This was just alright, unfortunately. An interesting sort of prelude that I definitely think had all the potential of Sarah Jane Adventures, yet one unfocused and oddly choosing to have K9 be the titled character even though this is very much a Sarah Jane story. Elizabeth Sladen really stands out as a performer here, but everyone else feels a lot more lacklustre. The story also just bored me a bit, being this sort of generic cult-themed plot. It kind of reminded me of an unfunny version of Hot Fuzz, actually, coupled with a complete lack of self-awareness.

It does remind me that Doctor Who is often aimed at and constructed for a younger audience, especially in the time this was produced, but I'm not sure that made much of a difference anyways. Really it just reflects the various failed and in my opinion severely misguided attempts to give K9 a spin-off. This one feels especially egregious since it is clear it is Sladen that deserved the focus of the spin-off, and it would be decades before this character and actor finally got her due.