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.

Part 1
Elderly women at the local nursing home, Lavender Lawns, have claimed they have seen a mysterious nun that appears and vanishes like a ghost. Clyde informs Sarah Jane of the story, and she, Clyde, and Luke go to investigate. Meanwhile, Chrissie Jackson moves back 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

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 Second Doctor had previously encountered Medusa, another Gorgon, in DW: The Mind Robber.

Home video releases

 * This was to be released on a vanilla DVD along with Revenge of the Slitheen on 17 March 2008, until the release was cancelled. It is featured in the Series One box set, which was released in North America on 7 October 2008 and in the UK on 10th November 2008.

Novelisation
See Eye of the Gorgon (novelisation)
 * A novelization was released written by Phil Ford.