The Nightmare Man

"You've made a monster real..."

Writer: Joseph Lidster
Format: TV
Broadcast: 11th-12th October 2010
Series: SJA 4.01

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

Synopsis

Luke faces life-changing events, and Bannerman Road will never be the same again. But when Sarah's son has his first nightmare, he's haunted by a dark figure from his dreams: the Nightmare Man. A strange entity is reaching out to our world through Luke, with terrible consequences for the whole human race. With Luke, Clye and Rani trapped in a bizzare dreamscape, Sarah must fight alone. As the Nightmare Man grows stronger, only K9 might hold the key. But can Luke summon the courage to face his adult life before the whole world is trapped in an endless nightmare?

Verdict

The Nightmare Man was a great story and a very good way to start the fourth series of the Sarah Jane Adventures! With the recent news that the entire show was now on BBC iPlayer I couldn't resist getting back into the SJAs and picking up where I left off. This story had a sense of change in the air as Luke and K9 were both pretty much written out of the series. Luke had advanced in his studies to do his A-Levels a year early and four A*s meant he was off to Oxford. The preparation for his move away from home was somewhat familiar and as I come to the close of my time in Bath, it was quite intriguing to be reminded of the days leading up to the university's beginnings. The idea of Luke getting nightmares was a very good point of exploration and I also liked the flashback footage version of telling the story. We saw a little flashback to an unseen encounter with a Slitheen which was brilliant and I loved the reaction of Sarah Jane once she knew that she was going to be covered in green goop. However, they weren't the main enemies of this story and that role was taken by the Nightmare Man. I thought he was played terrifically and the concept behind was really good. The way he entered reality from the dreamscape was perhaps a tad too easy but once he was there he was ready to feed on humanity's nightmares. The dream theme has cropped up a bit for me lately with The Phantom Piper but I felt this one got to explore it in more detail given the lack of waiting between parts. Luke was genuinely scared which was quite rare and I liked how he took comfort in Rani. Clyde's reaction to Luke's impending departure was understandable but I liked how they got to save the world together again before he left. K9 and Mr Smith working together was excellent and their relationship really was brilliant once again. The references to Invasion of the Bane and Revenge of the Slitheen were good and I also liked that Luke was still in contact with Maria. The way the Nightmare Man was defeated and sent packing into Clyde's dream where Sarah Jane could tell him all about her wonderful son was great and it was nice that the three youngsters united to save the world. Sarah Jane was delighted but things would soon get emotional as Luke departed with K9. I'm now intrigued to see how the dynamic of the show changes without these two key components but change is often needed so I'm excited for what the future holds. Overall, a very good start to series four!

Rating: 8/10