Doctor Who review: The Hand of Fear says goodbye to Sarah Jane Smith
By James Aggas
We say goodbye to one of Doctor Who’s most iconic companions in the classic Fourth Doctor story, The Hand of Fear.
The second story of Tom Baker’s third season as the Fourth Doctor gives us a pivotal moment in Doctor Who history. One that, in some ways, has only grown in its importance over time. Because it’s in The Hand of Fear that we say goodbye to Sarah Jane Smith.
In some ways, it’s almost an odd story to say goodbye to such a major character. Because, while it’s not a bad story, it’s also pretty standard Doctor Who fare. In fact, it’s not until the very end that it feels particularly important. Which, in an odd way, actually works in its favor. But we’ll get to that.
The Hand of Fear begins with the Doctor and Sarah arriving in a quarry. Rather refreshingly for the show, it’s not doubling up as an alien landscape – for once, the quarry really is just a quarry. A quarry that explodes almost as soon as they arrive right in the middle of it. And if you think finding themselves in trouble right after they step out of the TARDIS doors is impressive, just wait until you find out about the alien hand they stumble across…
Slow, deliberate pace
There’s a slow pace to The Hand of Fear, even by Doctor Who standards. This is especially true of the second half. The viewer is left wondering what’s going on, and it takes some time for the story to really get going. Sometimes, it feels a little padded and dragged out, and you almost want the story to pick up the pace a little.
But other times, it works really well, particularly during the scenes when Sarah Jane is hypnotized. The slow buildup also gives us some truly great moments, particularly the cliffhanger to part 1. Even when we knew that the hand would come to life, from the moment it was discovered, actually seeing it happen is still extremely effective.
Writers Bob Baker and Dave Martin also throw in some emotional moments, too. Not even just with the obvious (again, we’ll get to that in a moment). For example, there’s a rather touching scene of someone calling their family when they believe that they could die at any moment. It’s a small moment that adds a lot of depth to the character and makes the world feel just that little bit more grounded as a result.
Things pick up in the second half of the story, particularly when Eldrad is introduced in full. In some ways, they’re a little predictable, and you can see the reveal regarding the character coming from a mile away. (Well, OK, not when their final form is introduced, that wasn’t so predictable, but you can definitely see their plans coming from a mile away.) But the character still works. More importantly, they gave us one of Doctor Who‘s most iconic lines of the Classic Series:
"Eldrad must live!"
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Goodbye, Sarah Jane
But as iconic as that line is, it’s not quite as iconic as the story’s final scene. As mentioned earlier, Sarah Jane’s departure really does come out of nowhere. Sometimes, that’s rather frustrating when it comes to companion exits – in fact, the very next companion’s exit was definitely both sudden and disappointing, both for fans and for the actress herself.
But with Sarah Jane, it actually works. Because even Sarah didn’t expect to leave so suddenly. While she makes a big show about leaving, it’s just an attempt to gain attention. She certainly doesn’t expect the Doctor to say that she has to go.
It’s an extremely heartbreaking moment. Perhaps even more so knowing how long it would be before she and the Doctor would eventually meet again. While she is reunited with Three in The Five Doctors, she never has a chance to properly talk to the Doctor’s latest incarnation in that story.
As such, her seeing Ten in School Reunion still has a lot of impact. Honestly, any fan of the New Series should watch The Hand of Fear – or at least, its final scene – to really grasp what happened to Sarah, and why she waited so long for the Doctor. That crucial scene just adds so much more context to her return.
Overall, The Hand of Fear is a pretty good story. Not perfect, but it’s got a great idea that provides us with plenty of great moments. But I think it will always be remembered most for its ending. And quite right, too.
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What are your thoughts on The Hand of Fear? Is it one of your favorites? Let us know in the comments below.