists of Alan Jackson and his Daughter Maria.

Maria attempts to introduce herself to Sarah-Jane who lives across the road but with no success.

Her first night in her new home, she is woken by a bright light, she heads over and finds Sarah-Jane communicating with an alien. Maria is quite shocked but at the same time fascinated.

The next day she meet Kelsey Hooper who randomly shows up on her doorstep and they use the Bubbleshock bus to go to the factory. Sarah-Jane follows them in her car after hearing of the plans they made.

Whilst on a tour of the factory Maria refuses to drink Bubble Shock and then Kelsey tries to use her phone to call a friend, this effects the Bane Mother and scares Kelsey.

Sarah-Jane gets caught investigating the factory and meets with Mrs Wormwood, who is very vague with Srash-Janes questions, she tries to force her to drink Bubble Shock and Sarah-Jane keeps saying Mrs Wormwood is from another Planet. After her exit the assisstant is ordered to kill her.

Also in this episode we meet the character that we come to know as Luke. When a power surge from the mobile phones wake up the Archetype who resembles a human boy. Maria befriends him after he escapes and they along with Sarah-Jane and Kelsey leave the building and go back to Sarah-Jane's house. they were followed by another member of staff who happens to be a Bane in disguise.

He chases the kids and Sarah-Jane though the house untill Sarah finds something in her attic to freeze him.

The eventually discover all the artifacts in her attic that are alien in origin and she tells them about her travels with The Doctor.

We meet Mr. Smith who is her supercomputer built into the wall of her Attic and we are greeted to a brief appearence of K-9.

The Archetype (Luke) notices that Sarah-Janes watch that deetects Alien life forms has been beeping and she didn't notice. It is eventually noted that the "organic-ness" of Bubble Shock is actually pieces of Bane, a live Alien. Sarah-Jane uses Mr Smith to hack into Mrs Wormwoods computer to chat with her, she tries to get her to leave or she will stop her. Mrs wordwood just says "Bring it on."

The Bane in the Bubbleshock drinks in then activated and all humans who have drank it are but under some sort of hypnotic spell to try and get other to drink it. This includes Maria's dad and Kelsey

Sarah-Jane, The Arcitype and Maria they go back to the factory and break through the wall using the Bubble Shock Bus after the gates are deadlock sealed. Revealing that the Archetype was created to deal with the "2%", Wormwood declares he is no longer needed as plans have been sped up and disables the Archetype by manipulating her ring. Follwoing Maria temporarily affecting Bane mother with her mobile phone,The Archetype uses the communiations device given to Sarah-Jane by the visiting Alien earlier in the episode, uses the number he memorised from Mr Smith, he calls the universe. This affects all of The Bane and it kills the Bane Mother. Mrs Wormwood escapes vowing revenge.

At the end of the episode, Kelsey is denyinng any knowledge of Aliens and everyone is back to normal. Srah-Jane Offically adopts the Archetype and names him Luke.

I enjoyed this episode, even though this is aimed even more at kids than Doctor Who is, It was great to see what happened to Sarah-Jane after School Reunion. We meet brand new characters and aliens/ monsters.It was interesting to see what The Doctor left Sarah-Jane with after he left, K-9, Sonic Lipstock and tracker for Alien life forms. She also seems to have changed cars since we met her last. She tries to go it alone and make sure that Maria forgets about her, but that doesn't work so she accepts her help.

It is also discovered by the time the first episode of Series 1 airs that we never see or hear from Kelsey again.

Thats all for now.

Till next time.

Emz x

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TV Review: Doctor Who Series 2 Episode 3 "School Reunion" [Emz]

So finally I am posting again for my Doctor Who reviews!

This episode originally aired on the 26th April 2006, on BBC One.

"School Reunion" is one of my favourite episodes of  Series 2 as we have familiar faces that we know from previous episodes of Series 2 and 1, but also from the some of the past seasons before Doctor Who was cancelled in 1989.

Along side Rose (Billie Piper) and the 10th Doctor (David Tennant) we have Mickey Smith (Noel Clarke) and the return on Sarah-Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) as well as K-9.

Here is the Synopsis:

The Doctor investigates a haunted London school and runs into an old friend.

Review:

I loved this episode as we start with The Doctor and Rose undercover. Mickey had been in touch and informed them of some strange goings on at a school.  The Children are suddenly becoming extremely intelligent and it has attracted Media attention.

So we have The Doctor undercover as a Science Teacher called 'John Smith' and Rose having to pose as a Dinner Lady - much to her annoyance.

Investigative Journalist Sarah-Jane Smith arrives at the school and The Doctor immediately knows who she is but has to act as if she doesn't.

Of course, that night after the school is closed both Sarah-Jane and Rose, The Doctor and Mickey are looking around the building and Sarah-Jane comes across the TARDIS and the Doctor reveals who he is. Of course we all know that Sarah-Jane is no stranger to The Doctor or the TARDIS. 

So she joins up with The Doctor and Rose, who is a little jealous and has no idea who she is as The Doctor has never mentioned her.

They search the school and find 13 bat-like creatures asleep in the Headmaster, Mr Finch's (Anthony Head) Office. The Doctor informs them that they are Krillitanes. They return to Sarah-Janes car to find K-9 Mark III in the boot, unfortunately he isn't working.  After The Doctor fixes him he identifies the oil at Krillitane Oil.  

The next day The doctor confronts Mr Finch who confirms they are Krillitanes. Rose and Sarah-Jane bond over how the The Doctor treats the TARDIS. 

Later it is discovered that the Krillitanes are using the children to solve the "Skasis Paradigm" a theory of everything. Mr Finch tries to persuade The Doctor into joining him in solving it, trying to tempt him to save the Timelords and stop human's dying.

Sarah-Jane manages to set him straight and they rescue the Schoolchildren before K-9 blows up the school with the Krillitanes and K-9 still inside.

The episode ends with Sarah-Jane rejecting the offer to travel in the TARDIS again and Mickey joining Rose and The Doctor. 

After the farewells and TARDIS disappears Sarah-Jane is left with K-9 Mark IV. 

I througherly enjoyed this episode, as I had never really watched anything for the 'Classic' Series I wasn't really that familiar with Sarah-Jane Smith but I had heard of her and seen the advertisements for her Audio Series. 

The most enjoyable thing following this episode is that she gets her own TV Series The Sarah-Jane Adventures, then reappears at the end of Series 4 and again before the end of the 10th Doctor's final episode before 11th Doctor takes over, "The End Of Time". Of course both Doctors (10th and 11th) appear in The Sarah-Jane adventures also.

The saddest thing is that Elisabeth Sladen passed away in 2011.

I will be starting reviews for The Sarah-Jane Adventures soon. 

Till next time

Emz x.

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