School Reunion

Is DOCTOR WHO a show for children ? Oh that's a tricky question . Die-hard fans like myself will point to stories like The Seeds Of Doom that are so shockingly scary that there's no way it can be described as a children's programme . That's the problem with TORCHWOOD which is indeed a silly unsophisticated show whose idea of " adult drama " seems to be composed saying the f word a couple of times whilst shoehorning some lesbian snogging in to an underdeveloped storyline . At least DOCTOR WHO knows its target audience which is something the whole family can enjoy

School Reunion is a story the whole family can enjoy . An alien race called Krillitanes have infiltrated a comprehensive school and are using it as a bridgehead to take over the world . We've all been to school and some of us hated it more than others . This is the beauty of DOCTOR WHO because after seeing this episode you'll be reminded of how some teachers you remembered came across as being inhuman monsters . If you're still young enough to go to school Monday mornings will never be the same again and you'll be hoping for a blue police box to materalise in the playground

It's also an episode that works on more than one level . Children will enjoy the setting while adults who watched the show in the mid 1970s will remember Sarah Jane Smith . She breaks in to the school at night and meets the Doctor , a scene that is strangely haunting and powerful . I was never all that keen on Sarah Jane from the classic series but Elizabeth Sladen can certainly act and she shows her acting skills when lamenting that the Doctor had forgotten her . There's also some amusing bitching between Rose and Sarah Jane . Add to this some scary imagery of the Krillinates and you've got one of the best episodes of the resurrected DOCTOR WHO . Even Noel Clarke as Mickey is good and how many times has someone said that ?

Quite easily one of my top five favorite episodes (if not #1). A good story. Poignant moments, cheeky moments, this episode has it. A satisfying tribute to the Classic DW with one of the most popular companions from the classic era. You can see from the moment that the Doctor first sees Sarah, that this is going to be something special. And it delivers. The initial byplay, the scene in the café where Sarah believes she did something wrong, to complaining about the navigation of the TARDIS (You'd think that with all the time The Doctor spends in England, he and the TARDIS would know the difference between Aberdeen and Croydon). But the big highlight for me was the "discussion" between Rose and Sarah in the classroom. What starts out as open antagonism becomes a funny, wonderful scene where the 'old' generation eventually bonds with the new. And I can't help but smile at the fact that Sarah Jane gets the last word in ("The. Lock. Ness. Monster!") This episode also provided the inspiration and impetus for "The Sarah Jane Adventures".

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 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.

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.