Doctor Who: 10 Best Episodes Of The Last 10 Years
9. School Reunion (2006)
Our "best of" episode from David Tennant's first series as the Doctor is School Reunion, which featured Doctor Who alum Elisabeth Sladen's triumphant return as Sarah Jane Smith.
On a tip from Mickey, the Doctor and Rose were working undercover at Deffry Vale High School to investigate the strange behaviours the students were exhibiting. During the course of their investigation, they unexpectedly cross paths with the Doctor's old companion Sarah Jane, who is using her job as an investigative journalist to conduct her own research into the rumours surrounding the school. It was a rough reunion, to be sure. Sarah Jane's joy at seeing the Doctor again was mingled with resentment that he never returned for her, while the Doctor was forced to cope with his guilt over leaving Sarah Jane when he was recalled to Gallifrey. Rose, meanwhile, who was unsettled to learn that she was not the Doctor's first companion, considered for the first time if there would ever be a day when she had to leave the Doctor.
School Reunion had some rocky bits. The initial jealousy between Sarah Jane and Rose was not exactly pleasant for the Doctor, but the friendship that formed between the two women made this episode feel like a passing of the torch. By incorporating one of the best classic era companions, Doctor Who was acknowledging its past while celebrating its future.