Sarah Jane Smith Sighting

I realize that in most of my postings which have "Sighting" in their titles I'm referring to John Barrowman. Tonight, however, I'm referring to Elisabeth Sladen, who embodied Sarah Jane Smith in the universe that is "Doctor Who."

My first recollections of "Doctor Who" are from the late 1970s and early 1980s. At that point, the South Dakota Public Broadcasting folks were showing "Doctor Who" (a few years late) on Saturday afternoons and - sometimes - Friday or Saturday nights.

I honestly don't remember much about those episodes. I remember Tom Baker (Doctor Who #4 - the one with the huge long scarf) and I remember Peter Davison (Doctor Who # 5 - who had previously been Tristan in "All Creatures Great and Small"). I also remember Tegan (whom I met when I volunteered at a "Doctor Who" event in Sioux Falls), and I remember Sarah Jane Smith.

I had almost completely forgotten about Sarah Jane when she re-appeared a few years ago in the newly-revamped Doctor Who universe. Sure, she had gotten older, but she was still just as spunky and direct and clever and full of gumption as I had remembered. As one of the very few people from "Doctor Who" who have ever resurfaced in it's decades-long history, she held her own with the new casts. She was wiser and more worldly, but no less powerful or worthy than any of her counterparts.

She even did well enough in the ratings to get her own spin-off - "The Sarah Jane Adventures" - and was a player in one of the few episodes that meshed "Doctor Who" and "Torchwood" (there's our John Barrowman moment!) and "The Sarah Jane Adventures" all in one.

When the Doctor said good-bye to her in her final appearance, there was a finality about it which made me tear up almost as much as Sarah Jane did. Only she held it in better.

The same thing happened to me, today, while I was sitting at work and saw a message from a friend of mine marking the death of Elisabeth Sladen. Having never met her, and having not even really remembered her for a good 25 or 30 years, the news of her death surprised me, and I found myself kind of welling-up at my desk at work.

There had been something so refreshing in seeing her back on TV with the Doctor and everyone. There was a feeling of continuity that kind of grounded me back into the promise of youth. Back to a time when everything was possible in time and space. And seeing her again showed me the promise that growing older and growing up can both be done gracefully and with as much wit as wisdom.

Elisabeth Sladen (and Sarah Jane Smith) will be missed.