K-9 And Company: A Girl's Best Friend (1981) Review

Sadly, Peter went on to follow his family legacy until it led him to the doorway
to Hell itself...

A Girl's Best Friend is an undercooked Agatha Christie style mystery that seems completely out of touch with what kids like.

WRITTEN BY

Terence Dudley, whose only positive in my eyes is making me giggle a bit at The King's Demons. Perfect writer to start off a brand new show!

PLOT

Sarah Jane arrives to visit her esteemed aunt, only to discover she's gone missing, leaving behind a friendly ward and a mysterious box from an old friend.
Meanwhile, she gets to know her aunt's eccentric village, where everything seems to have a sinister undertone...

ANALYSIS

Given the less-than-stellar reputation of this one-off, my expectations were near zero. But it's actually not that bad. Probably the biggest issue here is tone. The story of A Girl's Best Friend is a firmly adult one, a well thought-out detective case set in a atmospheric, satanic setting. As a Doctor Who story, it'd be great.

But it is held back by being the pilot episode for a cheerful show oriented at younger viewers, which impacts just how dark the episode can actually go. As a result, the ending in particular feels far too underwhelming for how intense the episode was up to that point.

I mean, for crying out loud, Sarah Jane nearly has a breakdown as everyone around her are disappearing, we see preparations for human sacrifice and then it's concluded with K-9 singing We Wish You A Merry Christmas?

CHARACTERS

So after praising Dudley's plot, I must also say that he absolutely nailed the characters of both K-9 and Elisabeth Sladen's wonderful Sarah Jane Smith. Sladen and Leeson are both impeccable(and adorable) as ever(the former falls between the strictness of the Pertwee era and the kookiness of the Baker seasons), and I liked the callbacks to Sarah Jane's backstory in The Time Warrior. 

Ian Sears gradually grew on me as the professorial youngster Brendan Richards(the original Sarah Jane kid sidekick), whose performance and tweed predate Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor. Only his enthusiasm saves a dreadfully dull character who appeals to children with his fondness for analysing dirt.

Mary Wimbush is charming in a tough way as Aunt Lavinia. Funnily enough, she would later move on to be the infamous Aunt Agatha in Jeeves & Wooster, and also star in Century Falls by our very own Russell T. Davies.

There's not much to say about Sean Chapman's Peter Tracey apart from his hatred of his fellow pagans completely fizzling out in the storyline... but once again, Chapman found greater fame elsewhere, as the depraved Frank Cotton in 1987's classic horror movie Hellraiser.

Bill Fraser's Commander Pollock was a charming, very naturally portrayed old man, hence why the twist of him being in the coven worked. There was also the obnoxious couple who were set up to be part of the coven, but humorously turned out to be unrelated to the whole thing. A funny gag worthy of the more humorous tone the episode should've been aiming for.

NOTES

*I understand Brendan is scientifically gifted, but there is no way he could figure out how K-9 operated through guesswork.

*The opening to K-9 And Company might top saving The Daleks as Ian Levine's greatest contribution to Doctor Who.

*Apparently, JNT's original outline for this story would've featured the Master sending K-9 to Sarah Jane. That would've been awesome.

*The reveal that Aunt Lavinia was fine all along is kind of limp considering that her absence and disrespect towards witchcraft sets the whole story in motion. Why did Pollock conceal the information from Sarah Jane anyway? It's not like the coven had any interest in her.

*This sucks as a Christmas special. Yeah, let's celebrate that wonderful time of the year with satanic cults and detective work...!!! There's not even any snow, for pete's sake.

*I'm surprised the Doctor didn't start dropping K-9s for all his old companions. And why'd he stopped using one?

*Why is Sarah Jane so upset in School Reunion, when she warmly says: "Oh Doctor, you didn't forget." here?

*One of the cultists in the opening scene bore a resemblance to Brian Williams a.k.a. Arthur Weasley.

BEST QUOTE 

"K-9! Honk, honk!" - Brendan doing the most awkward sounds ever as he realises the pun behind K-9's name.

CONCLUSION

The Sarah Jane Adventures better have Ouija boards and educational gardening lessons or else I'll be miffed.