Deffrey Vale School has gone through a vast change within the course of a few months, with not only a new selection of teachers – including headmaster Mr. Finch (Anthony Head) - but also a new regime on school dinners, with a large emphasis on the free portions of chips they serve. With academic results growing almost immediately, the school's sudden success amasses suspicion, as Mickey (Noel Clarke) calls upon the assistance of his alien-busting chums The Doctor and Rose (David Tennant and Billie Piper) to go undercover and investigate; Rose hiding as a dinner lady and the Doctor – naturally – as a physics teacher. But it turns out that they aren't the only ones suspicious, as the Doctor bumps into old friend Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) while she's delves into her journalist persona to gain information to the whole scenario. With the duo reunited – to the chagrin of the jealous 'mrs' - the two teams must work together to discover the truth behind the school and its incredibly smart students; figuring out what exactly they're being taught and what the risks are.
As aforementioned, combining a reunion story and presenting a strong storyline can be a difficult thing, so it's quite great that writer Toby Whithouse manages to knock out an A+ screenplay. Granted, the mystery element that's presented is perhaps a little sloppy, but it does still create a memorable and indeed atmospheric feel beforehand, and after the revelation comes perhaps an even more fearful feel to it all – but still keeping it somewhat light-hearted with some of the cat-fighting between Rose and Sarah Jane and giving the whole thing heart with the Doctor/Sarah or Doctor/K-9 interactions. Add its strong pacing and some genuine moments of suspense, not to mention the dialogue between Tennant and Head, and you have an episode which has become synonymous with being the best way of brining back classic elements of a show.
David Tennant is allowed to let out the fanboy in him as he acts alongside his childhood icons, but doesn't let that affect some of the darker and more emotional scenes. His confrontation with Mr. Finch by the swimming pool may feel expository to some, but it's filled with so much effort that's it's commendable, whilst his interactions with characters past and present open up the floor to deeper conversations and aspects that has previously been so pushed-aside that it makes audiences think. Billie Piper is perhaps a little more..."female dog"-like, if you catch my drift, in terms of how she's written, but there's something fun about how she bounces off her co-stars; Noel Clarke is delightful as the human "tin dog" and is clearly having fun with his extended role; Elisabeth Sladen is perhaps the biggest success here as she easily slides back into her role as though 20+ years haven't passed by since her last canon portrayal and adding a huge sense of emotion to the entire thing; and John Leeson returning to voice K-9 is just as great as one would imagine. There's also the batch of Krillitane teachers lead by Anthony Head's Mr. Finch, who's easily having fun being so stern and maniacal, and the aliens do come across as threatening, and then there's Joe Pickley as Kenny the school kid who's kinda sorta just there. He works for what he is, but with his removal would come very little missed. School Reunion works because it manages to mesh together both the old-timey elements of the classic series with the brand new show that has since taken over the mantle of Doctor Who, and this method of introducing the vast past brings in a whole new audience to the classic era. It's fun, it's sometimes dark, and it has a great set of monsters to frighten the little ones with. What more do you want? 8/10.
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