Enemy of the Bane

"I'm not past my sell by date yet."

Writer: Phil Ford

Format: TV

Broadcast: 1st-8th December 2008

Series: SJA 2.06

Featuring: Sarah Jane, Luke, Clyde, Rani, Brigadier

Synopsis 

Gita Chandra is kidnapped by Mrs Wormwood. This thrns out to be a snare for Sarah Jane. Mrs Wormwood has joined with another it Sarah Jane's enemies, Commander Kaagh. As they prepare to settle old scores, Sarah Jane turns to an old friend.

Verdict 

Enemy of the Bane was an excellent stort and served as a great series two finale of the Sarah Jane Adventures! It was brilliant for a number of reasons as it had not one but two returning enemies, a very good plot and an incredible surprise return for an old friend of Sarah Jane's. When you name a story after the returning monster, I think you have to introduce them pretty early on and not needlessly build up to the big reveal. It's in the name, we know it's coming. Thankfully, within the first few minutes we were reintroduced to Mrs Wormwood and it initially seemed that she was after revenge for the events that occurred in Invasion of the Bane. However, that wasn't quite the case. Wormwood was being hunted by the Bane Kindred and as she had been the head of a failed invasion, she was now expected to accept her fate of being eaten alive. That was the punishment and her species were determined to see that she served it. Wormwood had come to Sarah Jane for help, and that obviously did seem a little too good to be true. And if that's the case then it usually is a trap. Wormwood trying to make an emotional connection with Luke throughout the story was interesting as it really did seem genuine. She cared for her creation very much but it didn't go as far as love. She just wanted to use Luke to access her means of ruling the universe. That wasn't love. How could it be? The story was wonderful in the fact that it saw the Brigadier return to our screens after a very long absence. Although he didn't get to appear in modern Doctor Who, this is as good as and to have reunited with Sarah Jane really was wonderful. There were fantastic references to The Invasion, Spearhead From Space, Terror of the Autons, Day of the Daleks and Terror of the Zygons and I also enjoyed the continuity from The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky with the Brigadier's recent whereabouts. Hearing Nicholas Courtney once again really was magnificent and although he couldn't do much other than drive a car, I loved how his walking stick was packed with weaponry and he managed to use it on Kaagh! His return alongside Wormwood was a big surprise and although they made an unlikely alliance, their quest to find Horath was very good. Kaagh's insistence that he wasn't working for a female was great and his honour really had been damaged since he first encountered Sarah Jane and her 'half forms'. I really liked the references to Secrets of the Stars, The Mark of the Berserker and The Day of the Clown and when it came to explaining the Dark Archives of UNIT, the reference to Tooth and Claw was terrific. Wormwood claiming that Sarah Jane was merely the wet nurse when it came to Luke was quite a striking claim but Luke was correct in maintaining that Sarah Jane was his mother. He wasn't good at dealing with his first nightmare but he would play a major role in assuring that he wouldn't get another. The scenes at the stone circle were quite impressive and Kaagh going out in honour and actually saving the universe was a surprise but an excellent one at that. Sarah Jane's enemies defeated each other and overloaded the circuit meaning Horath would not manifest. The Brigadier and Sarah Jane swiftly said their goodbyes and it was just marvellous to see him in the modern era still going strong. Overall, a fantastic finale!

Rating: 9/10