New Who: School Reunion
Apr. 30th, 2006 08:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakWhile continuing to watch the Third Doctor and s10 (have met the Master as Roger Degaldo now; people, you were so right, he's suave!), I was over the moon regarding the latest episode of the new series.
Firstly, though Four was actually the first Doctor I saw (Talons of Weng Chian, and then City of Death), I hadn't seen any of the Sarah Jane Smith episodes until a few months ago, when I watched Genesis of the Daleks. (Wherein she was splendid.) (My favourite Doctor/Companion team, however, is Seven/Ace, whom I first saw in Curse of Fenric. Anyone familiar with my fondness for Arvin Sloane, Laura Roslin, Kai Winn, John Locke et al, I bet you're fainting in amazement.) So I had benevolent feelings anticipating her return, but she wasn't the one and all for me. Still, even if I had not seen her ever before this episode, I'd have come out loving her. It was also the first Dr. Who to make me cry. I made it through Father's Day and Parting of the Ways without shedding a tear, not because I wasn't moved, but I don't cry easily. This time, though? "My Sarah Jane." You shameless manipulative writing staff and you splendid actors you, I'm still sniffling.
Best of all, though? The episode didn't neglect anyone. Rose, Mickey, K-9, and the new one shot guest stars, the headmaster played by ASH and Kenny, they each were important to the story. Moreover, it used both last season's "last of the timelords" and this seasons "god or not?" themes and build on them; it could not have come earlier and advanced the developing story. It wasn't a standalone, which I had wondered it might be. Oh, so much love.
It doesn't hurt that the BTVS influence comes across pretty strong, and I don't mean by the casting of ASH. Between the evil lunch lady (ladies?), the poisoned food (though not lethal poison, admittedly), the eating of the staff and the blowing up of the school, someone has cleary been rewatching season 3 of Buffy and used its elements creatively. The dialogue was flying quick and fast, too. ("You get older and your assistants get younger.") Sarah Jane and Rose going from bickering to bonding reminded me of the Jossverse as well.
Since I always had a soft spot for Mickey, I loved and adored the fact he asked to come along at the end. And that he did so for the sake of adventure, not because he's still pining for Rose. Good thing too, given her reaction. Which, btw, I understand: it has just sunk in for Rose that just as there were companions before her, there will be some after her, and Mickey is the first of that line. (As she hadn't known about her predecessors when Jack was there, it wasn't the same thing.) Plus her relationship with Mickey was something of a great safety net she was very comfortable with; he was always there when she came back. (I resented this on Mickey's behalf in the opening scene of New Earth when she said goodbye with a decidedly unplatonic kiss, but not here, perhaps because Mickey is no longer pining.) Having just been presented with her own future in the shape of Sarah Jane, it probably was, subconsciously or consciously, comforting to assume that as opposed to Sarah Jane, she'd have someone to come back to, and now, not so much. Not a nice or selfless reaction, no, but you know what, I like Rose because she has flaws in addition to her strengths.
Speaking of Mickey, he had entirely too much fun at the whole "mate, the new girl and the ex, welcome to every man's worst nightmare" thing (again, not a nice thing to do, but utterly understandable and making him real), and it made me grin. I think it's one of the reasons why he asks the Doctor, at the end. It made the Doctor less superior and more approachable to him. Was very amused at Mickey and Rose both staring in disbelief at the 70s hockeyness of K-9 ("why does he look so disco?" indeed), kids of the new millennium which they are, and Rose being deeply embarrassed at the Doctor going all awwww about his pet.
Tennant had the change to really flesh Ten out in this one, and he did. Goofy, cold, embarrassed, brimming over with love for both Sarah Jane and Rose, tender, furious, bewildered, you name it, he was it, and always in places where it made sense. He really sold the entire K-9 thing on me, as did Liz Sladen as Sarah Jane, from with the hurt looks when Rose and Mickey can't believe their robodog over the goodbye to the aftermath when everyone else is rejoicing. And my, but did he spark off with ASH. Their two big scenes, at the swimming pool (cool location, director!) and later in the class room were just awesome, and it's really good they cast ASH for this role because this is one smart antagonist, and you really have to believe the Doctor is tempted. Excellent first pay-off for the "god/highest authority" claim from New Earth, too. Also, Tennant made the claim of age with its accompagnying chill and threat in the first scene totally believable.
Age, and aging, was a big theme in this episode anyway. Sarah Jane will die. Rose will die. Neither of them will regenerate and come back. The Doctor does and does not age, changes and doesn't, and I have expected someone to say "death would be an awfully big adventure" because there was something of a Peter Pan and Wendy vibe around, or rather, just for the last chapter in Barrie's novel, when Peter returns and realizes that Wendy grew up, and lived, and married, and has a child... but because he's Peter, symbol of anarchy in the eternal child, he overcomes the horror and grief in a heartbeat as soon as he's offered a replacement, and takes her daughter to Neverland instead. School Reunion played and twisted this scenario: the Doctor, though he can be childlike (especially in particular incarnations) is not a child, he does remember and the grief doesn't go away, and it's Rose who has the moment of dawning realisation and horror, and it's Sarah Jane who felt like her life was stuck whereas the Doctor went on and changed. They're all bits and pieces of Peter, and bits and pieces of Wendy. No clear cut roles.
Watching Sarah Jane and Rose, it suddenly occured to me that while we've seen Rose bonding with other women before (Gwynneth in The Unquiet Dead, Flora in Tooth and Claw, for example), she always did so from the position of having more knowledge; there wasn't equality there. And of course Jackie is her mother. Here with Sarah Jane there was, and that was why the going from "oh, yeah?" (trying to one-up another) to "oh yeah!" (giggling together over the Doctor, and of course they're right, he and the Tardis are the true OTP; they're FOREVER, I tell you!) worked so well. Their quiet hug at the end was perfect.
But, to return to the beginning: "Say goodbye. Say it." And "my Sarah Jane".
I am still bawling, damm it.
Firstly, though Four was actually the first Doctor I saw (Talons of Weng Chian, and then City of Death), I hadn't seen any of the Sarah Jane Smith episodes until a few months ago, when I watched Genesis of the Daleks. (Wherein she was splendid.) (My favourite Doctor/Companion team, however, is Seven/Ace, whom I first saw in Curse of Fenric. Anyone familiar with my fondness for Arvin Sloane, Laura Roslin, Kai Winn, John Locke et al, I bet you're fainting in amazement.) So I had benevolent feelings anticipating her return, but she wasn't the one and all for me. Still, even if I had not seen her ever before this episode, I'd have come out loving her. It was also the first Dr. Who to make me cry. I made it through Father's Day and Parting of the Ways without shedding a tear, not because I wasn't moved, but I don't cry easily. This time, though? "My Sarah Jane." You shameless manipulative writing staff and you splendid actors you, I'm still sniffling.
Best of all, though? The episode didn't neglect anyone. Rose, Mickey, K-9, and the new one shot guest stars, the headmaster played by ASH and Kenny, they each were important to the story. Moreover, it used both last season's "last of the timelords" and this seasons "god or not?" themes and build on them; it could not have come earlier and advanced the developing story. It wasn't a standalone, which I had wondered it might be. Oh, so much love.
It doesn't hurt that the BTVS influence comes across pretty strong, and I don't mean by the casting of ASH. Between the evil lunch lady (ladies?), the poisoned food (though not lethal poison, admittedly), the eating of the staff and the blowing up of the school, someone has cleary been rewatching season 3 of Buffy and used its elements creatively. The dialogue was flying quick and fast, too. ("You get older and your assistants get younger.") Sarah Jane and Rose going from bickering to bonding reminded me of the Jossverse as well.
Since I always had a soft spot for Mickey, I loved and adored the fact he asked to come along at the end. And that he did so for the sake of adventure, not because he's still pining for Rose. Good thing too, given her reaction. Which, btw, I understand: it has just sunk in for Rose that just as there were companions before her, there will be some after her, and Mickey is the first of that line. (As she hadn't known about her predecessors when Jack was there, it wasn't the same thing.) Plus her relationship with Mickey was something of a great safety net she was very comfortable with; he was always there when she came back. (I resented this on Mickey's behalf in the opening scene of New Earth when she said goodbye with a decidedly unplatonic kiss, but not here, perhaps because Mickey is no longer pining.) Having just been presented with her own future in the shape of Sarah Jane, it probably was, subconsciously or consciously, comforting to assume that as opposed to Sarah Jane, she'd have someone to come back to, and now, not so much. Not a nice or selfless reaction, no, but you know what, I like Rose because she has flaws in addition to her strengths.
Speaking of Mickey, he had entirely too much fun at the whole "mate, the new girl and the ex, welcome to every man's worst nightmare" thing (again, not a nice thing to do, but utterly understandable and making him real), and it made me grin. I think it's one of the reasons why he asks the Doctor, at the end. It made the Doctor less superior and more approachable to him. Was very amused at Mickey and Rose both staring in disbelief at the 70s hockeyness of K-9 ("why does he look so disco?" indeed), kids of the new millennium which they are, and Rose being deeply embarrassed at the Doctor going all awwww about his pet.
Tennant had the change to really flesh Ten out in this one, and he did. Goofy, cold, embarrassed, brimming over with love for both Sarah Jane and Rose, tender, furious, bewildered, you name it, he was it, and always in places where it made sense. He really sold the entire K-9 thing on me, as did Liz Sladen as Sarah Jane, from with the hurt looks when Rose and Mickey can't believe their robodog over the goodbye to the aftermath when everyone else is rejoicing. And my, but did he spark off with ASH. Their two big scenes, at the swimming pool (cool location, director!) and later in the class room were just awesome, and it's really good they cast ASH for this role because this is one smart antagonist, and you really have to believe the Doctor is tempted. Excellent first pay-off for the "god/highest authority" claim from New Earth, too. Also, Tennant made the claim of age with its accompagnying chill and threat in the first scene totally believable.
Age, and aging, was a big theme in this episode anyway. Sarah Jane will die. Rose will die. Neither of them will regenerate and come back. The Doctor does and does not age, changes and doesn't, and I have expected someone to say "death would be an awfully big adventure" because there was something of a Peter Pan and Wendy vibe around, or rather, just for the last chapter in Barrie's novel, when Peter returns and realizes that Wendy grew up, and lived, and married, and has a child... but because he's Peter, symbol of anarchy in the eternal child, he overcomes the horror and grief in a heartbeat as soon as he's offered a replacement, and takes her daughter to Neverland instead. School Reunion played and twisted this scenario: the Doctor, though he can be childlike (especially in particular incarnations) is not a child, he does remember and the grief doesn't go away, and it's Rose who has the moment of dawning realisation and horror, and it's Sarah Jane who felt like her life was stuck whereas the Doctor went on and changed. They're all bits and pieces of Peter, and bits and pieces of Wendy. No clear cut roles.
Watching Sarah Jane and Rose, it suddenly occured to me that while we've seen Rose bonding with other women before (Gwynneth in The Unquiet Dead, Flora in Tooth and Claw, for example), she always did so from the position of having more knowledge; there wasn't equality there. And of course Jackie is her mother. Here with Sarah Jane there was, and that was why the going from "oh, yeah?" (trying to one-up another) to "oh yeah!" (giggling together over the Doctor, and of course they're right, he and the Tardis are the true OTP; they're FOREVER, I tell you!) worked so well. Their quiet hug at the end was perfect.
But, to return to the beginning: "Say goodbye. Say it." And "my Sarah Jane".
I am still bawling, damm it.
