The Dream Team
We thought that Russell T Davies' time writing for the Doctor was over. Now he returns as a writer in a story that sees the Eleventh Doctor, Sarah Jane Smith and Jo Grant team up.
This tale deals with grief. Sarah Jane has to come to terms with the idea that the Doctor may be dead. These scenes are sad and really get across the idea of how people cope with grief. Fortunately she is not alone, batty old Jo Grant appears, like a crazy old relative, bringing much needed humour and levity at a sad time.
It is not long before the Eleventh Doctor himself turns up, having been stranded on an alien planet by the Shansheeth. You can tell that Matt has clearly grown into the role of the Doctor. He can stand with two older ladies and still seem like he's older than both of them.
Although there are three major Doctor Who juggernauts, the Bannerman road kids do not get overshadowed. Finn Jones' Santiago felt slightly shoehorned in. He didn't actually contribute anything. Even the Groske contrinuted more. Some people might have found him easy on the eye but that doesn't excuse a slightly superfluous role. I suppose he was there to make the Sarah Jane gang seem more impressive.
This was ultimately a quite uplifting piece. It ends with Sarah Jane ruminatingon the success of previous companions. It's a far more optimistic tone than The End of Time, and that is how it should be.
Despite being a Doctor Who fan for many years, I never really got into The Sarah Jane Adventures I think the kid's show moniker put me off. However, with this series I've started taking an interest. Perhaps it is a show worth sticking to after all.
9/10
