I just now realized the connotations of the “return of Sarah-Jane” thing. When it comes down to it, essentially the Doctor dumped her. He left her behind. And come to think of it, she never really met any of his other companions — aside from Harry, of course. Jo left at the end of one season; Sarah-Jane showed up at the start of the next. And after the Doctor left her, he went off alone for a while. From beginning to end, she had the Doctor essentially to herself. So just as it will be a bolt from the blue for Rose to gel that the Doctor has had previous companions, meeting Rose will also be something of a first for Sarah-Jane.

Didn’t realize how tidy and self-contained this whole story is. Almost like it was waiting for closure. The K-9 issue just helps, as how often has the Doctor thought about a companion after moving on? For the most part, this is who he is — right here, right now. Except when it comes to Sarah-Jane. Then he can’t escape the past.

Between this thread and stuff like the revelation that the Time War was going on all through the old series, from Genesis on, and taking pains at every opportunity to make some actual sense out of the TV Movie, the new series is bringing a whole new dimension and context to the series as a whole. Not unlike, uh, the first Sonic Adventure?