The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith (TV story)

The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith is the fifth serial in Series 2 of The Sarah Jane Adventures

Synopsis
When Sarah Jane returns a boy who has slipped through a time fissure back to 1951, she realizes she has found a way to meet the parents she never knew. But is it a trap? Sarah Jane and Luke fall victim to a revenge plot by The Trickster.

Plot
Sarah and Luke visit the village via a time portal, that the team had discovered earlier. They arrive in the village on the same day that Sarah Jane's parents are killed in a road accident. In the village, Sarah meets her parents and also changes history when she disables her parents' car's engine therefore stopping them from being killed. History changes and when she arrives back in 2008, London has been destroyed and she meets The Trickster. Meanwhile back in London when Clyde discovers Sarah Jane's house empty and after failing to get either of them on their mobiles he goes to Rani's house and with the aid of Gita gets her out of bed. On entering the house they find that it is empty and Mr Smith has no idea where they might be. He does though have a theory that Sarah Jane may have gone back in time through the time portal. Mr Smith then detects that the box that the Verron Soothsayer had given Sarah Jane before the events of Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane? has become active again and is glowing blue. Rani asks how it will protect them and thinking this is an oxo cube, Clyde states that it will use its Oxy goodness. The scene cuts back to Sarah Jane in 1951 next to the memorial.
 * Part 1

On taking the box to the portal neither Rani nor Clyde are able to find a way to use it. When the box changes colour to red the time portal opens and out steps Oscar. When Oscar changes into a Graske they run off. They succeed in evading it by hiding behind some bins. Time starts to break down so Clyde puts his arm round Rani and they experience the transition from their version of the future into the new post apocalyptic version created by The Trickster

The Trickster explains how he gained control of the world. Sarah and Luke tell him they are going to travel through the portal, but the Trickster tells Sarah Jane that the battle is over. When they eventually travel through the portal. When they arrive they notice the clouds changing colour. The weather is changing and so the fête is moved to the village hall. Sarah and Luke arrive at the memorial and see the Big Ben destroyed and so the Trickstar appears and tells Sarah Jane it was all her fault as she gave the world to the Trickstar

Part 2

to be added

Cast

 * Sarah Jane Smith - Elizabeth Sladen
 * Luke Smith - Tommy Knight
 * Clyde Langer - Daniel Anthony
 * Rani Chandra - Anjli Mohindra
 * Mr Smith (voice) - Alexander Armstrong
 * Barbara Smith - Rosanna Lavelle
 * Eddie Smith - Christopher Pizzey
 * The Trickster - Paul Marc Davies
 * Graske - Jimmy Vee
 * Mrs King - Georgie Glenn
 * Oscar - Robert Madge
 * PC Ferguson - Andrew Bullivant

Production crew
to be added

Story notes

 * The Graske appear in this episode. They appeared in SJA: Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?' in Series 1, as well as DW: Attack of the Graske and Music of the Spheres.

Ratings
to be added

Myths
to be added

Filming Locations
to be added

Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors

 * Trickster was a name given by Alan Jackson. At the end of part 1, he actual calls himself the Trickster. How did Alan know his name? Perhaps Alan guessed his name (possibly one of many) correctly, or he may not have one and simply refers to himself by the name they know him by or he may have told Alan his name offscreen as in Turn Left the Doctor refers to the 'Trickster's Brigade which presumably was a reference to the Trickster.
 * Wouldn't the reapers reappear like in "Father's Day"? Perhaps the Trickster was powerful enough to stop then coming. The circumstances around the two intrusions are different. There was only one time-traveling set of Sarah Jane and Luke present, not two. The timeline in Father's Day was altered, and the events did not occur as the were supposed to, but here, the Trickster's battack didn't actually alter the timeline, but was rather a part of the events. Without the situation with the Trickster, Sarah Jane's parents would never have left her, hence, this was not so much a break in the timeline but a loop, where the future attack by the Trickster caused the past event of Sarah Jane being abandoned. The Reapers did not come accordingly, because the timeline was not actually altered. If Sarah Jane's parents had not abandoned her, that would cause the Reapers to appear, as the Trickster hints at when he says they would be erased.

Continuity
Eddie and Barbara make sure their deaths happen just like Pete Tyler did. (DW: Father's Day)

DVD and Other releases
to be added