Eye of the Gorgon

"The things she must have seen. Now everyone thinks she's crazy..."

Writer: Phil Ford

Format: TV

Broascast: 1st-8th October 2007

Series: SJA 1.03

Featuring: Sarah Jane, Luke, Maria, Clyde 

Synopsis 

A haunted nursing home leads Sarah to a mysterious order of nuns with an ancient - and alien - secret...

Verdict 

Eye of the Gorgon was another great story in this first series of the Sarah Jane Adventures. The Doctor Who spinoff has certainly started off very consistently with these three opening stories and I think this was probably the least silly of the adventures so far. I liked the inclusion of a figure from Greek mythology as an alien and there didn't really seem to be any scenes directed at the younger viewers. I mean, the whole series is aimed at that audience but there was no farting as we saw in Revenge of the Slitheen. The story actually presented some strong messages and a lot of that was through Maria and the family troubles she's having with her mother and father going through a divorce. She's old enough to understand how it works but Maria just wants her parents together, even if they don't get along. She wanted to be close to both of them and that's something I can still relate to at 19. My parents split up (they weren't married) when I was just 2 and I can't ever remember them being together but it can be tough being separated from one at a time, even now. Maria is dealing with that amiably... by fighting aliens! When her Dad was turned to stone by the Gorgon in what was a fantastic cliffhanger, her reaction was one of anger at Sarah Jane before being given hope that there might still be a chance. There was a good reference to Invasion of the Bane and I liked how Sarah Jane is there to console Maria about her troubles at home. Luke and Clyde got along well in this story which was nice and I liked the humour behind the latter recognising what not to say to a nun when it concerned an alien gizmo. The talisman was an interesting and greatly-named device and its role in the Gorgon mission was pretty pivotal. It was the way home to the Gorgon planet and the means of invading Earth. That's what they really wanted. The story had a bit of a similar feel to Tooth and Claw but just seemed like the female version which was good. The Gorgon being protected and helped for over 3,000 years by the nun family was interesting and I liked how they were not situated in a retirement home. Bea was a lovely character and I admired how she was a much travelled person. Travelling is quite a passion of mine and I can't wait to grow a little older and finish university to get a decent job, of which a lot of the money will fund trips abroad! She'd been everywhere and with her Edgar she had even ran into Sontarans which was quite incredible. Sarah Jane has met them twice as well so I loved her reaction to them being mentioned. The cliche resolution of Maria using a mirror to reflect the Gorgon's own image and powers into her was good and I liked how with the Gorgon turned to stone, her hold on the nuns was loosened. They were disoriented and unaware of what they had done. But there was still the problem of Alan being a stone statue. Thankfully for Maria, the talisman saw to reversing the change in molecular structure. Mr Smith was quite humorous in his explanation which was good. Bea being given the talisman back at the end of the story was a nice touch and it was wonderful to see how happy putting it on made her as she heard her late husband's voice one last time, just like she wanted. Overall, another very good story!

Rating: 8/10