Forum:SJA television discontinuity and plot holes/The Gift

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.

• The fact that K-9 is in the back of Sarah-Jane's car at the beginning of the story suggest that all four humans plus K-9 travelled in the car at once. Sarah-Jane's car is a bit small to hold them all.

Not necessarily, The car can hold five, and K9 would take up about a seat. K-9 could have moved after the others had left, explaining why he appeared to take up the entire back seat.

• Why did the Blathereen present the Rakweed to Sarah-Jane? They could have planted it anywhere at random and it would have still have done its work.

As they indicated more than once, they took pleasure in the irony of using the "famous" Sarah Jane Smith to bring about the destruction of the planet she was known for protecting.

• Why didn't Mr. Smith detect that the Rakweed was dangerous at the first analysis?

Mr Smith said that between his first and second analysis, the plant mutated.

• When Chris Slitheen is talking to the other Slitheen, his compression unit lifts up, revealing the edge of where the latex head and fat suit meet.

• Since the Blathereen aren't actually bounty hunters and weren't sending the Slitheen to Raxacoricofallapatorius to be executed, what happened to the Slitheen?

The Blathereen may have simply executed the Slitheen upon returning to their ship: why would they keep their rivals alive once they've served their purpose?.

• Why do the Blathereen still have their compression collars on when they only appear in their Raxacoricofallapatorian form, and why did Sarah Jane not notice the collars on their necks?

The neck braces look different to the Slitheen ones and they are never seen using skinsuits, so most likely the braces have a different or additional functions - like a translator for example.

• One point into Part Two, part of the Rakweed spread is missing.

A Computer Glitch?

• When the Blathereen are eating Rakweed, they aren't actually eating it.

The Blathereen may like to play with their food.

• When the Bane created Luke and "gave him" perfect health, why did he fall ill due to the Rakweed?

As indicated by Mr. Smith, the Rakweed spores were designed to seek out and sap the energy from any potential threat to their spreading.

• At the end of part one the spores from the Rakweed are alarmingly close to Luke and Sarah at the beginning of part two they are very far away from them.

It appears closer in part 1 because it is shown from the perspective of being inside the spore cloud.

• When the Blathereen are eating dinner there are countless times where in the reflection of their eyes you can see stage lights or lighting systems. ::There are lights in the house where they are eating.

• Why is Sarah Jane so surprised when Mr Smith vents the Rakweed spores away? Surely she built the computer to house him so she would have built the air vents as well?

She isn't surprised as much as relieved.

• Why did Sarah Jane tell Mr. Smith that Luke was only fifteen? Firstly, he was created by the Bane perhaps two years previous (in-universe) so isn't fifteen. Secondly, Mr. Smith knows full well where and how Luke was created so why did Sarah Jane feel the need to say something like that at all, let alone lie, to Mr. Smith.

He is roughly fifteen physiologically, which is the aging system she has consistently used when referring to Luke's age. She is saying this to Mr. Smith not to inform him of Luke's physiological age, but rather because she is upset and expressing a further emotional aspect of the tragedy of his impending possible death..

• When Sarah Jane is talking to the Blathereen on their ship about the Rakweed's song it can be heard even though they are in Antarctica and the Rakweed is only in London.

The computer possibly had a radio link to London, as it was showing London on the map and could probably show what was happening in London too.

• The Blathereen names sound nothing like any normal Raxacoricofallapatorian name.

The Blathereen are a different family to Slitheen, so they would have different names.

• During Part 2 when Mr. Smith is monitoring Luke he goes from 86% to 87% and then later we see him back at 86% and go on to 87% again.

Luke exhaled the spores for a second and that caused the percentage to decrease temporarily.

• If K-9 can activate hover mode to get out of Sarah Jane's car, why couldn't he get up the curb in SJA: The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith

K-9 was probably messing around during Episode 5. Or Sarah Jane must have found an invention between the Wedding episode and this episode which could make K-9 hover. Peter Dalton was there at the time and K9 hovering would have likely ruined Luke's Story about him being a toy.