1 episode. Approx. 44 minutes. Written by: Toby Whithouse. Directed by: James Hawes. Produced by: Phil Collinson.
THE PLOT
Mickey calls the Doctor and Rose to investigate strange occurrences at a school. Rose takes a job in the kitchen and discovers that there was a full staff turnover a few months ago. The Doctor goes undercover as a physics teacher, and makes a discovery of his own: Students with knowledge not only beyond that of a school kid, but beyond that of the entire planet!
Somehow, it's all linked to the new headmaster, the mysterious Mr. Finch (Anthony Head), and to his new policy making school dinners "absolutely free - but compulsory." But the Doctor and Rose aren't the only ones investigating Finch and his school. Investigative reporter Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen), the Doctor's travelling companion from several lifetimes ago, has also been tipped off.
For the Doctor and Sarah Jane, it will soon be just like old times. But for Rose, Sarah Jane may well be a vision of things to come...
CHARACTERS
The Doctor: This episode really hits on the loneliness so fundamental to the new series' Doctor. He's thrilled to see Sarah Jane again, to see that she's still active and investigating. But when asked why he didn't go back, he tells her that he couldn't. He seems to have only one direction - forward. Almost as if he's afraid to look back, lest he see how many of the people he knew and cherished have died along the way. This is reinforced when Sarah Jane says she thought he must have died. "I lived. Everyone else died." Tennant is quite good at these haunted moments. The series would be well advised to give him more quiet and reflective scenes, and fewer scenes such as the rather annoying moment in which he babbles the word "Physics" over and over again.
Rose: Initially hostile to Sarah Jane, though it soon becomes apparent her frostiness is mainly down to insecurity. She had thought her relationship with the Doctor was unique, and now she sees that he has been just as close to other women as he is to her - and has left them. This prompts a very good exchange in which she and the Doctor talk around the nature of their relationship, neither of them wanting to define it, which makes the Doctor's assurances that he won't leave her less reassuring for her than might be the case.
Sarah Jane Smith: After the Doctor dropped her off (in the wrong city, on the wrong island), she returned to her life as an investigative journalist. She is stunned to meet him again and hurt that he never came back for her. She is also hurt to see his new, very young assistant. "I can tell you're getting older, your assistants are getting younger," she observes - and Rose is a fair few years younger than Sarah Jane was when she first met him.
Mickey: Clearly enjoys Rose's discomfort at being confronted with Sarah Jane. He teases her that the Doctor's actually just like "any other bloke," complete with an ex. Sarah Jane prompts him to reflect on his position within the Doctor/Rose dynamic, leading him to conclude that he's "the tin dog" - a circumstance he decides he needs to change.
THOUGHTS
School Reunion is another episode with a rather thin main plot. There is one excellent "plot" scene: the Doctor's poolside confrontation with Finch. The use of color and lighting evokes a certain sterile coldness that reflects Finch's personality. But the Finch/Krillitane plot is weak overall and often seems perfunctory, particularly during the all-too-typical rushed climax.
On the other hand, the plot isn't really the point here. It's just an excuse to bring the new Doctor together with Sarah Jane for an adventure. An exercise in nostalgia for old fans, bringing the Doctor together with the best-remembered companion of the classic series, while at the same time making that resonate for new fans by filtering this reunion through Rose's perspective.
In this area, the episode succeeds quite well. The scenes in which Rose reflects on what the future may hold for her are effective. A particularly strong exchange occurs when she confronts the Doctor about leaving Sarah Jane and never even mentioning her thereafter, "not even once!" The Doctor's reply, extremely well-played by David Tennant, gives a hint at the loneliness such a figure would inevitably experience. "You can spend the rest of your life with me," he says sadly, "but I can't spend the rest of my life with you."
The climax feels perfunctory: a lot of running around corridors, punctuated by a big explosion. I also never really believed that the Doctor was seriously tempted by Finch's offer, which saps any emotional urgency from the last Act. Still, School Reunion works a lot better than other over-rushed, underplotted episodes such as Rose and New Earth, thanks mainly to James Hawes' strong direciton and some fine character scenes.
This really should have been a 2-parter, though, to allow the character scenes to be framed by a plot that didn't feel like a quick add-on.
Rating: 6/10.
Rating: 6/10.
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