Sarah Jane Adventures, Episodes 7 & 8
It's pretty clear The Sarah Jane Adventures has an agenda.
It's safe to say, that given its target audience of 'tweens, that Davies/Gardner are intentionally making a show not just to entertain, but to encourage scientific reasoning and skepticism in its viewership. Doctor Who has been doing a similar thing for years, albeit with a touch more subtlety.
This is not a bad thing, and nowhere is it more clear as in The Eternity Trap, where the crew (minus Luke - perhaps the actor had a scheduling conflict?) go to investigate [recurring character] Professor Rivers' reports of paranormal activity. Yes, in a haunted house. Why was this ep shown the week after Halloween? Anyway, Sarah Jane (harking back to her otherworldly adventures) emphatically insists on a scientific explanation, to the point I cringed in anticipation that the writers were going to serve her for hubris. But not so - really, it's a kids show, they're just driving the point home for the less perceptive viewers.
But of course the "haunting" does turn out to be more than imagination or pranksters with sheets and a projection unit - that would be a Scooby Doo episode. This is sci-fi: the "ghost" is an alien (who doesn't like being called a ghost ;-) ), the "paranormal activity" are merely the effects of a damaged transdimensional portal. In the end Sarah Jane is vindicated as well as victorious, and Toby (young investigator, cheerleader of the paranormal) learns from the experience and adjusts his perspective.
Hard-core skeptics be forewarned - check your Myth Busters' membership card at the door. Be prepared for references to "psychic energy" and "life energy", as well as some business about granite rock being able to record and play back scenes from the ancient past - that is, stuff that most of us find indistinguishable from "woo". But recall that many other sci-fi shows have incorporated telepathy, telekinesis, etc. as part of the natural (and explainable) universe. For example, Babylon 5 had major arcs revolving around the telepaths, who were genetically engineered as pawns of the Vorlons. Just remember that sometimes sci-fi plays fast & loose with the rules of the universe. It's only when a story shies away from or flatly denies explanations that it (IMO) crosses over to fantasy.
One thing that surprised me about this show for kids was that for once, the ending wasn't wrapped up neat and tidy. In vanquishing Erasmus Darkening, the people he kidnapped and transdimensionally transferred are lost. It's not said that they are necessarily dead, but it also doesn't give much hope that they were restored in any form. This realtively unflinching resolution -could The Sarah Jane Adventures be making an allegory about the afterlife? I think there's good reason to think so.
It's safe to say, that given its target audience of 'tweens, that Davies/Gardner are intentionally making a show not just to entertain, but to encourage scientific reasoning and skepticism in its viewership. Doctor Who has been doing a similar thing for years, albeit with a touch more subtlety.
This is not a bad thing, and nowhere is it more clear as in The Eternity Trap, where the crew (minus Luke - perhaps the actor had a scheduling conflict?) go to investigate [recurring character] Professor Rivers' reports of paranormal activity. Yes, in a haunted house. Why was this ep shown the week after Halloween? Anyway, Sarah Jane (harking back to her otherworldly adventures) emphatically insists on a scientific explanation, to the point I cringed in anticipation that the writers were going to serve her for hubris. But not so - really, it's a kids show, they're just driving the point home for the less perceptive viewers.
But of course the "haunting" does turn out to be more than imagination or pranksters with sheets and a projection unit - that would be a Scooby Doo episode. This is sci-fi: the "ghost" is an alien (who doesn't like being called a ghost ;-) ), the "paranormal activity" are merely the effects of a damaged transdimensional portal. In the end Sarah Jane is vindicated as well as victorious, and Toby (young investigator, cheerleader of the paranormal) learns from the experience and adjusts his perspective.
Hard-core skeptics be forewarned - check your Myth Busters' membership card at the door. Be prepared for references to "psychic energy" and "life energy", as well as some business about granite rock being able to record and play back scenes from the ancient past - that is, stuff that most of us find indistinguishable from "woo". But recall that many other sci-fi shows have incorporated telepathy, telekinesis, etc. as part of the natural (and explainable) universe. For example, Babylon 5 had major arcs revolving around the telepaths, who were genetically engineered as pawns of the Vorlons. Just remember that sometimes sci-fi plays fast & loose with the rules of the universe. It's only when a story shies away from or flatly denies explanations that it (IMO) crosses over to fantasy.
One thing that surprised me about this show for kids was that for once, the ending wasn't wrapped up neat and tidy. In vanquishing Erasmus Darkening, the people he kidnapped and transdimensionally transferred are lost. It's not said that they are necessarily dead, but it also doesn't give much hope that they were restored in any form. This realtively unflinching resolution -could The Sarah Jane Adventures be making an allegory about the afterlife? I think there's good reason to think so.
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Labels: sarah jane adventures
posted by Skunque @ 8:16 PM
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