Eye of the Gorgon (TV story)
Eye of the Gorgon was the title of the third story in the first series of The Sarah Jane Adventures and makes up episodes 3 and 4 of the regular series.
Plot
PART 1
Sarah Jane and her companions investigate sightings of a ghostly nun at Lavender Lawns,
the local nursing home. Meanwhile, Chrissie Jackson moves 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
- Sarah Jane Smith — Elisabeth Sladen
- Maria Jackson — Yasmin Paige
- Luke Smith — Tommy Knight
- Clyde Langer — Daniel Anthony
- Voice of Mr Smith - Alexander Armstrong
- Alan Jackson — Joseph Millson
- Chrissie Jackson — Juliet Cowan
- Bea Nelson-Stanley — Phyllida Law
- Sister Helena — Beth Goddard
- Mrs Gribbins - Sarah Crowden
- Mrs Randall — Doreen Mantle
- Rosaline Evans - Emily Head
- The Abbess — Audrey Ardington
Crew
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References
- Bea Nelson-Stanley mentions that "the Sontarans are the silliest race in the galaxy" and look like potatoes.
- Bea also references 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, of course reminiscent of the Cybermen, much to Sarah Jane's annoyance.
- There is a silhouette/scale drawing of a Jagaroth ship on the wall in Sarah's attic.
- Sarah Jane Smith, in 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 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 being 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
The Greek myth of a Gorgon is featured.
Production errors
- Sarah Jane's house number should be 13 but in these two episodes the door number is 21.
Continuity
- Sarah Jane met the Sontarans in DW: The Time Warrior and The Sontaran Experiment.
- The Gorgon uses what looks like to be Petrifold Regression on Alan Jackson, which was last seen in DW: New Earth.
- 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 Doctor had previously encountered Medusa, another Gorgon, in The Mind Robber.
Home video releases
- This was to be released on a vanilla DVD along with Revenge of the Slitheen on 17th March 2008, until the release was cancelled. It is featured in the Series One box set, which was released in North America on 7th October 2008 and in the UK on 10th November 2008.
Novelisation
See Eye of the Gorgon (novelisation)
- A novelization was released written by Daniel Attwood.
External links
to be added
Footnotes
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