Story #172 - Rise of the Cybermen / The Age of Steel (2006)

Harry -

I was not looking forward to rewatching this story, solely because of the opening moments in the TARDIS. The Doctor and Rose are so caught up in each other that Mickey is entirely forgotten, left pressing down a button on the console for half an hour. Then the smug chuckling between the two of them, like teenagers in the cafeteria. Wow, I hate this opening.

Sarah -

This is the era of peak smug. I want to smack them both upside their heads. Mickey should dump these two jerks.

Harry -

Nice foreshadowing.

The TARDIS seemed to hate what was going on too, flying right out of the time vortex and then shutting down, plunging everyone into darkness. I'd have done the same!

Sarah -

In my head canon, the TARDIS has always been fond of Mickey.

Harry -

They all pick themselves up, and the Doctor fears that they've gone through the void into nothingness. Mickey pops the door open and declares that this nothingness looks a lot like contemporary London.

Sarah -

London with zeppelins and a very alive Pete Tyler. Who doesn’t like a good parallel-world story? More to the point, who doesn’t like a good two-part, parallel-world story...directed by Graeme Harper! The first (and only) Doctor Who director to return to the series after its unfortunate sixteen-year hiatus. The director of "The Caves of Androzani", back in the TARDIS again!

Harry -

We are also treated to the return of an actor from the classic era: Colin Spaull, who played security guard Lilt in "Revelation of the Daleks". Here, he plays Mr. Crane, henchman to John Lumic, the genius head of Cybus Industries on parallel Earth.

Sarah -

Lumic is a bit of a cartoon baddie, with appropriate over-the-top megalomania. We know he’ll be hoisted by his own petard by the end of the story, even if he doesn’t see it coming.

Harry -

Lumic's vocal projections always sound odd, like he's barking even though he's speaking. It hints that he's not all there.

Lumic is the head of Cybus Industries, a corporation that has cornered the market on personal digital devices. Everyone in London wears Cybus earpods that feed information directly into the wearers' brains. A day's worth of news, sports, weather, lotto numbers and entertainment all downloaded in seconds. Makes cell phones look clumsy and obsolete.

Sarah -

Once again, Doctor Who made me afraid of technology. When this story came out, people were just starting to walk around with their bluetooth earbuds, which always made me uncomfortable. It was just weird to be talking to someone while their earbud flashed at you. The earpods in this story totally played into my techno-anxiety, which made it all the more effective.

Harry -

It's still jarring today to walk past someone having a conversation with themselves, only to notice something plugged into their ear after the fact. Anyway, it looks like Pete Tyler also cornered a market and is the face of a soft drinks empire. Get in Pete! Despite the Doctor's warnings, Rose is curious to find him and see what her parallel family might be like.

Sarah -

Have they not already learned this is a bad idea?

Harry -

Honestly, didn't we just go through this?

Since he's joined the team, Mickey also considers the possibility that his deceased grandmother might still be alive and well on this Earth. Before he can shut them down, the Doctor watches both of his friends shoot off in different directions. Ordering Mickey to meet back in 24 hours (long enough for the TARDIS to recharge for departure), he sets off behind Rose.

Sarah -

I love Mickey’s dismissal of the Doctor, “Well, you don't know anything about me, do you? It's always about Rose. I'm just a spare part.” First, well done, Mickey. Second, the line reminded me that Big Finish’s “Spare Parts” was the inspiration for this story. Praise the Compan...er, I mean Praise Big Finish!

Harry -

To Big Finish Be The Glory!

Sarah -

"The Sun Makers" really is the gift that just keeps giving.

Harry -

It's a timely arrival for the TARDIS crew, coinciding with Lumic's return to Great Britain. It appears he lives in a state of statelessness in his personal zeppelin. However, he has returned for a personal meeting with the British president (wew!), seeking approval to commence his massive scheme to "rescue" the human race. The plan involves uploading human brains into an artificial shell: "skin of metal, and a body that will never age or die." Lumic has created this parallel Earth's version of the Cybermen!

What did you think of the RTD-era Cybermen design, Sarah?

Sarah -

I know opinions run strong when it comes to Cyberman design. While I find the Tenth Planet Cybermen to be the scariest of them all, these Cybermen were effective. Other than their well-timed saunter in front of St. Paul’s, the Cybermen never seemed particularly coordinated. Their stompy en masse marching would have had me ducking behind the sofa if I’d seen them as a child. I’m dying to hear your take.

Harry -

I think they got the heads and torsos right, but the flared out arms and legs always looked like they'd been put on backwards. The resulting look always seemed, well, clunky. I admire the streamlined Moffat-era Cybermen design much more.

The stomping became inextricably linked to Nu Who Cybermen in very short order. I mean, this story had shots dedicated entirely to Cybermen stomping down a street. Multiple times! I'm not fussed by it, it makes sense when we're talking about uniform machinery moving in unison.

Sarah -

After a while, the stomping did feel a bit egregious; like they were showing off. Cybermen don’t usually show off, that’s what Daleks are for.

What did you think of the return of the teardrop?

Harry -

The teardrop is iconic, like the head-handles and silver paint jobs, so it all came together nicely. I was not as sold on RTD trying to make "Delete! Delete!" into a catchphrase for these monsters. Best to leave the evil exclamations to the Daleks as well.

My big creeped out moment was after Mr. Crane rounded up some homeless people and they were herded into a Cyber-conversion chamber. Covering up their death screams with "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" was really dark and twisted.

Sarah -With some bonus shots of Battersea, which felt like fan service directed right to you, Old Boy!

Harry -

One of my favourite buildings in London! Thankfully, on our Earth the building was just a power station and not a Cyber-abattoir.

Sarah -

As far as we know...

Harry -

Lumic is preparing to release his Cyber army upon the British president, dispatching a platoon to the Tyler mansion on the very night that Jackie and Pete are hosting a birthday bash.

Rose really can't say the Doctor didn't warn her. Instead of the mum she's grown up with, this Jackie is rich, spoiled and a bit nasty.

Sarah -

And Rose is a dog!

Rose’s attempt at a heart to heart with Jackie doesn’t go so well. Pete and Jackie have split up after 20 years and Jackie doesn’t appreciate advice from an uppity catering server. The Doctor’s undercover plan may not have put Rose in the best position to give advice.

Meanwhile, Mickey has made new friends. Left to his own devices, he decides to see if his grandmother is still alive in this alternate reality. When he finds her, she’s relieved to see him, but insists on calling him Ricky. Mickey’s willing to play along, until he’s grabbed off her doorstep and bundled into a van by people who also think he’s someone named Ricky. Mickey rolls with it, but things get awkward when comes face to face with the actual Ricky.

Ricky, you will recall was what the Ninth Doctor used to “accidentally” call Mickey just, you know, to be a jerk.

I love that Mickey is finally getting his own story arc. Having been treated initially as comic relief, Mickey’s character developed very much in the background through Series 1. On this rewatch, I’ve found myself really appreciating Mickey’s loyalty and strength of character and most of the credit for that goes to Noel Clarke.

Harry -

Mickey is the star of this story. Throw in a parallel double and it's two times the Noel Clarke awesomeness.

Mickey and his new friends in the underground make their way to the Tyler estate just as Lumic's Cybermen storm the joint. I liked seeing the Scooby Gang forge an escape in their van.

The second part of the story sees Lumic ramping up his plan and activating everyone's earpods, sending everyone (including Jackie) marching towards Battersea for conversion. Crane decides this has gone too far, and attempts to kill Lumic. Crane is eliminated, but Lumic struggles to hold on to his life. His creations decide it is time for him to be uploaded.

Sarah -

Once again, a megalomaniac is hoisted by his own petard. Still, Lumic is hardly the most interesting person to have fallen victim to the Cybermen. Somewhere, Tobias Vaughn is rolling his eyes at the whole situation.

Harry -

The Scooby Gang splits up in order to assault the power station from three directions: from the roof (Mickey and Jake), ground level (Rose and Pete), and from beneath (The Doctor and Mrs. Moore).

Another horrible moment awaits Rose as she and Pete track down Jackie, only to find that she has been Cyber-converted. It's moments like these that elevate the Cybermen above all other monsters. There is a finality to Cyber-conversion that is more horrifying than being gunned down by Daleks or Sontarans. Just last season we saw Captain Jack Harkness cheat death by the Daleks. With the Cybers the process can never be reversed, making Jackie's death particularly devastating, even if it was a different Jackie.

Sarah -

Poor Jackie.

Harry -

Meanwhile, down below the powerplant of death, the Doctor discovers that a simple code can cancel the emotional inhibitors of the Cybermen. Sadly, Mrs. Moore is attacked and killed before they can escape. Seeing that the Doctor is not a human being and worthy of study, they march him up to face the Cyber Controller.

Sarah -

I quite liked Mrs. Moore. Her character reminded me of all the mature female guest stars who ended up paired with the Fifth Doctor. Her backstory of having worked for Cybus Industries and having to go on the run after reading a file that she was not supposed to read would be a great story on its own. The tragedy of her death is that her family thought she had died long ago. I salute you, Angela Price!

Harry -

The Doctor finds Rose and Pete already in Lumic's lair. Hoping that Mickey and Jake have been able to sneak into Lumic's zeppelin, the Doctor plays for time and coaches Mickey into hacking the inhibitors and triggering mayhem among Lumic's creations. Once again, master hacker Mickey comes through and all hell breaks loose.

Sarah -

Once again, Mickey saves the day!

Harry -

Our friends flee in the zeppelin and Lumic perishes as the building goes up in flames. Hell of a getaway!

It's not a clean ending though. Jake is the only one of Mickey's new friends to survive. Lumic's network remains scattered around the globe, and it needs shutting down. Mickey makes the biggest choice of his life and announces he wants to stay on the parallel Earth.

Sarah -

Good on Mickey! He gets to stay with his alternate-Earth grandmother and rid himself of the Doctor and Rose. It’s a win-win situation!

Harry -

I started this story hating it, but by the end the conclusion of Mickey's story redeemed the whole thing. RTD succeeded in making Mickey into a great side protagonist in the Whoniverse, and successfully brought back another classic monster. We'll be seeing (and hearing a lot more stomping from) the Cybers in the years to come.

Best line:

MICKEY: Let's go and liberate Paris.

JAKE: What, you and me, in a van?

MICKEY: There's nothing wrong with a van. I once saved the universe with a big yellow truck.

Favourite moment: the Scooby Gang escapes in their van.

Lasting image: CyberLumic plummeting into the flames of Battersea Power Station.

7/10

Sarah -

Best Line:

MICKEY: Thanks. We've had a laugh though, haven't we? Seen it all, been there and back. Who would have thought, me and you off the old estate, flying through the stars.

ROSE: All those years just sitting there, imagining what we'd do one day. We never saw this, did we?

Favorite Moment: Mickey deciding to stay behind.

Lasting image: The stompy Cybermen.

7/10

Our marathon continues with Story #173: The Idiot's Lantern...

Story #171 - The Girl in the Fireplace (2006)

Sarah -
I have to admit I wasn’t particularly looking forward to this story.


Harry -
Yes, I think we've been subconsciously registering our sentiments towards some of these stories by avoiding them for as long as possible.


Sarah -
It’s probably not fair, but I think it’s because it’s such a beloved story in fandom among people who don’t share my views about appropriate relationships between humans and Time Lords. If I’m going to dip back into Series 2, this is not the story I’m going to select and I’m fairly certain it’s been at least 10 years since I last watched it. That said, I mostly enjoyed it on this viewing. I have a few problems with the story, but we’ll get to those later.


Harry -
It turned out to be a breezy rewatch.


Sarah -
This is a proper Steven Moffat timey-wimey story, isn’t it? He’s such a romantic.


Harry -
This is really where Moffat's timey-wimey legend began. His previous story, "The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances" was chronologically straightforward. This one is too, but with greater jumps ahead in time for one group of characters, while for the Doctor, Rose and Mickey it looks like it was only a matter of an hour or two.


Sarah -
One of my favorite things about the story is the robots. Not only do they look amazing, but they’re acting like proper, logical robots. They’ve got a problem and they’re trying to solve it with the tools at hand. It’s horrifying, but nothing personal. They’re not evil, it’s just business.


Harry -
The clockwork robots were wonderful. The mechanisms inside their glass skulls looked and sounded brilliant. When they adopted period dress to fit in with 18th century France, they ended up looking scary rather than commonplace because of those eyeless masks. I always love it when someone cosplays these robots at Chicago TARDIS.


Sarah -
As the laziest cosplayer ever, I’m always impressed by people who show up with proper costumes. The clockwork robots are even scarier in person.


Harry -
Moffat introduces us to his puzzle by landing the TARDIS aboard a generic looking spaceship in the 51st century. Our friends have a look around, and the Doctor soon discovers that the ship is emitting enough concentrated power to punch a hole in the universe. He traces it to an anachronistic (and downright strange) fireplace. Not something you tend to see aboard spaceships. Even stranger, the fireplace frames the hole that the ship has punched in time, and on the opposite side is a bedroom in a house in Paris. A young girl is there, and she and the Doctor meet for the first time. He fiddles with the apparatus and finds the trigger to make it spin like something out of an old haunted house movie. Now on the other side, the Doctor encounters the girl face to face. For him, it was only a matter of seconds, but she tells him that several weeks have gone by.

Puzzled, the Doctor examines a clock on the mantle. It is broken, but there is still a loud ticking sound from somewhere in the bedroom. There's something under the bed! I admire Moff for throwing in this classic spooky moment in the middle of his high concept story.


Sarah -
While the Doctor is traipsing back and forth between the spaceship and Versailles, Rose and Mickey are having adventures of their own. It’s a little confusing as Rose was none too happy about having Mickey tag along at the end of "School Reunion". This time, she seems delighted to be able to play the Doctor and show Mickey how to have proper adventures in space and time. 

It warms my heart when the Doctor tells them both to stay put while he heads back to Versailles and Rose sets out for adventure the moment he’s gone. Jo Grant would be so proud!


Harry -
Rose and Mickey were relegated to secondary roles in this story but it was fun to see them make the most of it.


Sarah -
While the Doctor is off with Reinette, Rose and Mickey discover that there are human body parts wired into the spaceship. The Doctor returns, with a horse named Arthur in tow and Rose and Mickey get to meet Reinette in person when they enter 18th Century through a time window. Having saved Reinette from a clockwork robot, the Doctor sends them off to follow the robot. 

While the Doctor is scanning Reinette’s mind, she gets a glimpse into his, discovering the truth about the last of the Time Lords. She responds by asking him to dance, “There comes a time, Time Lord, when every lonely little boy must learn how to dance.” Oh Reinette, this is definitely not his first dance. Get in line, Sister.


Harry -
It was a peculiar moment when Reinette began reading the Doctor's thoughts. Even he was caught off guard. 

Meanwhile, after lurking throughout her life, the clockwork robots finally find the correct time window - one that opens to the correct age for her to be incorporated into their ship as if she were a replacement part. More creepiness from Moff.

The Doctor runs interference, the robots run wild, and the Doctor and Arthur are off to save Reinette. There probably isn't much argument in Who fandom that the "horse-crashing-through-the-mirror" scene is the most awkwardly green-screeny moment since the 70s. Almost whimsically hokey, that effect.


Sarah -
I was dreading that moment for the entire story. It’s hokey as hokey can be, but it also cuts the Doctor off from Rose and Mickey. He can’t get back to the spaceship until Reinette takes him to the fireplace that brought him to her in the first place. Before that, Rose and Mickey have to contemplate what they will do without the Doctor. Having this story follow School Reunion is so effective. The Doctor has explained to Rose that while she can spend the rest of her life with him, he can’t spend his with her. She decides it’s worth sticking with the Doctor, but doesn’t count on him having a shiny new human toy to play with so soon in their adventures. The look on Rose’s face when she realizes he can’t get back to her is really heartbreaking, which was not something I expected to feel.


Harry -
Anyway, the Doctor saves the day, of course. Instead of a happily ever after ending, Moff separates the two lead characters again, leaving the Doctor to travel back to France one final time to learn of Reinette's death. She wasn't killed by the monsters, she didn't sacrifice herself to save others, she died a regular human death. Not something we see the Doctor face all that often because he's usually off to the next adventure while things get sorted out in his wake. Her death clearly hits him hard.


Sarah -
To borrow Rose’s question, why her? He went all history fanboy on her, but the Doctor’s lack of concern about having left Rose and Mickey stranded on a spaceship was really upsetting. We know what his attention span is like -- there’s no way he could stay in Versailles without the TARDIS. 

His relationship with Reinette also illustrates the problem of human-time lord relationships. She is a literal child when they first meet and like every other human, pretty much remains a child when compared to the Doctor’s lifespan. It’s all so icky. 

While there’s more to like in this story than I remembered, it still has so many of the elements that make the Tenth Doctor’s era one of my least favorite. I had completely forgotten about the drunk scene and really hope that I’ll be able to forget it again. I suspect we disagree on this, but I found it so annoying. Rose should have knocked him upside the head when he said she sounded like her mother. What a wanker.


Harry -
If there was any doubt that Moffat stories were season highlights, his latest one would have done away with that. The cleverness, the horror, the timey-wimey twists are all there. 

And so the Doctor, Rose and Mickey have survived their first adventure as a team. Shall we check out where they land next?


Best line: 
"What do monsters have nightmares about?"
"Me."

Favourite moment: mock-drunk Doctor bursts into the room with his necktie around his head.

Lasting image: the clockwork robots.

8/10


Sarah -
Best Line: 
Reinette: “I have seen your world, and I have no desire to set foot there again. Kindly remember that this is Versailles. This is the Royal Court, and we are French. I have made a decision. And my decision is no, I shall not be going with you today. I have seen your world, and I have no desire to set foot there again." 

Robot: "We do not require your feet." 

Favorite Moment: The robot reveal. 

Lasting Image: Definitely the robots

6/10

Our marathon continues with Story #172: Rise of the Cybermen / The Age of Steel...

Story #170 - School Reunion (2006)

Sarah -
I'm not really the sort of person who cries a lot while watching Doctor Who, but I have to admit that "School Reunion" makes me cry every time. Every damn time. It's definitely my favorite story in Series 2 and one of my favorites of the entire Tennant era. I also have to admit that I watched it three times for this discussion.


Harry -
This is one of my most-watched stories of New Who. I'm always eager to watch it again, knowing full well I'll be blobbing like an idiot throughout.


Sarah -
Bringing back Elisabeth Sladen was a brilliant move by RTD. She connects the current series to the show's past and gives us (and Rose) a picture of what it's like to be a former companion.


Harry -
Definitely some sparks between the two ladies early on, but the friction turns to friendship as each soon realizes that the other has enjoyed the same opportunity to travel with the Doctor, see the universe and discover his amusing personal quirks. It’s not about rivalry, it’s about appreciating the experiences.


Sarah -
Once again, RTD pitched it just right. Many first-time viewers would have had no idea who Sarah Jane was or why she was important to the Doctor. While we were losing our minds, newbies were learning that there had been other Doctors and companions before the Ninth Doctor and Rose. No need for a continuity dump when you’re telling the story of a relationship.


Harry -
This is certainly "The Sarah Jane Episode", but it's got so much more going for it. There's K-9, there's Anthony Head, and there’s the Krillitane, the newest monsters of the RTD era.

Toby Whithouse wrote an absolutely cracking story. From the cold open, the Headmaster brings a cold menace to the school where the action takes place. I know you have had a special appreciation for Mr. Head for some time. When we first see him, he encounters a female student waiting for the school nurse. He remembers that she is an orphan, and despite her being a "thin child", he invites her into his office. Behind the closed door, the first of many horrors takes place.


Sarah -
That’s the coldest cold open of all. “No one to miss you?” It’s just heartbreaking.

I remember giving a little cheer on first broadcast when Tony Head turned up in Doctor Who and my two favorite fandoms collided! He’s wonderfully alien and properly scary.


Harry -
As the Krillitane leader he gives coldness a whole new meaning.

Meanwhile, the Doctor and Rose have infiltrated the school, based on intelligence provided by Mickey who has used his newfound computer skills to detect strange, alien-like activity there.


Sarah -
Go Mickey! This is a great story for Mickey and he deserved it after all the abuse he put up with in series one.


Harry -
Definitely good to see Mickey, even though he gets relegated to "tin dog" status in the cruel circle of RTD's character relationships.


Sarah -
There is that, but in the end he saves the day by getting Kenny and the rest of the kids out of the school. Never underestimate the tin dog! (Even if he can’t find a way to hack into Torchwood’s database.)


Harry -
In addition to Team TARDIS's activity, a local journalist has also arrived. She noticed a spike in performances at the school just three months after this new headmaster took over. She’s there to interview him for a profile, and he clearly couldn’t be more delighted with himself. Ha!


Sarah -
Do you remember your reaction when she turned up? I shouted something incomprehensible and then tried to explain to Mr. Smith, while being barely able to think straight. I didn’t know Lis would be coming back and had to pause the episode to compose myself.

The look on the Doctor’s face when he sees Sarah Jane for the first time rips my heart out and starts the waterworks. She, of course, has no idea who this awkward teacher, who introduces himself as John Smith, is -- so timey-wimey. “John Smith. I used to have a friend who sometimes went by that name.”


Harry -
Back in ancient times (aka 2006 and Season Two), I seem to recall that American broadcasts cut out the "Next Time" trailers for some insane reason. We did get them with the Canadian broadcasts, so I was aware of Lis Sladen's coming appearance. Still, the Doctor's wide eyed, fumbling hello was perfect. I was squeeing all out.

All of these threads - Team TARDIS, Sarah Jane, and the Krillitane - will converge long after the home bell, when darkness has set in and the real investigating begins.


Sarah -
The Doctor, Mickey, and Rose show up at school, as does our intrepid reporter. When Sarah ducks into a storage room, she finds herself facing the TARDIS and backs out of the room -- only to find herself facing the Doctor. Cue the tears, again!


Harry -
"Hello Sarah Jane."

Total waterworks.

Their reunion could not have been written or acted any better. This was still the early days of New Who and seeing classic monsters and classic characters return was cause for massive excitement. None was more exciting than seeing our beloved Sarah Jane once again.

And she gave him shit right away, haha! Knucklehead dropped her off in Aberdeen. That must have been an awkward train ride home, with tennis racket in one hand and owl doll in the other.


Sarah -
He’ll be apologizing for that for several regenerations.


Harry -
More importantly, she waited for him but he never reappeared, which is heartbreaking.


Sarah -
This is the one thing about the story that bothers me. I don’t imagine Sarah Jane sitting around, wasting her life, waiting for the Doctor to show up again. That’s not the Sarah Jane we know. In my head cannon, she’s been fighting the good fight ever since and this conversation is her chance to give the Doctor some hell for not coming back for her.


Harry -
Yeah, I doubt she spent 30 years pining. She definitely moved on, as demonstrated by her polite refusal when invited aboard the TARDIS again.


Sarah -
That’s our Sarah! Don’t you kind of wish the Doctor had introduced her to Rose with, “Have you met Miss Smith? She’s my best friend.”


Harry -
It's no wonder the school drew the attention of our friends. Not only have the students been exhibiting superhuman computer skills, but it turns out their teachers are giant bat-like aliens who sleep there at night, hanging from the ceiling of the headmaster's office. Creepy!


Sarah -
I love the bat-teachers. That’s proper behind-the-sofa stuff! (This also reminds me why we chose to not watch Doctor Who with the kids when they were so young. In 2006 they were being fed a steady diet of much-less-scary Tom Baker stories.)


Harry -
The Doctor figures out that the cafeteria chips have been affecting the students, and he wants to perform an analysis on the oil in the deep fryers. Sarah Jane has just the tool for that: K-9! 

Only, K-9 has become a little worse for wear over the years. The Doctor takes some time to give his old friend a tune up, before he's ready for action. It was great to hear John Leeson's voice again.


Sarah -
The Doctor looks like a kid on Christmas morning when he sees K-9. Watching it this time, I thought his defense of K-9 to Mickey and Rose sounded a lot like old school Whovians defending dodgy monsters and wobbly sets.


Harry -
It's the first and only time I've ever heard "that's so disco" used as an insult. Oy!


Sarah -
I would totally take that as a compliment!


Harry -
For all these reunions, the story becomes a veritable super-friends episode with almost a half-dozen goodies assembled to deal with the Krillitane. The plot is pretty bog standard. Aliens arrive on Earth, looking to harness a local resource for their own benefit, laying waste to the planet without a care before they move on. The Doctor will have none of it, and his confrontation with the headmaster is one of the best scenes of the story, each one daring the other to cross a line.


Sarah -
The standoff at the swimming pool is spectacular. Tennant and Head are perfect as they face each other down. In the end Team TARDIS saves the day when K-9 blows up the school and himself.


Harry -
What a damn good shooty dog thing. Best doggie in the universe!


Sarah -
The kids celebrate while Sarah mourns the loss of her tin dog.


Harry -
...until the Doctor rolls out another model. I've always wondered how he managed to keep replacing K-9 after each departure. I guess he zips back in the TARDIS to that far future space colony to pick up and reboot a new model.


Sarah -
Or does he have a whole storeroom filled with boxed K-9 kits that he completely forgot about over the past few centuries? 

We’ve touched on the conflict between Sarah and Rose, but I really think that scene is the heart of the story. Series one made it possible to view the Doctor and Rose as either traveling companions or a couple. Series two is just shy of full-out shipping.


Harry -
The shipping is only going to get worse. We should think about restocking the drinks cabinet.


Sarah -
Please don’t remind me. This is going to be rough. More than once, Rose has declared her intention of being with the Doctor forever, while not really understanding what that means. 

Meeting Sarah Jane brings this fantasy crashing down. She starts out being jealous and hostile to Sarah, but they both get over that and realize that they’ve got more in common than they wanted to admit. I love their final scene together:

ROSE: What do I do? Do I stay with him? 
SARAH: Yes. Some things are worth getting your heart broken for. Find me, if you need to, one day. Find me.

It’s a pity Rose wouldn’t be able to find Sarah after leaving the TARDIS. Rose could have benefited from a strong mentor to get her through the loss.


Harry -
For now, Rose has the Doctor... and Mickey! He's decided to come aboard and join the TARDIS crew.

I said at the start that this is one of my most-rewatched Who stories, and it will always rank highly. Not so much for the story, but for the array of actors who came together at this moment in time. Everyone gave a tremendous performance.

It was wonderful to see Lis Sladen back in action, and to hear John Leeson's voice, and even better that their return spawned another spinoff in The Sarah Jane Adventures.


Sarah -
Maybe we can add that to our list of things to watch when our marathon inevitably catches up to the current series. I haven’t seen all of the episodes and it would be wonderful to catch up with our dear Sarah Jane. 

Until then, let’s set off to 18th century Versailles, shall we?


Harry -
Mais oui!


Sarah -
Best Line: This one goes to Mickey -- “Ho, ho, mate. The missus and the ex. Welcome to every man's worst nightmare.”

Favorite Moment: The Doctor coming into the room when Sarah and Rose are laughing about him.

Lasting Image: The look on Sarah’s face when she sees the TARDIS.

9/10


Harry -
Best Line: "Affirmative!" I love K-9's enthusiastic reply when the Headmaster calls him a "bad dog."

Favourite Moment: Sarah Jane's reunion with the Doctor.

Lasting Image: The Doctor's farewell hug with Sarah.

9/10

Our marathon continues with Story #171: The Girl in the Fireplace...