We’re kind of like Scooby-Doo…with aliens…and Doctor Who
Sarah Jane (Elisabeth Sladen) is back and she’s once again protecting the Earth from alien invaders with the help of her son Luke (Tommy Knight), Clyde (Daniel Anthony), and Maria (Yasmin Paige). When Maria is forced to leave, Sarah Jane finds a new ally in Rani (Anjili Mohindra) and finds the danger is growing greater when she faces some of her old enemies like the Sontarans and the Trickster, plus new enemies like Odd Bob (Bradley Walsh) and Martin Truman (Russ Abbot). When the Bane return for Luke, Sarah Jane will have to turn to one of her oldest friends for help.
Once again, clowns terrifying children all over the world
The Sarah Jane Adventures second season aired from September 29, 2008 to December 8, 2008 and suffered its first cast shake-up with the leaving of Yasmin Paige and the bringing in of her replacement Anjili Mohindra. It also featured the last appearance of Doctor Who regular Nicholas Courtney before his death in 2011. The episodes are considered Stories #7-12.
The Sarah Jane Adventures is one of those shows that is enjoyable, but it could be better. The show is aimed at younger viewers (despite scary as hell episodes like Day of the Clown) and it is written toward them with sometimes cheesy dialogue and accompanying acting. I enjoy The Sarah Jane Adventures, but more so for the reason that it seems to be full of Doctor Who throwbacks that accentuate the series with little nuggets of fun for fans.
Is the Doctor paying a visit?
The collection of episodes in the season are pretty strong. “The Last Sontaran” brings back the defeated Commander Kaagh from Doctor Who “The Poisoned Sky”. “Day of the Clown” (as stated before) was good and creepy, but obviously a rip-off of It. “Secret of the Stars” is one of the worst episodes of the season along with the follow-up episode “The Mark of the Berserker”. “The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith” is a fun Twilight Zone-esque episode (it reminds me of “Walking Distance” where the man goes back in time to recapture his childhood), and I was glad to see the creepy Trickster back. “Enemy of the Bane” brought the great Brigadier and Luke’s creator Mrs. Wormwood.
Saying goodbye to the Brigadier
As a fan of Doctor Who the return of the Brigadier was one of the high points of the season. He was such a big character in the earlier series, and it was nice to give him a send-off before his death. Originally, Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman) of Doctor Who was meant to be the guest star, but the Brigadier was brought in as her substitute when there was a scheduling conflict. It led to a great moment when he rode off into the sunset and into Doctor Who history.
The Sarah Jane Adventures—Season 2 is on par with Season 1 but it also could be so much better. With only two and a half seasons before the end of the whole series, it feels like there is a lot of ground that can be covered by The Sarah Jane Adventures and not much time to do it.
The Sarah Jane Adventures—Season 2 Complete Episode Guide:
“The Last Sontaran: Part 1”
2.1 The Last Sontaran: Part 1 Airdate: 09/29/08
Strange lights in the sky near a special space observatory brings Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen), Luke (Tommy Knight), Clyde (Daniel Anthony), and Maria (Yasmin Paige) to investigate. When the attacker is revealed to be a Sontaran, Sarah Jane learns that the Sontaran plan to destroy the Earth. Maria learns her father Alan (Joseph Millson) has a job offer that could change her life forever.
“The Last Sontaran: Part 2”
2.2 The Last Sontaran: Part 2 Airdate: 09/29/08
It is a race against time to stop the Sontarans and prevent satellites from crashing into the Earth. Chrissie Jackson (Juliet Cowan) learns Maria and Sarah Jane’s secret and Maria must make a decision about her future in England.
“The Day of the Clown: Part 1”
2.3 Day of the Clown: Part 1 Airdate: 10/06/08
Maria has moved to America and Rani Chandra (Anjili Mohindra) has moved into her home. When students begin disappearing at the school, mysterious clowns are seen in the area. Sarah Jane learns Rani is interested in journalism from her mother Gita (Mina Anwar), and Clyde finds himself butting heads with Rani’s father and the new principal Haresh (Ace Bhatti) when he doesn’t believe Clyde about the clown. When Sarah Jane and Clyde find links to the Museum of the Circus, they find Luke and Rani are on the same path of research.
“The Day of the Clown: Part 2”
2.4 Day of the Clown: Part 2 Airdate: 10/13/08
Sarah Jane, Luke, Clyde, and Rani seek out the reasoning behind the clown “Odd Bob” (Bradley Walsh) and his history as a child thief as the Pied Piper. When Sarah Jane finds herself facing her own fears to save the children, Clyde, Luke, and Rani might be the only ones who can save her.
“Secret of the Stars: Part 1”
2.5 Secret of the Stars: Part 1 Airdate: 10/20/08
A fraud of a psychic named Martin Truman (Russ Abbot) gets real powers and Sarah Jane finds that Martin might be the real thing when he’s able to tell her about the Doctor. As Truman goes on national television, Sarah Jane learns that Truman and astrology might come from a source older than the Big Bang.
“Secret of the Stars: Part 2”
2.6 Secret of the Stars: Part 2 Airdate: 10/27/08
Truman begins to take control of the world through his broadcast and his power over Clyde is lost. As Sarah Jane, Luke, Clyde, and Rani try to save the world, the power of the stars heads to Earth.
“The Mark of the Berserker: Part 1”
2.7 The Mark of the Berserker: Part 1 Airdate: 11/03/08
Rani gets a strange medallion found by Jacob (Perry Millward) and learns that it grants the owner the ability to control people. Luke and Rani try to find the medallion’s origins but find Mr. Smith is shut down while Sarah Jane is out of town. Clyde’s father Paul (Gary Beadle) returns and causes problem for Clyde and his mother Carla (Jocelyn Jee Esien). When Clyde reveals to his father that he helps save the world, Clyde’s father steals the pendant.
“The Mark of the Berserker: Part 2”
2.8 The Mark of the Berserker: Part 2 Airdate: 11/10/08
Clyde’s father uses the pendant to take Clyde, but begins to be infected by the pendant’s power. Luke and Rani contact Maria and her father to help Clyde and learn from U.N.I.T. files that it belongs to a race called the Berserkers. As Luke, Rani, and Clyde’s mother try to get Clyde back, the power of the medallion could transform Clyde’s father forever.
“The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith: Part 1”
2.9 The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith: Part 1 Airdate: 11/17/08
The Trickster (Paul Marc Davis) is after Sarah Jane again and tempting her by creating a portal into the past where she could meet her parents. When Sarah Jane finds she can’t pass up the opportunity, Luke decides to accompany her into the rift. Sarah Jane finds she can’t allow her parents to die and plays right into the Trickster’s hands.
“The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith: Part 2”
2.10 The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith: Part 2 Airdate: 11/24/08
Time has been altered and the Trickster is controlling the world. Sarah Jane and Luke return to the past to try to find a way to stop the Trickster, while Clyde and Rani are forced to try to deal with the Graske (Jimmy Vee) in the future.
“Enemy of the Bane: Part 1”
2.11 Enemy of the Bane: Part 1 Airdate: 12/01/08
Mrs. Wormwood (Samantha Bond) of the Bane is back but needs Sarah Jane to help her when she’s targeted by the other Bane. Sarah Jane is forced to go to her old friend Brigadier Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney) for help to find the Tunguska Scroll at U.N.I.T. to stop the Horath, but Sarah Jane doesn’t realize that Wormwood has her own plans for the scroll with another one of Sarah Jane’s enemies.
“Enemy of the Bane: Part 2”
2.12 Enemy of the Bane: Part 2 Airdate: 12/08/08
Luke’s been taken prisoner by Wormwood and Kaagh of the Sontarans. Now Sarah Jane, Rani, Clyde, and the Brigadier must get him back and stop Wormwood from accessing the Horath.
[easyazon-block align=”center” asin=”B002N1AEX2″ locale=”us”]
Related Links:
K-9 and Company: A Girl’s Best Friend
The Sarah Jane Adventures—Season 1 Review and Complete Episode Guide
The Sarah Jane Adventures—Season 3 Review and Complete Episode Guide
The Sarah Jane Adventures—Season 4 Review and Complete Episode Guide
The Sarah Jane Adventures—Season 5 Review and Complete Episode Guide
