![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
K-9 and Company Review
Originally I was going to tack this onto my review of season 18, much like how the pilot itself is included as a bonus on the season 18 Blu-ray box set, but I ended up having so many thoughts and feelings about it I thought it would be better to give it it's own separate, mini-review. After an era-ending season I had mixed feelings about, it was nice to sit down and watch this short, 50 minute pilot for a TV show that never went to series that featured two of the best elements of the Fourth Doctor era - Sarah Jane Smith and K9. It was one of the things I was most excited to get to when I began Classic Who, as it established so much of how those two characters would subsequently be portrayed in spinoff media as well as New Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures. In a sense, this is the Classic series equivalent of The Sarah Jane Adventures, and having seen the full run of that series it's especially fascinating to look back on this.
It's honestly a shame this never went to series. I just keep imagining if it had gone for a season or two and then culminated in Sarah Jane's appearance in The Five Doctors (which I have yet to see and am very much looking forward to). The set design in this was so well crafted and cozy, which only helped when this eventually became a stealth Christmas Special before Doctor Who had Christmas Specials. With the advent of Big Finish, I'm actually very surprised there was never an audio continuation of this later on, even though they apparently alluded to it in material featuring Sarah Jane, and I'm also surprised there was no real effort to bring back any of these characters in a small way in The Sarah Jane Adventures. Speculating on what could have been is an exercise in futility though, since what we did get is still pretty great.
Like most of Classic Who, this special is available to watch via streaming on Britbox. Because it's only one episode, there's no ranking, but I'm going to format this entry the same as the others anyway.
The Characters
Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith - While this ended up being more of an ensemble piece than I expected, Lis still stands out as the definitive lead in this story. It also helps inform her character, as the sharper edges that were softened over the course of her run as a companion are very present here. It's nice to see that this wasn't a result of her being watered down, but rather her improved relationship with The Doctor. Here, she is constantly condescended to and underestimated, which rightly upsets her. And while the other characters do find this off-putting, her anger and frustration is righteous and the audience is almost compelled to side with her. It's a dynamic that shows today still struggle to pull off, and it really shows just how impactful this character and this performance was. And while I'm disappointed we'll never see her in scenarios like the ones suggested in the opening credits, this story does go back to the character's roots as an investigative journalist. On a superficial level, I also love her styling is this, which sets this in a very distinctive era separate from her time on the show in the 70's and her resurgence in the 00's. This is very much a product of the 80's, and it suited her.
John Leeson as K9 Mark III - The very first incarnation of this character I ever met (via New Who) is very much a continuation of the archetype of his two brothers. A weird little detail I appreciated is that the poor fellow has been sitting in a box in storage since 1978, which means that at roughly the same time the Fourth Doctor was setting up his Mark II unit, he decided to send the Mark III as a gift for his friend. It's the small details like this that really help elevate what's otherwise a very standalone story. The character gels so well with Sarah Jane, and is definitely suited to a show like this where he would regularly be in on the action (as opposed to the parent show where he'd frequently be left behind on the Tardis). He has at least two action scenes in this episode, and serves as a major fixture in Sarah Jane and Brendan trying to deduce what is going on. It also gives Leeson a showcase for the character he very much deserved. While this story was cut short, I'm glad that it's opened the door for him to have a long, extended life in the franchise.
Ian Sears as Brendan Richards - While not credited as such, it's fairly obvious that Sears would have been a main cast member alongside Sladen and Leeson had it gone to series, and his presence in this story reflects that. In a lot of ways, he's a template for the character of Luke Smith from The Sarah Jane Adventures, as both are bright, young wards who Sarah Jane takes under her wing and tags along on their adventures. For all intents as purposes, he fills the role of Sarah Jane's "companion" in this story, even getting kidnapped by the villains halfway through. Again, it's disappointing that we never got to see more of the character, as it was clear how much potential was set up to explore later.
The pilot featured a large ensemble cast aside from this, and I'm not going to go over each performance as most were supporting in what was probably going to be their only appearance, but I did want to single out Mary Wimbush as Sarah Jane's Aunt Lavinia. While her presence is felt throughout the story, and her "disappearance" is a major plot thread, she only appears in the beginning and end of the story, but is extremely memorable and I would've loved to have seen more of her. She's very much in the mold of the older scientist figure seen in some Fourth Doctor stories.
The Story
No rankings, only takes.
1) Pilot - A Girl's Best Friend
The atmosphere and plot of this story harkens back to the Gothic sensibilities of the Hinchcliffe era of Doctor Who, which is appropriate considering that was part of the show that featured Sarah Jane. However, unlike those stories, the villains in this were decidedly human, with only vague allusions made to a possible higher power or villainous deity. It's also a story that suits the needs of a pilot, as it requires Sarah Jane, a newcomer to the area, to investigate new settings and meet the inhabitants of this town. While many of them probably would've been story specific, it also establishes figures that likely would've been recurring, and helps bring a sense of the environment this show - and subsequent stories - are taking place in. The plot itself is actually delightfully twisty, and while I was able to call things such as the lady from the post office being involved, I genuinely didn't know who the ultimate culprits would be and was surprised and who was and wasn't ultimately involved in this pagan cult. On a personal level, I loved this story because this is the type of story that I especially gravitate towards in Doctor Who, and very much reminds me of The Dæmons and Image of the Fendahl. And while it's very much a background element, the Christmas setting was very charming, and I can see myself rewatching this in December cuddled up under a warm blanket with a cup of hot chocolate (or maybe some wine).
I purposely didn't rank this with the episodes of season 18 of Classic Who because, at the end of the day, it's a different show. But if I had it would have ranked very high.
Final Thoughts
Watching this feels like such a huge milestone, as you can measure so much of Doctor Who in appearances by Sarah Jane Smith. While I still have The Five Doctors and Downtime to look forward to, I definitely view this as a very special and unique piece of media that I'm extremely happy exists. I'm equally happy that it wasn't swept under the rug after it didn't go to series, and not only did it air but remained a part of the franchise canon. I also suspect that had this not been made, there's a chance The Sarah Jane Adventures wouldn't have existed at all. You can point to the silly opening credits and make jokes, but it's clear that a lot of love and effort went into this story and it's great I still get to watch and appreciate it all these years later.
It's honestly a shame this never went to series. I just keep imagining if it had gone for a season or two and then culminated in Sarah Jane's appearance in The Five Doctors (which I have yet to see and am very much looking forward to). The set design in this was so well crafted and cozy, which only helped when this eventually became a stealth Christmas Special before Doctor Who had Christmas Specials. With the advent of Big Finish, I'm actually very surprised there was never an audio continuation of this later on, even though they apparently alluded to it in material featuring Sarah Jane, and I'm also surprised there was no real effort to bring back any of these characters in a small way in The Sarah Jane Adventures. Speculating on what could have been is an exercise in futility though, since what we did get is still pretty great.
Like most of Classic Who, this special is available to watch via streaming on Britbox. Because it's only one episode, there's no ranking, but I'm going to format this entry the same as the others anyway.
The Characters
Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith - While this ended up being more of an ensemble piece than I expected, Lis still stands out as the definitive lead in this story. It also helps inform her character, as the sharper edges that were softened over the course of her run as a companion are very present here. It's nice to see that this wasn't a result of her being watered down, but rather her improved relationship with The Doctor. Here, she is constantly condescended to and underestimated, which rightly upsets her. And while the other characters do find this off-putting, her anger and frustration is righteous and the audience is almost compelled to side with her. It's a dynamic that shows today still struggle to pull off, and it really shows just how impactful this character and this performance was. And while I'm disappointed we'll never see her in scenarios like the ones suggested in the opening credits, this story does go back to the character's roots as an investigative journalist. On a superficial level, I also love her styling is this, which sets this in a very distinctive era separate from her time on the show in the 70's and her resurgence in the 00's. This is very much a product of the 80's, and it suited her.
John Leeson as K9 Mark III - The very first incarnation of this character I ever met (via New Who) is very much a continuation of the archetype of his two brothers. A weird little detail I appreciated is that the poor fellow has been sitting in a box in storage since 1978, which means that at roughly the same time the Fourth Doctor was setting up his Mark II unit, he decided to send the Mark III as a gift for his friend. It's the small details like this that really help elevate what's otherwise a very standalone story. The character gels so well with Sarah Jane, and is definitely suited to a show like this where he would regularly be in on the action (as opposed to the parent show where he'd frequently be left behind on the Tardis). He has at least two action scenes in this episode, and serves as a major fixture in Sarah Jane and Brendan trying to deduce what is going on. It also gives Leeson a showcase for the character he very much deserved. While this story was cut short, I'm glad that it's opened the door for him to have a long, extended life in the franchise.
Ian Sears as Brendan Richards - While not credited as such, it's fairly obvious that Sears would have been a main cast member alongside Sladen and Leeson had it gone to series, and his presence in this story reflects that. In a lot of ways, he's a template for the character of Luke Smith from The Sarah Jane Adventures, as both are bright, young wards who Sarah Jane takes under her wing and tags along on their adventures. For all intents as purposes, he fills the role of Sarah Jane's "companion" in this story, even getting kidnapped by the villains halfway through. Again, it's disappointing that we never got to see more of the character, as it was clear how much potential was set up to explore later.
The pilot featured a large ensemble cast aside from this, and I'm not going to go over each performance as most were supporting in what was probably going to be their only appearance, but I did want to single out Mary Wimbush as Sarah Jane's Aunt Lavinia. While her presence is felt throughout the story, and her "disappearance" is a major plot thread, she only appears in the beginning and end of the story, but is extremely memorable and I would've loved to have seen more of her. She's very much in the mold of the older scientist figure seen in some Fourth Doctor stories.
The Story
No rankings, only takes.
1) Pilot - A Girl's Best Friend
"A Girl's Best Friend" is a pilot for a television series that never was, but works well as both a well-constructed stand-alone story and stealth Christmas Special. Elisabeth Sladen is as charismatic as ever and the decision to pair her with K9 was an inspired one. Gone too soon. (x)
The atmosphere and plot of this story harkens back to the Gothic sensibilities of the Hinchcliffe era of Doctor Who, which is appropriate considering that was part of the show that featured Sarah Jane. However, unlike those stories, the villains in this were decidedly human, with only vague allusions made to a possible higher power or villainous deity. It's also a story that suits the needs of a pilot, as it requires Sarah Jane, a newcomer to the area, to investigate new settings and meet the inhabitants of this town. While many of them probably would've been story specific, it also establishes figures that likely would've been recurring, and helps bring a sense of the environment this show - and subsequent stories - are taking place in. The plot itself is actually delightfully twisty, and while I was able to call things such as the lady from the post office being involved, I genuinely didn't know who the ultimate culprits would be and was surprised and who was and wasn't ultimately involved in this pagan cult. On a personal level, I loved this story because this is the type of story that I especially gravitate towards in Doctor Who, and very much reminds me of The Dæmons and Image of the Fendahl. And while it's very much a background element, the Christmas setting was very charming, and I can see myself rewatching this in December cuddled up under a warm blanket with a cup of hot chocolate (or maybe some wine).
I purposely didn't rank this with the episodes of season 18 of Classic Who because, at the end of the day, it's a different show. But if I had it would have ranked very high.
Final Thoughts
Watching this feels like such a huge milestone, as you can measure so much of Doctor Who in appearances by Sarah Jane Smith. While I still have The Five Doctors and Downtime to look forward to, I definitely view this as a very special and unique piece of media that I'm extremely happy exists. I'm equally happy that it wasn't swept under the rug after it didn't go to series, and not only did it air but remained a part of the franchise canon. I also suspect that had this not been made, there's a chance The Sarah Jane Adventures wouldn't have existed at all. You can point to the silly opening credits and make jokes, but it's clear that a lot of love and effort went into this story and it's great I still get to watch and appreciate it all these years later.