Thursday, 5 April 2018

Beyond the TARDIS SJA: Invasion of the Bane - Pilot by Andrew Allen



So, in 2007, the world of Doctor Who was pretty much unstoppable. So much so, in fact, that it became inevitable that the Longest Running Science Fiction Serial In The World ™ had earned itself a spin off series – one that would be full of big characters, humour that was too broad for the parent show, and comparatively easy-to-follow plotlines. But (you’ve seen this gag coming a mile off, haven’t you) we’re not here today to talk about Torchwood (that started in 2006): The Sarah Jane Adventures managed at times throughout its four and a half season to be both deeper and more thrilling than either of the shows that were apparently more grown up.

By design, it can’t always be like that, however. Invasion Of The Bane, the pilot episode, necessarily works in broad strokes. It’ll stay like that for at least the first two episodes of the series proper (farting slitheen and all) before the style settles down a bit. Older Doctor Who  fans who have got lost in CBBC on their way of some extra Lis Sladen action might wince at the childishness of it all, but a) the show is absolutely for children, not them, and b) writers Russell T Davies and Gareth Roberts are doing something pretty clever here – a lot of heavy lifting to move the central characters into position before the modern day Nancy Drew style mysteries can start in earnest.

The other thing that’s important to note about Invasion Of The Bane is that it’s essentially a Doctor Who Christmas Day episode. More specifically, it actually aired on New Year’s Day, but the point remains the same: it’s unashamedly a bit of fluff that the kids will watch, that the grown ups will have no problem sticking with before demanding that the channel gets changed. This means that the pace is zippy, nothing overly complex is being delivered, and the main hook (a fizzy drink) is going to be more instinctively appealing to teenagers than, say alien sat-nav.

There’s not a heck of a lot of plot in Invasion Of The Bane, and there isn’t even much effort to introduce the titular character – there’s a fair assumption that you’ll have already heard of Sarah Jane Smith at some point in the previous 24 years. So, the pilot is more interested in setting up those fabled ‘audience identification figures’, and in doing so, Russell T Davies repeats the trick that worked so well for Rose, the first episode of his rebooted Doctor Who: banking on the fairly certain bet that the boy fans are pretty much guaranteed to turn up anyway, the lead character – the one who falls out of the real world and into Sarah’s – is a teen girl.

Maria, as played by Yasmin Page, is the true anchor of the pilot episode. Again, Invasion Of The Bane is playing the same game that Rose did: relying that any audience members who have tuned in for the character whose name is above the titles will have enough trust and crucially patience to wait for everyone else to play catch up.

Maria’s parents are richly portrayed. It’s a subtle thing, but their divorce – while implicit – isn’t a major plot point – it’s merely the thing that gets that family onto Bannerman Road. Even sharper is the way that Maria’s mum is presented: clearly she’s the one who could be blamed for the break up of the marriage; she’s self centred, blinkered, and possibly not that clever, but nobody – including her ex husband – thinks of her as the villain. Doubtless there would be many kids who would recognise something of their own home life in Maria’s.

Kelsey – Maria’s would be best friend. is a great addition for the pilot. It’s obvious why they had her in for the set up, equally obvious why she had to be side-lined for the series. She follows a noble line of characters (of whom Chloe in 24 is the warrior queen) who can’t successfully read social cues, and therefore are great for dealing out wodges of exposition. While the tone of this pilot episode is large, the performances within are textured and nuanced – and that includes loudmouth Kelsey. She doesn’t turn up again after this episode, which means that certain elements of her character never get explored: it’s obvious, for instance, that she has no close friends, which is why she blusters her way into Maria’s life (and therefore gives her a bus ride into the plot).

Within the broad brushstrokes, a pilot episode needs a strong, charismatic guest star to make everything legitimate (something that perhaps K9 And Company: A Girl’s Best Friend stumbled on). Samantha Bond is icily brilliant as Mrs Wormwood, and the scene in which Smith and Wormwood elegantly tiptoe around confirmation (or not) of the latter’s extra-terrestrial origins (‘Wouldn’t, it though?’ is a real highlight. Elsewhere, teenage zombies jacked up on energy drinks (‘Drink it!’) and creeping around a smoke filled factory really invokes mid-70s UNIT stories.

But why did it have to be a sonic lipstick? This is the character who rocked up in 1973 teaching Jon Pertwee about feminism, plus she’s a journalist. Couldn’t it at least have been a sonic pen? Or, if you really wanted to appeal to pre-teen girls, a sonic highlighter? Perhaps we can put it down to the Doctor still not quite understanding emancipation. Anyway, Sarah’s make up kit is the one fluffed note in a very strong, extraordinarily confident opener to the series.


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