Enemy of the Bane (TV story)

Enemy of the Bane was the sixth and final serial in Series Two of The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Synopsis
Gita Chandra is kidnapped by Mrs Wormwood, in a ruse that turns out to be a snare for Sarah Jane. Mrs Wormwood has joined forces with another of Sarah Jane's enemies; as they prepare to settle old scores with her, she turns to an old friend for help.

Part 1
Gita Chandra is working late on a special floral commission, but the client turns out to be Mrs Wormwood. She paralyses Gita, certain that the disappearance of Rani's mum will lure Sarah Jane Smith onto the case. At the same time, Luke has been having nightmares about Mrs Wormwood.

When Rani realises her mum has vanished, Sarah Jane and Luke go to the Chandra's house and talk to her and Haresh about what happened. Rani belevies that it could be aliens at work but Sarah Jane feels that it is not always aliens, as people go missing all the time and come home safe.

Sarah Jane, Luke and Clyde head to Gita's shop, Bloomin Lovely, and start to investigate while Sarah Jane uses her Scanner watch to search for alien traces. Luke and Clyde find a cheque which was signed by Mrs Wormwood. Sarah Jane, Luke and Clyde go to see Mr Smith to get the cheque scanned and it finds that there is a code which was hidden which gives details to where Mrs Wormwood is. Sarah Jane and Rani go to rescue Gita, discussing the Bane and Bubble Shock along the way.

The two find Gita unconscious, and meet up with Mrs Wormwood. The former Bane operative explains that she took the blame for her species' failed attempt at invading the Earth and has been exiled from her people and world. The Bane will eat her alive if they catch her.

When the Bane attack, Mrs Wormwood uses her Sonic disruptor to stop them, giving out sound which penetrates their ears and stops them in their tracks. The Bane grab Sarah Jane by the leg, but Mrs Wormwood is able to save her by attacking the Bane with a metal pole. The trio head back to Bannerman Road, shocking Luke when he opens the door.

They all go to the attic and as soon as they enter Mr Smith does a bio-analysis on Mrs Wormwood, showing that she is Bane. Mr Smith questions whether having her in the attic is a good idea, to which Sarah Jane asks Mr Smith to keep an eye on her and to put a containment field around her if she causes trouble. Mrs Wormwood says that an ancient immortal, Horath, tried to take over the galaxy, but was defeated three thousand years previously. Unable to destroy him, Horath's captors separated his body and consciousness and placed them at opposite ends of the galaxy. Mrs Wormwood says that the Bane have discovered Horath's consciousness, and are trying to find his body, which is, like so many other things of galactic importance, located on Earth. Once united, she says the Bane will be able to conquer the galaxy. The only clue to the body's location is in the Tunguska Scroll, which is kept in UNIT's Black Archive, a secure storehouse of alien artifacts.

Sarah Jane visits her old friend, retired Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, to get his help to enter the Archive. Sarah Jane and Rani obtain the Tunguska Scroll, which has information on the location of the body of Horath. UNIT personnel stop her, but she uses her sonic lipstick and escapes with Rani and the Brigadier. Meanwhile Luke talks to Mrs. Wormwood and when the Bane attack the house, he releases her from the forcefield. She is about to escape when a Bane tries to eat her. Sontaran Commander Kaagh shoots it and reveals himself to be her agent.

Part 2
With Luke and Clyde surrounded by Bane Clyde picks up a hose and soaks the Bane trying to force them back. Mrs Wormwood arrives and uses her sonic disrupter and blows up the Bane leaving creamy goo on Luke and Clyde. Sarah Jane arrives with Rani and The Brigadier. So that UNIT cannot find them, Sarah Jane, Luke, Clyde, Rani, the Brigadier and Mrs Wormwood all hide in Gita's Flower shop. Mrs Wormwood asks Sarah Jane for the Scroll but she refuses. Commander Kaagh arrives and grabs Sarah Jane Sonic Lipstick and destroys it then he forces Sarah Jane to give up Scroll by threatening Luke, Clyde and Rani. After the threat Sarah Jane gives the scroll to Mrs Wormwood, With the scroll in the hands of Mrs Wormwood she forces Luke to go with her and Commander Kaagh.

Mrs Wormwood, Kaagh and Luke arrive at a factory where Kaagh has hidden his space pod. He places the Consciousness of Horath in a scroll. Mrs Wormwood says that Luke could be a ruler of a galaxy as her son then Luke grabs the scroll and runs. Kaagh starts chasing him. Mrs Wormwood finds out that she will need to stop Kaagh because she doesn't want Luke dead. Just as Kaagh is about to shoot Luke Mrs Wormwood in her Bane mode jumps in front of Kaagh and transforms back to human. She uses her sonic distrupter again. Showing that there is a rift between them that there not working together its just Kaagh is being controlled.

Meanwhile the others go to Sarah Jane's House to speak to Mr Smith, to try to find the whereabouts of Luke, Mrs Wormwood and Kaagh. Major Kilburn attempts to stop them, revealing himself as a Bane agent as soon as he does. The Brigadier uses his cane which has a secret gun in it and stunned the Major. Once they find out, they borrow Gita's van and go after them. Mrs Wormwood, Luke and Kaagh arrive at a stone circle and they find out it has a force field around it and that only humans can enter. Mrs Wormwood forces Luke to insert the scroll as he does the stone circle opens and they find out that its a portal which leads to Horath. When Kaagh finds out that he is not in the bargain Mrs Wormwood uses her sonic device again and he drops to the floor. Soon after Sarah Jane arrives and Mrs Wormwood tries to convince Luke to go with her saying that she is his mother but for him his real mum is Sarah Jane. Kaagh decides to kill Mrs Wormwood with his gun but Clyde won't give it to him. Kaagh pushes Mrs Wormwood with him into the portal. Sarah Jane reveals that she has another sonic lipstick and destroys the scroll.

Soon after she says goodbye to The Brigadier and warns the aliens out there who live here.

Cast

 * Sarah Jane Smith - Elisabeth Sladen
 * Luke Smith - Tommy Knight
 * Clyde Langer - Daniel Anthony
 * Rani Chandra - Anjli Mohindra
 * Voice of Mr Smith - Alexander Armstrong
 * Mrs Wormwood - Samantha Bond
 * Kaagh - Anthony O'Donnell
 * Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart - Nicholas Courtney
 * Gita Chandra - Mina Anwar
 * Haresh Chandra - Ace Bhatti
 * Major Cal Kilburne - Simon Chadwick

Production crew
To be added

Story notes

 * Mrs Wormwood returns along with the Bane. They last appeared in Invasion of the Bane.
 * Commander Kaagh from The Last Sontaran returns.
 * "Brigadier" Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart returns for the first time in 19 years, having last appeared on television in the 1989 Doctor Who adventure Battlefield. His appearance in this story marks 40 years in the role, having first appeared as Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart back in the 1968 serial, The Web of Fear, and makes him the longest serving single character in Doctor Who thus far second only to the Doctor himself.
 * The last on-screen appearance of the Brigadier other than the appearance of a photograph in Invasion of the Bane and a few name-drops (Revenge of the Slitheen, DW: The Poison Sky) was in the independent spin-off production, Downtime in 1995.
 * The Brigadier shoots a Bane operative dead with a gun hidden in his cane. Before this episode aired it was said that he would kill Kaagh with it.
 * As with Series One, the villains in the final story also featured in the opening story. In Series One the Slitheen were in the first story, Revenge of the Slitheen, and returned in the last story of the series, The Lost Boy. This time the Sontaran Commander Kaagh is in The Last Sontaran and this story. Another coincidence was that both the Slitheen and Sontarans have previously featured in the new series of Doctor Who.
 * Before the Brigadier was decided to be returning, Martha Jones was originally going to appear, however Freema Agyeman was unavailable.[http://www.sfx.co.uk/page/sfx?entry=20_things_we_learnt_from 20 Things We Learnt from A Writer's Tale: The Final Chapter

Ratings
To be added

Myths

 * The appearance of an elderly Brigadier contradicts the continuity of the Virgin New Adventures novels, which establishes that his youth is restored in the early 21st century. The event in question, depicted in NA: Happy Endings, takes place in 2010. As this episode takes place in 2009, this still leaves the door open for such an event, to occur to the Brig in his future.

Filming Locations
to be added

Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors

 * Mrs Wormwood's sonic disruptor can make Bane explode, then why at the factory only stun them. It may not have had the power at the time - the exploding happened directly after the energy recharge.
 * In Part 2 when the two members of the Bane Kindred explode Clyde and Luke are covered in left over Bane Slime. As the episode goes on it is no longer seen. (They could have been washed - and do in fact have wet shirts afterward.)
 * In The Last Sontaran, Sarah Jane took Kaagh's gun off him and left it in her attic, so in this story how come he had it back? Kaagh has been back to the wider galaxy since then, he's had any number of opportunities to pick up a new weapon even if he didn't have a spare in his scoutship. 
 * When Kaagh stops Mrs Wormwood he falls in the portal too-why didn't he just push her into the portal? Kaagh wanted to redeem himself; in his eyes, the only way to do this was to sacrifice himself when he defeated Wormwood.
 * Just before the opening titles in episode 1, Wormwood lets a brief laugh. Clearly, she was going to do an "evil Laugh" into the credits and they decided to cut it out, but didn't cut away in time.
 * In her Bane form Mrs Wormwood's skin seems to have changed colour. Possible stress related skin change?
 * In Episode 1, The Brigadier notes that people with Level 1 clearance are allowed near the Black Archive yet Major Kilburn who earlier stated having Level 2 clearance is seen at the Black Archive. He may not be allowed directly inside the Archive, but just to guard it. Or because he is Bane he may have killed his way in or used fake ID 

Continuity

 * Sir Alistair is a Special Envoy for UNIT, and often serves on diplomatic missions, such as his recent trip to Peru (DW: The Poison Sky). He doesn't trust UNIT as it stands today ("Homeworld security", poor human rights seen in TW: Fragments etc.), but still maintains a Level One (highest) security clearance.


 * When arguing against UNIT dealing with a more dangerous Earth these days, Sir Alistair refers to several enemies UNIT battled against in his day, concluding "it doesn't get more hostile than that". The events he alludes to are;
 * DW: The Invasion
 * DW: Spearhead from Space
 * DW: Terror of the Autons
 * DW: Day of the Daleks
 * DW: Terror of the Zygons


 * Of all the above mentioned enemies, only the Zygons have yet to appear in the new series of Doctor Who, although they were featured in NSA: Sting of the Zygons.

Major Kilburn mentions that the Sir Alistair's wife let him in. Her name is not specifically mentioned, however, so it is uncertain whether it is Doris, or that he may have re-married.

The concept of Horath's body and consciousness being separated is similar to what was done to Nephthys in MA: The Sands of Time.


 * On screen, the Brigadier last met Sarah Jane in RP: Downtime.


 * The events of SJA: Invasion of the Bane, The Last Sontaran, and DW: The Sontaran Stratagem / The Poison Sky are mentioned.

Novelisation
As of September 2009, no novelisation of this story has been announced for publication, although other episodes have been adapted.

DVD and Other releases
This story, along with the rest of Series 2, is scheduled for release on DVD on 9th November 2009 (UK) and 10th November 2009 (North America).