YMMV / The Sarah Jane Adventures S4 E5-6 "Death of the Doctor"

• Alternative Character Interpretation: Are the Claw Shansheeth of the Fifteenth Funeral Fleet truly well-intentioned extremists who just want others' grief and loss across the universe to stop, or are they ultimately self-serving in that they've just gotten sick of themselves having to put up with it? The lead Shansheeth's Motive Rant leaves room for it to be interpreted either way, although it should be noted that the Shansheeth sound really snide and dispassionate when observing that their memory weave will ultimately kill Jo and Sarah Jane.
• Fanfic Magnet:
  • The entire final scene, when Sarah Jane mentions looking up other companions. Fans kind of assume that "running an orphanage" or "running a charity" were similar to Sarah Jane's "freelance journalism," a small part of a much bigger (and more extraterrestrial) picture. That scene was ripe for SJA-like fanfic spinoffs, with pretty much every single former companion up for grabs. These theories would eventually pay off when "The Power of the Doctor" would reveal that Thirteenth Doctor companion Graham would eventually set up a Companion Support Network after his departure for former companions to come together and talk with each other.
  • Well, it is Ace; when has she ever been one to stand still and run a charity? She's probably using her time travelling bike to get donations... and kick alien butt at the same time.
  • More directly, Jo Grant and her grandson.
  • The scene with Jo and Sarah Jane in the coffin probably launched a few ships.
• Harsher in Hindsight:
  • The Shansheeth's plan to prevent death is already bad enough, but after Torchwood: Miracle Day, it gets a whole lot worse in hindsight.
  • The fact that the episode about the Doctor dying is the last time the Doctor and Sarah Jane meet onscreeen before Elisabeth Sladen's death. Futhermore, this aired prior to Doctor Who Series 6, where the Doctor's supposed death plays a big part in the story arc.
  • The mention of Tegan and Ace becomes this after "The Power of the Doctor" in 2022, which reveals that Ace and the Doctor had a falling out back in the 80s and that Tegan hadn't heard from the Doctor in 40 years, much like Jo hadn't, and still harbored some bitter feelings. They make up in the special, but at the point this episode aired that would be 12 years away.
• Heartwarming in Hindsight:
  • At one point The Doctor says he looked back on every companion, prior to his last regeneration near the end of "The End of Time", not only the ones that were shown on-screen but "all" of them. Which means he likely visited Adric just before his death. While that might seem more like a Tear Jerker at first, it could mean that he was actually able to save Adric, most likely dropping him off someplace were he'd be safe and not interfere with history. The same could be said for Katarina, the one-off companion from "The Daleks' Master Plan" who died after being Thrown Out the Airlock.
  • Sarah Jane mentions a former female companion of the Doctor who founded a charity called A Charitable Earth. If this is the canon fate of Ace, then it shows a major shift in her personality after meeting The Doctor. When she first appeared in Doctor Who, Ace mentioned that even at a young age she never felt like she belonged and was happy when she was abducted from Earth. The fact that once she left The Doctor she choose to go back home to Earth and create a foundation for helping people is a testament to The Doctor's natural talent for bringing out the best in his companions.
    • Ace's intended departure storyline in season 27 was that she would join the Time Lord Academy on Gallifrey. Going to any sort of school would also be out of character - this is a girl who flunked her O-Levels. It's obvious that the Seventh Doctor had been manipulating her. In addition, Sophie Aldred has said that Ace wouldn't become a charity worker unless it was a front for UNIT. A military career is definitely more her style—or, like Sarah Jane, it's just part of something bigger.
    • "The Power of the Doctor" in 2022 confirms that Ace did create A Charitable Earth, in part to help orphans like her, that she and the Doctor had a falling out over the Seventh Doctor's manipulations, and that she has a working relationship with UNIT. However, Ace has come to understand the Doctor was trying to help her, and gets the chance to thank her version of the Doctor, making this still heartwarming in hindsight.
  • Keeping in mind that we later learn that the Doctor is now on his last life, this visit to his old companions becomes even more touching; faced with the prospect of his final death, he decided to use the fact that he was having a drawn-out final regeneration to see his old friends one last time and assure himself that they've had good lives.
• Les Yay: Between Jo and Sarah Jane, especially at the end of the second episode.
• Like You Would Really Do It: The Doctor is one the most popular TV protagonists of all time. He'd never be Killed Off for Real, especially not in a spin-off!
• Retroactive Recognition: Santiago Jones, Jo Jones's grandson, is played by Finn Jones, who is now know for his roles in Game of Thrones and Iron Fist.

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