Good old Russell T Davies!

Surprised?

Well, first things first, I have to accept that my review of Tooth and Claw was unduly negative; looking back, I appear to be one of those moaning minnies, criticised in some of the other reviewersВ’ comments, who simply cannot accept RTDВ’s vision of the series. By and large thatВ’s true, but it must be said that В‘Tooth and ClawВ’ was very good by any standards, and it was simply the grating nature of some of the regularsВ’ characterisation that spoiled it for me; in the review I concentrated too much on that, at the expense of what was, objectively, at least average and possibly superior Doctor Who.

But that isnВ’t what my surprising statement was about, oh no. I was giving Russell credit for something else entirely; in this case, for something he didnВ’t do В– and that is, not writing В‘School ReunionВ’. Russell has been quite good at this throughout В– although he couldnВ’t restrain himself from doing the series finales, he has В– as other people have already noted В– given a lot of the best material to other writers. Victorian Cardiff and zombies. The Blitz. The Dalek. And the return of Sarah Jane Smith and K9 had classic written all over it from the start В– my honest opinion is that Russell would not have done it as well as the writer who in the end got the job has done it. Whoever Toby Whitehouse is, he really came up trumps here. So well done Russell.

With all that out of the way, the very first thing to say is well done, Elisabeth Sladen. What a consummate actress. What a performer. What a star. We love you, Lis.

I was prepared for this to be dreadful, I had to be, or else I couldnВ’t have stood it had it been. But even I never thought that Lis Sladen could let us down! Well done, Elisabeth Sladen. What a consummate actress. What a performer. WhatВ…

В…oops, repeating myself. But LisВ’ contribution to the programme was superlative. Whitehouse has done a wonderful job with the returning guests, getting Sarah JaneВ’s characterisation close to В‘bang on the noseВ’ В– what quibbles there were, for example the initial unpleasantness between Sarah and Rose, and SarahВ’s implied sexual attraction to the Doctor, ElisabethВ’s performance ironed out, because with her you can believe it. K9 was even better, in terms of being true to the original, that is (those nose lasers! Sweet.) Even Mickey was less irritating than usual, and he had a couple of good scenes saving the kids. The more I look back over it, the more incredible it seems that Whitehouse has juggled so many elements so well.

Not all the credit can go to him, however (itВ’s alright though, thereВ’s a lot of credit to go around). James Hawes deserves a round of applause (hey, that nearly rhymes). His direction is in the very best tradition of TV directing В– you donВ’t notice it, but if it wasnВ’t there, and if it wasnВ’t so skilfulВ… youВ’d know. And as for the performances! It would have been very hard for a writer to fail with Elisabeth Sladen, Anthony Stewart Head, John Leeson and David Tennant on the team. Leeson В– as fabulous as he ever wasВ… his В“MasterВ”-s must have brought a tear to every eye. Good old K9. Good dog. And Head, playing the Head, was also utterly wonderful. We were treated to an old-school В“join us, Doctor, and all this can be yoursВ” scene from the lead villain, and he played it so well, part of me was actually taken outside the story, to the point of saying, В“what acting!В” В– while the rest of me goggled. WhatВ’s more, you could see David Tennant reacting to it, pushing himself В– the Doctor, visibly, is actually considering it. How nice that it was Sarah who talked him through it, just like in Genesis of the Daleks.

And thatВ’s another thing. HOW GOOD was David Tennant in this? From his Clint Eastwood-style confrontation with the Headmaster to his first sight of Sarah Jane, and right up to their goodbye В– В“GoodbyeВ… my Sarah Jane.В” Even the scenes that he could have overplayed he nailed; IВ’m thinking of the В“no, everybody else diedВ” scene, and in particular the В“if I donВ’t like it, it will stopВ” scene. Totally in character for this more merciless Doctor (he used to have so muchВ… the third Doctor would never have even thought of behaving the way the tenth has, that at least is certainly true), but nicely played nonetheless. The Doctor losing his defining mercy with the passage of time is truly disturbing. I donВ’t like it at all; it makes him a different person. But this is a review of В‘School ReunionВ’, and in the context of this storyВ… well, while it didnВ’t add anything, it didnВ’t harm the story, as such.

We also see this DoctorВ’s cruelty again in his scenes with Mickey at the beginning and the end, although it can now be interpreted as just a crazy male-bonding ritual they always go through. And, in another welcome moment, Sarah Jane says she prefers the console room how it was before, when she was travelling with the Doctor В– you and me both, Sarah!

Good joke about the Doctor thinking of a comprehensive school which produces clever children as being worthy of investigation in itself! And, surprisingly for a show with left-liberal politics, they even mentioned how it ought to have been swarming with hoodies with ASBOs, although the Doctor didnВ’t seem to take it very seriously. Shame they had to blow it up; even if the staff were evil bat-winged aliens with delusions of godhood! Possible plot hole, though; how come, if itВ’s been three months or so, nobody else has noticed the weirdness? Like, the gobbled-up childrenВ’s social workers? Or UNIT/Torchwood? And why was only Milo clever in Dr SmithВ’s class when the Krillitanes seemed to be using all the pupils by the end? Oh well.

The dialogue was mostly excellent, and that is something you can solely accredit Toby Whitehouse with. And probably the wealth of continuity is his too; Time Lords, the Skarasen, The Invisible Enemy and the year 5000 when В“discoВ” was the in-thing! Thank you, thank you, thank you В– I love continuity!! And all of it right!! Except the references to them not having met for years and years, when in fact they last met in 1996, if not sooner (novel, Interference, Lawrence Miles В– В“if not soonerВ” means possibly1997, in Bullet Time). But never mind! It hardly matters, in fact emotionally the script is far stronger for it, and whatВ’s more I think that if ever weВ’ve been obliged to cut a writer some slack, this is the time. This could even have been the best in the series.

I remember watching Doctor Who as a child, and my first Doctor was the unforgettable Tom Baker. But I don't really recall much of the clasic series, and certainly don't have the encyclopedic knowledge of many dedicated fans. I know a lot of them have been looking forward to the re-introduction of Sarah Jane Smith and K-9, but even if, like me, you knew next to nothing about these much-loved characters, it was obvious from the emotional tone of this episode that this was a big deal. Liz Sladen obviously felt a great affection for her character of Sarah Jane and put in a great performance, showing a great range of emotions from regret to anger and finally some resolution.

There was so much packed into 45 minutes - from a homage to the classic series, jealousy and back biting from the leading ladies, emotional understandings, some pretty cool monsters, funny one liners and a chubby kid saving the day! Oh and extra points for the Doctor wearing glasses (yum!).

I've deliberately left the casting of Anthony Head out of that list, as he deserves a separate mention. The verbal showdown between him and the Doctor around the edge of the swimming pool, was perfectly pitched, perfectly paced and just wonderful to watch. Here were two well-matched adversaries, sizing each other up, cool and menacing, jousting with words. And in an episode which dealt with the solitary price of being immortality, it also gave us a chance to see the dark side of the Doctor, with that telling line, "I used to have so much mercy."

I think this is one significant difference between Tennant's Doctor and Christopher Ecclestone's (may he forever be praised for playing a major part in resurrecting this series). For an actor often cast in brooding roles and with the physical build to carry off an air of imposing menace, Ecclestone delighted me with his child-like delight and wonder, his desire to explore. When he did show his darker moods, as in Dalek, his rage often stemmed from fear.

David Tennant's Doctor is like quicksilver, flicking between light and dark with the speed of cloud shadows scurrying across the hills on a sunny day. He can laugh and explore and enjoy new experiences, as he showed in response to last week's werewolf ("That's beautiful"). But his anger is ice cold. "You get one warning, that's all", had echoes of a similar stand-off moment in New Earth, when he declared, "It stops with me!". Is this pride or arrogance? Could this be a foreshadowing of things to come? Judging from the links that only became obvious in retrospect last series, it makes sense to look for clues in the writing.

The contemporary nod to recent campaigns for healthy school meals, and the chubby, salad-eating boy saving the day were nice touches. (Was it just me, or was he just wearing a big jumper?). There was so much in this episode, it was almost easy to overlook the monsters which, to my mind, were a little too much like the bat-style beasties of Father's Day. But I'm sure they'll have prompted some behind-the-sofa moments.

With an episode from the same writer that brought us the chillingly spooky gas mask zombies to look forward to this week, I'm already counting down the days…

В“School ReunionВ” has an interesting if quickly resolved story, new aliens with a suitably grand goal and a creative way of achieving that goal, and some good performances from all involved. I do have some issues with characterization, but IВ’ll come to those in a moment.

I think this is the first time the 45 minute format really seemed too short to me. So many ideas and story threads are crammed into this episode, but itВ’s not as though they arenВ’t dealt with. ItВ’s just that every little plot idea is shown and resolved so rapidly that the episode really does feel rushed. ThereВ’s no dramatic process of discovery, where events proceed and I as the audience have time to think about and mentally digest the latest plot revelation before the next one comes along. Everything is thrown at the audience at a break-neck pace. This approach doesnВ’t derail the story by any means, but itВ’s just not as emotionally satisfying as I would like.

That being said, at least the story isnВ’t dull. The Doctor is already in place and investigating when the story opens, which is new ground for the series, and also indicative of the generally rushed pace of events. ItВ’s hilarious that Rose is working in the school kitchen and that sheВ’s clearly resentful of that fact! It doesnВ’t take long figure out that something is amiss in the school, as demonstrated by the genius kid in the DoctorВ’s physics class and the odd cooking oil in the kitchen.

Then during the chat in the teacherВ’s lounge one of my favorite companions is added to the mix: Sarah Jane Smith. IВ’ve been looking forward to this episode ever since I heard that Elisabeth Sladen would been guest starring. And John Leeson is back voicing K9 as well! And while itВ’s wonderful to see the two characters again, the characterization of Sarah is the part of this episode that bothers me. I donВ’t want to criticize said characterization, since apparently Mrs. Sladen felt that the writers had treated Sarah well, but itВ’s just sad to think that she had pined away for the Doctor for thirty years. ThatВ’s not the strong independent Sarah Jane I remember. I imagine it would be very difficult to go back to an ordinary life after all those experiences and adventures sheВ’d had, but to have denied herself a family and a life of her own is just sad, and frankly a little tough to believe. IВ’d rather they hadnВ’t gone that route with her story. Especially when itВ’s patently obvious that Sarah is being treated in part as an object lesson for Rose as much as a character in her own right. That isnВ’t sad, itВ’s downright irritating.

The first meeting between the Doctor and Sarah where he knows her but she doesnВ’t recognize him is lovely, as heВ’s clearly delighted to see her again, and as proud as he can be of her. David Tennant just does an outstanding job in that scene. Later on when they meet in the school and head down to the diner, heВ’s clearly enjoying her company, though Rose is not. Now here I have to say that though IВ’ve generally liked Rose up to this point, her little jealous fits are becoming very irritating. So much so that IВ’d just as soon she left the show than put up with having to watch them over and over. ItВ’s bad enough when sheВ’s throwing the evil eye at Lynda with a y, but when she starts criticizing Sarah Jane itВ’s too much. Grow up and get over it already. In this fanВ’s view, if it comes down to a choice between Rose and Sarah Jane, Sarah wins every time.

Is it me, or is В“The Five DoctorsВ” pretty much ignored? ItВ’s odd with all the continuity thatВ’s on display that Sarah pretty much acts as if she hasnВ’t seen the Doctor since he dropped her off in what turned out to be Aberdeen. I suppose that in В“The FIve DoctorsВ” she did spend the majority of her time with the third Doctor, who of course hadnВ’t been the one who dropped her off and left, but she did meet the fifth briefly. Perhaps we could rationalize it away by saying that she didnВ’t realize he was the В‘successorВ’ to her Doctor. But then thereВ’s the presence of K9, who the Doctor obviously left for her some time after he dropped her off, so she would have known he hadnВ’t died. I think that in order to write the story he wanted to, Toby Whithouse had to ignore the fact that Sarah had already had some closure, and had to play fast and loose with the old series in order to make something more out of the В‘best friendsВ’ that the fourth Doctor and Sarah were. I get the feeling that like so many people today, the writers of this show have a hard time conceiving of a close friendship that doesnВ’t involve romance and sex, which shows a lack of imagination on their part, to say the least. As I said before, turning Sarah into the victim of unrequited love so she can be a sad old spinster and a object lesson to Rose is certainly not respectful of the character, or faithful to the past.

All of that being said, Sarah is still one of my all-time favorites, and the use of her character, above complaints excepted, is good enough that I still enjoyed her inclusion in the episode tremendously. And the В‘real goodbyeВ’ at the end is touching, and IВ’m glad to see she finally got that goodbye.

Poor K9 is all rusty and not working well. But Sarah is still carrying him around, and the Doctor is happy to see him again, and Tennant just does so well in expressing his delight that itВ’s infectious. The little dog is as endearing as ever, though he doesnВ’t get a lot of time on screen, he is crucial to resolving the plot and ending the Krillitane threat. HeВ’s a brave little fellow, and IВ’m glad I knew he was coming back at the end of the episode, or IВ’d have been really unhappy when he sacrificed himself to blow up the school. As it is, he gets some of the best lines, telling Mickey several times В“We are in a carВ”, and his smug little В“AffirmativeВ” to the HeadmasterВ’s В“You bad dog!В” I was just grinning like a little kid again when he comes to the rescue in the cafeteria and starts shooting down Krillitane.

I really enjoyed Anthony HeadВ’s performance as well. I remember him from the Excelis audios that Big Finish released a few years back, where he was quite good as Lord Grayvorn. HeВ’s just as good here, with his distinctive voice and restrained mannerisms. Then he gets angry and looks rather fiendish, and clearly seems to be having fun in the part of an evil alien school headmaster who eats students. HeВ’s a good strong bit of casting which I think was certainly needed in a story with so much going on. A less distinctive actor might well have been lost in the shuffle or just outshone by Sarah and K9В’s return.

The coda at the end is welcome, as Sarah gets to see the TARDIS and comment that she В‘preferred the old oneВ’, and turn down an offer to travel again. ItВ’s good to see the Doctor express his affection for her so openly. Most of the time I prefer the Doctor to be reserved, but not in this case. SarahВ’s obvious happiness at seeing K9 again is well performed, and the scene elicited a bit В“awwwwwВ” out of my wife, who didnВ’t know it was coming.

As for David Tennant, he put in another fine performance. His acting is first rate from start to finish. As is the episode itself. ItВ’s not perfect by any means, and I have other minor nitpicks besides the characterization of Sarah, but generally speaking the story is good and works quite well. One of my favorites of the new season.

We knew this was coming for a while. We had the return of Cassandra and her spiders, the return of the “celebrity historical”… but we were all waiting patiently for this episode. The return of the old friends. I was doubly excited to learn that this episode would take place in a comprehensive school. I can’t tell you how much I’ve wanted to see a Doctor Who story in this setting. It took far too long, if you ask me. And, of course, Anthony Stewart head as the main villain… what more could one ask of a Doctor Who story?

After an excellent opening, weВ’re straight into the action. The Doctor and Rose are already on the caseВ… a rarity in these modern narratives, but I feel they always work well. The look on RoseВ’s face all through the school-dinner scene is just priceless. WeВ’re heading into В“rompВ” territory here, with MickeyВ’s undercover work and the strange demise of a dinner-lady (and В“SheВ’s fineВ… she does thatВ” is my favourite comic line in this series so far). But right on time, we get our dose of drama, when our old friend Sarah Jane Smith walks down the stairs and into the staffroom. When the Doctor looks up and sees herВ… well, canВ’t you just see the character behind his eyes? True, David Tennant was starstruck by Lis SladenВ’s presence, but in the context of the story, this is the Doctor incredibly happy to see his old friend again. The Time Lord just canВ’t contain himself when she simply strides up to him and shakes his hand like heВ’s a strangerВ… which, as far as she knows, he is. But the Doctor knows better, and he canВ’t stop beaming. HeВ’s even happier to find out Sarah Jane is investigating again. Some things never change.

That night, the DoctorВ’s В“teamВ” sneaks back into the school, as does our intrepid journalist. First she discovers a hauntingly familiar blue box, then sheВ’s confronted with a very serious-looking Doctor, marvellously wearing his long coat (I guess it makes him more familiar as the Doctor). Once again, I can see every previous incarnation behind his eyes. ItВ’s a disarming feeling. Of course, SarahВ’s a smart woman, and he hasnВ’t completely disarmed her. She wants to know why he left her, and naturally, he skirts around the subject. Well, wouldnВ’t you? Luckily for our Doctor, theyВ’re soon joined by the rest of the В“gangВ”, and the plot thickens. ItВ’s a very simple plot so far В– bat-like aliens have taken over the school for some reason В– but itВ’s clear that the alien plot doesnВ’t matter too much. WeВ’re here for Sarah. Still, itВ’s too bad the creatures donВ’t look more realistic. After last yearВ’s Reapers, and last episodeВ’s wonderful CGI werewolf, I expected The Mill to come up with something slightly less cartoon-like. Oh, well. Like I said, weВ’re not here for that. ItВ’s the girl we want.

And, of course, the tin dog. Bless the tin dog. Even if weВ’ve laughed at you for twenty-five years, K9, weВ’re still happy youВ’re back. What can I say? WeВ’re fans. WeВ’re hypocritical. John Leeson doesnВ’t sound like heВ’s missed a day of filming В– let alone a couple of decades. Meanwhile, Mickey is in Smug Mode with Rose. ThatВ’s very cute, but I canВ’t believe how jealous Rose is. Okay, she didnВ’t realise she was В“the latest in a long lineВ”, but the Doctor is over nine centuries old В– obviously heВ’s had a life before her. I far prefer MickeyВ’s subplot hereВ… yes, heВ’s the tin dog. And suddenly, I love him for it. Rose has been quite callous towards Mickey, if you think about it. IВ’m beginning to prefer him to Rose. Yikes.

Finally, we have a scene between the Doctor and Mr Finch. Anthony Head is incredible in this roleВ… he seems so comfortable in the world of Doctor Who, and I do hope the production team find some way to resurrect his character. ItВ’s a crying shame that he was sidelined so much in this story, but being the wonderful actor that he is, he managed to stick in my memory more than any villain in this new version of the programme so far. You can keep your Cassandras, or your Blons, or even your Emperor Daleks. Mr Finch blows them all out of the water.

Aha, so theyВ’re trying to crack the Scasis Paradigm. Very nice name, clever little concept. Again, itВ’s a shame thereВ’s not more time to explore it. But the image of those children typing furiously away at those terminals (just like IВ’m doing now, come to think of it) is inspired, disturbing, and very Doctor Who.

Gloriously, itВ’s Mickey, K9 and the schoolboy Kenny who end up saving the day. IВ’ve got no complaints that the Doctor wasnВ’t the one who blew up the Krillitanes В– itВ’s not his style to pull the trigger, is it? K9В’s death is such a noble moment, itВ’s easy to forget heВ’s a robot. Sarah is obviously distraught В– itВ’s also easy to forget K9 was, above everything else, her dog. The companionВ’s companion.

ItВ’s difficult for a longtime Whovian not to well up in the final scenes. We want the Doctor to be right В– no more goodbyes В– but when Sarah begs for a last farewell, we somehow understand. People have to move on, they have to evolve. They have to say goodbye. And thatВ’s okay. WeВ’ll still survive.

Thankfully, though, Sarah doesnВ’t have to try and survive without her companion. K9 Mark IV is waiting for her, and sounds pleased to see his mistress. And as they walk off into the distance, I reflect on the past forty-five minutes. Was there something about aliens? I distinctly remember Anthony HeadВ’s incredible performance, and it was great to see Kenny taking the credit for blowing up the school, but the rest belonged to Sarah. And thatВ’s exactly how it should be.

I suppose I should start with the problems and the plot. The Krillitane storyline has been criticized by some for being В‘uncomplicatedВ’ (read: stooopid), and itВ’s true it does have some problems. IВ’ve been disappointed to see how quickly Russell T. DaviesВ’s Doctor Who, at times so wary of imitating the classic series, has begun to imitate *itself* instead. Already this season weВ’ve had another gothic monster story in which the Doctor meets a giant of the Victorian Era (В‘Tooth and ClawВ’), and now we get a kind of fat-free remix of the Slitheen scenario (though minus the В‘laughs,В’ thank god). And not only is the story unoriginal, it's unbelievable as well, as we are asked to swallow that beings whom the Doctor identifies as an incredibly grave threat to the universe would a) allow two complete unknowns to be placed on staff within their undercover operation, and b) let a member of the *press* wander around their HQ with an open invitation! "Imagine how bad things could possibly get," indeed В– these Krillitanes do everything to give themselves away short of buying a full-page ad in В‘Time Out.В’ And the concept of the aliens as composite monsters that take on the characteristics of consumed races is a great one, yet it is hardly borne out by their appearance, unless of course the Krillitanes spent many campaigns conquering one species of giant bat after another. (Seriously, one wonders whether the designer even read that bit of the script).

But let's move on to the good. The storyВ’s guest star, Anthony Stewart Head, can probably be mentioned up front as well; Finch is a bit undercharacterized on paper, but HeadВ’s acting is nicely plummy in the old style, and itВ’s sort of a shame he didnВ’t turn out to be playing the Master after all. But that would have sent the already dangerously over-percolating Nostalg-O-Meter off the charts, and there just isnВ’t room for this to be the MasterВ’s story.

Sarah Jane Smith, having been one of the longer-running companions and having accompanied two of the most popular Doctors, seems like the only choice for a story that mainly leaves the monsters to the kiddies and offers the grown-ups in the audience the long-term implications of companion life instead, via a walk down Fan Memory Lane. And, somewhat surprisingly, В‘School ReunionВ’ does this about as well as could be hoped, especially given the constraints of the 45-min. format. Toby WhithouseВ’s screenplay doesnВ’t manage the depth or wit or poetry of, say, В‘FatherВ’s Day,В’ but it does communicate its sentimental subject matter directly and believably, without lapsing into the heavy-handedness that marred the last big attempt to wrestle with series past (В‘DalekВ’). SarahВ’s bittersweet future is well conceived, and believably played out; and while itВ’s true that her spontaneous scratchfest with Rose seems a touch forced, thereВ’s genuine emotion behind it, and each womanВ’s emotional response to the В‘other companionВ’ seems real.

A sidebar: now, some have suggested that the story projects a love relationship onto the Doctor and Sarah that was never there to begin with. One can make such an argument, I suppose, but I donВ’t think this script ever makes that explicit: when Sarah says В“You *were* my life,В” it seems like a reflection not of Love-With-a-Capital-L, but of the lost В“splendorВ” of travel and adventure. How could an earthbound life compare after her years in the TARDIS? And even if the script implies that the young Sarah, after being unceremoniously В‘dumpedВ’ В– in Aberdeen, hilariously В– developed a retroactive crush on her friend and teacher, well, is that really so hard to believe or accept? She was one of the few companions to leave the TARDIS unwillingly, and her pain at finding herself replaced and unmentioned feels authentic with or without the supposed love angle, so I guess it doesnВ’t bother me either way.

And as for Rose, whose take on the situation as (expectedly) less mature, she is also quite sympathetic as she realizes that maybe В‘herВ’ Doctor isnВ’t quite so lonely as heВ’s let her on to be. If there has been a love story between Rose and the Doctor, itВ’s been a one-sided one to this point, and the knowledge we have of RoseВ’s puppyish crush helps us to feel for her, and to see how her character grows here. Mickey grows as well В– after a whole season of not knowing what to do with him, the production team have finally begun to develop him into interesting companion material. His self-comparison to K9 is funny and fitting В– how often did K9 find himself stuck behind while the Doctor and Leela or Romana went rock-climbing or whatever? And as for K9 himself, he isnВ’t given much to do В– whether this was simply because of time restrictions, or whether it was a bone thrown to all those fans who despise him, is hard to say. Still, I thought John Leeson sounded great В– 25 years have not deteriorated his voice in the way they have, say, Anthony DanielsВ’s. (But thatВ’s another story.)

Four episodes in, IВ’m still not sure I like David TennantВ’s Doctor В– fast-talking, repetitions, and other silly verbal tics aside, I donВ’t really get a sense of his personality yet. Oh, he *acts* a lot В– his half-smile and obvious agitation when the Doctor sees Sarah can hardly fail to please В– but IВ’m not sure the actor has really established who this Doctor is yet, beyond being a sort of lanky, blathering goof. The dark, damaged, preoccupied Eccleston seems long gone, and when this Doctor considers using the KrillitanesВ’ power to undo the Time War, itВ’s an odd, out-of-tune moment. Does this silly Doctor even remember or care about that?

Now, fans have also complained, as fans must, about the continuity problems created by the script ignoring SarahВ’s role in В‘The Five DoctorsВ’ and В‘K9 and Company.В’ It also irked me how the script worked to insinuate that the DoctorВ’s call home in В‘The Hand of FearВ’ had something to do with the Time War (В“Everyone died, SarahВ” В– whatever, Doc). But the continuity patrollers will simply have to work those questions out, and besides, the В‘dueling companionsВ’ monster catalogue scene goes along way towards validating the continuity of the old series in relation to the new, and that should be enough to make most fans very happy.

All in all a thoughtful, if not quite inspired, attempt to reconcile this showВ’s past and future. And Elisabeth Sladen is just marvelous.

"Give Sarah Jane Smith my fondest love. Tell her I shall remember her always." - K-9, in "K-9 and Company", 1981.

"School Reunion" was an extraordinary episode, worthy of both old and new Who. It served as a smart, well-paced adventure that didn't require an understanding of the Doctor's past to appreciate the pathos, fun and seriousness of a "missus meeting the ex" scenario.

It was also a nostalgic trip for fans of Sarah Jane and her trusty tin friend which, sensitively written and acted, added weight to the enigma that is The Doctor.

Whereas we're used to the love story of Doctor Nine/Ten and Rose Tyler, this was about a different, classic series love, rekindled after three decades.

But rather than resorting to a fanw*nky continuity-laden script, bogged down by references to Harry and the Brigadier (bless them) or the second Kraal from the left in 4J, the script was filled with easy-to-follow mentions which served as foundation stones for the situation.

Toby Whithouse's script buzzed; there were crisp one-liners; jousts of claims and counter-claims: "The Loch Ness Monster.... Seriously?"; in-jokes: "You can keep K-9 company......"; and wonderfully considered, touching moments of dialogue ensuring that that this fan blubbed like a baby or laughed out loud through most of the 45 minutes.

The adventure is a well-executed and darn good yarn in itself, but is simple enough not to become more important than the emotional drama unfolding around it.

The actual concept is a good one: alien cherry-pickers invade a secondary school for galactic/dimensional domination by means of children's souls. Far-fetched, but typical, wonderful Who.

The special effects are magnificent, with the Krillitanes very well realised - and almost provided light relief between the emotional bits! But they would surely be scary for the young, and if would-be secondary schoolers aren't just a little bit concerned about what lies in store for them, I'd be surprised.

Murray Gold's use of the orchestra and choir complemented the action admirably, and his use of the Song for Ten was insightful.

The supporting cast are great in this episode, with Tony Head excelling particularly, dripping malevolence from the pre-titles onwards, as he eats young children and staff for lunch.

James Hawes is my favourite director of the new series; his style is pacy and cinematic, and his direction adapts to each different type of story . Here he achieves a lot with a single shot or a well-lit camera angle - a sudden view of a blue box that shocks Sarah Jane into realising her old travelling companion is nearby, a lone tin dog appearing beyond the wheezing and groaning of a disappearing TARDIS, a hug between departing friends. Hawes' direction of the scene where they acknowledge each other is an electric moment for Doctor Who and is truly magnificent television.

The Doctor's reaction is wonderful as he slowly realises Sarah is back. He's seen his friend, whom he probably thought he'd never seen again. He's surprised, and very, very happy. "Oh good for you, Sarah Jane Smith." "My Sarah Jane", back from the companion junkyard of Croydon (near Aberdeen).

And Lis Sladen. What can be said? Always a favourite companion, it was very clever to bring her back alongside the established Rose. One of the few truly self-sufficient companions, SJS was still the same, even in her late fifties. In a moment echoing the Genesis of the Daleks "You must do it" scene, it is Sarah who tries to convince the slightly-tempted Doctor that he mustn't fall in with Finch's plans, as "Everything has its time, and everything ends".

In what should be her swansong, Lis picked up the role she knows so well and gave one of her best ever performances. She was the best thing in "School Reunion", and the good use of her character in terms of emotional development (for her, the Doctor and for Rose) was pure genius.

This is a memorable conclusion for Sarah Jane's story in Who, and at same time managed to deliver real development - after 43 years! - of the Doctor's character.

We get to understand why the other Doctors have sometimes seemed detached. The Doctor cares, but his feelings are compromised by the reality that he lives for hundreds of years. Loved ones will grow old, but he will not: "I lived. Everyone died."

And Rose's story. After all, we can't have an episode of Who without a Rose story! I'm sure her jealousy will develop throughout the series as she comes to terms with the fact that she's not as unique as she may have thought. She initially distrusts SJS' intentions, perhaps believing that,"with the big sad eyes and the robot dog" she will try to take the Doctor away from her. But by the end, they understand each other, with Sarah even suggesting that, post-Doctor, Rose would be welcome to find her. She also offers advice: "Some things are worth getting your heart broken for."

And the nostalgia continued with another truly iconic blast from the past. K-9 was as endearing as ever. He was, indeed, so very "disco", but my affection him has never waned over the years, and I shed another tear or two at the sadness of his demise. But he had been well used, and played an important and amusing role in this episode. He managed to save the day again, giving Mickey a reason to travel in the TARDIS. Now Mickey will need to prove that he's more top dog than tin dog.

All in all, "School Reunion" was in my view the best of the Tennant stories so far. It appealed to new and old viewers alike, and was one of the very strongest of stories emotionally since the series returned.