Top Five Big Damn Hero Moments: Clyde Langer (The Sarah Jane Adventures)

(Note:  I'm out of town at the moment without access to my Sarah Jane DVDs, so I can't grab any screencaps.  I'll add pictures to this post tomorrow.)

 

I still have a few more recurring new Whocharacters to give a Top Five to, but I figured I might as well get started on the spin-offs.  There’s a lot to love about Clyde; here are five good reasons (spoilers.)

Deducing the Slitheen’s Weakness (Series 1, Episode 2 – “Revenge of the Slitheen:  Part 2”)

Mr. Smith has been disabled just before he can tell our heroes what common kitchen ingredient can destroy the Slitheen, and Clyde, in his first rodeo with Team Sarah Jane, works out what it is.  He remembers how the Slitheen disguised as his teacher reacted to the cold chip sandwich he brought to school and, reasoning that bread, salt, and potatoes are too ubiquitous to be the answer, realizes that it has to be the vinegar.  Not bad for a tagalong!

Communicating with the Outside World (Series 1, Episode 10 – “The Lost Boy:  Part 2”)

I love Clyde’s spidey sense about realizing when something’s not on the up-and-up, but it does tend to get him sidelined by the villains, since he’s not too discreet about revealing his suspicions.  Here, he’s trapped inside an alien computer (never mind how that works,) and he still manages to help, mentally sending a message to the Jacksons’ computer so the others will know who the bad guy/computer is.  (Also, bonus points for correctly visualizing the layout of a keyboard.)

Finishing Off Odd Bob (Series 2, Episode 4 – “Day of the Clown:  Part 2”)

Yes – using laughter to destroy an alien that feeds on fear is super cheesy, as are the incredibly lame jokes Clyde tells to get the job done, but I love this moment anyway.  Maybe it’s because Clyde has spent a lot of time getting criticized for being a “class clown,” with people confusing levity for trouble-making.  In light of that, I like seeing him use this quality to save the day, and I love how pleased he is with himself about it!

Realizing the Truth about Gavin (Series 4, Episode 8 – “The Empty Planet:  Part 2”)

More of Clyde’s spidey sense.  Gavin isn’t the villain here, but Clyde gets that something’s up.  He notes the lack of kid-friendly anything at Gavin’s flat – from the absence of DVDs and video games to the “rubbish biscuits” (cookie) – and while Rani takes that to mean Gavin’s life is rougher than theirs, Clyde sees it as something more, which helps lead them to the truth of who Gavin really is.

Standing Up to Frickin’ Nazis (Series 4, Episode 10 – “Lost in Time:  Part 2”)

Yep, this scene again.  Sick of it yet?  Me, neither.  Not only does Clyde call out an officer who’s racist to him, but he also taunts the Nazis with his foreknowledge of their eventual loss and buys himself just enough time to escape them by making them think his superior future technology (ie, his phone) is a high-tech bomb.  Clyde Langer for the win!

Top Five Songs: The Origin of Love (MIKA)

At first, I had a harder time connecting with MIKA’s third album than I did his first two.  Not as many songs jumped out at me immediately.  On repeated listens, however, this is a very fine album with some excellent songs.  Here are my favorites. 

“Origin of Love” – The title track is an intriguing, romantic song, at once celebratory toward love and pushing back against those who would illegitimize it.  With the strong religious imagery and specific references to religious objection to this love, I tend to view it through an LGBTQ lens.  Not sure if that was the intention, but that’s how it resonates with me.

Best lyric:  “Like everyone that you fear / And everything you hold dear, / Even the book in your pocket. / You are the sun and the light, / You are the freedom I fight. / God will do nothing to stop it. / The origin is you - / You’re the origin of love.”

“Lola” – Such an infectious groove.  I love the lilt of the verses and the beat of the chorus.  The lyrics feel defiant, regretful, and wistful at the same time, and I like the (dubious?) resolution of this man, vowing that he’s “not gonna fall in love this time.”

Best lyric:  “When you find your love’s for real, / You’ll beg and borrow, cheat or steal, / Trying to get the money just to call her.”

“Stardust” – Even though this song is about a relationship that’s ended, it’s still so bright and upbeat.  Not all the time – I love the plaintive vocals in the line about his heart being left “on the floor” – but overall, it’s about someone who misses their love but doesn’t resent them, who thinks about all he would give them if they could be together again.

Best lyric:  “Funny how the time goes rushing by / And all the little things we leave behind. / But even any other thing I do / Is a little bit of me, a little bit of you. / When will I see you again?”

“Overrated” – I like this one a lot.  The verses are gorgeous, and the soaring vocals on the chorus make a simple expression of a universal pain cut to the heart of the idea, the retreats heartbroken people make to deciding love is overrated.  Really, the vocals are stunning throughout, really beautiful.

Best lyric:  “Words get broken - / Cut me open - / Love confound me - / Kill me quickly.”

“Emily” – Technically, I’m not sure if this is the original version of the song or if it’s the English version of the French “Elle Me Dit,” which is on the album’s bonus disk.  Either way, the beat here is fantastic.  Another rather plaintive subject, but it’s performed buoyantly, as a guy tries to get through to the oblivious object of his affections.

Best lyric:  “Emily, live your life in a balloon. / Lock yourself up in your room, / So the world can never reach ya. / Emily, am I speaking Japanese? / Got me falling on my knees, / Got me praying to Saint Peter.”

Top Five Songs: Dessa Rose

As far as Ahrens & Flaherty musicals go, Dessa Rose is a little hit-or-miss for me, but as is usual with this composing duo, when they’re on, they’re reallyon.  Here are my favorite songs from the show.

“Ol’ Banjar” – I feel Dessa Rose puts a bit too shiny a veneer on its story at times, but even though this is an upbeat song, it works for me.  That’s because it’s specifically about clinging to the few good things that make life bearable, and for Kaine, that’s two things:  music and Dessa Rose.  The simple but lovely tune fits it to a tee.

Best line:  “Ain’t no white folks down in Africa, / Ain’t no white folks near or far. / You own yourself / And you own your soul / and the music of ol’ banjar.”

“Something of My Own” – Just like music gives Kaine happiness, Dessa Rose’s unborn child gives her both hope and strength.  Her ode to how her child is already changing her and everything she’ll do on its behalf (especially her vow to “only name him free”) is gorgeous.

Best line:  “I could be as strong as thunder / With his hand in mine. / Tear the very storm asunder. / Make the sun to shine.”

“Twelve Children” – The Act I finale is a stunning showcase for Dessa Rose, introducing her newborn daughter to the stories of all the family she’s lost.  This beautifully-understated song validates Dessa Rose’s lost brothers and sisters, despite the repeated indifference of the white masters.

Best line:  “Some sold away. / Some passed away. / Some run. / Twelve children brought from her body. / All gone but one.”

“Better If I Died” – This is such a great drama!! song, with a strong driving rhythm and fantastic harmonies between Ruth and Dessa Rose.  It’s a fine release for everything that’s been building up between them in the second act.

Best line:  “Nothing more to ruin. / Nothing left to say…” – “Nothing left to take away.”

“Just over the Line” – Full disclosure:  I mostly love this song because the chorus is so blame catchy.  It pulls me in every time.  Plot-wise, I find it fairly incredulous, but ooh!  That music, especially when Nathan sings it; in general, I don’t think the show makes great use of Norm Lewis’s talents, but he’s just wonderful here.

Best line:  “Tuscaloosa, Pickens, Greene. / Counties we ain’t never seen. / But look who’s here! / Just over the line.”

Top Five Big Damn Hero Moments: Clara Oswald (Doctor Who)

It might have been better to hold off on this post until I rewatched all of series 9, but whatever.  As it is, my choicest Clara moments are pretty frontloaded.  I feel like a lot of her big-ticket stuff from the Twelve era either 1) feels manufactured as a Big Moment rather than a natural action born from her character, or 2) comes at the expense of the Doctor’s competence, which just annoys me from a writing standpoint.  So, here’s what we have instead (spoilers.)

Comforting Merry (Series 7, Episode 8 – “The Rings of Akhaten”)

Not flashy, not world-saving, but wonderful.  On her first adventure to an alien planet, overwhelmed and temporarily on her own (the Doctor is off doing something else,) Clara sees a young girl in distress and helps her, just because she can.  Clara does more than just help Merry evade the shady-looking guys who are searching for her; she sits down, talks with Merry, learns what’s upsetting her, and shares a warm personal story to help reassure her.  Lovely.

Telling the Old God a Story (Series 7, Episode 8 – “The Rings of Akhaten”)

Here’s how much I love Clara in “The Rings of Akhaten” – two-and-a-half seasons on the show, and two of my favorite moments of hers come from this one episode.  True, Clara is probably just looking for more cherished memories to “feed” the Old God when she presents the leaf, hoping to turn its hunger away from the Doctor, but because she is offering it the potential futures lost when her mother died young, she’s able to glut it and make it destroy itself.  I love her strength in sacrificing something so precious to her, especially because her mom is not longer with her.

Jumping into the Doctor’s Time Stream (Series 7, Episode 14 – “The Name of the Doctor”)

An obvious one, and the story does feel pretty heavily steered to get her to this point, but I buy it.  Seeing the Doctor suffer, Clara can’t stand by and do nothing, and she knows the universe will be better with the Doctor in it.  So, she leaps.  If they had laid off the unpleasant “I was born to save the Doctor” stuff, it could have been a really compelling end for her character.

Interrogating with the Half Man (Series 8, Episode 1 – “Deep Breath”)

I like Clara’s smarts here, doing some quick thinking under a lot of pressure to turn the tables on the Half Man and make him answer some of her questions.  I especially like how visibly afraid she is throughout the whole thing, digging deep to push through her fear instead of being unrealistically untouched by it.

Recovering the TARDIS (Series 8, Episode 9 – “Flatline”)

Clara does a nice job “playing the Doctor” in this episode, and when she and the others are cut off from the Doctor, she really comes through.  In a pretty despairing moment, she figures out how to use the available resources to exploit the aliens’ power and restore the TARDIS to its full size, allowing the Doctor to come out and finish them off.