Sarah Jane is up to something. The kids get sick of her lying and sneaking around, so they follow her. Expecting something to do with aliens, they are shocked to see her on a date! Her boyfriend Peter Dalton soon pops the question. Clyde and Rani are naturally suspicious, and start investigating him. When they discover that his house is unlived in, Sarah Jane is unfazed. In fact, she's acting downright weird, waving off their suspicions and even deactivating Mr. Smith.
The day of the wedding arrives. Clyde smuggles K-9 into the chapel. Everything seems to be going smoothly... until the Tenth Doctor crashes the wedding!!
Turns out it's all a ploy by the Trickster, who gave a dying Peter a second chance at life and even love, in order to get Sarah Jane to forget about fighting aliens. The ring is a brainwashing device, and Sarah Jane's "I do" would have sealed the deal. The Trickster traps the Doctor, Luke, Rani, and Clyde Just One Second Out of Sync with the rest of the universe, and Sarah Jane and Peter Just One Second Out of Sync with them.
Even under threat of being trapped forever, Sarah Jane won't give in. In a Heroic Sacrifice, Peter calls off the deal. Cue Tear Jerker ending.
Tropes
- Altar the Speed: Sarah Jane and Peter sure are in a rush to get married...
- Bad Liar: K9 is absolutely horrible at it.
- Bigger on the Inside: It's Clyde's turn to say it this time. Luke uses the term "dimensional transcendence" instead.
- Blatant Lies: "Do not look at me. Everything is normal." — K9
- Brainwashed: Sarah Jane, once again, in a nod to her tendency to get hypnotised in the classic series.
- Cartwright Curse: Poor Sarah Jane.
- Continuity Nod: Sarah Jane jokes about sending the Doctor's wedding invitation to Metebelis Three.
- Maria, Alan, Clyde's mum, and the Brigadier are also mentioned, though sadly can't make it.
- The Novelization adds Yates, Benton, Harry, and Brendan and the Bakers from K-9 and Company to the couldn't make it list.
- The Doctor recognizes Luke from the previous crossover (see below).
- Once again it's revealed that Sarah Jane hates being called Sarah — but this episode reveals that it's because the Doctor is the only one allowed to call her by that name; it's reserved, specifically, for him.
- Crazy-Prepared: Clyde wears trainers with his suit in case he needs to do some running. Though it's possible that it was just him being casual.
- Crossover: This is the second time SJA has directly crossed over with its parent show. (At least when judged by airdate; the third crossover was filmed before this one, but aired after it.)
- Date Peepers: Luke, Rani, and Clyde, although they don't know that it's a date at first. They thought she was hunting aliens.
- Deadpan Snarker/Vitriolic Best Buds: Mr Smith and K9, as always, show shades of this.
- Deal with the Devil: Peter does this, though in fairness, he thought it was a Bargain with Heaven.
- December–December Romance: Both Peter and Sarah Jane are getting on in years.
- Economy Cast: A rather tragic example with the wedding itself, which lacks the large crowd of extras and instead just has the regular cast, Rani's parents, Peter and the priest. A few handwaves are rattled off for why established characters don't appear - Maria has exams and her father is tied up at work, Clyde's mother is busy with a different wedding, the Brigadier is still in Peru note . The groom's side is not represented at all and, when asked by Clyde if he has any family, Peter replies "I'm afraid I'm the only one left. Last of the line."
- It's even lampshaded by Mrs Chandra who notes the few obscure acquaintances who do attend (Sarah Jane's hairdresser, Emma; her editor, Clerissa; her accountant, whose name Chandra cannot recall.), and snidely notes that this is inevitable when you hurry to get married.
- Fourth-Date Marriage: Sarah Jane is about to marry a man she's known for at best a few months, and a single episode. Justified, since she's under mind control.
- Genre Blind: Apparently, Peter didn't think anything of giving Sarah Jane a ring that controlled her mind. And the fact that "the angel" gave it to him doesn't seem to have clued him in at all.
- Give Away the Bride: Sarah Jane asks Luke to give her away at the wedding. Luke wonders why she doesn't ask The Doctor to do it but she dismisses the idea by pointing out how difficult it is to get hold of him.
- Gold Digger: Rani and Clyde suspect that Peter is one.
- A Good Name for a Rock Band: Clyde mentions that Pantheon of Discord would be a good name for a band. The Doctor wholeheartedly agrees.
- Ham-to-Ham Combat: Ten has an enormous ability to show off... and the Trickster is an enormous ham. The two end up meeting.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Peter, who gives the Trickster a brief "The Reason You Suck" Speech.
- Incoming Ham: The Trickster, as usual. DOCTOR!
- Just One Second Out of Sync: The Doctor quotes this trope by name.
- Large Ham: The Tenth Doctor turns up. Need we say more?
- Loophole Abuse: Apparently, the TARDIS can't land due to the Trickster keeping the Doctor and the TARDIS away. However, by all technicalities, materialising your door inside the wall is not landing.
- The Masquerade Will Kill Your Dating Life: Sarah Jane gets a package containing an alien being while her boyfriend is visiting. Fortunately, Clyde and Rani are there to cover for her.
- Mind-Control Device: Sarah Jane's engagement ring. When things get just too weird, though, she has the willpower to take it off.
- Palette Swap: The Trickster actually invokes this, appearing in white instead of his usual black to Peter Dalton as an angel. Lampshaded by the Doctor.
- Parent with New Paramour: Luke, despite initial nervousness (and spying on his mother before finding out that she was disappearing to go on dates), gets along well with her new boyfriend/fiance and becomes the strongest supporter of her new relationship. He even brushes off his friends' valid concerns about the man's empty house with a warning not to spoil his mum's big day. Of course, the relationship doesn't work out; the man had died weeks ago (thus the empty house), and the Trickster had revived him to serve as a trap for Sarah Jane. When he finds out, he chooses to die as he should have.
- Properly Paranoid: Clyde and Rani (correctly) surmise that something is up with Sarah Jane's Fourth-Date Marriage.
- She Cleans Up Nicely: Luke is rather stunned to notice that Rani does clean up nicely. Actually, he has one right after the other - first for his mum and then for Rani. (This version, obviously, is purely platonic on both counts.)
- Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace: The registrar's reading of the words ("Now, I have to ask this...") is almost drowned out by a strange wheezing, groaning noise. In what would be a shocking cliffhanger if it hadn't been heavily hyped beforehand, the Tenth Doctor himself bursts through the door, having realised that Sarah Jane was under hypnosis (again) and the wedding was being manipulated by the Trickster.
- Trailers Always Spoil: CBBC's trailer was essentially Part One's cliffhanger and a caption with the start time. Given that the two parts aired only a day apart, spoilers were unavoidable if CBBC wanted more than 24 hours to promote David Tennant's guest role.
- Wardrobe Flaw of Characterization: At Sarah Jane's wedding, Clyde wears sneakers with his suit (ironically, just like the Doctor), and for much the same reason.
- Wedding Deadline: Quite a lot will happen if Sarah Jane says "I do." The words would force her to bend to the Trickster's will.
- Written-In Absence:
- The Brigadier is explained as being in Peru. Sadly, ill-health prevented Nicholas Courtney from returning.
- Maria's absence is explained as her having exams, while Alan is tied up with work.
