I agree that first scene is awkward and artificial but, for me, it's worth it because then we get this scene:
I still get teary-eyed every time I watch it. Yes, it's geared towards the Old School Fans but this scene hits all of the right notes.
When I first watched that scene I'm 99% sure I'd never seen any Classic Who story with Sarah Jane, but it still gave me goosebumps just based off of how its written, acted and filmed.