Eye of the Gorgon (TV story): Difference between revisions

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{{real world}}
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{{TV stub}}
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{{Infobox Story SMW
{{Infobox Sarah Jane Adventures
|image               = Eye of the Gorgon.jpg
|image         = Eye_of_the_Gorgon_(2).jpg
|series               = [[List of The Sarah Jane Adventures television stories|''SJA'' television stories]]
|name    = Eye of the Gorgon
|season number       = Series 1 (SJA)
|series         =[[List of The Sarah Jane Adventures television stories|''SJA'' television stories]]|
|season serial number = 2
|season number         = [[Series 1 (SJA)|1]]
|story number         = 3
|story number   = 3
|scripturl      = https://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/documents/sja-series-1-episode-3-eye-of-the-gorgon-part-one-yellow-revisions-18052007.pdf
|main character     = [[Sarah Jane Smith|Sarah Jane]], [[Maria Jackson|Maria]], [[Luke Smith|Luke]], [[Clyde Langer|Clyde]], [[Mr Smith]]
|scripturl2    = https://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/documents/sja-series-1-episode-4-eye-of-the-gorgon-part-two-draft-4-12022007.pdf
|enemy         = [[Gorgon]]s<br />[[The Abbess]]<br />[[Helena|Sister Helena]]
|main character       = [[Sarah Jane Smith|Sarah Jane]], [[Maria Jackson|Maria]], [[Luke Smith|Luke]], [[Clyde Langer|Clyde]], [[Mr Smith]]
|setting       = [[Lavender Lawns]] and [[Ealing]], [[2008]]
|featuring            = Alan Jackson
|writer         = [[Phil Ford]]
|featuring2          = Chrissie Jackson
|director       = [[Alice Troughton]]
|enemy               = [[The Abbess (Eye of the Gorgon)|The Abbess]]
|producer       = [[Matthew Bouch]]
|setting              = [[Lavender Lawns Rest Home]] and [[St Agnes Abbey]], [[2000s]]{{note|No on screen date is given for the first two series of ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'', outside of ''[[The Day of the Clown (TV story)|The Day of the Clown]]'' from the [[Series 2 (SJA)|second series]] being set shortly after [[9 October]] in an undisclosed year. While [[Donna Noble]]'s present from the [[Series 4 (Doctor Who 2005)|fourth series]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]'' is set around the same time as the [[Series 1 (SJA)|first series]] of ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'', and ''[[The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith (TV story)|The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith]]'' from the second series of ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' is explicitly described as being set a year after ''[[Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane? (TV story)|Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?]]'' from the first series, ''Doctor Who''{{'}}s fourth series is [[Aliens of London dating controversy|not consistently dated]], with [[TV]]: ''[[The Fires of Pompeii (TV story)|The Fires of Pompeii]]'', [[TV]]: ''[[The Waters of Mars (TV story)|The Waters of Mars]]'', and [[AUDIO]]: ''[[SOS (audio story)|SOS]]'' setting the present of the 13 regular episodes in [[2008]] (heavily implied by [[TV]]: ''[[The Star Beast (TV story)|The Star Beast]]'' and [[TV]]: ''[[The Giggle (TV story)|The Giggle]]'' as well), and [[PROSE]]: ''[[Beautiful Chaos (novel)|Beautiful Chaos]]'' setting them in about [[April]] to [[June]] [[2009]].}}
|novelisation   = Eye of the Gorgon (novelisation)
|writer               = Phil Ford
|broadcast date = [[1 October|1]] &  [[8 October]] [[2007]]
|director             = [[Alice Troughton]]
|format         = 2x30 minute episodes
|producer             = [[Matthew Bouch]]
|prev = Revenge of the Slitheen (TV story)
|novelisation         = Eye of the Gorgon (novelisation)
|next     = Warriors of Kudlak (TV story)
|broadcast date       = 1 - 8 October 2007
}}{{big toc}}
|format               = 2x30 minute episodes
'''''Eye of the Gorgon''''' was the third story in the [[Series 1 (SJA)|first series]] of ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]''. It is comprised of episodes 3 and 4 of the series.
|prev                 = Revenge of the Slitheen (TV story)
|next                 = Warriors of Kudlak (TV story)
|network              = CBBC
|clip                = The Gorgon Turns Maria's Dad to Stone The Eye of the Gorgon The Sarah Jane Adventures
|clip2                = Trapped By Nuns (Serve The Gorgon!) The Eye of the Gorgon The Sarah Jane Adventures
|clip3                = The Gorgon Turns to Stone! The Eye of the Gorgon The Sarah Jane Adventures
|epcount              = 2
|music=[[Sam Watts]]}}
'''''Eye of the Gorgon''''' was the second serial of [[Series 1 (SJA)|series 1]] of ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]''. It was written by [[Phil Ford]] and directed by [[Alice Troughton]]. [[Alan Jackson]] had his first encounter with alien life in this episode, but, due to Sarah Jane's insistence, he was made to believe he had dreamt the whole thing.
 
== Synopsis ==
A haunted [[nursing home]] leads [[Sarah Jane Smith|Sarah Jane]] to a mysterious order of [[nun]]s with an ancient — and alien — secret.


== Plot ==
== Plot ==
=== Part 1 ===
=== Part 1 ===
Elderly women at the local nursing home, [[Lavender Lawns Rest Home|Lavender Lawns]], have claimed they have seen a mysterious nun that appears and vanishes like a ghost. [[Clyde Langer|Clyde]] informs [[Sarah Jane Smith|Sarah Jane]] of the story, and she, Clyde, and [[Luke Smith|Luke]] go to investigate. Meanwhile, [[Chrissie Jackson]] moves back into [[Alan Jackson|her ex-husband's house]], but succeeds only in causing further problems with the family. Back at Lavender Lawns, an [[Bea Nelson-Stanley|old lady]]
At the local nursing home, [[Lavender Lawns Rest Home|Lavender Lawns]], elderly women claim they have seen a mysterious nun who appears and vanishes like a ghost. [[Clyde Langer|Clyde]] informs [[Sarah Jane Smith|Sarah Jane]] of the story and she, Clyde and [[Luke Smith|Luke]] investigate. Meanwhile, [[Chrissie Jackson]] moves back into [[Alan Jackson|her ex-husband's house]], but only makes more trouble for the family. Chrissie tries to catch up with her daughter, but the touchy subject of how she abandoned the family comes up and Maria calls out her mother for being thoughtless, only thinking about how divorce would affect her. Maria turns angry at Chrissie and yells at her mother, telling her to leave. Some of this anger later gravitates towards Alan, and she runs off to Sarah Jane's house to avoid any more uncomfortable conversations with her parents.
gives Luke an ancient talisman, which is really the key to a portal in space and time. They find that a group of nuns are hiding an age-old creature, the [[Gorgon]]. When Sarah Jane refuses to give the talisman to the nuns, they kidnap Luke and Clyde and take the Gorgon and Maria to Sarah Jane's house, where the Gorgon turns Maria's father to stone.
 
Back at Lavender Lawns, Luke encounters an old lady who peers at him through a window. He learns that her name is [[Bea Nelson-Stanley]], and she is suffering from [[Alzheimer's disease]]. Luke finds Bea outside, where she gives him an ancient [[talisman]], but has trouble explaining to him her reasons for doing so due to her condition. It is really the key to a portal in space and time. An order of nuns are hiding an ancient creature, the [[Gorgon]]. Meanwhile, Clyde is stuck doing favours for [[Edith Randall|Mrs Randall]]. He, Luke, and Sarah Jane leave Lavender Lawns to figure out the mystery of the apparent nun hauntings.
 
As Maria arrives at Sarah Jane's residence, Luke, Clyde and Sarah Jane are upstairs. Sarah Jane asks [[Mr Smith]] about any evidence of ghosts at Lavender Lawns. He disproves her concerns quickly, but instantly detects the talisman and reveals Luke has brought an alien device into her house, causing Sarah Jane to confront him. Luke explains he had to keep it a secret to avoid breaking a promise with Bea. Sarah Jane takes the talisman and holds onto it for safekeeping from the nuns.
 
Mrs [[Gribbins]], one of the caregivers at Lavender Lawns, is involved in the fishy activities, and after Sarah Jane and the gang leave, she speaks with the nun who has been stalking the nursing home, Sister Helena. Gribbins tells Helena that the talisman they have been searching for has been passed on to the boy who just visited the nursing home by Bea. Annoyed by Mrs Gribbins's oversight, when she had previously described Bea as barely knowing her own name, Helena turns against Mrs Gribbins. She has Gribbins escorted to a room where a hooded woman sits in a wheelchair, with gnarled fingernails and wrinkled, orange skin. The woman lifts up her hood, causing Mrs Gribbins to scream in terror at her countenance. A blue light fills the room. When it fades, Mrs Gribbins is revealed to have petrified into a statue.
 
The next day, Sarah Jane and Maria go back to Lavender Lawns to speak with Miss Nelson-Stanley about where she got the talisman. However, this proves difficult, as Bea's Alzheimer's hinders their success. Bea does mention a past where she was an archaeologist with her late husband [[Edgar Nelson-Stanley|Edgar]], who found and gave her the talisman. Sarah Jane also perks up when Bea speaks of [[Sontaran]]s, going as far to make a remark about their potato-like appearance and use of ray guns, which proves she has knowledge about alien life despite a cloudy memory.
 
While Sarah Jane and Maria are gone, the nuns track down Luke and Clyde, arriving at Sarah Jane's house. Luke, not knowing he shouldn't speak about the talisman, attracts Sister Helena's full attention. Alan encounters Sister Helena, thinking her to be an ordinary nun, and donates to their cause. However, when he leaves, Helena and the other nuns kidnap Luke by force and put him in a [[hearse]]. Clyde chases after the hearse in vain as it charges down the street. He immediately calls Sarah Jane and warns her about what just happened, making her and Maria depart Lavender Lawns and come back home.
 
Sarah Jane, Clyde, and Maria concoct a plan to rescue Luke from [[St Agnes Abbey]]. At the entrance gate to the abbey, Sarah Jane poses as a reporter wanting to get a story about religious information concerning the nuns, and she is permitted inside — though the nuns have already prepared for her arrival and trap her in the abbey. She finds Luke, but is soon confronted by Sister Helena, who reveals Luke was never in any danger; Helena tries to coax her into giving up the talisman. Sarah Jane does not comply. Meanwhile, Clyde and Maria sneak out of Sarah Jane's car and infiltrate the abbey through an open window, soon reuniting with Luke and Sarah Jane. However, Helena is no longer willing to be so passive and makes Sarah Jane return to her house to get the talisman, keeping the kids in her possession as insurance. Luke and Clyde have to remain at the abbey while Maria is taken back to Bannerman Road with Sarah Jane, with the Gorgon in tow.
 
When she gets back home Sarah Jane quickly fetches her sonic liptstick and the talisman while Maria remains with the unwelcome guests. When Helena reveals that the Abbess does not speak, Maria deduces that the Gorgon must be exerting telepathic control over the sisters, since looking after a Gorgon "isn't exactly normal for a bunch of nuns". Helena advises her to shut her mouth or the Abbess might demonstrate her idea of "solving a problem like Maria". When Sarah Jane enters with the talisman, Helena reaches for it only for Sarah Jane to demand the release of Luke and Clyde or she will destroy the talisman with sonic disruption. Unfortunately, the Gorgon has other ideas and begins to unveil her face; distracted, Sarah Jane has the talisman snatched from her. Unaware of the Gorgon's presence, Alan walks into the living room and gazes upon the Abbess's exposed face. Several blue streams of light in the form of serpents surge out of her glowing mouth and eyes, surround Alan, and turn him to stone, terrifying his daughter Maria.


=== Part 2 ===
=== Part 2 ===
Having gotten what they came for, the nuns and Gorgon leave. Luke and Clyde escape via a secret passage. Mr Smith tells Maria and Sarah that Alan is retrievable until 16:00. Luke and Clyde see the Gorgon stumble, but cannot prevent the talisman beginning the process of joining the Gorgon homeworld with Earth. The Gorgon - a parasite inside the Abbess - chooses Sarah Jane as its next host. Chatting with [[Bea Nelson-Stanley|Bea]] reveals to Maria that the talisman can revert those turned to stone. Clyde distracts the nuns long enough for Luke to grab the talisman, disconnecting the portal. However, Sarah Jane and both boys are recaptured and locked in another room, though Sarah Jane is soon taken and tied next to the portal. Luke and Clyde escape again and join Sarah Jane just as the Gorgon begins to transfer itself. Maria arrives and uses a mirror to revert the transfer and turn the Gorgon - and Abbess - to stone, freeing the nuns of mind-control. Maria disconnects the talisman and the portal shuts down forever. The talisman brings Alan back to flesh-and-blood and Chrissie leaves, reuniting with [[Ivan]].
Having gotten what they came for, the nuns and Gorgon leave. Maria is distraught to see her father petrified and falls to tears, blaming Sarah Jane for her own mistakes. Sarah Jane consoles Maria and gets her to accept that it was in her favour to learn about the truth, promising they can find a way to rescue Alan before he dies. Sarah Jane and Maria talk with Mr Smith to see if there is any chance to save Alan's life. Mr Smith tells Maria and Sarah Jane that Alan's body is undergoing a slow molecular conversion into stone, but the process will not be complete until 4:00 PM; the time is 2:30 PM, giving them ninety minutes to undo the petrification. They conjecture that the talisman may be able to reverse Alan's molecules back to flesh if they can reclaim it from the nuns. Sarah Jane returns to the abbey to take it back. On the way there, she drops off Maria at Lavender Lawns so that she may get Bea to break through her Alzheimer's and divulge answers about the talisman's alien properties.
 
Back at the abbey, Luke and Clyde ponder their escape. At first, Luke throws out a few facts about the history surrounding the abbey, making Clyde think he's getting off track with useless facts, until it becomes clear Luke's thoughts are leading him to an answer: he remembers that the abbey they are trapped inside was built during a time of refuge. It could have secret passages hidden away. He finds a bust of a Gorgon's head and twists it to the side, unlocking a hidden chamber. The boys escape via a secret passage. As Luke and Clyde sneak out of the abbey, they see the Gorgon stumble. Continuing their escape, they find the gardens in the courtyard filled to the brim with statues of the victims that were permanently petrified by the Gorgon's gaze, ushering them to make haste to save Sarah Jane.
 
While Sarah Jane and the others are gone, Chrissie arrives at her house and spies her petrified husband in the window, not aware that it is him. She barges into Sarah Jane's house to get a better look at this "statue" that her obsessed neighbour made in his likeness. Chrissie, thinking she can speak in private, feels compelled to open up to the statue and say what she hasn't told Alan face-to-face. She regrets that she's screwed up the Jacksons' family life, berating herself over her mistakes, believing she's going to make more. She apologises and walks away. One of Alan's petrified eyes sheds a tear, a sliver of him still conscious.
 
Sister Helena places the talisman in the side of a stone altar, joined by nuns chanting, "Serve the Gorgon. Serve the Gorgon." A green energy begins to swirl out of the altar, which is really a portal, beginning the process of joining the Gorgon homeworld with Earth. The Gorgon is a parasite inside the Abbess, a woman who has had her lifespan prolonged by its influence, though robbed of her free will and appearance. Her body is dying, and the Gorgon needs a new vessel — it chooses Sarah Jane as its next host.
 
Chatting with Bea, Maria struggles to get a breakthrough as the elderly woman's Alzheimer's disrupts her ability to think straight. Maria sees the clock on her bedroom wall reads 3:00 PM, warning her she has an hour left before Alan is lost forever. Desperate, Maria realises Bea is enamoured with thoughts of her passed on husband Edgar. She begins to ask Bea questions about Edgar, which proves to be the catalyst that jogs her memory. Bea's Alzheimer's clears up, and Maria is able to explain her plight. Bea reveals that she was once petrified herself, and Edgar saved her long ago, because the talisman can revert those turned to stone back to normal. Maria thanks Bea, who gives the girl a mirror. Maria doesn't understand Bea's intentions for doing so. As Maria leaves, Bea chides the girl's education for not realising it is to reflect the Gorgon's face.
 
Clyde distracts the nuns long enough for Luke to grab the talisman, closing the portal. However, Sarah Jane and both boys are recaptured. The boys are locked in the supply cellar, while Sarah Jane is taken and tied next to the portal. Luke sees Clyde standing on a barrel by some old canvas bags. He turns around to find a bucket, dumping out the contents. He fixes on a flat trowel from the supplies. Clyde asks him if he's going to dig a tunnel, but Luke has other plans. He improvises a screwdriver, using the flat trowel tip to notch the tool in the screws, turns it delicately, and removes the screws on the lock on the cellar door, letting him pry it off and open the door. Luke and Clyde escape again and join Sarah Jane just as the Gorgon begins to transfer itself. Maria arrives and uses Bea's mirror to block the transfer and send the snake entities back at the Gorgon. The Gorgon tries to block them by raising up her hands, but is too late. They turn the Gorgon and Abbess to stone. Almost immediately, the nuns release their captives and stagger back in horror at the sight of the statue; Helena, more pleasant now, openly demands to know what is going on. Sarah Jane joyfully tells her that the Gorgon has lost its control over them, which goes right over her head. Helena then gasps in horror as the other Gorgons start emerging from the portal, but Maria disconnects the talisman and the portal shuts down, sending the other Gorgons back forever. Sarah Jane then reminds Maria about saving Alan and they immediately run for the car, leaving the very confused sisters to ponder their lack of an Abbess and the sudden appearance of a very ugly statue.
 
The group rushes back to Sarah Jane's house. With seconds to spare, Maria hangs the talisman around her father's neck. With a shimmering energy, the talisman brings Alan back to flesh and blood. He does not remember his ordeal, but Maria is quick to embrace him in a tight hug. Chrissie returns to Sarah Jane's house right after Alan is released from the petrification, none the wiser. However, she protests that Sarah Jane has gotten carried away by making a statue of Alan, but now that he has changed back to normal, she cannot incriminate his neighbour for this, finally giving up. Maria thinks it is better for her mother to remain uninformed about the strange alien happenings surrounding Sarah Jane Smith.
 
As Chrisse's stay at Alan and Maria's flat comes to an end, Maria apologises at Alan for yelling at him. He forgives her, since it was "only a tiff." The two hug, but Chrissie wedges herself between them to get in her cab, and return to [[Ivan]]. Alan tries to hasten her departure by reminder her the metre's running, uncomfortable around his ex. Chrissie ignores him, more concerned about patching things up with her daughter. Maria and Chrissie hug and say their goodbyes, promising to watch after each other. Chrissie hops into her cab, then waves at her family as it drives away.
 
After Maria witnesses the talisman restore her father, she goes back to Sarah Jane and wonders if it will cure Bea of her Alzheimer's. Mr Smith implies it is possible. This encourages her to have Sarah Jane take her to see Bea for one more visit, returning her mirror in the process. Bea initially repulses at the sight of the talisman because it has to stay hidden from the Gorgons. Sarah Jane tells Bea that the Gorgons have been vanquished, putting her at ease. Now accepting of the alien artefact, she places the talisman around her neck and hears the voice of her late husband Edgar telling her, "I will always love you, Bea." Misty-eyed, Bea smiles and remembers her husband, earnestly thanking Sarah Jane and Maria for bringing Edgar back to her. However, her Alzheimer's does not subside.
 
As they leave Lavender Lawns, Sarah Jane brightens Maria's spirits by letting her know the talisman has still helped Bea by letting her find peace. Maria comments on how lucky Bea was to have Edgar, then asks Sarah Jane if she wished she had someone special to share her experiences with. Sarah Jane assures her that she's found one for the second time, looking at Maria. The two rush back into her car to return home in time to watch the Viszeran Royal Fleet pass through the solar system, all 600 ships. Sarah Jane says it "only takes a few seconds, but it is the most magnificent stellar light show this side of the galaxy."


== Cast ==
== Cast ==
Line 39: Line 82:
* [[Chrissie Jackson]] — [[Juliet Cowan]]
* [[Chrissie Jackson]] — [[Juliet Cowan]]
* [[Bea Nelson-Stanley]] — [[Phyllida Law]]
* [[Bea Nelson-Stanley]] — [[Phyllida Law]]
* [[Helena|Sister Helena]] — [[Beth Goddard]]
* [[Helena (Eye of the Gorgon)|Sister Helena]] — [[Beth Goddard]]
* [[Gribbins|Mrs Gribbins]] - [[Sarah Crowden]]
* [[Gribbins|Mrs Gribbins]] - [[Sarah Crowden]]
* [[Randall|Mrs Randall]] — [[Doreen Mantle]]
* [[Edith Randall|Mrs Randall]] — [[Doreen Mantle]]
* [[Rosaline Evans]] - [[Emily Head]]
* [[The Abbess (Eye of the Gorgon)|The Abbess]] — [[Audrey Ardington]]
* [[The Abbess]] — [[Audrey Ardington]]


== Crew ==
== Crew ==
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|SoundEditor=
|SoundEditor=
|SoundEditor2=
|SoundEditor2=
|SoundEffectsEditor=
|SoundFXEditor=
|Sound=Brian Milliken
|Sound=Brian Milliken
|AudioPostProduction=Doug Sinclair
|AudioPostProduction=Doug Sinclair
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|CharCreatedBy3a=
|CharCreatedBy3a=
|CharCreatedBy3b=
|CharCreatedBy3b=
|OriginalTheme=Murray Gold
|TitleMusic=Murray Gold
|CastingDirector=Andy Pryor CDG
|CastingDirector=Andy Pryor CDG
|CastingDirector2=
|CastingDirector2=
Line 345: Line 387:
}}
}}


== References ==
== Worldbuilding ==
* [[Bea Nelson-Stanley]] mentions that "the Sontarans are the silliest race in the galaxy" and look like potatoes.
=== Individuals ===
* Bea also says that the Sultan of Ishkanbar saw a [[Yeti]] once, a reference to [[DW]]: ''[[The Abominable Snowmen]]''.
* [[Nora Connolly]] is a resident of [[Lavender Lawns]].
* Clyde says he will never turn old, by placing his brain in a robotic suit. This is reminds Sarah Jane of the [[Cybermen]], much to her annoyance.
* [[Pittman|Mrs Pittman]] is Clyde's history teacher.
* There is a silhouette/scale drawing of a [[Jagaroth]] ship on the wall in Sarah's attic.
* Bea mentions the [[Sultan of Ishkanbar]].
* Sarah Jane Smith, in attempting to guess where the abbey was, mentions [[Agatha Christie]], a key character in the ''Doctor Who'' [[Series 4 (Doctor Who)|Series 4]] episode ''[[The Unicorn and the Wasp]]''.
* [[Carlos (Eye of the Gorgon)|Carlos]] is [[Chrissie Jackson]]'s salsa teacher.
* The [[sonic lipstick]] does not work on wood, similar to the Doctor's sonic screwdriver in [[DW]]: ''[[Silence in the Library]]''.
 
* [[Helena|Sister Helena]] makes a punning reference to "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?", a song from ''The Sound of Music'' - which was performed by a group of nuns in that musical. It is also the title of a ''Sound of Music''-related talent competition TV series which, in both its British and Canadian editions, featured [[John Barrowman]] as one of the judges.
=== Cultural references to the real world ===
* The idea of the nuns hiding an alien is very similar to [[DW]]: ''[[Tooth and Claw (TV story)|Tooth and Claw]]'' with the monks hiding the werewolf.
* Sarah Jane, while attempting to guess where the abbey is, mentions [[Agatha Christie]] and her creation Miss [[Marple]].
* [[Barbara Shelley]] and [[Christopher Lee]] appeared in a movie about Gorgons.
* ''[[On A Slow Boat To China]]'' is Bea and Edgar Nelson-Stanley's song.
* Clyde mentions ''[[Star Trek]]''.
* Several figures from Greek mythology are mentioned, including [[Medusa]], [[Poseidon]], [[Athena]], [[Perseus]], [[Phorcys]], [[Stheno]], [[Euryale]] and [[Ceto]].
 
=== Objects ===
* Mrs. Randall has a [[Toby jug]] collection.
 
=== Locations ===
* [[Gorgos]] is the home planet of the Gorgons.
* Bea and Edgar have been to [[Syria]].
 
=== Spacecraft ===
* There is a silhouette/scale drawing of a [[Jagaroth]] ship on the wall in Sarah Jane's attic.
* Sarah Jane and Maria want to watch a [[Viszeran Royal Fleet]].
 
=== Species ===
* Bea says that "the [[Sontaran]]s are the silliest race in the galaxy" and look like [[potato]]es with [[ray gun]]s.
* Bea also says that the [[Sultan of Ishkanbar]] saw a [[Tibetan Yeti|Yeti]] once.


== Story notes ==
== Story notes ==
''to be added''
=== Ratings ===
=== Ratings ===
* Both episodes aired on the CBBC channel, and were broadcast on BBC 1 a week later.
 
** Ratings
* Part 1 - 0.36 million viewers ([[DWMSE 23]])
* Episode 1 - 365,000 (CBBC)
* Part 2 - 0.41 million viewers ([[DWMSE 23]])
* 1.1 million (BBC 1)
 
** Episode 2- 411,000 (CBBC)
''Part One's BBC One repeat gained 1.1 million with an AI score of 83, whilst Part Two's BBC One repeat gained 1 million with an AI score of 85.''
* 1.0 million (BBC 1)
 
=== Filming locations ===
=== Filming locations ===
''To be added''
=== Myths ===
''to be added''
''to be added''


=== Production errors ===
=== Production errors ===
* Sarah Jane's house number should be 13 but in these two episodes the door number is 21.
{{SJA discontinuity}}
* Sarah's house number should be [[13 Bannerman Road]], but in these two episodes the door number is 21. The same error is present in ''[[Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane? (TV story)|Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?]]''
* The [[tax disc]] on [[Sarah Jane's car]] has its back to the windshield.
* At the end of part 1, just before Alan is turned to stone, Maria shouts "Dad!". But in the reprise of part 2, she shouts "Dad! Get out!"
* Alan's statue is in a slightly different pose to that in which he froze as he turned to stone.


== Continuity ==
== Continuity ==
{{SJA discontinuity}}
* The [[First Doctor]] encountered a different type of Gorgon in the company of [[John Who|John]] and [[Gillian Who|Gillian]]. ([[COMIC]]: {{cs|The Gaze of the Gorgon (comic story)}})
* Sarah Jane met the [[Sontaran]]s in [[DW]]: ''[[The Time Warrior]]'' and ''[[The Sontaran Experiment]]''.
* Sarah Jane has met the [[Sontaran]]s twice before, ([[TV]]: {{cs|The Time Warrior (TV story)}}, {{cs|The Sontaran Experiment (TV story)}}) and will eventually meet them again. (TV: The Last Sontaran
* The [[Gorgon]] uses what looks like to be [[Petrifold Regression]] on [[Alan Jackson]], which was last seen in [[DW]]: ''[[New Earth (TV story)|New Earth]]''.
* Clyde says that one day, he is going to put his brain inside a robotic body to achieve immortality; leading to Sarah Jane looking at him exasperatedly, thinking back to her encounters with the [[Cyberman|Cybermen]] including members of the [[Early CyberFaction|Early Cyber Faction]], ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Scourge of the Cybermen (audio story)|Scourge of the Cybermen]]'') [[CyberNomad|Cyber-Nomads]], ([[TV]]: {{cs|Revenge of the Cybermen (TV story)}}) [[CyberNeomorph|Cyber-Neomorphs]], ([[TV]]: {{cs|The Five Doctors (TV story)}}) and [[Cybusman|Cybus Cybermen]] in the then-recent [[Battle of Canary Wharf]]. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Doomsday (TV story)}})
* The building used as [[Lavender Lawns]] is the same building used as the hotel when Donna, Wilf and Slyvia see London destroyed in [[DW]]: ''[[Turn Left]]''
* The [[Second Doctor]] had previously encountered Medusa, another Gorgon, in [[DW]]: ''[[The Mind Robber]]''.


== Home video releases ==
== Home video releases ==
* This was to be released on a vanilla DVD along with ''[[Revenge of the Slitheen]]'' on 17 March 2008, until the release was cancelled. It is featured in the Series One box set, which was released in North America on 7 October 2008 and in the UK on 10th November 2008.
* This was to be released on a vanilla [[DVD]] along with ''[[Revenge of the Slitheen (TV story)|Revenge of the Slitheen]]'' on 17 March 2008, but the release was cancelled. It was instead first featured in the Series One box set, which was released in North America on [[7 October (releases)|7 October]] [[2008 (releases)|2008]] and in the UK on [[10 November (releases)|10 November]] 2008.
* It was also released in the Complete Collection Series 1-5 boxset release (Region 2 release: 6th February 2012).
 
== Footnotes ==
{{notelist}}


== Novelisation ==
== External links ==
''See [[Eye of the Gorgon (novelisation)]], [[File:EyeGorgonNovel.jpg|thumb]]''
{{dwrefguide|sja_03.htm|{{StoryTitle}}}}
* A novelisation was released written by [[Phil Ford]].
* {{whoniverse|sja1_03|{{StoryTitle}}}}
* {{briefhistory|sarahjane/2007de.html|{{StoryTitle}}}}
* {{locguide|eyeofthegorgon|{{StoryTitle}}}}


== Footnotes ==
{{SJATV}}
{{SJA series 1}}
{{TitleSort}}
{{TitleSort}}
{{StoryImages}}
[[de:Eye of the Gorgon]]
[[ro:Eye of the Gorgon]]
 
[[Category:SJA television stories]]
[[Category:SJA television stories]]
[[Category:Stories set in Ealing]]
[[Category:Stories set in 2008]]
[[Category:2007 television stories]]
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Latest revision as of 20:50, 3 November 2024

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Eye of the Gorgon was the second serial of series 1 of The Sarah Jane Adventures. It was written by Phil Ford and directed by Alice Troughton. Alan Jackson had his first encounter with alien life in this episode, but, due to Sarah Jane's insistence, he was made to believe he had dreamt the whole thing.

Synopsis[[edit] | [edit source]]

A haunted nursing home leads Sarah Jane to a mysterious order of nuns with an ancient — and alien — secret.

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

Part 1[[edit] | [edit source]]

At the local nursing home, Lavender Lawns, elderly women claim they have seen a mysterious nun who appears and vanishes like a ghost. Clyde informs Sarah Jane of the story and she, Clyde and Luke investigate. Meanwhile, Chrissie Jackson moves back into her ex-husband's house, but only makes more trouble for the family. Chrissie tries to catch up with her daughter, but the touchy subject of how she abandoned the family comes up and Maria calls out her mother for being thoughtless, only thinking about how divorce would affect her. Maria turns angry at Chrissie and yells at her mother, telling her to leave. Some of this anger later gravitates towards Alan, and she runs off to Sarah Jane's house to avoid any more uncomfortable conversations with her parents.

Back at Lavender Lawns, Luke encounters an old lady who peers at him through a window. He learns that her name is Bea Nelson-Stanley, and she is suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Luke finds Bea outside, where she gives him an ancient talisman, but has trouble explaining to him her reasons for doing so due to her condition. It is really the key to a portal in space and time. An order of nuns are hiding an ancient creature, the Gorgon. Meanwhile, Clyde is stuck doing favours for Mrs Randall. He, Luke, and Sarah Jane leave Lavender Lawns to figure out the mystery of the apparent nun hauntings.

As Maria arrives at Sarah Jane's residence, Luke, Clyde and Sarah Jane are upstairs. Sarah Jane asks Mr Smith about any evidence of ghosts at Lavender Lawns. He disproves her concerns quickly, but instantly detects the talisman and reveals Luke has brought an alien device into her house, causing Sarah Jane to confront him. Luke explains he had to keep it a secret to avoid breaking a promise with Bea. Sarah Jane takes the talisman and holds onto it for safekeeping from the nuns.

Mrs Gribbins, one of the caregivers at Lavender Lawns, is involved in the fishy activities, and after Sarah Jane and the gang leave, she speaks with the nun who has been stalking the nursing home, Sister Helena. Gribbins tells Helena that the talisman they have been searching for has been passed on to the boy who just visited the nursing home by Bea. Annoyed by Mrs Gribbins's oversight, when she had previously described Bea as barely knowing her own name, Helena turns against Mrs Gribbins. She has Gribbins escorted to a room where a hooded woman sits in a wheelchair, with gnarled fingernails and wrinkled, orange skin. The woman lifts up her hood, causing Mrs Gribbins to scream in terror at her countenance. A blue light fills the room. When it fades, Mrs Gribbins is revealed to have petrified into a statue.

The next day, Sarah Jane and Maria go back to Lavender Lawns to speak with Miss Nelson-Stanley about where she got the talisman. However, this proves difficult, as Bea's Alzheimer's hinders their success. Bea does mention a past where she was an archaeologist with her late husband Edgar, who found and gave her the talisman. Sarah Jane also perks up when Bea speaks of Sontarans, going as far to make a remark about their potato-like appearance and use of ray guns, which proves she has knowledge about alien life despite a cloudy memory.

While Sarah Jane and Maria are gone, the nuns track down Luke and Clyde, arriving at Sarah Jane's house. Luke, not knowing he shouldn't speak about the talisman, attracts Sister Helena's full attention. Alan encounters Sister Helena, thinking her to be an ordinary nun, and donates to their cause. However, when he leaves, Helena and the other nuns kidnap Luke by force and put him in a hearse. Clyde chases after the hearse in vain as it charges down the street. He immediately calls Sarah Jane and warns her about what just happened, making her and Maria depart Lavender Lawns and come back home.

Sarah Jane, Clyde, and Maria concoct a plan to rescue Luke from St Agnes Abbey. At the entrance gate to the abbey, Sarah Jane poses as a reporter wanting to get a story about religious information concerning the nuns, and she is permitted inside — though the nuns have already prepared for her arrival and trap her in the abbey. She finds Luke, but is soon confronted by Sister Helena, who reveals Luke was never in any danger; Helena tries to coax her into giving up the talisman. Sarah Jane does not comply. Meanwhile, Clyde and Maria sneak out of Sarah Jane's car and infiltrate the abbey through an open window, soon reuniting with Luke and Sarah Jane. However, Helena is no longer willing to be so passive and makes Sarah Jane return to her house to get the talisman, keeping the kids in her possession as insurance. Luke and Clyde have to remain at the abbey while Maria is taken back to Bannerman Road with Sarah Jane, with the Gorgon in tow.

When she gets back home Sarah Jane quickly fetches her sonic liptstick and the talisman while Maria remains with the unwelcome guests. When Helena reveals that the Abbess does not speak, Maria deduces that the Gorgon must be exerting telepathic control over the sisters, since looking after a Gorgon "isn't exactly normal for a bunch of nuns". Helena advises her to shut her mouth or the Abbess might demonstrate her idea of "solving a problem like Maria". When Sarah Jane enters with the talisman, Helena reaches for it only for Sarah Jane to demand the release of Luke and Clyde or she will destroy the talisman with sonic disruption. Unfortunately, the Gorgon has other ideas and begins to unveil her face; distracted, Sarah Jane has the talisman snatched from her. Unaware of the Gorgon's presence, Alan walks into the living room and gazes upon the Abbess's exposed face. Several blue streams of light in the form of serpents surge out of her glowing mouth and eyes, surround Alan, and turn him to stone, terrifying his daughter Maria.

Part 2[[edit] | [edit source]]

Having gotten what they came for, the nuns and Gorgon leave. Maria is distraught to see her father petrified and falls to tears, blaming Sarah Jane for her own mistakes. Sarah Jane consoles Maria and gets her to accept that it was in her favour to learn about the truth, promising they can find a way to rescue Alan before he dies. Sarah Jane and Maria talk with Mr Smith to see if there is any chance to save Alan's life. Mr Smith tells Maria and Sarah Jane that Alan's body is undergoing a slow molecular conversion into stone, but the process will not be complete until 4:00 PM; the time is 2:30 PM, giving them ninety minutes to undo the petrification. They conjecture that the talisman may be able to reverse Alan's molecules back to flesh if they can reclaim it from the nuns. Sarah Jane returns to the abbey to take it back. On the way there, she drops off Maria at Lavender Lawns so that she may get Bea to break through her Alzheimer's and divulge answers about the talisman's alien properties.

Back at the abbey, Luke and Clyde ponder their escape. At first, Luke throws out a few facts about the history surrounding the abbey, making Clyde think he's getting off track with useless facts, until it becomes clear Luke's thoughts are leading him to an answer: he remembers that the abbey they are trapped inside was built during a time of refuge. It could have secret passages hidden away. He finds a bust of a Gorgon's head and twists it to the side, unlocking a hidden chamber. The boys escape via a secret passage. As Luke and Clyde sneak out of the abbey, they see the Gorgon stumble. Continuing their escape, they find the gardens in the courtyard filled to the brim with statues of the victims that were permanently petrified by the Gorgon's gaze, ushering them to make haste to save Sarah Jane.

While Sarah Jane and the others are gone, Chrissie arrives at her house and spies her petrified husband in the window, not aware that it is him. She barges into Sarah Jane's house to get a better look at this "statue" that her obsessed neighbour made in his likeness. Chrissie, thinking she can speak in private, feels compelled to open up to the statue and say what she hasn't told Alan face-to-face. She regrets that she's screwed up the Jacksons' family life, berating herself over her mistakes, believing she's going to make more. She apologises and walks away. One of Alan's petrified eyes sheds a tear, a sliver of him still conscious.

Sister Helena places the talisman in the side of a stone altar, joined by nuns chanting, "Serve the Gorgon. Serve the Gorgon." A green energy begins to swirl out of the altar, which is really a portal, beginning the process of joining the Gorgon homeworld with Earth. The Gorgon is a parasite inside the Abbess, a woman who has had her lifespan prolonged by its influence, though robbed of her free will and appearance. Her body is dying, and the Gorgon needs a new vessel — it chooses Sarah Jane as its next host.

Chatting with Bea, Maria struggles to get a breakthrough as the elderly woman's Alzheimer's disrupts her ability to think straight. Maria sees the clock on her bedroom wall reads 3:00 PM, warning her she has an hour left before Alan is lost forever. Desperate, Maria realises Bea is enamoured with thoughts of her passed on husband Edgar. She begins to ask Bea questions about Edgar, which proves to be the catalyst that jogs her memory. Bea's Alzheimer's clears up, and Maria is able to explain her plight. Bea reveals that she was once petrified herself, and Edgar saved her long ago, because the talisman can revert those turned to stone back to normal. Maria thanks Bea, who gives the girl a mirror. Maria doesn't understand Bea's intentions for doing so. As Maria leaves, Bea chides the girl's education for not realising it is to reflect the Gorgon's face.

Clyde distracts the nuns long enough for Luke to grab the talisman, closing the portal. However, Sarah Jane and both boys are recaptured. The boys are locked in the supply cellar, while Sarah Jane is taken and tied next to the portal. Luke sees Clyde standing on a barrel by some old canvas bags. He turns around to find a bucket, dumping out the contents. He fixes on a flat trowel from the supplies. Clyde asks him if he's going to dig a tunnel, but Luke has other plans. He improvises a screwdriver, using the flat trowel tip to notch the tool in the screws, turns it delicately, and removes the screws on the lock on the cellar door, letting him pry it off and open the door. Luke and Clyde escape again and join Sarah Jane just as the Gorgon begins to transfer itself. Maria arrives and uses Bea's mirror to block the transfer and send the snake entities back at the Gorgon. The Gorgon tries to block them by raising up her hands, but is too late. They turn the Gorgon — and Abbess — to stone. Almost immediately, the nuns release their captives and stagger back in horror at the sight of the statue; Helena, more pleasant now, openly demands to know what is going on. Sarah Jane joyfully tells her that the Gorgon has lost its control over them, which goes right over her head. Helena then gasps in horror as the other Gorgons start emerging from the portal, but Maria disconnects the talisman and the portal shuts down, sending the other Gorgons back forever. Sarah Jane then reminds Maria about saving Alan and they immediately run for the car, leaving the very confused sisters to ponder their lack of an Abbess and the sudden appearance of a very ugly statue.

The group rushes back to Sarah Jane's house. With seconds to spare, Maria hangs the talisman around her father's neck. With a shimmering energy, the talisman brings Alan back to flesh and blood. He does not remember his ordeal, but Maria is quick to embrace him in a tight hug. Chrissie returns to Sarah Jane's house right after Alan is released from the petrification, none the wiser. However, she protests that Sarah Jane has gotten carried away by making a statue of Alan, but now that he has changed back to normal, she cannot incriminate his neighbour for this, finally giving up. Maria thinks it is better for her mother to remain uninformed about the strange alien happenings surrounding Sarah Jane Smith.

As Chrisse's stay at Alan and Maria's flat comes to an end, Maria apologises at Alan for yelling at him. He forgives her, since it was "only a tiff." The two hug, but Chrissie wedges herself between them to get in her cab, and return to Ivan. Alan tries to hasten her departure by reminder her the metre's running, uncomfortable around his ex. Chrissie ignores him, more concerned about patching things up with her daughter. Maria and Chrissie hug and say their goodbyes, promising to watch after each other. Chrissie hops into her cab, then waves at her family as it drives away.

After Maria witnesses the talisman restore her father, she goes back to Sarah Jane and wonders if it will cure Bea of her Alzheimer's. Mr Smith implies it is possible. This encourages her to have Sarah Jane take her to see Bea for one more visit, returning her mirror in the process. Bea initially repulses at the sight of the talisman because it has to stay hidden from the Gorgons. Sarah Jane tells Bea that the Gorgons have been vanquished, putting her at ease. Now accepting of the alien artefact, she places the talisman around her neck and hears the voice of her late husband Edgar telling her, "I will always love you, Bea." Misty-eyed, Bea smiles and remembers her husband, earnestly thanking Sarah Jane and Maria for bringing Edgar back to her. However, her Alzheimer's does not subside.

As they leave Lavender Lawns, Sarah Jane brightens Maria's spirits by letting her know the talisman has still helped Bea by letting her find peace. Maria comments on how lucky Bea was to have Edgar, then asks Sarah Jane if she wished she had someone special to share her experiences with. Sarah Jane assures her that she's found one for the second time, looking at Maria. The two rush back into her car to return home in time to watch the Viszeran Royal Fleet pass through the solar system, all 600 ships. Sarah Jane says it "only takes a few seconds, but it is the most magnificent stellar light show this side of the galaxy."

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Crew[[edit] | [edit source]]

General production staff

Script department

Camera and lighting department

Art department

Costume department

Make-up and prosthetics

Movement

General post-production staff

Special and visual effects

Sound



Not every person who worked on this adventure was credited. The absence of a credit for a position doesn't necessarily mean the job wasn't required. The information above is based solely on observations of the actual end credits of the episodes as broadcast, and does not relay information from IMDB or other sources.


Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Individuals[[edit] | [edit source]]

Cultural references to the real world[[edit] | [edit source]]

Objects[[edit] | [edit source]]

Locations[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Gorgos is the home planet of the Gorgons.
  • Bea and Edgar have been to Syria.

Spacecraft[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • There is a silhouette/scale drawing of a Jagaroth ship on the wall in Sarah Jane's attic.
  • Sarah Jane and Maria want to watch a Viszeran Royal Fleet.

Species[[edit] | [edit source]]

Story notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

to be added

Ratings[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Part 1 - 0.36 million viewers (DWMSE 23)
  • Part 2 - 0.41 million viewers (DWMSE 23)

Part One's BBC One repeat gained 1.1 million with an AI score of 83, whilst Part Two's BBC One repeat gained 1 million with an AI score of 85.

Filming locations[[edit] | [edit source]]

to be added

Production errors[[edit] | [edit source]]

If you'd like to talk about narrative problems with this story — like plot holes and things that seem to contradict other stories — please go to this episode's discontinuity discussion.
  • Sarah's house number should be 13 Bannerman Road, but in these two episodes the door number is 21. The same error is present in Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?
  • The tax disc on Sarah Jane's car has its back to the windshield.
  • At the end of part 1, just before Alan is turned to stone, Maria shouts "Dad!". But in the reprise of part 2, she shouts "Dad! Get out!"
  • Alan's statue is in a slightly different pose to that in which he froze as he turned to stone.

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

Home video releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • This was to be released on a vanilla DVD along with Revenge of the Slitheen on 17 March 2008, but the release was cancelled. It was instead first featured in the Series One box set, which was released in North America on 7 October 2008 and in the UK on 10 November 2008.
  • It was also released in the Complete Collection Series 1-5 boxset release (Region 2 release: 6th February 2012).

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. No on screen date is given for the first two series of The Sarah Jane Adventures, outside of The Day of the Clown from the second series being set shortly after 9 October in an undisclosed year. While Donna Noble's present from the fourth series of Doctor Who is set around the same time as the first series of The Sarah Jane Adventures, and The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith from the second series of The Sarah Jane Adventures is explicitly described as being set a year after Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane? from the first series, Doctor Who's fourth series is not consistently dated, with TV: The Fires of Pompeii, TV: The Waters of Mars, and AUDIO: SOS setting the present of the 13 regular episodes in 2008 (heavily implied by TV: The Star Beast and TV: The Giggle as well), and PROSE: Beautiful Chaos setting them in about April to June 2009.

External links[[edit] | [edit source]]