Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith

"You're not in charge anymore."

Writers: Clayton Hickman & Gareth Roberts
Format: TV
Broadcast: 15th-16th November 2010
Series: SJA 4.06

Featuring: Sarah Jane, Luke, Clyde, Rani, K9

Synopsis

Sarah Jane has begun developing a form of dementia, and she realises that her ability to defend the Earth is diminishing. She must now hand over the task to surer hands. A seemingly suitable replacement, Ruby White, has arrived on Bannerman Road, but can she be trusted?

Verdict

Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith was a brilliant story and a great way to conclude what has turned out to be a fantastic fourth series of the Sarah Jane Adventures! It's an excellent spinoff series and it really is quite a shame that I only have three stories left before it comes to its abrupt conclusion. This is the last of the stories from the show that I have seen on broadcast as series five will be brand new to me which I am rather excited about. Anyway, onto the story and the idea of Sarah Jane having a form of dementia was intriguing and it did come as quite a shock when she managed to forget the sonic lipstick in a crucial situation before forgetting the name of the Doctor. She referenced The Time Warrior wonderfully which I enjoyed but her reaction to forgetting his name was great. She knew something was wrong and the medical scan of Mr Smith confirmed her assumption. Her brain tissue was deteriorating and there was no cure. It seemed that Sarah Jane was no longer fit to defend Earth. The arrival of Ruby White to the story was terrific and I loved how she was playing the long game and sat deep to gain the trust of Sarah Jane, Clyde and Rani. The latter two didn't suspect anything, not until Sarah Jane had gone missing with only a video message to confirm her departure. Sarah Jane had inadvertently handed over control of Mr Smith and her sonic lipstick to Ruby and that would prove disastrous. She was going to continue Sarah Jane's work of tracking aliens from the attic but she would be aiding them to takeover the planet. That needed to be stopped. This meant there was a triumphant return for Luke and he wasn't impressed that his mum had vanished. Teaming up again with Rani and Clyde, along with the aid of K9 via a video link, they were able to work out the resolution and plan on putting it into action. The plan was actually very clever and after it was revealed how Ruby escaped from her Qetesh prison, Mr White could be stopped. The humorous relationship between K9 and Mr Smith continued which was good and I liked how they acknowledged that both were required to defeat Ruby. Seeing the team together saving Sarah Jane from the Qetesh stomach was very good and I liked how it was clear that this assembly were no amateurs. The references to Invasion of the Bane, Prisoner of the Judoon, Secrets of the Stars and The Gift were all reminders of that. For a series finale, this was more than fitting. Overall, a brilliant story!

Rating: 9/10