В‘School ReunionВ’ was one of the most highly anticipated episodes of Series Two, featuring as it does the return of Sarah Jane Smith, one of the most popular Doctor Who companions of all time, and childrenВ’sВ’ favourite K9. In fact, despite appearances thus far in the new Doctor Who by Autons, UNIT and Daleks, as well as references to Time Lords, В‘School ReunionВ’ is the first episode that heavily references the classic series, with blatant references to a handful of specific stories. At the same time, it tries to place Sarah Jane and K9 within the context of the new series, and the end result is a bitВ… odd.

В‘School ReunionВ’ focuses primarily on the character interaction between the DoctorВ’s companions, which IВ’ll come to shortly, but does so against the backdrop of a plot that can best be described as functional. With the Krilitanes having invaded a school so that they can use the imagination of children to crack the В“cosmic codeВ” and thus become omnipotent, the Doctor and his friends are forced to stop them in a way that tends to involve running around corridors, and ends with a rushed ending in which the school explodes. IВ’ll be generous and assume that the Krilitane oil is flammable, but it feels very gratuitous. In the midst of this rather pedestrian plot, there are flashes of potential, for example the nature of the Krilitanes as a composite race, but there is not time for this to be explored, so it ends up as window dressing.

Ironically, В‘School ReunionВ’ marks the first time since В‘RoseВ’ that the series has seen the Doctor (and in this case companion) already in place and investigating events when the episode begins, which is quite novel for the series, but rather less so if youВ’ve read the New Adventures, especially when one notes that the Doctor has rather manipulatively arranged for the teacher he replaces to win the lottery. And because of my familiarity with Doctor Who in other media, quite a lot of the aspects of this story that might seem potentially interesting feel derivative, even though in this case it is almost certainly a coincidence, especially given writer Toby WhithouseВ’s apparent unfamiliarity with the series. Thus, the most interesting idea hinted at here, the Stasis Paradigm, not only riffs off the idea of Block Transfer Computation first seen in В‘LogopolisВ’ and developed throughout the novels (most memorably in В‘Dead RomanceВ’), it is also reminiscent of the idea of quantum mnemonics used by Craig Hinton in his novels В‘Millennial RitesВ’ and В‘The Quantum ArchangelВ’. Oh, and the children sat at their alien computers with headphones is straight out of В‘DowntimeВ’. None of which is a) intentional, and b) of any significance at all to the vast majority of viewers, but it did rather leave me feeling that IВ’d seen (or read) most of this before. Having said of all of that, I did like the amusingly silliness of all of that alien technology being plugged into a single overloaded electrical socket.

As for the monsters, the Krilitanes look far more effective than they did in the trailer at the end of В‘Tooth and ClawВ’ (c.f. the Werewolf), although the goofy teeth are perhaps a mistake. It is Anthony Stewart Head however who almost steals the show, with a slightly over-the-top performance as Mr. Finch that is never anything other than hugely watchable. Rumours abounded at one point that Head was to play the Master, and here he more or less does exactly that; heВ’s a gloating, well-dressed megalomaniac who gets to face off against the Doctor, and long time fans might note that if one imagines him as the DoctorВ’s old nemesis, FinchВ’s offer to share ultimate power with the Doctor isnВ’t a million miles away from the MasterВ’s similar offer in Episode Six of В‘Colony in SpaceВ’.

The main focus of В‘School ReunionВ’ however is the return of Sarah Jane, but she reappears here as a part of an agenda. This isnВ’t just a happy reunion in which an old friend contacts the Doctor for tea and help, Sarah instead is used as a means of putting RoseВ’s relationship with the Doctor into perspective. The script does this by making Rose realize, for the first time, that she is just the latest in a long line of mostly female companions, but in order to do this it has to put Sarah and Rose on a level playing field. And the way in which it does this isВ… divisive. One of the most annoying aspects of the new Doctor Who, for me at least, is that Russell T. Davies has redefined the role of companion as that of a groupie; despite occasional concerns by some fans, there has not, as yet, been any В“hanky-panky in the TARDISВ”, and on the whole RoseВ’s seeming infatuation, rather than simple friendship, with the Doctor is unrequited. In order to rattle RoseВ’s assumptions about their relationship, the production team thus choose to retool Sarah JaneВ’s relationship with the Doctor (which for anyone who isnВ’t familiar with the classic series was usually defined as В“best friendsВ”) and the result veers widely between just about acceptable to cheapening the past.

ItВ’s worth noting that despite the general impression that some fans have taken away from В‘School ReunionВ’, the episode opens with Sarah Jane investigating the school of her own accord with the sort of independence and competence exhibited by the older Sarah familiar to some fans from the Big Finish Sarah Jane Smith audio series and the novel В‘Bullet TimeВ’. She tells Finch, В“I can see everything Mr. Finch, quite clearlyВ”, and when sheВ’s fondly recalling her old friend В“John SmithВ”, she gives the impression that she hasnВ’t thought of him in some time. ItВ’s only when the sight of the TARDIS visibly shocks her that the script starts to try and hint that she has been pining for a lost lover for thirty years. And it does this purely for RoseВ’s benefit, creating a teeth-grinding situation best summed up by MickeyВ’s line, В“The missus and the ex!В” Rose is visibly shaken by the existence of Sarah, touchily snapping, В“IВ’m not his assistant!В” and telling him, В“I thought you and me wereВ… I obviously got it wrong.В” This I can accept, as RoseВ’s infatuation with the Doctor is one of her characteristics, in much the same way that it was one of SamВ’s in the Eighth Doctor novel range. Equally, I can cope with SarahВ’s difficulty in coping with adjusting to her old life back on Earth after the Doctor, which is summed up nicely when she asks, В“How could anything compare to that?В” and there is a touching moment at the end when she tells him, В“I havenВ’t ever thanked you for that time.В” What did irritate me however is lines such as, В“I know how intense a relationship with the Doctor can beВ”, В“you never came back for me, just dumped meВ”, В“some things are worth getting your heart broken forВ” and В“you were my lifeВ”. Worst of all is the ghastly grandchildren exchange, which suggests that sheВ’s spent a lonely three decades shunning other men because sheВ’s yearning hopelessly for Time Lord cock. This might sound a tad blunt, but frankly IВ’d rather the Doctor werenВ’t effectively reduced to some lecherous old bastard who seduces young women and then swiftly replaces them when they either get tired of travelling with him or he dumps them somewhere. It makes him, I submit, seedy.

On the whole however, the return of Sarah Jane does work well. Even though her reaction to seeing the Doctor hinges on the assumption that she hasnВ’t seen the Doctor since В‘The Hand of FearВ’, which ignores В‘The Five DoctorsВ’ and also effectively ignores the evidence of K9 and Company, which establishes that the Doctor dropped K9 off after he left her behind and that she therefore must have known that he hadnВ’t died, at least not on Gallifrey. Such continuity issues wonВ’t concern the vast majority of viewers, and nor should they, but given that we are talking about a script that specifies that this is K9 Mark III (and also makes specific references to В‘Pyramids of MarsВ’, В‘Planet of EvilВ’, В‘Death to the DaleksВ’, В‘Genesis of the DaleksВ’, В‘Terror of the ZygonsВ’ and В‘The Deadly AssassinВ’, it does rather jar if you do notice such things. Nevertheless, Sarah gets some great moments, including her line, В“You can tell youВ’re getting older, youВ’re assistants are getting youngerВ” and her sparring with Rose over whose seen the most interesting things with the Doctor. Happily, Sarah wins on points, managing to startle Rose with В“The Loch Ness Monster!В” after which they stop bitching at one another, and their mutually laughter at the DoctorВ’s eccentricities is quite sweet, as too is SarahВ’s indignation that the suburban street that we saw at the end of В‘The Hand of FearВ’ was in Aberdeen. But mostly Sarah works because of Elizabeth Sladen; having reprised the role recently for Big Finish she knows full well how to step back into the character and despite my rant above, it is genuinely nice to see her again.

K9 meanwhile is present largely to appeal to the kids and nostalgic older viewers, and despite being largely knackered, it gets to save the day twice, firstly by zapping attacking Krilitanes out of the air and secondly by making the ultimate sacrifice in order to destroy the villains. ItВ’s hard not to feel sad when he gets blown up at the end, although he does get a great last line, as Finch snarls, В“You bad dogВ…В” to which he smugly replies, В“Affirmative.В” Mind you, this is K9 we are talking about, and in time honoured tradition he gets to sound snooty and superior, especially when he patiently reminds Mickey В“We are in a carВ” until the penny drops. John Leeson has also recently reprised his role (or rather, roles) for Big Finish and he too steps back into character with practiced ease. The poignancy of K9В’s destruction is somewhat ruined by its replacement with K9 Mark IV, but it probably appeals to the kids. Otherwise, it just serves as an excuse for Sarah to sum up the previous forty-five with the sledgehammer subtle line, В“He replaced you with a brand new model? Yeah, he does thatВ…В”

However, K9 also serves another function, as it puts MickeyВ’s relationship with the Doctor and Rose into perspective and he realises with horror, В“Oh my god, IВ’m the tin dog!В” This is significant because it leads to Mickey staying on board the TARDIS at the end of the episode, asking the Doctor, В“Can I come? В‘Cause IВ’m not the tin dog, and I want to see whatВ’s out there.В” Since heВ’s more interesting by now than Rose this is more than welcome, especially when she looks jealous and petulant when the Doctor agrees. Whether or not MickeyВ’s new role as companion will prove an asset remains to be seen, but itВ’s a promising development.

As for David Tennant, he gets a good episode, even though he has to contend with such appalling dialogue as, В“Physics. Physics, eh?В”, В“CorrectomundoВ… a word I have never used before and hopefully never will againВ”, В“Happy-slapping hoodies with ASBOsВ”. He actually delivers these better than might be expected. But heВ’s at his best when the Doctor meets Sarah again and looks utterly delightedly, babbling, В“Nice to meet you! Yes, very nice. More than nice, brilliant!В” and he does it again when he joyfully exclaims, В“K9!В” He also looks suitably haunted when he explains to Rose, В“You can spend the rest of your life with me, but I canВ’t spend the rest of mine with you.В” When Finch asks the Doctor to join him, Tennant makes him look first stunned and then extremely tempted as he whispers, В“I could save everyoneВ… I could stop the warВ”, and it seems to take Sarah to snap him out it. The earlier confrontation at the swimming pool is reasonably well staged, although the В“If I donВ’t like it, then it will stopВ” and В“I used to have so much mercyВ” lines smack again of the sort of В“tell donВ’t showВ” more often seen in Russell T. DaviesВ’ episodes. He also looks convincingly upset when he sadly says to K9, В“Goodbye old friendВ” and itВ’s quite moving.

In the final analysis, and despite some strong criticisms, I largely enjoyed В‘School ReunionВ’ almost exclusively because of Sarah Jane and K9, but in spite of much of the script, not because of it. Ultimately, the end result is that the episode feels more like an important event within the wider context of something larger than a story in its own right, which is itВ’s definite weakness. One last thought: for those of you who took issue with RoseВ’s reaction to meeting Sarah Jane, just be glad it wasnВ’t SusanВ…

Okay then, in a nutshellВ…the Doctor meets an old companion resulting in much В“you left me you cadВ” dialogue, all of which takes place in a school to get the kids interested, while a bunch of bat creatures try to take over the universe with super-enhanced chip-oil. Add to that a robot dog with a laser in its nose, and IВ’d be hard pressed to find a less enticing prospect for an episode. Actually School Reunion is okay, but rather than falling short of greatness like some other episodes do, В“okayВ” is all this episode can ever hope to achieve. With Toby Whithouse not being a fan of the original series, it becomes a worrying sign of the way the series could go if more writers came along taking their inspiration solely from Russell T. DaviesВ’s blueprint.

I write my reviews by going chronologically through the episode and highlighting anything interesting on the way; the first notable element is Anthony Stewart Head as Mr Finch, who immediately sees his character for what it is. Whether or not having the monsters led by a campy supervillain (apparently an В“ironicВ” one, not that that necessarily makes a difference) detracts from their credibility, Head plays the role the only way that could possibly work: by hamming it up. ItВ’s done with a lot of skill though, making it seem genuinely ironic (and therefore clever) rather than an attempt at it (and therefore smug). With every scene heВ’s in geared up to cater for his characterВ’s cartoonish quality (В“nearly time for lunchВ…В”) he says in the pre-titles sequence, there really isnВ’t any other option.

Some of the DoctorВ’s lines are terrible (В“physics, physics, physics, physics, physics, physics, physics, physics, etcВ”) and combined with David TennantВ’s performance, which is growing increasingly irritating by this stage, the character becomes cringe-inducing. The creepy little kid with alien knowledge is contrastingly effective, and it speaks volumes when the seriesВ’s lead actor is outperformed by a twelve-year-old.

Having the episode start with the Doctor and Rose already two days into their investigations is a good use of the forty-five minute format, and throughout its length the pacing feels much more natural than with many other episodes. It isnВ’t structural problems that beset School Reunion. The problem is with the characters largely, and the DoctorВ’s line of В“happy-slapping hoodies with ringtonesВ” (or something like that) is unbearably self-conscious, the kind of pop culture reference that really needs toning down В– especially with all the В“eh? Eh?В” stuff he gives it afterwards. Such relentless referencing of 2006 going to look so silly in years to come, you mark my words: how much would people laugh at the Jon Pertwee years if he went round with the latest Mud LP under his arm going on about greebos with flares and lapels, on space-hoppers? ItВ’s followed by a tense scene where one of the Krillitanes gets burned by the oil В– itВ’s only when they start cooking chips in it that it loses its allure as a science-fiction device.

ItВ’s great to see Elisabeth Sladen again as she is a really wonderful actress and my favourite original series companion, but she shows up a flaw in the episodeВ’s characterisation very early on: the Doctor (a complete stranger at this stage) only has to mention В“John SmithВ” and suddenly sheВ’s off down memory lane like somebody has flicked a switch.

Perhaps it seems odd because Sladen plays it so straight, while Anthony Stewart Ham, the DoctorВ’s wackiness and MickeyВ’s В“whereВ’s the Maths departmentВ” routine owe more of a debt to season 24. SarahВ’s first sight of the TARDIS is possibly the episodeВ’s best scene: itВ’s manipulative, like all the rest, but it gets away with it for being reasonably well-written and well directed by James Hawes (who still disappoints after the tour de force that was The Empty Child), although as usual Murray Gold overdoes the music. His scores for the new series are much easier on the ears than many early scores, but they canВ’t hope to just fade into the background, and nothing removes mystery more than having that ubiquitous В“oooooooOOOOOOOOoooooВ” singing come floating out of nowhere whenever anything remotely enigmatic happens.

ThereВ’s yet another moment of self-referential metafiction, when Sarah responds with В“okay, now I can believe itВ’s youВ” when she hears a scream. I tuned in to watch Doctor Who, not a programme about Doctor Who!

The vacuum-packed rats are a slight improvement in terms of imagery, and these little touches are what rescue the episode to an extent.

K9 makes for a large prod at my fanboy-nature but he was never my favourite original series creation.

Ordinarily the cafГ© scene would be one of those moments where the plot has to grind to a halt to allow for an emotional moment (a common fault of the new series), but it feels less obtrusive here; it takes place at night, when thereВ’s a natural break in the narrative anyway, and the repairing of K9 gives it more of a sense of focus. However, all the В“you were my lifeВ” moments are annoying, retconning the original series into line with the new seriesВ’s mawkish ethos.

IВ’m all for engaging with what happens to companions after theyВ’ve left, but to have them miserable and pining is to remove all their dignity В– not to mention spoiling SarahВ’s wonderfully elegant departure at the end of The Hand Of Fear. ItВ’s rescued by Mickey to a large degree, as Noel Clarke stakes a claim for the episodeВ’s best actor. ThereВ’s some unusually crude exposition as the Doctor gives a mini lecture on the Krillitanes В– a race that reshapes itself with parts of other species is a very nice idea, but since theyВ’re sidelines for so much of the episode they can never be a classic monster and can only be relegated to the В“could have been good with more careВ” bin.

The DoctorВ’s confrontation with Rose outside the cafГ© comes from an interesting perspective, asking the question В“what do you do when heВ’s left you?В” but itВ’s very badly handled with excessive В“curse of the Time LordsВ” guff and the Doctor just breaking off his sentence before saying the word В“loveВ”. The are-they-arenВ’t-they aspect of the new series is one of its less mature features В– who cares either way, where are the monsters?

The swimming pool scene, which surprisingly seems to have become one of the big set pieces of the entire second series, is a worthy moment in the episode; Head gets some interesting dialogue, and both performers do well with even Tennant quietening down for a moment.

By contrast, thereВ’s more peculiar characterisation going on in the Maths lab: first of all the episode goes into complete continuity meltdown, referencing fourteen other episodes in the space of about half a minute, an excess to which John Nathan-Turner never stooped to even at his most insular. For some reason it triggers another random change in the characters as Rose and Sarah go from hating each other to being best friends in the space of a single line of dialogue.

School Reunion is an explicitly character driven episode, the series two equivalent of FatherВ’s Day in that respect, and while thatВ’s not necessarily a problem (I liked FatherВ’s Day) it does mean that itВ’s a fairly basic requirement that the characters are convincing and you donВ’t get this by removing all trace of emotional development. What actually happens is that characters go from A to Z without ever passing through the rest of the alphabet, if youВ’ll pardon that horrendous analogy.

Okay, hereВ’s a criticism thatВ’s going to sound really unreasonable: the Scasis Paradigm is bad because itВ’s too interesting. That really sounds like IВ’m looking for things to criticise, but the reasoning is this: the thought of an equation that can unlock complete control of time and space is a massively compelling one. In fact, in the late 1970s an entire season was dedicated to a not-dissimilar concept. In this case though it serves merely as a platform for the characters to go on one emotional journey to another, and as such feels like a real wasted opportunity. What could be the best idea of the episode is thrown away.

However, it does lead to a great scene where the Doctor is tempted by the prospect of powerВ…which is itself let down by Sarah suddenly changing her mind yet again, like sheВ’s having a breakdown, and telling him in a great monologue (one of the new seriesВ’s trademark features) about the importance of change.

ItВ’s quite fun watching K9 shoot at the Krillitanes and I suppose the simplicity of how the plot is resolves is proportional to how much prevalence that aspect of the episode had in the narrative anyway.

However, the children cheering as the school blows up puts the episode firmly in kidsВ’-show territory. It finishes with a sugary-sweet ending scene where emotional dialogue, and the music to go with it, gets delivered by truck. I wonВ’t dwell on it really as my opinion of this kind of thing is already well documented. One thing though: isnВ’t Sarah saying that she preferred the old TARDIS console room a bit of a v-sign at production designer Ed Thomas? Not that sheВ’s wrong or anything.

School Reunion is one of those episodes that depends on my mood, and tonight I didnВ’t enjoy it that much. Looking at it more objectively I feel it just about squeaks an average rating, but only just. All I can say for it is that it doesnВ’t disappoint; where Tooth And Claw should have been a classic, School Reunion just settles into its furrow and stays there. A common complaint with many average episodes is that В“itВ’s not as good as it could have beenВ”; in this case I find myself thinking that itВ’s not as bad as it nearly is . The only thing I canВ’t work out is whether thatВ’s a good thing or a bad thing.

“The missus and the ex. Welcome to every man’s worst nightmare!”

Mickey may have very succinctly put into words just exactly how the tenth Doctor feels about “School Reunion,” but as a long time fan of the series this episode is just about as far from a ‘nightmare’ as you can get. In his first contribution to the series, Toby Whithouse has written both a classic Doctor Who contemporary horror story and a cracking piece of emotional drama. “School Reunion” may bring back characters and dwell on certain events from the classic series, but this is no piece of fanw**k – this is a story that explores the relationship between the Doctor and Rose (and even to a certain extent Mickey) and that is the reason why we have Sarah Jane Smith and K-9 on board.

Like most people, I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw how little Elizabeth Sladen had aged. Her understated introduction into the story (being shown to the staff room by Mr. Finch) is beautifully written and performed, and succeeds in establishing the character of ‘Investigative Journalist’ Sarah Jane Smith for the benefit of those new to the series or those with appalling memory. I love the Doctor’s reaction to her; he is clearly overjoyed to see her but can’t say that he recognises her. I love the line “Oh good for you Sarah Jane Smith!” which is delivered with relish by David Tennant; he’s like a proud parent or teacher, over the moon that his star pupil is still doing what she does best.

As I watched Sarah come across the TARDIS I found myself right on the edge of my seat. James Hawes direction is absolutely superb; Sarah turns slowly to face her old friend and the penny finally drops. For the first time in the episode we see that this is not the same Sarah Jane Smith that the fourth Doctor abandoned in Croydon (well… Aberdeen) way back in “The Hand of Fear.” She’s grown up. She’s even become a little bitter. As Sarah herself puts it, “I got old.” The Doctor claims to have regenerated “half a dozen times” since they last met*, and he too has grown older and harder. The ‘President Flavia’ music (as Russell T. Davies calls it!) has become synonymous with pivotal, heart-wrenching Time Lordy moments in the new series and every time I hear it I end up struggling to prevent a single, manly tear trickling down the cheek. If anything I expected “School Reunion” to be a nostalgic, light-hearted romp but in fact I found it almost as sad as the closing moments of “The Parting of the Ways.”

“I thought you died. I waited for you and you didn’t come back and I thought you must’ve died.”

“I lived. Everyone else died.”

“What you do mean?”

“Everyone died Sarah.”

David Tennant’s voice sounds as if it as about to crack as he says “Everyone died Sarah,” and I can’t say exactly why but for some reason it seems so much more tragic for him to confess his loneliness to an old friend – a friend who knew him when there was a Gallifrey; a UNIT; a family - things for the Doctor that are all long gone. I also liked how the moment wasn’t dwelled on; the scene quickly moved on (thanks to a Mickey Smith scream!) and we were back into the action – even when it is at its ‘soapiest’ this show never slows.

“Did I do something wrong because you never came back for me? You just dumped me… you were my life.”

Sarah Jane is quite possibly the most recognisable of all the Doctor’s travelling companions (hence why Liz Sladen was invited to take part in this episode) and it is wonderfully to have her back for a week and to have the Doctor and Sarah to say their big goodbye, but the fact of the matter is that the real story of “School Reunion” lies with Rose. It is no longer 1976 it is 2006, and it is Rose, not Sarah Jane who we will be watching week in week out. Since “Rose” the relationship between the Doctor and his latest ‘companion’ has been shown as a strange sort of love story; a special, one-of-a-kind affair between a young human girl and centuries’ old alien bloke. “School Reunion” hammers the point home that this special, ‘one-of-a-kind’ affair is far from unique. Sarah Jane came before Rose, as did a great many others. One day Sarah was off fighting Daleks, Mummies and the Loch Ness monster, then the next she found herself lost in the middle of Aberdeen. How could she go back to lead a normal life after that? And more to the point, how will Rose be able to go back and lead a normal life after all her adventures with the Doctor? The thought of it terrified her in “The Parting of the Ways” as she cried to her Mother and Mickey “What do I do every day?” At least back then, Rose was under the illusion that what she has with the Doctor is somehow unique, and that in some way he would always remember her. Her jealous mocking of Sarah - “He’s never mentioned you” – soon comes back to haunt her as she realises that one day, she will be Sarah Jane. She will be the one who is never mentioned.

“As opposed to what?”

The Doctor finally asks the question that no one has ever dared to ask.

“I thought you and me were…”

“I don’t age. I regenerate. But humans decay. You whither and you die. Imagine watching that happen to someone who you… You can spend the rest of your life with me, but I can’t spend the rest of mine with you. I have to live on. Alone. That’s the curse of the Time Lords.”

It is still left open, although from the dialogue and the fantastic performances of both Tennant and Piper it is clear that they do love each other. The Doctor just manages to hold himself back from saying it; it’s on the tip of his tongue. I’m glad that he doesn’t actually say that he loves her – or that he has loved any of his companions for that matter – probably because of the whole eighth Doctor / Charley saga. That particular relationship was handled beautifully (“I love you’s” and all) through “Neverland” and “Zagreus,” then when Big Finish tried to ‘get out of it’ (for want of a better phrase) it just got a little bit too messy. More importantly, the words are not necessary. The audience isn’t dumb; and as it is the dialogue just sparkles and most people can reasonably infer what the Doctor is thinking and feeling.

“Oh my God. I’m the tin dog!”

With all the heavyweight drama going on in “School Reunion” it’s easy to forget Mr. Mickey Smith, who is going on an important character journey of his own. Ever since day one Mickey has been the comic relief, and although his bravery and his confidence are growing with each episode he is still the butt of all the jokes, and I dare say he forever will be. He either can’t find the Maths department or is being down told to sit in the car and “… leave the window open a crack.” However, a combination of clever writing and superb acting from Noel Clarke has slowly made me warm to the character more and more. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve never disliked the character - I’ve always found him amusing, even when he was just an irritating, selfish coward, but of late I’ve found myself actively championing Mickey. I want him to do well; I want him to save the day or get the girl – God knows he deserves it! Mr. “Safety Scissors and Glitter” brings something special to almost every scene he is in – even when he has no dialogue his facial expressions alone often have me cracking up! Thanks to a little help from K-9, Mickey really does get to be a hero in this episode – he bravely crashes his car into the school so that the fat bespectacled kid can escape, and even better, he frees all the children by simply unplugging their mind-controlling computers! Incidentally, that scene is another example of just how good James Hawes’ direction is – the way you can almost physically follow Mickey’s train of thought as he looks from the computers, to the floor, to the power cables to the socket is simply fantastic.

Of course, hidden behind the character story is a wonderfully chilling horror story waiting to get out, and although it suffers slightly from not having quite enough screen-time (I think “School Reunion” should have been a serious contender for a two-part slot), it is a damn good one. Landing Anthony Stewart Head for the role of Mr. Finch is a real coup for the show, and I couldn’t imagine anyone else on Earth being as suited to the role as he is. Head can exude evil but he can also lay on the charm; he can stand on top of the school and whisper “come to me” to one of the Krillitanes in one scene and then in the next be smoothly trying to turn the Doctor over to his cause. I was also impressed by Eugene Washington as Mr. Wagner – in many ways I found him far more scary and intense than even Mr. Finch! There is so much classic Doctor Who stuff crammed in forty-four minutes it’s hard to comment on it all, but stuff like the Krillitane flying in front of the moon, the zombie kids in front of their computers and the dinner lady immolation scene are absolutely classic Doctor Who ingredients. Even for those who aren’t into the more sort of ‘real life’ / ‘soap opera’ parts of the story, there is still a hell of a lot of fantastic sci-fi horror to be found in “School Reunion.”

In the beautifully shot ‘showdown’ at the swimming pool between Finch and the Doctor, almost every element is perfect. Writing; acting; lighting; music; direction. It’s just one of those scenes that make you go “WOW!” and for those out there who doubted that David Tennant might not have Christopher Eccleston’s weight, this scene – just like “The Christmas Invasion”’s ‘satsuma’ scene – put any fears to rest.

“I’m so old now. I used to have so much mercy. You get one warning.”

I know I see it in everything, but there is a real Palpatine / Anakin Skywalker thing going on with Finch and the Doctor. This “Scasis Paradigm” idea is heavy stuff for an episode already crammed to bursting point, but it works so well. Finch can offer the Doctor absolute power over everything – quite literally power over life and death – meaning that he can resurrect the Time Lords, Katarina, Adric, Roz and God knows who else. Whereas in that ‘Anakin Skywalker Crisis Moment’ on a weak day he may possibly have broken, Sarah Jane Smith is on hand to remind him exactly why he shouldn’t. It is only as she says the words - “No. The universe has to move forward… everything has its time and everything ends” (misquoting the ninth Doctor) – that she seems to realise what they mean and for the first time since the Doctor abandoned her to return to Gallifrey, she gains some measure of closure.

“You good dog.”

“Affirmative.”

K-9’s heroic sacrifice was something of an unexpected choker but like Sarah, I felt strange being saddened by the death of a “daft metal dog” (or as Finch brilliantly puts it, a “shooty dog thing”) but I suppose if you can get cut up over Data’s death in Star Trek: Nemesis then you can grieve for the third incarnation of a tin dog. I have to say though, I was annoyed at the Star Trek: Nemesis-style cop-out right at the end – how many K-9’s are there going to be? I know he’s getting his own spin-off series (again) but c’mon!

“Some things are worth getting your heart broken for.”

The episode’s ending is satisfying on so many levels. It’s nice to see the Doctor offer Sarah a chance to pick up where they left off, even though he knows that she’ll turn him down because she has a “..much bigger adventure ahead…” Sarah’s face is absolutely priceless when she hears Mickey ask, “Can I come?”, before she realises that he means with the Doctor and Rose, not with her! It’s interesting to see that Rose doesn’t seem to happy about her pseudo-boyfriend coming along for the trip of a lifetime…

Throughout “School Reunion” Murray Gold’s score is incredibly impressive; it reminds me very much of the epic soundtrack to last season’s Dalek episodes, giving the whole episode a real sense of gravity. A beautiful, soft, instrumental version “Song For Ten” contrasts the final scene of the episode with everything that has gone before it as the Sarah Jane makes the Doctor say Goodbye. That’s what really gets you. There’s not a dry eye in the house.

“Goodbye my Sarah Jane!”

As with last year’s much-hyped episode “Dalek”, the Bank Holiday weekend prevented me from watching this historic episode as it went out on Saturday evening (this year blame the Kaiser Chiefs in Millennium Square, Leeds!) but, as with “Dalek”, it was certainly worth the wait. Chilling scenes of horror, gut-wrenching character drama, fantastic dialogue (“Happy slapping hoodies with ASBOs and ringtones!”) and a retro robot dog mean that there is a little bit of something in “School Reunion” for everyone. A positive triumph in every possible respect. I honestly did not believe that the second series could be any better than the first, but the way things are going thus far…

* Probably best to either forget about “The Five Doctors”, or just say after she returned to her own time with the third Doctor, the Time Lords wiped Sarah’s memory! Sorted.

There are some episodes that really, really excite and this was one of them. It had so many things going for it. The return of Sarah-Jane and K9 and Anthony Stewart-Head guest starring. And it all came together so, so well.

Bringing back Sarah-Jane and K9 has to be the best decision made by the produces so far. It was just so great to see the pair back on our screens and to have Sarah being such a strong individual. She was slightly bitter about the Doctor just dumping her, and who can blame her, but she had returned to what she was good at, journalism. And more than that she was doing what the Doctor was, hunting out the strange. And it was funny to find out that the Doctor had dumped her in Aberdeen, nowhere near Croydon.

The story was well written, excellently acted, had a right amount of humour and scares in it. The computer scenes reminded me of Dark Season, a Russell T.Davies sci-fi thing from the early 90В’s. I think it is very hard to fault this episode really. There was nothing wrong with it, it came together brilliantly. Lis Sladen and Billie Piper played the jealously between the two characters extremely well and their argument scene, throwing the different monsters theyВ’d encountered at each other, was brilliant. ItВ’s such an interesting scenario though, companions meeting their counterparts. ItВ’s happen so rarely and when it has it hasnВ’t been explored very well, has it? You had Tegan and Sarah meeting but that was all pleasant and nice, same with Peri and Jamie. Here you had the bitchy jealously and protectiveness and it worked well. Anthony Head created a truly chilling enemy and was just superb in the role, it was a match made in heaven.

There was plenty of continuity references for fans of the original series which is nice because the new series has a tendency to avoid it as much as possible. Another Torchwood mention, is it this seasonВ’s Bad Wolf? Maybe it wonВ’t be as confusing in is resolution as the whole Bad Wolf was.

The ending had me nearly in tears with Sarah and the Doctor parting once more and then K9 coming back. It was a nice sentimental ending to a fab episode but they canВ’;t leave it there. This episode proved that thereВ’s still plenty of mileage left in the Sarah-Jane character and given the right scripts Lis Sladen can do wonders with the character. Lis was brilliant here and lets hope it means weВ’ll be seeing K9 and Sarah-Jane meet up with the Doctor again.

Now this is a tough one to review. I've just spoken to a friend who said he thought it was 'okay, but last week's was better'. He only came aboard for the new series, however.

'School Reunion' works on two very different levels. For new fans it's a nice piece set in a creepy school replete with aliens, a sinister headmaster, a talking robot dog and an old friend of the Doctor's who makes Rose think about where her relationship with him is going.

For those of us who have loved the show longer, it's all about Sarah Jane.

This is the kind of story which should have been done years ago - just what happens to a companion when the Doctor moves on. Sarah was a perfect choice because she was one of the few who didn't choose to leave. In many respects, she was the closest thing we had to a Rose before Rose came along.

Toby Whithouse's script is a masterclass in how to do several things at once within a short timeframe. We have the action, the sinister monsters, the character exchanges and too many standout scenes to count. Everything featuring the Doctor and Sarah is massively watchable, but other pieces like the Doctor and Finch's battle-of-words across the swimming pool and Finch's offer of everythung the Doctor could want are both wonderful.

After feeling a little unsure after New Earth I'm feeling once again the Saturday night joy I rediscovered last spring. This really is the best thing on TV right now and it's lovely to be able to say that about a show that I've cherished since I was very young, following the Doctor and Tegan, Peri and Ace (yes, I know I left out Mel - do you blame me?), and reliving the past adventures of the Doctor and a girl called Sarah Jane.

Next week, Steven Moffat returns to scripting duties (hurrah!) and we have Mickey along for the ride. Clockwork robots, spaceships, time portals ... with so many ideas, it's entirely possible a future Doctor twenty years from now could be bumping into a middle-aged, blonde woman called Rose, introducing her to his latest companion ...

В‘The Doctor meets Sarah-Jane Smith and K9 againВ’ When I first heard this simple premise regards I thought В“Oh God! They did really well with the last series and now they are going to try to top it by going overboardВ…ItВ’ll be a nightmareВ” I am DELIGHTED to say I was wrong!!!

Regards the actual story В– the Dr and company beat Aliens who are using children in a school as mini computers blah, blah, blah В– itВ’s unimportant because this adventure is about relationships; The Dr and Sarah-Jane, The Dr and Rose & Rose and Sarah-Jane. Not since last yearВ’s В‘FatherВ’s DayВ’ will you get a more emotional episode. I consider myself a regular beer guzzling, football loving bloke and yet I will freely admit to shedding a tear when the Doctor and Sarah-Jane said goodbyeВ…and then shedding another tear when the TARDIS dematerialised and you saw Sarah-JaneВ’s В‘presentВ’.

I wont ruin the story for those who have yet to see it, but I will merely tell you that for all the episodes that brought back old characters to face the new Doctor which lacked emotional impact and were humdrum, this is the episode to counteract them all!

The episode continues the new seriesВ’ ability to add humour to the series (Mickey realises heВ’s В‘the tin dogВ’, the teacherВ’s sleeping in the school, K9В’s one-liners and Anthony headВ’s glorious turn as the Headmaster), but this story had everything and also explains the DoctorВ’s reasons for not re-visiting old companions В– and itВ’s a good un!

My favourite creatures were always the Cybermen (I am possibly the only Who fan who hates Daleks) and I was a bit concerned about how they would be portrayed in the series future episodes, but if they show Cybermen the respect and class they have shown to the DoctorВ’s old-companions, I have nothing to worry about.

After being disappointed with New Earth & Tooth and Claw, this has renewed my faith in the series; Sarah-JaneВ’s face on seeing the TARDIS, meeting the Doctor again once she realises who he is and the final five emotional minutes of the episode are definite highpoints for all Dr Who fans!! Bring on the Cybermen!