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Thoughts of A Newbie

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« Reply #20 on: October 03, 2010, 06:53:58 pm »

Those of you who are regular readers to "Thoughts of a Newbie" will know that I like to give a little slice of life with my reviews of SJA Season 1. Yes, I (grudgingly) tell you what I thought of the episode. To me, however, context is king. I want to give you the sights, the sounds, the emotions and yes, even the smells of my SJA experience. But what to hang it on? I've already had a full english breakfast and half a box of french fancies, so it can't be food (truth be told i'm feeling a little bilious having tucked into last nights pizza which I heated up in the microwave while waiting for the sausage to cook). But then it hit me. Open up a bottle of Pinot Noir and see where the day takes me. I think this is my best idea yet. So below, dear friends is my drink by drink account of....

Sarah Jane and the Slightly Menacing Nuns and Gorgons (Season 1, the story after the Slitheen)

This is a most agreeable wine with a teasing bouquet and... ah, I can't pretend. All red wine tastes the same to me. It all makes my teeth go red and plays havoc with my ulcer. Therefore, with a Davros-like grasp of science, an idea occurs to me. I will wash down this foul wine with a bottle of Becks or two. That should cancel out any acid like qualities. It will also cancel out me having to go and see the in-laws as (by the time SJA is finished) I will not be in any fit state.

In terms of the actual show, I gotta tell you, these stories are really growing on me. There is an unpretentiousness and honesty about the whole thing. The stories have messages woven in to them such as how to cope when your family splits up (which is good because as I continue guzzling this wine that possibility grows ever more likely - time for a glug of Becks...) but these messages are not obtrusive and they don't in any way interfere with the story telling. The actual story (written by Phil "Waters of Mars" Ford) seems to be about some batty old dears at a nursing home who see nuns. Turns out, one of them starts talking about Sontarans and gives Luke a 'Talisman' and it all kicks off from there.

Then, an unexpected plot twist occurs. I am sick on the new rug. This necessitates a pause of the DVD, a quick clean up of said rug, apologies all round ("I think them French Fancies were out of date - that fourth one tasted a bit funny) and back to SJA. But I have learned my lesson. Clearly the balance between Becks and Red Wine was wrong and needs adjusting. So a quick glug of Becks and we're back on with the show.

I think what so impresses me about SJA is the fact that the stories do not try and be absurdly clever or cutting edge. The writers know they are not writing a James Bond film or the sequal to Inception. In fact because they are writing children's fiction, the stories are clear and there is no loose ends left. Whats more, there is little room for such things as canon or story arcs because the whole focus of the writing is guiding the audience to the end of the show.

As with all drinking, the choice of snacks is crucial. One cannot have too big a feast otherwise one gets too full to drink. Too little and one feels more hungry than a hippopotamus who, after a hard day at the swamp returns home to find all his dinner eaten, there are no chocolate biscuits left and it is half day closing at the local Spar. I plump for Monster Munch.

What I have found in my SJA watching, more than anything is good, enjoyable sci fi. But more than that, is that it shows what is missing from Doctor Who. It is not glitzy, it does not have a multi-media platform and a global brand. The stories are simple and the baddies are bad. In fact, its just a potty little kids show that the whole family can watch - does that remind you of anything? Incidentally, I have abandoned the red wine altogether and opened another bottle of Becks. Meanwhile the nuns have kidnapped Luke and put him into a hearse. I am really enjoying this story.

Again, regular readers of 'Thoughts of a Newbie' have probably detected more than a hint of bias from me. I constantly refer to SJA by referencing it to Doctor Who. I guess it means that, for me, SJA will never be more than a curious offshoot of the main event. But I think it really does act as a prism for Doctor Who, highlighting the oversights and the over dependence on deus ex machina rather than on simple plot and character driven story telling. (you can tell i'm onto my fourth bottle of Becks as I'm hitting you with the ghastly - and erroneous - pseudo intellectualism. God I hate myself when I start like this. Some Flaming Hot Monster Munch should assuage the self loathing for a while).

*Spolier Alert* The girls dad gets turned into a statue, the saucy mam starts pouring her heart out to the statute. Sarah Jane, Luke and Clyde get locked in various rooms and the girl saves the day by pointing a mirror at the Gorgon and putting a necklace on her dad.

*Spolier Alert 2* I am told that my behaviour is 'unacceptable for a Sunday morning' and if I indulge in any more 'Morning Drinkies' (as I have taken to calling them) then I will be exiled to the garage and the secrets of time travel taken from my mind. I will then have to work as special scientific adviser to the mice who inhabit the garage and foil various alien invasions.
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