Eye of the Gorgon (TV story)

From Tardis Wiki, the free Doctor Who reference
Revision as of 02:49, 18 April 2012 by Memnarc (talk | contribs)
RealWorld.png
TVStub.png

Eye of the Gorgon was the third story in the first series of The Sarah Jane Adventures. It consisted of episodes 3 and 4 of the series.

Plot

Part 1

Elderly women at the local nursing home, Lavender Lawns, have claimed they have seen a mysterious nun that appears and vanishes like a ghost. Clyde informs Sarah Jane of the story, and she, Clyde, and Luke go to investigate. Meanwhile, Chrissie Jackson moves back into her ex-husband's house, but succeeds only in causing further problems with the family. Back at Lavender Lawns, an old lady 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.

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 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.

Cast

Crew

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.


References

  • Bea Nelson-Stanley mentions that "the Sontarans are the silliest race in the galaxy" and look like potatoes.
  • Bea also says that the Sultan of Ishkanbar saw a Yeti once, a reference to DW: The Abominable Snowmen.
  • 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.
  • There is a silhouette/scale drawing of a Jagaroth ship on the wall in Sarah's attic.
  • Sarah Jane Smith, while attempting to guess where the abbey was, mentions Agatha Christie, a key character in the Doctor Who Series 4 episode The Unicorn and the Wasp.
  • The sonic lipstick does not work on wood, similar to the Doctor's sonic screwdriver in DW: Silence in the Library.
  • 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.
  • The idea of the nuns hiding an alien is very similar to DW: Tooth and Claw with the monks hiding the werewolf.

Story notes

Ratings

  • Both episodes aired on the CBBC channel, and were broadcast on BBC 1 a week later.
    • Ratings
  • Episode 1 - 365,000 (CBBC)
  • 1.1 million (BBC 1)
    • Episode 2- 411,000 (CBBC)
  • 1.0 million (BBC 1)

Filming locations

To be added

Myths

to be added

Production errors

  • Sarah Jane's house number should be 13 but in these two episodes the door number is 21.

Continuity

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.

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.

Novelisation

See Eye of the Gorgon (novelisation),

EyeGorgonNovel.jpg
  • A novelisation was released written by Phil Ford.

Footnotes