The Gift (TV story)

The Gift is the sixth and final story in The Sarah Jane Adventures Series 3.

Synopsis
When the Slitheen's latest scheme is halted, the Blathereen arrive - can they be trusted? The gang recieve a gift, which could save millions. But, when the gift runs wild, Sarah Jane faces the battle of her life to save Luke.

Plot
 PART ONE 

Sarah Jane and the gang chase a child Slitheen into a warehouse, where a disguised Slitheen sets up the countdown for a matter compresser that forms a web around the Earth's orbit to squish it into a diamond. However, two orange-skinned Blathereen arrive and teleport the Slitheen onto their ship. They reveal that they hunt Slitheen without profit. They reveal their names as Tree and Leaf Blathereen, and invite themselves to tea at Rani's house.

Whilst there, the Blathereen reveal that Raxacoricofallapatorius was once a respected planet in the Raxa Galaxy, governed by the Blathereen, until the Slitheen came into power. The economy was destroyed and eventually the Raxacoricofallapatorians revolted against the Slitheen; some where brought to justice, but some escaped into distant planets to gain money. The Blathereen returned to power and started to capture the various Slitheen.

The Blathereen then give Earth a gift: the Rakweed. They reveal that it can survive in even the harshest conditions, and would end Earth's famine. With Sarah Jane as their ambassador, the Blathereen could begin an alliance with Earth. Clyde is suspicious. After the Blathereen leave, Mr Smith says that the Rakweed is harmless. Clyde, Rani and Luke have a biology test tomorrow, and with Mr Smith's help, Clyde is able to smuggle K-9 into school.

Whilst getting dressed, Luke can't find his tie and goes into the attic to look for it. The Rakweed has mutated and is releasing harmful spores into the atmosphere. Luke accidentally swallows some spores and becomes properly ill for the first time. Sarah Jane decides that Luke has to stay home, and Rani is concerned. In school, Rani learns that Clyde has K-9 to help him, and will talk to him through an earpiece.

Sarah Jane discovers the Rakweed and Mr Smith explains that the planet has mutated and is releasing spores across Earth that will infect humans that may pose as a threat to the Blathereen, and more Rakweed has grown outside Sarah Jane's house on Bannerman Road. Mr Smith also reveals that the Rakweed will put humans into a coma which they will never awaken from. Sarah Jane sees red spots on Luke's chest and the Rakweed releases a massive wave of spores that head to Sarah Jane and Luke, and Sarah Jane shouts for Mr Smith to somehow stop them as the Rakweed spores come closer...

Cast

 * Sarah Jane Smith - Elisabeth Sladen
 * Luke Smith - Tommy Knight
 * Clyde Langer - Daniel Anthony
 * Rani Chandra - Anjli Mohindra
 * Mr Smith - Alexander Armstrong
 * Voice of K-9 - John Leeson
 * Blathereen Voice - Miriam Margolyes
 * Blathereen Voice - Simon Callow
 * Leef Blathereen - Paul Kasey
 * Tree Blathereen - Ruari Mears
 * Chris - Calvin Dean
 * Slitheen - Jimmy Vee
 * Dave - Edward Judge
 * Miss Jerome - Sarah Paul

Crew
By Liam Henney 
 * Co-Producer- Phil Ford
 * K.9 originally created by- Bob Baker and Dave Martin
 * First Assistant Director- Guy de Glanville
 * 2nd Assistant Director- Sarah Davies
 * 3rd Assistant Director- Wil Cummins
 * Location Manager- Nicky James
 * Production Co-Ordinater- Ceri Hughes
 * Continuity- Nicki Coles
 * Script Editor- Gary Russell
 * Camera Operator- Martin Stephens
 * Focus Pullers- Mani Blaxter Paliwala and Anna James
 * Grip- John Robinson
 * Boom Operator- Kevin Staples
 * Gaffer- Dave Fowler
 * Set Decorator- Joelle Rumbelow
 * Standby Art Director- Jackson Pope
 * Standby Props- Dewi Thomas
 * Graphics- BBC Wales Graphics
 * Costume Supervisor- Barbara Harrington
 * Assistant Editor- Lee Bhogal
 * Post Production Supervisor- Nerys Davies
 * Post Production Co-Ordinator- Marie Brown
 * Colourist- Jon Everett
 * Sound Editors- Matthew Cox and Howard Eaves
 * Dubbing Mixer- Mark Ferda
 * Title Music- Murray Gold
 * Music- Sam Watts
 * Casting Directors- Andy Brierley and Andy Pryor CDG
 * Production Executive- Julie Scott
 * Production Accountant- Dyfed Thomas
 * Sound Recordist- Ray Parker
 * Costume Designer- Stewart Meacham
 * Makeup Designer- Emma Bailey
 * Visual Effects- Craig Higgins
 * Special Effects- Any Effects
 * Prosthetics- Millennium X
 * Editor- Ceres Doyle
 * Production Designer- Arwel Wyn Jones
 * Director of Photography- Mark Waters
 * Production Manager- Steffan Morris

Story Notes

 * A CBBC literature statement confirmed both the Slitheen and Blathereen would appear in the series.
 * In an interview with Nikki Wilson for SFX she confirmed the Blathereen as appearing in these episode. A series preview by Digital Spy also confirmed the Blathereen as appearing in the Finale
 * The Blathereen and Slitheen both appeared in the book NSA: The Monsters Inside. The Gift is the first appearance of the Blathereen in a TV story.
 * The Slitheen leader referred to the Blathereen in SJA: Revenge of the Slitheen.
 * This episode marks the return of the Slitheen in the Sarah Jane Adventures. They previously appeared in SJA: Revenge of the Slitheen, The Lost Boy, From Raxacoricofallapatorius With Love
 * The Blathereen are supposedly orange compared to their green cousins.
 * Simon Callow previously played Charles Dickens in DW: The Unquiet Dead

Ratings
to be added

Myths

 * The Judoon will appear. This is a rumour, because in the previous two series the alien from the first episode appeared the the finale.This is not strictly true because it has been the villain from the opening story so the Slitheen in Revenge of the Slitheen in Series One and Kaagh the Sontaran in The Last Sontaran in Series 2. If the pattern of the previous two series were repeated for Series 3 (Which is unlikely because of the appearence of the Slitheen and Blathereen ) then Androvax from Prisoner of the Judoon would have returned but the Judoon could still make an appearence since the Slitheen have previously mentioned the Judoon. On the 30.10.09 a CBBC spokesperson for the show said that the Judoon were spotted by fans with a gun at a slitheen/blathereen in human form, this scene would not have fitted in Prisoner of the Judoon as it took place outside the Pharos Institute.

Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors

 * If the Blathereen are orange then why didn't the Ninth Doctor or Rose Tyler reference this in NSA: The Monsters Inside? It was not important at the time
 * If the Blathereen are orange, then why were they confused with green Slitheen in NSA: The Monsters Inside? Because the Doctor and Rose didn't know much about Raxacoricofallapatorians and may have just thought their skin colour can vary. But, in World War Three, the Doctor uses the fact that the Slitheen are green to narrow down their possible homeworld, suggesting that the Doctor knows Raxicoricofalipatorians as being green. However, his knowledge of them does seem to be limited. The Doctor may not have actually found their skin colour useful, but pretended to to preserve morale and keep Rose and company firing useful suggestions at him. Most of the stuff they say he already knew anyway and so the scene itself is either flawed, or it was just The Doctor being a goof in the middle of a crisis as he sometimes is.
 * Why Doesn't Mr. Smith detect that the Rakweed is dangerous at the first analysis? Mr Smith said that between his first and second analysis the planet mutated.

Continuity

 * The Blathereen first appeared in NSA: The Monsters Inside.
 * The Slitheen first appeared in DW: Aliens of London / World War Three, and SJA: Revenge of the Slitheen SJA: The Lost Boy and SJA: From Raxacoricofallapatorius With Love.
 * This marks the first televised appearance of the Blathereen.
 * The planet Clom is mentioned.

Timeline
to be added