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Thursday 4 June 2015

SJA #10 : The Mark of the Berserker


"You don't know what we've seen! Slitheen, Sontarans, we've stopped them, all of them."

Episode #10:        The Mark of the Berserker.
Companions:       Sarah Jane Smith, Luke Smith, Maria Jackson, Rani Chandra and Clyde Langer.
Air Date:             20th to 27th October 2008.

An alien pendant which gives its wearer the power to control others is stolen from Sarah Jane's attic. Luke and Rani enlist the help of Clyde's mum to track down Clyde and his father, who has the alien pendant. The chase leads to a terrifying waterside confrontation when the pendant takes control of Paul and begins transforming him.

This episode is a showcase for Clyde Langer and the backstory that we had hints of with regards to his father. The science fiction element of the berserker amulet is just a tacked on element. With that in mind you can't fault the episode but much the previous episode in this season of Sarah Jane Adventures it doesn't really go anywhere or grab your attention. It does however end on a shot of a photo of Sarah Jane's parents which leads into the next episode's story.

One bonus point for this story is that it at least references the recent Dalek invasion. It doesn't happen often enough in the spin off shows so in this case when Clyde's dad makes mention of Daleks it gets a thumbs up from me.

Although it is nice to have some background on a character like Clyde it feels like a waste of an episode. Maybe if it expanded on the "Berserkers" alluded to in the title and less on the family elements it may have been better.


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