“ | That was Sabina. Slim, dark-haired and sometimes much older than her fifteen years. But then she was probably that sort of girl who had swapped toys for boys before she hit eleven | ” |
—Sabina Pleasure description |
Sabina Pleasure is a fifteen year old girl who becomes Alex Rider's close friend when they meet at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in the novel Skeleton Key. She is described as having dark hair, bright blue eyes and freckles.
Biography
Skeleton Key
Alex is working as a ball boy whilst Sabina is working as a ball girl at the Wimbledon Tennis Championship (at the beginning of the novel), and they became instant friends. However Sabina soon became suspicious when Alex has to leave the tennis championships early, and even more so when he then vanishes for weeks on a mission later on the book. Sabina invites him on a holiday with her and her parents in Cornwall after the Wimbledon Championship is over. When they are there, things take a turn for the worse and Alex finds his life on the line again when he is being chased by while attempting to surf the “The Cribber" (a massive wave). Alex is knocked out by the wave and Sabina does CPR on him. After the incident Sabina kisses him saying that he is a cuter version of James Bond.
Eagle Strike
In Eagle Strike, Sabina’s father is nearly killed by a bomb in their holiday home in France, targeted by Damian Cray as he was writing an article about him. When Alex later insists that the explosion wasn’t an accident and tries to tell her about his involvement with MI6, Sabina refuses to believe him, leaving after an argument.
Sabina is later kidnapped by Damian Cray, who uses her as ransom to force Alex to give him the flash-drive he had stolen that would allow Cray’s plot to be carried out. After Cray hijacks Air Force One, Sabina helps Alex kill him and deactivates the nuclear missiles Cray had dispatched. Sabina later catches up with Alex and tells him her parents wish to move to San Francisco, due to her father being offered a job there. Before she leaves, she gives Alex a brief kiss under a bridge.
Snakehead
Sabina appears briefly at the end of Snakehead for a "surprise" Christmas visit, the novel ending with them entering Alex’s house together.
Crocodile Tears
In the book Crocodile Tears, Alex and Sabina are on holiday together once more, but in Scotland. Sabina's father, Edward Pleasure, is invited by the main antagonist of the book, Desmond McCain, who Edward was writing a report on, to a party on December the 31st to celebrate the New Year. All the profits of the party would go to McCain's charity, First Aid. When leaving for the party from the Pleasures' house Sabina was seen telling Alex to stop admiring himself in the mirror. They were all set to leave when Sabina's mother announced she wasn't feeling well and could not come. The party bored both Alex and Sabina and they left early, but as they were driving down the hill away from the castle where the party was set, their car's tire was shot out and they were sent plummeting into the loch below. But, of course, Alex manages to save her and her father's lives once more. The Pleasures decide to leave for America early, although they invite Alex over for spring. Before leaving, Sabina kisses Alex on the cheek, suggesting her feelings for him are still existent.
Scorpia Rising
The Graphic Novels
Sabina is introduced early on in the Alex Rider graphic novels, first appearing in Stormbreaker and every edition thereafter.
Personality
“ | It was only when Alex had gone over every inch of the room that he turned to Sabina. She seemed amazingly calm. She thought about all the things that happened to her. She had been kidnapped and kept prisoner - bound and gagged. She had been brought face to face with the man who had ordered the execution of her father, and had listened as he outlined his mad idea to destroy half the world. And hear she was locked up again with the near certainty that she and Alex wouldn't be allowed to leave here alive. Sabina should have been terrified. But she simply waited quietly while Alex completed his checks, watching as if seeing him for the first time | ” |
—Alex Rider regarding Sabina's calm reaction in Damian Cray's captivity |
In the books, she is depicted as extremely optimistic, feisty, flirtatious, bubbly and jolly young girl. She has an incessant habit of being attracted to boys and judging them by their appearance. She responds sarcastically at first when Alex reveals he is part of MI6, but then responds angrily. This is because of the trauma after her father was devastatingly injured by Yassen Gregorovitch. However, in the final moments of her ordeal with Damian Cray, she displays daring, bravery and selflessness in fighting off Cray, giving time for Alex to rejoin the fight. Afterwards, she claims that she will be haunted by the circumstances and events surrounding Cray's death for the rest of her life
Differences in the TV Series
In the television series, Sabina's last name is Pleasance instead of Pleasure.
Trivia
- It is often mentioned that Sabina has a "fixation with older men," which is surprising considering the amount of interest she shows in Alex, who is younger than her.
- Her name is a pun on the phrase "It's been a pleasure."
- In both the graphic novels and the film version of Stormbreaker, she appears as a school friend of Alex, instead of meeting him at Wimbledon, to provide a love interest element to the film and graphic novel interpretations.
- Also, by the end of the film she knows (and believes) Alex's secret, instead of learning of it in Eagle Strike.
- Although she and Alex show obvious romantic affection towards each other, she is technically Alex's sister by the end of Scorpia Rising because her family adopted him.
- In the TV series, her name was changed to Sabina Pleasance,
Gallery
References
Skeleton Key Characters | |
Main Characters | |
---|---|
Alex Rider • Alan Blunt • Tulip Jones • Jack Starbright • Alexei Sarov • Sabina Pleasure | |
Other Key Characters | |
Joe Byrne • Smithers • Belinda Troy • Tom Turner • Conrad • John Crawley • Boris Kiriyenko |
Eagle Strike Characters | |
Main Characters | |
---|---|
Alex Rider • Alan Blunt • Tulip Jones • Jack Starbright • Damian Cray • Sabina Pleasure • Yassen Gregorovich | |
Other Key Characters | |
Edward Pleasure • Smithers • Liz Pleasure • Marc Antonio • Charlie Roper • John Rider • Henryk |
Snakehead Characters | |
Main Characters | |
---|---|
Alex Rider • Tulip Jones • Jack Starbright • Ethan Brooke • Ash • Major Winston Yu | |
Other Key Characters | |
Smithers • Ben Daniels • Sabina Pleasure • Bill Tanner • Anan Sukit • Hermann De Wynter • Marc Damon |
Crocodile Tears Characters | |
Main Characters | |
---|---|
Alex Rider • Alan Blunt • Tulip Jones • Jack Starbright • Desmond McCain • Sabina Pleasure • Leonard Straik | |
Other Key Characters | |
Edward Pleasure • Smithers • Liz Pleasure • John Crawley • Ravi Chandra • Harry Bulman • Myra Bennett • Rahim |
Never Say Die Characters | |
Main Characters | |
---|---|
Alex Rider • Jack Starbright • Grimaldi Twins • Tulip Jones | |
Other Key Characters | |
Wolf • Frankie Stallone • Skunk • Dragana Novak • Jane Vosper • Sabina Pleasure |