'Eye of the Gorgon' (Part 2) by Phil Ford

With Alan turned to stone, the nuns take the talisman and leave in their hearse. Back at the Abbey, Luke and Clyde are astonished to find a garden full of stone statues: the Gorgons’ trophies. Consulting Mr Smith, Sarah and Maria learn that there may be a way to restore Alan, but more information is needed to determine how, so Maria heads for the Lavender Lawns Rest House to talk to Bea, while Sarah returns to the Abbey. Elsewhere, as the Abbess’ strength begins to fade, the nuns place the talisman in a recess in the side of an ancient stone well, the portal to the Gorgons’ home world; the artefact begins the activation of the portal, which will fully open in less than an hour… Looking for her daughter at Sarah’s house, Chrissie she finds the ‘statue’ of Alan, which she sees as conclusive proof that Sarah is a stalker. Clyde causes a distraction by ringing the Abbey’s bell, and as the nuns rush out to investigate, Luke steals the talisman, avoiding the deadly energy beams snaking out from the Abbess’ eyes before they can turn him to stone. Luke rejoins Clyde and the newly arrived Sarah, but the trio are immediately surrounded by nuns, and soon find themselves imprisoned in a cellar. When Maria tries to encourage Bea’s addled mind to remember some facts about the Gorgons, the old lady recalls how she too was turned to stone by the alien creatures, but was saved when her husband used the talisman to restore her to flesh and blood; as Maria rushes off to tell Sarah, Bea gives the girl her mirror…Brought before the Abbess, Sarah learns from Sister Helena that the Gorgons are parasites that use human beings as host bodies; the Abbess has been hosting the Gorgon Queen for two hundred years, and now that her body has worn out, she has chosen Sarah to take her place. In preparation for her transformation, the nuns tie Sarah to a pillar and cover her eyes to protect her from the alien’s deadly glare. Luke manages to use a trowel to unscrew the lock of the cellar door, and he and Clyde arrive just as the portal begins to open – soon, millions of Gorgons will come through and take over all of mankind. The Abbess removes her hood, and glowing tendrils of energy snake out towards Sarah… just as Maria arrives and uses Bea’s mirror to reflect the alien’s petrifying power back at her; the Abbess is instantly turned to stone, destroying the creature within and freeing the nuns of her evil influence. With seconds to spare, Maria snatches the talisman, sealing the portal and stopping the Gorgons’ invasion. Sarah, Maria, Luke and Clyde rush home, where they use the talisman to restore Alan to normal, before leaving his unconscious body on a bench outside. When Alan awakes, he rejoins Maria and attributes recent events to a bad dream; Chrissie tries to show them both the statue in Sarah’s house, but its absence merely makes her look like a total fool. Some time later, after her mother has left, Maria asks Sarah if they can use the talisman to help Bea; Sarah is unsure if the idea will work, but agrees to visit the old lady to try. Sadly, the artefact fails to cure Bea’s Alzheimer’s, but it does allow her to hear her late husband’s voice one last time, finally giving her the peace she deserves.

Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith), Yasmin Page (Maria Jackson), Thomas Knight (Luke), Daniel Anthony (Clyde Langer), Joseph Millson (Alan Jackson), Juliet Cowan (Chrissie Jackson), Alexander Armstrong (Mr Smith [Voice]), Phyllida Law (Bea Nelson-Stanley), Sarah Crowden (Mrs Gribbins), Doreen Mantle (Mrs Randall), Beth Goddard (Sister Helena), Audrey Archington (The Abbess [The Gorgon])

Directed by Alice Troughton
Produced by Matthew Bouch
Executive Producers Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner
A BBC Wales production

TX:
8th October 2007 @ 5.30 pm CBBC
15th October 2007 @ 5.00 pm BBC 1

Notes:
*Featuring Sarah Jane Smith, Maria, Luke, Clyde and Mr Smith