It’s New Year’s Eve 2007 and a somewhat packed set of recordings.
We start with Secret Show – The Secret Thing. As usual, Grany and her fluffy bunnies must be cleared out for the show. Today her rocking chair is jet propelled.
Anita and Victor are called back to base because of a Code Red. Someone’s trying to steal the Secret Thing. The security is a bit tighter. Including a Belly Button check.
But Victor can’t produce his pass, despite getting through all the other checks. “If we had kids, they’d play together. Did you know that, Ray?” “Would I?” “Best friends! Why didn’t Uncle Ray let you into work, Daddy? I don’t know, son. Doesn’t Uncle Ray love me anymore? No, son. I don’t think he does.” “Hey, Victor, I didn’t mean to…” “Upset our kids?” “I’m sorry, Victor.” And he lets him in.
“He’s a one in a million” says the guard, when another Victor, this one with his pass, walks in.
The first Victor was an imposter, who then disguises himself as a guard.
Professor Professor finds the abandoned Victor Disguise. “Victor! Are you still alive?”
The commander’s name today is Chucklebotty.
A familiar looking guard comes in to announce the imposter has been found, so everyone jumps into action. Chucklebotty says “I’ll stay here and hold the port. Fort, hold the fort.”
Chucklebotty appears on a monitor telling Anita, Victor and Professor Professor the Secret Thing is missing. He tells the Professor he has to check the secret hiding place, so they all descend.
The real Chucklebotty was tied up behind the Professor’s chair.
The security is tight. “Whatever you do, Victor stay exactly where you are.”
“Victor, are you still alive?” “Yes, I’m still alive.” “Oh, good.”
The imposter gets hold of the Secret Thing and flies off on a jet propelled chair.
There’s a brilliant cameo from Granny and her bunnies.
The imposter starts impersonating Anita, they all crash into a bridge, and Victor is hanging from the bridge, with two Anitas asking for the secret thing. And to make matters worse, they’re over a volcano.
Victor solves the conundrum by singing the show’s theme tune, which only Anita knows, and throws the secret thing to her.
“And so, the secret thing has been hidden in a new, impenetrable, hiding place. Safe from even the mist. Well, it will remain hidden for… Hidden for generations.”
Media Centre Description: Comedy series for children about two agents in a top-secret organisation. The Impostors, creatures capable of replicating humans, try to steal ‘The Secret Thing’. Victor and Anita must protect The Secret Thing at all cost. But what is The Secret Thing? Will Victor ever find out? How will he tell the difference between the real Anita and the Impostor copy?
Recorded from CBBC Channel on Monday 31st December 2007 07:38
BBC Genome: CBBC Channel Monday 31st December 2007 07:40
After this, there’s a trail for Films at 4pm on CBBC.
Then the recording stops with a few minutes of Batfink.
The next recording is a nice surprise for me, as I’d been sad that after the first few episodes, I didn’t record any more. So I was pleased to see this whole day of the final three stories in The Sarah Jane Adventures starting with Warriors of Kudlak – Part 1. This recording misses the start of the episode, despite it starting two minutes before 9:30.
In the opening, a boy is playing a laser tag game called Combat 3000. He goes through a door, then an alien transports him somewhere. A voice on the intercom says “Bring me more. I need more. So many more children.” “It shall be done, Mistress.”
The man running Combat 3000 hands Maria and Luke some vouchers for discount entry, then goes to report to his boss.
Who is Mr Kudlak, an alien.
Sarah is interviewing the missing boy’s mother. His name is Lance and his father died in Iraq.
Discussing it back in the attic, Luke admits that he’s been trying out humour, and he gave Lance the nickname ‘Corporal’. Maria defends him. “It wasn’t Luke’s fault. No-one knew about Lance’s dad. He didn’t tell anyone. He didn’t have much to do with any of us. At break he was too busy with his Nintendo.” “But I made a joke out of his name. Maybe Lance wanted friends, like I did. Instead, I probably made him run away!”
They visit a friend of Lance. He’s playing a video game. They ask him about Lance and he points at the High Scores. “That’s him.” “Halo?” “Yeah, that’s Lance. He’s the nuts.” “Is that good?” “Very.” Although I’d like to know about Eejit, a word that I’ve only heard from my Irish mother and her family.
He tells them about the day Lance disappeared. “I was meant to meet him on Saturday in the park. We was going to go to the arcade.” “And did you?” “Well, he never showed. The storm may have put him off.” “There wasn’t a storm.” “Are you calling me a liar?” “No. But Saturday was warm and sunny. I was in the garden until dark.” “Yeah. Well, it was weird, wasn’t it? It only lasted a minute. All these clouds came up the hill and then it just poured on me. Then the clouds just vanished and it was blue skies again. I mean, it was weird, and…” “Frightening?” “Yeah.”
Sarah Jane correlates more missing teenagers to weird weather, then she has to get more information, so she turns to that reliable source of scientific information – Kate Bush’s Cloudbusting video. I love this moment.
Luke and Clyde visit Combat 3000 so Luke can learn about games.
Maria and Sarah Jane locate the centre of the mysterious storm on the day Lance disappeared to the Combat 3000 building. So they visit. I love the cashier and her bored recitation of the catchphrases. “Zap those drones.” She warns them off playing. “It used to be lovely and peaceful, till Mr Grantham took over. Mr Grantham? Mmm. Him and his partner, Mr Kudlak. Not that anybody ever sees him.” “Would it be possible to speak to him?” “Do you know, it always seems to be raining since they moved in.”
They find Grantham’s office, but he discovers them. “Don’t you have any conscience about what you’re doing with those kids?” “Let me tell you about conscience. A conscience is like a stone in your shoe. You cannot begin to imagine the relief once you get rid of it.” This villain isn’t worried by things like nuance.
Sarah Jane uses her Sonic lipstick as a get out of jail free card, and finds a monitor, just in time to see Clyde and Luke being transported somewhere, and the alien Kudlak menaces them.
Media Centre Description: Children’s drama series from the makers of Doctor Who, following the adventures of investigative journalist Sarah Jane Smith, a former companion to the Doctor. Luke and Clyde enter Combat 3000 – a game designed to train warriors – run by the sinister Kudlak.
Recorded from CBBC Channel on Monday 31st December 2007 09:28
BBC Genome: CBBC Channel Monday 31st December 2007 09:30
After this there’s a trail for MI-High.
Then this recording has about six minutes of the next episode.
The next recording is that next episode (although again missing a couple of minutes from the start) of The Sarah Jane Adventures – Warriors of Kudlak – Part 2.
Sarah Jane and Maria escape from Kudlak, and eventually from the Combat 3000 building.
Luke and Clyde don’t think they’ve moved. They’re waiting for their prize for being the winners of the tournament. Then some people in black helmets (to save on prosthetics?) open the door and grab them, and throw them in a large packing crate.
They’re moved somewhere and left. Luke makes a hook from bits of his Laser Quest harness, and gets them out of the crate.
Sarah Jane and Maria are getting Mr Smith to identify the aliens. They are engaged in a very long running war with another planet, and are kidnapping children to fight in the war. Mr Grantham breaks into the house and threatens Sarah Jane again, but Maria’s able to use their Cloudbusting machine to zap him. He’s getting zapped a lot, which is quite satisfying.
Clyde and Luke open the crates around them, and find a lot of children who’ve been kidnapped, including Lance from the first episode. They run away from their captors, but stop when they find a window. “When did the moon turn blue?”
They see the Earth outside and realise they’re on a spaceship.
Sarah Jane takes Grantham back to Combat 3000 to get him to send her to where Luke and Clyde are. There’s an interesting cut in this scene. She says “You won’t be so cocky when you go down for abducting those children!” He laughs. “So you’re going to tell the police that I helped some butt-ugly alien send kids to war in a galaxy far, far away? It won’t be me going down, love. It will be you. Down to the funny farm.” “Who needs to mention aliens. There’s enough evidence to link you to the disappearances. I doubt that men like you fare too well in prison.” The bits in italic are cut from the version on iPlayer, I presume because it was felt the implications of Paedophilia were probably a little too far for a children’s programme.
Luke borrows Clyde’s phone, and links it to the spaceship’s computer to find a shuttlecraft, and get them out of the locked room.
Sarah Jane and Maria teleport to the ship, and find their way to the room where Kudlak talks to his “mistress”, the alien who he’s sending the children to fight for. Luke, Clyde and the others are captured and brought there, where Luke is able to reveal that he found something in the ship’s computer. It’s a message from the Emperor. “Vessels of the Imperial Fleet, this is your Emperor. We have agreed an armistice with the Malakh. After all these centuries, peace at last! Come home, all my proud warriors. Come home. We have much to rebuild.” The message is ten years old.
They discover that the “Mistress” is just a computer program that hasn’t been coded to understand peace as a possibility. Kudlak is remorseful. “I have committed an unforgivable crime against your world. You are free and my life is yours to take.” “Taking life is never the answer, General Kudlak. Whether we have been wronged by one man or a whole planet, it is always the innocents that suffer.” “I am not an innocent. But maybe I can find some of those that were. The ones I sent far away and that still survive. Perhaps I can return them and one day, find some peace for myself.” “I hope you can. General Kudlak.”
They get back to Earth. Luke gets a kiss from Jen. “That was a kiss!” “You saved our skin, Luke, you deserved it.”
Lance is reunited with his mother.
Luke is a bit quiet. “I’m thinking about something else. You know you said anything I wanted to know, just ask?” “Encyclopaedia Clyde-annica! I’m your man!” “Tell me about girls.” “Oh, man!”
Media Centre Description: Children’s drama series from the makers of Doctor Who, following the adventures of investigative journalist Sarah Jane Smith, a former companion to the Doctor. Luke and Clyde have been kidnapped – to be drafted as soldiers in an endless intergalactic war.
Recorded from CBBC Channel on Monday 31st December 2007 09:58
BBC Genome: CBBC Channel Monday 31st December 2007 10:00
There’s another trail for Films at 4pm. Then there’s a bit of continuity with Ross Lee.
Then the recording stops with the start of the next episode.
The next recording again misses a couple of minutes of the episode, so it’s lucky it was recorded on the previous one. It’s The Sarah Jane Adventures – Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane – Part 1.
Luke’s getting skateboard lessons from Clyde, who is very embarrassed when Maria’s dad shows his own impressive skills with the skateboard. As they’re leaving the skatepark, Sarah Jane gets a feeling as if “someone has just walked over my grave” and we see a scary looking hooded figure watching them.
In the attic, Mr Smith is tracking a meteor heading for Earth. Maria says “You’re being a bit calm!” “Oh, there’s no need to worry. When it’s in range, Mr Smith will create a magnetic pulse, and bounce the meteor back out into space. All in a day’s work.” “You’re gonna save the world, and no-one even knows about it.” “No, I like it better that way. Mr Smith, how long do we have?” “The meteor will be in range of the magnetic pulse at 2.45pm tomorrow. All systems are prepared.”
Sarah Jane gives Maria a present. “Remember that Verron soothsayer we helped fly home the other week? It’s from him.” “What’s it for?” “I don’t know. He said, “Remember.” Just, “Remember.” Whatever that means.” “So why are you giving it to me?” “He said, “Give it to the person you trust the most.” And that’s you.” It’s some kind of puzzle box, so obviously something terrible will happen.
That night, Maria goes to sleep with the puzzle box. Outside, the creepy figure in the hood is outside, making Sarah Jane’s car vanish. Maria wakes up, as if from a nightmare.
Next morning, Maria goes to see Sarah Jane, to find that there’s a completely different woman living in her house, called Andrea (played by Jane Asher). She appears to know Maria well, but has no idea who Sarah Jane is when Maria asks for her.
Now this is where I have a slight problem. It looks like the recording I have of this episode is incomplete. It gets to about this point and then my player just stops. I thought it was just a bug in my player, as it does sometimes just stop being able to play, and since it’s an application I’ve written, I haven’t tracked down why the video player component I’m using randomly decides to stop working. But in this case it was repeatable. In fact, when I skipped back to the place it had stopped, the player jumps right over about ten minutes and still won’t play properly. Another video player I use also couldn’t navigate beyond that point, even though they all thought the recording was 36 minutes long.
It’s lucky I’ve been so casual with my disk space, and kept more than one copy of some of my recordings, including this one, so the rest of this episode will be taken from a broadcast from almost a year ahead from where we are today. Back to the episode.
Maria goes back to her house and asks where Sarah Jane is, and he also doesn’t know who she’s talking about. Even worse, the photos from the skatepark don’t have Luke, Sarah Jane or Clyde, but they do have Andrea.
She doesn’t have Sarah Jane’s number in her phone – or Clyde’s, but she can remember Clyde’s and phones him. He doesn’t really know her well, although they bumped into each other at the skatepark. Without Luke, they’ve not become friends. “Look, if you wanna ask me out, just ask me out. I can fit you in next Thursday.”
She goes back to Sarah Jane’s house, and everything’s different. She runs up to the attic and none of the usual stuff is there. She even tries summoning Mr Smith but there’s nothing there.
Maria does some surfing. She finds a poem written by someone for her friend who died in July 1964 (almost exactly 60 years ago from when I watched this!).
She and her dad go to the library to find newspaper reports from that day, and they find the story. Sarah Jane fell off a pier on a school trip, and Andrea was her friend, and was with her when it happened. As Maria is reading this, she hears a voice calling her, and she sees the two names change places on screen briefly.
Maria reassures her dad she’s OK, and it must have just been a bad dream. “Of course I know Andrea.” She says she should go over an apologise. But when there, she mentions the name Sarah Jane Smith, and Andrea still says it means nothing. “But how could you forget? 1964. School trip. The pier. She fell. She died. And you were with her.” “What?” “You lived, and she died, only that wasn’t meant to happen. The key moment, when everything in the world changed.” We get a flashback of Andrea trying to help, and Sarah Jane falling from the pier. When she snaps back, she gets angry. “Get out of my house.” Maria tells her “I’m gonna sort things out, I’m gonna work out how time got changed. I’m gonna find Sarah Jane, and then I’m gonna bring her back, and nothing is gonna stop me.”
Andrea is shaken by this, and goes up to the attic. She gets a bundle out of one of the boxes – it’s a puzzle box like the one Maria has. And the hooded creepy guy appears. “Remember. Remember.” She says “I forgot you. I forgot what I did that day. All these years, living this life.” “Why are you calling me now?” “Maria Jackson, over the road, all of a sudden, she keeps going on about Sarah Jane. She knows. She knows what I did that day and she’s made me remember.” “She’s just a child, nobody will listen.” “But I can’t bear it. How could I forget? What I did. What we agreed.” He tells her he can deal with Maria, but he needs her agreement, which she gives. “But first, Andrea Yates, you must separate the child from her father.”
Maria sees Sarah Jane in a mirror. “Please Help Me.” Maria’s still terrified about the Meteor that’s coming, without Sarah Jane to deflect it.
Andrea distracts her dad across the road. In Maria’s house, an alien appears (actually the Graske, from the interactive online game Attack of the Graske that someone has recreated here). She drops her puzzle box as she tries to run away from it. The Graske chases her, finally catches up with her and zaps her, and they both disappear.
Her dad has come back to the house, and finds the puzzle box. As she disappears, there’s a bit of trippy lighting and camera angles, and things change in the house. he can hear the Kinks singing You Really Got me.
Then he’s back – but his ex-wife is there, come for Andrea’s party. “And what about Maria?” “Who? Ah, don’t say you’ve finally got yourself a new woman.” “Maria was in here, I think she’s run off.” “Already? Sensible woman, whoever she is, took me 14 years.” “I mean Maria, our Maria!” “What do you mean, ours?” “She’s our daughter!” “Oh, Alan, don’t start messing about. I know you wanted kids, but I never did. As if I’ve got a maternal bone in my body!” “Chrissie, stop this now. Maria’s our daughter!” “There is no Maria. Maria doesn’t exist!”
Somewhere very strange, Maria is being led by the Graske through a wacky landscape. She eventually escapes from his line, and disappears.
She appears on a seafront, and the Kinks are playing on someone’s transistor radio. She sees two girls walking and goes to talk to them. “Excuse me. I’m gonna sound mad, but where is this?” “You’ve got a nerve, going out dressed like that. Look at her!” “Don’t be so rude. Are you all right? You look a bit lost.” “I think I am. I was in London. I’m Maria Jackson.” “Pleased to meet you, Maria. I’m Sarah Jane Smith.”
This is a blinder of an episode, written by Gareth Roberts, author of several Doctor Who novels, several episodes of Doctor Who including The Shakespeare Code and (I’m sure not coincidentally) Attack of the Graske. So far, this has loads of things I like – grim alternate universes, time travel, creepy puzzles. It’s very much my thing and I’m really enjoying it.
Media Centre Description: Children’s drama series from the makers of Doctor Who, following the adventures of investigative journalist Sarah Jane Smith, a former companion to the Doctor. Maria wakes one morning to discover Sarah Jane has disappeared – and she is the only person in the world who remembers her.
Recorded from CBBC Channel on Monday 31st December 2007 10:27
BBC Genome: CBBC Channel Monday 31st December 2007 10:30
I’d love to tell you what was after this, but my broken recording is missing everything after the episode until a few minutes into the next episode, so it will have to remain a mystery.
Thankfully, the next recording appears to be intact, although like the others it starts a couple of minutes into the episode.
The Sarah Jane Adventures – Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane – Part 2.
We’re missing the scene where Maria talks to young Sarah Jane and Andrea, and tries to warn them not to go to the end of the pier, before the Graske catches her again. She ends up in a white limbo, where she’s reunited with Sarah Jane.
Maria’s dad Alan is still trying to convince Chrissie that they did have a daughter, but she won’t be having it. “She said something protected her. What if this did? Maria was telling the truth! What if there’s meant to be a Maria… and someone else? A woman called Sarah Jane Smith.”
Sarah Jane meets the Trickster, the hooded figure that has been lurking around. “The meteor is pure chaos. The destruction of the Earth, for no reason at all. Just blind chance. This is food, for me.” He also says he’ll be back when the Earth is destroyed to find out more about The Doctor. “Imagine if the Doctor had never existed. What chaos there would be, across the stars…” “Don’t you dare!”
Alan goes to Andrea’s party, and confronts her about Maria and Sarah Jane. She tries to brush it off, but eventually cracks.
We get a flashback to the day on the pier. This is how it originally started, with Andrea falling through the barrier and hanging on. “And then I heard the voice. ‘Andrea. You don’t have to die. I can save you, Somebody has to fall, it doesn’t have to be you. You only have to agree.” She agrees to let Sarah Jane die in her place. The Trickster gives her a puzzle box.
“I was 13, I was terrified. Do you know what it’s like? To know you’re going to die? To feel the end of everything closing in on you? Why am I even asking? I’m the only person alive who could possibly know.” “She was your friend!” “Yes, and I loved her.” Jane Asher is great in this.
She then agrees to let the Trickster take Alan, and the Graske appears. Alan runs.
Everyone at the party is watching the news because the meteor is heading straight for Earth.
Alan takes out the Graske using his cool Skateboard skills. He’s like BMX Bandit.
He uses the Graske’s snare to bring Maria back.
He tries to bring Sarah Jane back but it doesn’t seem to work. Maria thinks it’s because Sarah would come back in her attic. Andrea sees her in the mirror. Maria tries to persuade her to withdraw her consent. “I lived, every single moment cos I knew what it was worth.” Sarah Jane says “So did I!” “And you’re the chosen one, the golden girl?” “Oh, nobody was chosen. It was stupid and pointless, that day, but this is worse! That thing twisted it, he used you!” “So I die, at 13.” “And my son gets a chance to live. He’s lost out there, Andrea, somewhere terrible and I am begging you. Please save him.” “If I do… ..what happens to my life? All the things I did as I grew up… they get scrubbed out? I get forgotten.” “No, you were never forgotten, never. What I saw that day, it changed me forever. I saw how precious life is. And it made me fight to defend it, across all these years. Because of you, Andrea. It was all because of you. My best friend.”
The Trickster arrives, and finally, Andrea fights back. “You tricked me! You used a child. And now you’re destroying the Earth!” “Chaos is good.” “Well, I say, no. If there’s one thing I can do with my life, I can put a stop to you, for good. I’ve changed my mind! I’m taking the deal back!” “Then you will die.” “I’ve been dead for 40 years. It’s been a good life. It’s my birthday. Bye, Sarah Jane. I’m going now. And you’re free!”
The Meteor approaches. Very quickly. But Mr Smith just has time to do his magnetic repel thing.
Luke is back.
Clyde arrives and is surprised to see Alan in the attic. Alan is surprised by everything he’s seeing. “Right. Aliens. Monsters. Supercomputers. Is anybody going to tell me what’s going on? Come on. I need some answers. Who’s going first?”
This really is a great story, full of emotion, drama and tension. Plus some of my favourite time travel tropes.
Media Centre Description: Children’s drama series from the makers of Doctor Who, following the adventures of investigative journalist Sarah Jane Smith, a former companion to the Doctor. Maria is lost in time, and a meteor heads for Earth – with no Sarah Jane to stop it.
Recorded from CBBC Channel on Monday 31st December 2007 10:57
BBC Genome: CBBC Channel Monday 31st December 2007 11:00
There’s a bit of a glitch, as Ross Lee cuts in to the show as the Next Time trail is playing, and quickly switches back. He does recover well afterwards. There’s also an appearance from Ed & Oucho.
Once again, there’s quite a bit of the next episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures – The Lost Boy – Part 1 before this recording ends, and the next recording takes over, again missing a couple of minutes from the start.
Maria is telling her Dad all about her adventures with Sarah Jane, Luke and Clyde. She tells him about the Slitheen trying to turn off the sun, Her alien computer, Mr Smith, and fighting the Slitheen with vinegar. “You’re 14.” “Dad, the world would have died.” “I’m your father. You never thought I should know about any of this?” “It was difficult. Especially after you got turned to stone.” Alan is very freaked out about this. “Tomorrow morning I’m putting this house on the market.” “What? You can’t!” “This isn’t kids’ stuff, Maria. It’s dangerous. We’re going to have to move.”
Maria runs to see Sarah Jane and Luke, telling them about her dad’s decision. She wants her to tell him how wonderful the universe is. He says “You said it, Maria, it’s not all sparkling stars and moonlight.” “Yeah, well, sometimes things from space are evil and scary. But how’s that so different from here on Earth? And sometimes things from space are amazing and beautiful. And you realize how incredible it all is. We’re part of something much bigger than living on Bannerman Road. Life is so much more than most people will ever know, and I’ve been really lucky, Dad. I’ve seen that. I can’t give it up.”
Alan says “This is too much to take in…” Sarah Jane says “That’s the Universe, Alan. Once it’s chosen to show you some of its secrets, you can’t ever turn your back on it. None of us can.” “No. I suppose not. I’ve got a lot to get used to, haven’t I?” I do like parents being supportive rather than obstructive.
On the news, two parents are appealing for information about their son who has gone missing. And he looks exactly like Luke.
Mr Smith scans Luke and tells them that Luke and the missing boy, Ashley, are indeed the same person. “The Bane made me! You know they did!” “This doesn’t make any sense. Luke was never born. He doesn’t have a navel.” “Bane society, being egg-born, find the navel crude and offensive. They surgically removed it at the time he was programmed as the archetype.” I love that they’re being quite careful to address all the questions that careful watchers of the show would have. In fact, when we were rewatching this, one of my daughters said “But he doesn’t have a navel” just before Mr Smith gives his explanation for that.
Alan’s ex, Chrissie, is again a villain as she’s called the police. They arrive to take him away. They have an emotional farewell. “I can remember every page of every book I’ve ever read… So why can’t I remember them?” “I wish I had all the answers, Luke. I know this is difficult. You must know I do. But this isn’t a bad day. Mr and Mrs Stafford are your real parents. They love you.” “But don’t you love me?” “Of course I do. But you don’t belong with me, Luke. Your mum and dad have spent months searching for you. The Bane took you away and broke their hearts. Today is the most wonderful day in their lives, they’re going to get you back. You’re going to be an ordinary human boy with parents that won’t ever let anything bad happen to you again. The way I never could. And it’s the best day of your life too.”
The parents arrive and there’s a tearful reunion. The mother has a go at Sarah Jane, which makes sense, even though I was fairly certain something dodgy was going on.
Sarah Jane is questioned by Police, although it looks like her UNIT work is protecting her.
At his parents’ house, the father looks forward to watching the Spurs match with him. Luke has no interest in football. He doesn’t like the toppings on the pizza they have for dinner, and when he goes up to his room, they lock the door.
Then, downstairs, the parents switch channels on their TV, and there’s an eerie green light, as they talk to someone called “Xylok”. “We’ve got the boy” they say, laughing.
Sarah Jane seems to close down. She tells Maria her dad had the right idea, they should move out as she can’t protect them.
Up in the attic, as Sarah Jane is moping, Mr Smith opens up, unbidden. He gives her a tip about the Pharos Institute, researching telekinesis, using alien technology.
Next morning, Luke is told he’s not going to school.
Clyde and Maria already miss him. Then they make a plan to try to see him.
At the Pharos Institute, Sarah Jane is given the tour by Professor Rivers, played by Floella Benjamin. They’ve developed a headset that can amplify the telekinetic powers of the human brain.
It was invented by a boy genius who’s also extremely obnoxious. Just once I’d like to see a boy genius who was sweet and charming too.
Clyde visits the Staffords. The mother is quite aggressive, and gives him a photo of “Ashley”‘s last birthday when they gave him a skateboard. He phones Maria to tell her. “You’ve seen him on a skateboard – no sense of balance at all.” “But after what the Bane did to him…” “I don’t care what anyone did to him…you don’t lose something like that. It’s instinct.”
The parents have an unexpected visitor, it’s Nathan. the boy genius from the Pharos Institute. “We have a problem.”
Sarah Jane thinks that, no matter how much of a genius Nathan is, the telekinesis headsets are beyond a human intelligence. He suggests that she should steal one so he can analyse it.
Luke tries to escape from the house while the parents are talking to Nathan, but they catch him, and we get an amazing reveal. His parents are Slitheen, and so is young Nathan – in fact, Nathan is the child Slitheen from the first story in this series, who teleported away at the end. And he’s out for revenge. Honestly, I was just hooting at this revelation – slimline Slitheen human suits. Brilliant.
Clyde goes to see Sarah Jane,, but she’s driving off when he arrives. He goes up to see Mr Smith and shows him the photo of Luke. “I thought you could do your analysing…” “You’re right, Clyde. It is fake. I faked it.” “You… Am I missing something here?” “More than you could ever imagine, Clyde.” “What’s going on?” “I am a Xylok. I have a purpose. And you, Clyde, are a part of it.” Then he zaps Clyde in an effect that anyone who saw Tron would know what’s going to happen.
That’s another amazing reveal. This series has really hit a peak with these last two stories. I’m glad my memory is so poor, as I’m enjoying watching all of these again. In fact the only thing I don’t like is the amount of story that’s given away by the Next Time trails at the end.
Media Centre Description: Children’s drama series from the makers of Doctor Who, following the adventures of investigative journalist Sarah Jane Smith, a former companion to the Doctor. A couple appear claiming to be Luke’s real parents. Is it time for Sarah Jane to stop adventuring?
Recorded from CBBC Channel on Monday 31st December 2007 11:26
BBC Genome: CBBC Channel Monday 31st December 2007 11:30
After this there’s another bit of CBBC continuity.
Plus a trail for MI-High.
Then the next episode starts, and the recording ends after about six minutes. CBBC isn’t doing a great job of running to schedule today.
The next recording and episode is, of course, The Sarah Jane Adventures – The Lost Boy – Part 2.
Sarah Jane steals a headset from the Pharos institute, but the alarms go off as she’s outside, and for some reason their security is a man on a moto-cross bike doing stunts. Sarah Jane stops him with her sonic lipstick.
As I hinted at with the last episode, Clyde is indeed inside The Matrix Mr Smith.
Maria doesn’t know where Clyde is, and needs to find him. “I’ve got to go and look for him” she tells her father. “No you don’t. I’m part of this now. I’m coming with you.” I’m really enjoying the good parenting. They break into the Stafford’s house, and Alan is rather horrified to find a skin suit hanging on the door.
Clyde finds out he’s inside Mr Smith, and that Mr Smith is the Xylok, the bad guy behind everything. Sarah Jane brings the headset for Mr Smith to analyse.
Maria goes to see Sarah Jane. “I told you, I don’t want you here.” Maria just ignores her and walks straight in saying “They’re not Luke’s parents. They’re Slitheen!”
Clyde is able to communicate with other computers. He sends a message to Alan. I have no idea what Alan’s using to communicate. The window title says “untitled.code” and there’s some code-looking stuff, but then he starts typing and the font is about four times bigger.
Clyde warns Alan about Mr Smith, but it’s a bit too late, as Sarah Jane and Maria are already talking, and he’s started laughing manically, and monologuing. And shooting at them, so they exit swiftly.
Clyde is locked out of his communications by Mr Smith. Sarah Jane tells Maria and Alan about Mr Smith. He was based on a strange crystal from Krakatoa, which could control computers. “It said it could help track alien life coming to Earth, could protect the Earth, but our technology was limited. And so it designed, and it created Mr Smith.”
The Slitheen are harvesting Luke’s telekinetic powers, but he overloads their system, blasts them with some telekinetic powers, and gets away.
Sarah Jane, Maria and Alan arrive (after a stop-off at a chip van to get some vinegar) and find the adult Slitheen. But the child has grabbed Maria and will kill her unless they drop their “weapons”. Sarah Jane starts putting the plot together. Mr Smith helped the Slitheen build the telekinetic amplifier. Then he sent Sarah to get it for him.
Luke runs home, Mr Smith tells him to put on the amplifier or he’ll kill Clyde. Then Luke’s power starts dragging the Moon towards the Earth. It’s Moonfall!
As it approaches, the Moon is causing lots of gravitational problems.
Alan creates a disc with a virus that can shut down Mr Smith, because that’s entirely within his skillset.
Sarah Jane teleports to the attic (thanks to the Slitheen technology). Mr Smith releases Clyde from the Matrix. He tells Sarah Jane she deserves a merciful death. “You’ve been here millions of years. You’ve seen us evolve. Don’t we matter?” “Only my Purpose matters.” “You can change your purpose.” “No. I told you, Sarah Jane, we all have a purpose. Yours is to die so that the Xylok will live. After all, what life do you have, alone in your attic?” All this time, Sarah Jane is backing up to a safe door and opening it. So if you’ve watched every episode, at this point you might have reacted like we did at what was going to happen, which was to almost jump out of our chairs with excitement.
“You think I’m alone? You think I’m defenceless? Well, meet my dog! K9, protect me!” “Affirmative, Mistress. Maximum defence mode.” Yes! K9 to the rescue.
While K9 is keeping Mr Smith busy, Sarah Jane can get close enough to put in the virus disk that Alan created for her.
“I’m forgetting it all. Sarah Jane! Help me!” “Without memories, you have no Purpose. Without Purpose, you can’t destroy the Earth. Put the moon into its original orbit and set Luke free.” “I’ve forgotten my Purpose!” “To save the Earth. That is your new Purpose. To save the Earth.” “Save the Earth. Yes. I have a Purpose. Thank you, Sarah Jane.” Mr Smith shuts down, and the moon moves back to its previous orbit. And everyone’s safe again. Mr Smith will reboot with his new purpose to safeguard the world.
I’d forgotten quite how much fun this series was.
Media Centre Description: Children’s drama series from the makers of Doctor Who, following the adventures of investigative journalist Sarah Jane Smith, a former companion to the Doctor. With her old enemies triumphant, it seems that Sarah Jane has finally been defeated.
Recorded from CBBC Channel on Monday 31st December 2007 11:56
BBC Genome: CBBC Channel Monday 31st December 2007 12:00
After this, there’s some more New Years Eve themed continuity from Ross Lee.
Plus a trail for Hider in the House.
There’s a short animation – Bernard – The Motorboat.
There’s a trail for Freefonix, then the recording stops with a few minutes of Beat The Boss.