Written by Gareth Roberts
Directed by Joss Agnew
“Don’t forget me, Sarah Jane.”
“No one’s ever going to forget you.”
Four reasons to absolutely love and adore The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith:
(1) David Tennant! The Doctor! Primarily in episode two…we get a marvellous pocket-sized Doctor Who story within Sarah Jane’s format…enough to tickle our anticipation for the no-doubt epic conclusion to the 10th Doctor’s era, waiting for us just around the corner. Tennant is his usual breezy, commanding self…and his pairing with the kids makes for a delightfully refreshing dynamic, after several companion-free adventures.
(2) In spite of Tennant’s monumental guest-star appearance, the story remains rooted in Sarah Jane’s emotional journey, from discovering love, to discovering the trap that awaits her if that love is accepted. I’m not certain what was more heartbreaking…Sarah’s realization that she might lose her last chance at finding a life partner (Elisabeth Sladen at her best)…or convincing that very same potential life partner (a solid performance by British acting mainstay Nigel Havers) that he has to sacrifice himself in order to save her and the world. Gareth Roberts is wonderful at imbuing his scripts with authentic human emotion, and The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith is no exception to that rule.
(3) The kids step it up quite a bit on this occasion, and deliver what may be their best performances to date. Tommy Knight adds some surprising steel to Luke, Daniel Anthony seems like a proper, grown up companion to Sarah Jane, and BIG kudos to Anjli Mohindra, who gives Rani a new, quick witted edge…and some moments of wonderful, double-take comedy.
(4) Speaking of comedy, I have only one word to say: K9! He steals the show with every scene he’s in (usually at the expense of poor Mr.Smith), especially in episode one. The Doctor Who universe once again reminds us that this is the only place where you can find a robot dog displaying pathos and humour…and not bat an eye-lid once.
As the final part of the Trickster trilogy, Gareth Roberts ties up the Pantheon of Discord’s obsession with Sarah Jane with effortless skill. It’s a surprising, uplifting, tragic, wonderful outing for The Sarah Jane Adventures. It’s easily the best episode of the season, if not one of the best episodes of the entire series to this point. Doctor Who goodness to the power of a hundred…
…now bring on The Waters of Mars!
