Sarah Jane (Elisabeth Sladen)

[thisbluespirit]

There is definitely something the matter with this year; Diana Wynne Jones died last month, and before that Nicholas Courtney (who, if anyone was as important/moreso than a Doctor, it was he) and now, Elisabeth Sladen. Which is impossible, isn't it? If someone had asked me to make a list of who might be next (and why would you do that, you morbid person?) I would never, even on a very long list, have listed her. But respectable news sites are all agreeing it is not an internet joke, so it must be true.

It doesn't really matter who was your favourite companion (mine was not Sarah Jane, but only because DW has such a lot of excellence to choose from in that matter, and also because I always had this suspicion that maybe Elisabeth Sladen was more awesome than Sarah), but she had over its initial run become somehow the quintessential companion. My dog-eared DisContinuity Guide talks often of her epic screen-saving ability that even dignified a lot of sfx that didn't deserve it. And when I was watching 'New' Who, it took me a very long while to believe it really was my DW. (It might possibly have been The Adventures of Rose Tyler, from what I could see, which was fun, but not what I was after). But then Sarah walked back in, and clearly, it was still DW, and that was a marvellous thing, even before you think how wonderful and improbable it is that then the Sarah Jane Adventures could exist. Actually, in my head, I've always secretly cast the young Elisabeth Sladen as Elizabeth Bennet, and there's not much of a higher compliment you can pay a person than that.

So, anyway: it is true, and such a shock, and much much too soon (at least another 20 years at the outside, please) - and my prayers and sympathies to her family and friends & colleagues.

Not much else to say, but here's a link to a lovely fanvid by dbskyler which I was planning to point people to this week, anyway: Story in Your Eyes (Hope you don't mind, dbskyler!)

Also, in my bits & pieces icons pile, there were these, so here's a small offering, found on my harddrive:



(I didn't think anyone would mind the Brig sneaking in, as I found him lurking there, too. He is looking at Sarah, anyway, so there.)

Comments

[st-aurafina.livejournal.com]

So, so sad about this. I can't imagine Who without her.

[thisbluespirit]

I know. It came completely out of the blue - such a shock.

[haa-hsm-fan.livejournal.com]

It's tragic news, isn't it? 2011 has not been kind to us Who fans.

[thisbluespirit]

I know! It hasn't. Let's hope everyone else can stay alive for now. *worries*

[persiflage-1.livejournal.com]

2011 is a b1tch and needs to die right now!!

Shall snag some of the iconses.

*bigsquishyPershugs*

[thisbluespirit]

:lol: It does feel a bit like that, although what we do once we;ve killed the year, I'm not sure. ;-)

Cool! Glad you liked them.

*hugs back*

[persiflage-1.livejournal.com]

Easy, move on to 2012!

[stellastars]

Much too soon, indeed. I expected to be quite middle-aged (or, dare I say it, even old) myself before we'd hear any news of the passing of Lis Sladen. Such a shock. :-(

♥

[thisbluespirit]

Yes. I really had a hard time believing it wasn't some sick internet joke when I first spotted it. :-(

[alto2.livejournal.com]

There was always something special about Sarah Jane, whatever your individual take on her was. And as far as I'm concerned, the Brigadier has gone to Peru and will be there for an indefinite period of time, and when he discovered he needed some investigative assistance, he contacted Sarah Jane and she took off to help him out. And there they'll be until we need them again.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[thisbluespirit]

Sounds fair enough. Let's all go up the Amazon and look for heroic world-saving fungi, I say. ;-)

That news was... not only was it Sarah Jane/Elisabeth Sladen, but given that not many people knew she was ill, seemingly so very sudden. :-(

[alto2.livejournal.com]

given that not many people knew she was ill, seemingly so very sudden

Yes. It was a complete shock. :(

I still like my story better...

[thisbluespirit]

Oh, sorry. Yes. They are all in Peru, on Important Saving the World Business. Yes. *salutes*

(I was thinking, actually, I don't like all this 'in Peru' stuff, and I think it has occurred to me why - it's a little too reminiscent for me of Ghostlight's 'gone to Java'!)

[alto2.livejournal.com]

Ah, see, I've seen Ghost Light once or twice and never really made head or tails of it, so I kind of tend to forget that it exists...

[thisbluespirit]

:-) It ties with Robots of Death for my favourite Who serial, so I rarely forget it exists. (I am strange, yes. ;-D)

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

Nice icons! I took the first one for later use.

Thanks for reccing my fanvid! That was a nice surprise. :D

[thisbluespirit]

Thanks! :-)

:-) I was planning for my next post to be a rec for that and Calapine's Nyssa and Tegan one, but, as we all know, events changed things. It is a lovely vid, and makes a lovely, however unwitting, tribute to Sarah and her relationship with the Doctor, and to Lis Sladen.