School Reunion

This could so easily have been a disaster. How many times have we heard the phrase, 'You can't go back'? When I heard that Sarah Jane and K9 were returning I couldn't see how they were going to fit in with the new series. They slotted in as if they'd never been away! The power of the emotional subtext and Sarah Jane's anger at having been left was quite breathtaking at times. Even better was the sparky relationship between Sarah Jane and Rose which was hilariously played out in a scene where the two were trying to outdo each other with the monsters they'd seen. It was telling that Rose had never thought about life after the Doctor. Sarah Jane was showing her the future and she was obviously concerned by it. The plot paled into insignificance with all the issues raised but Anthony Head was a great villain in his telling cameo. Taken with the following episode, 'The Girl in the Fireplace' this is the Doctor growing up and starting to acknowledge the real effect he has on his friends and companions.

A group of progressive teachers and dinner ladies take over a London school, but the Doctor and Rose embed themselves to make sure they're playing by the rules (obviously they are not!). Two old friends (past companions) from long ago are encountered on the way, the Doctor beams with pleasure and joy but Rose has nothing good to say (until later once they've bonded). When the Head is finally challenged he is defiant, they will remain, but the Time Lord is having none of it, and neither's Sarah Jane (or her dog).

This is a fantastic episode, providing an excellent mix of nostalgia, humour, and an emotional depth which a previous reviewer identifies as being new to Dr. Who. The interplay between Rose and Sarah Jane is top-notch, while K-9 remains steadfastly "disco". ("Suggest mistress engage running mode...") We've often wondered (at least I have) what happens to the old assistants after their travels, and this episode offers a look at what travelling with The Doctor does to someone's life. It made me want to go back and brush up on how The Doctor and Sarah Jane parted. Rose's charming naïveté is gently highlighted (did she really think someone as old as The Doctor had always travelled alone?) while reinforcing for her the value of her travels.

Past incarnations of the DrWho story have featured returns of previous Doctors and also of previous companions, the best of these to date being the five doctors.

School Reunion, however is the first of these that really looks at the situation from the companions view point and what emerges is a story that tingled with emotion and the actual plot line of aliens taking over a school pales into the background as we watch Sarah-Jane and Rose's mixed emotions in what is essentially the traditional Girl meets Aien, loses Alien, meets Alien again but he's met someone else, loses Alien again ! A story I am sure we can all relate to in our daily lives.

Highlight has to be Elizabeth Sladen's magnificent return, A shame we don't see much of her these days as this episode clearly shows she really is a fantastic actress and I hope that, (if she wants) we see her in something new very soon.

A must see Episode !!

I think I looked forward to this episode more so then any other of the series, simply because of the return of Elisabeth Sladen, and i'm afraid that her being in it distracted me from everyone else, even the site of a suited and booted Eugene Washington.

Mickey calls in Rose and the Doctor because something is very wrong at the local school, the Doctor teaches, Rose becomes a dinner lady, where she witnesses an accident with a colleague and some cooking oil. The children are well behaved and super intelligent, so clearly something is wrong. Sarah Jane finally gets to tell the Doctor off for leaving her alone for so long, but it's not long before K-9 is introduced and the team take on the Krilitane species.

Seeing Sarah Jane was a hugely emotional moment, my definite favourite classic series companion, it was ridiculous how amazing she looked, 60 years old and very beautiful. It was great that she became the first companion to question the Doctor about life after travels with him. Great scene where we discover the Doctor dropped her off in Aberdeen instead of Croydon.

The Krilitane are a little bid dodgy I guess, I doubt we will see them again. Anthony Head's performance as excellent. It was flawed I guess but Lis's performance was good enough to give her her own spin off series, and on that alone it gets a 10.