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...
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