The Curse of Clyde Langer

"I don't want to ever hear his name again."

Writer: Phil Ford
Format: TV
Broadcast: 10th-11th October 2011
Series: SJA 5.02

Featuring: Sarah Jane, Clyde, Rani, Sky

Synopsis

It's raining fish from the skies! Sarah Jane's investigation leads the gang to the Museum of Culture, where the ancient god Hetocumtek may offer answers. Clyde soon finds himself alone and abandoned on the streets of London with the legendary Night Dragon looming. Why do Sarah Jane and Rani suddenly hate Clyde?

Verdict

The Curse of Clyde Langer was a decent continuation of the fifth and final series of the Sarah Jane Adventures and whilst the story was a good one, I am quite surprised that it won an award for best children's script. It was far from bad but there were certain elements of the adventure that didn't quite sit well with me. I thought the idea of Clyde being cursed was good and with any mention of his name causing his friends or family to instantly hate him, there was a lot of potential. His name was everywhere with the amount of artwork he did so it soon became clear that everyone who was close to him suddenly hated him. Sarah Jane had an uncharacteristic outburst about his comments regarding Luke and Rani instantly hated his guts once she spoke his name which led to her dad expelling him from school. Mr Smith recognised that something was wrong but wasn't really in a position to do anything about it. However, Sky was able to take centre stage in her first official story since being adopted by Sarah Jane and joining the team. As she was an alien, she was immune (presumably) from the curse that accompanied Clyde's name and with her learning and lack of understanding some human pastimes and culture, what had happened with Clyde really didn't make sense to her. I liked how she was eager to learn and whilst I don't think she's a bad character, she seems a little too young for the team and I'm not sure whether I'm a fan of her having joined the team. There could also be the issue of watching in hindsight as she seems rushed with there only being one more story left of the entire series. But hey ho, she was good here and allowed for Clyde to be saved. He had gained solace in the form of Ellie, a homeless girl he had given money to earlier in the story, and she was quickly smitten with him. He liked her too and the pair shared a kiss which is quite uncommon for a children's show. I like that Clyde was getting feelings for a girl though as that is what you'd expect of a seventeen year old. The homeless theme was explored beautifully and was undoubtedly the highlight of the adventure. The realisation that Ellie was not her real name and that the Night Dragon was actually a form of hitching a lift to a new beginning was brilliant but very emotional. The way the curse was lifted was a little too easy for my liking and after the struggle between Sarah Jane and Rani to say Clyde's name, things seemed a little anti-climatic. The legend of Hetocumtek was pretty good but I felt that the pole could have played a more prominent role in the story. Overall though, it was still decent and I like how Clyde got some serious character development.

Rating: 7/10