Fate is a funny thing. After being delayed out of Season Thirteen by constant scripting problems, The Hand of Fear just so happened to land in the filming schedule in time to see Elisabeth Sladen's departure from the series. Given the choice between this and Douglas Camfield's axed The Lost Legion script, which would have seen Sarah Jane killed off, I think I know what I prefer. As interesting as that story's concept sounds, it would have been awful to lose Sarah Jane like that, and as it is, we got many more adventures with her for the bargain.
I've had difficulty getting a handle on Sarah Jane in some ways. This is partially because of what the show was when she was introduced back in Season Eleven. She was intended then as a smart, contemporary character with the sort of job that would get her into a lot of trouble when she started nosing around the Doctor's world. By the time of The Hand of Fear, the fact that she's a journalist hasn't been brought up in half a season. I can only count two times where it was actually relevant to the plot since Tom became the Doctor: Robot and The Android Invasion. Since few of the stories have been set on contemporary Earth, it's understandable that there might be fewer opportunities, but it's seemed increasingly like Sarah Jane doesn't have a life outside of being the Doctor's companion, and her character has, as a result, been simplified in a way that's proved disappointing to me.
How much does this actually matter? Only a little. I'm left feeling complicated now that she's left, but blessed to have had her for the time we did. Elisabeth Sladen was a charming actress, and every moment with Sarah on screen has been fun. The rapport between her and Tom shone through in these episodes and added to this era's inherent charm. We'll see her again someday, but for now it's goodbye.
Interestingly, this story is actually, to an extent, about Sarah Jane despite the departure plot being grafted on late. She's put through a lot in The Hand of Fear, not least being all but possessed by the ancient Kastrian warlord Eldrad. It's a really mysterious and suspenseful plot during those first two episodes, and I like the nuclear power station setting a lot. Lennie Mayne puts in a stellar director's credit with a lot of interesting and dynamic shots.
I often hear it said that this story falls down a bit in the last act, but I didn't see it. The arrival on Kastria provides a nice, alien location with a lot of neat stuff going on. The concept of Eldrad arriving millions of years late after their culture has died out was very affecting; I loved the spiteful recordings from the fossilized king, and the crunching of "sand" underfoot, plus Sarah's realization of where the sand came from. Eldrad's ultimate fate was a pleasing end, too; it's a pity the Doctor's blatant sequel-bait when he said Eldrad probably wasn't dead never panned out. At least not on TV.
Speaking of Eldrad, they might be one of my favorite one-off villains in the series. I sympathize with Sarah's tongue-in-cheek remark ("Well, I quite liked her, but I couldn't stand him.") because while Stephen Thorne has pipes for days, he really isn't a patch on Judith Paris. She plays Eldrad with such an arch, alien demeanor, a wonderfully expressive performance despite being in that silly costume the whole time. Also, speaking as a transgender person, I enjoyed the fact that a big thing wasn't made of Eldrad's changing gender (or at least changing bodies), which seems quite forward-thinking for this decade.
I have to compliment Glyn Houston for his role as Professor Watson; the scene where he believes the reactor is about to go critical and he calls his family is absolutely heartbreaking. I was so pleased when he survived the story, despite a close brush with Eldrad. Oh, and there's this delightfully horrifying factoid, about which I really need say nothing:
Kind regards are also due to Rex Robinson as Dr. Carter, whose grim fate really surprised me, as well as to Frances Pidgeon in her bit part as Jackson.
The fun concepts and great guest cast made this farewell for Sarah into one of my lesser favorites, and a pleasant surprise since I hadn't heard much good about The Hand of Fear going in. The pleasant surprises basically validate this whole experiment for me. Let's hope for a few more, yes?
The Deadly Assassin is next.
(Modified from the original posted at Gallifrey Base on 2 May 2021.)
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