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TARDIS Guide

Overview

First aired

Monday, October 1, 2007

Production Code

1.3, 1.4

Written by

Phil Ford

Directed by

Alice Troughton

Runtime

60 minutes

Time Travel

Present

Location (Potential Spoilers!)

Earth, England, London

UK Viewers

1.47 million

Synopsis

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

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Reviews

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2 reviews

A pretty strong episode and a huge improvement to Revenge of the Slitheen and the Invasion of the Bane. The story feels like a pretty typical monster of the week type of affair, but there is just enough sense of atmosphere and pacing to keep you invested. I liked the general feel of the gang being up against a group of culty nuns. The connection to the Gorgon myth is a bit of a stretch, but I think that did work in bringing Maria's dad into the story a bit. It's all a little cheesy, sure, yet I can't help enjoying the Jackson family as the sort of everyday protagonists flung into the more fantastical life of Sarah Jane.

I also just got good vibes from the show from this point on, now that we've established our characters and status quo a bit. The slightly younger tone, the goofily long intro scene for Mr. Smith, Luke being a fish out of water, whatever Clyde has to say - this is a show that knows what it is, is a little weird, but just keeps going for it with so much pluck I can't help to adore it a bit. It's kind of funny but Torchwood burned me so thoroughly I never checked out the much more enjoyable spin-offs of Class and Sarah Jane. Yet it is the spin-offs I wrote off and never really checked out until getting more into Big Finish that have, so far, feel refreshingly watchable compared to the original run of Torchwood.


This review contains spoilers!

I have a huge respect for Phil Ford’s willingness to explore adult themes in this story, especially Maria’s experience of her dysfunctional mother. There’s a real humanity to the performances from Maria and her dad that folds in nicely to the alien threat of the week. There’s a Jonathan Creek vibe to this one, especially in the old people’s home with the wily old woman who could unlock the entire mystery if it wasn’t for her alzheimer's - I’m glad her illness isn’t cured by the amulet, an important lesson for the kids. Ford shows us how to write in a way which treats the young audience with respect.


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Statistics

AVG. Rating198 members
3.46 / 5

Trakt.tv

AVG. Rating74 votes
3.77 / 5

The Time Scales

AVG. Rating47 votes
3.85 / 5

Member Statistics

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521

Favourited

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Reviewed

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Saved

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Skipped

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Transcript Needs checking

Part One

[Mrs Randall's room]

(Lavender Lawns car home, night. An owl hoots and a figure walks across the grounds. A woman resident wakes up and feels a presence in her room.)

MRS RANDALL: Hello? Who's there? The nun! Help me! She's here!

(She turns her bedside light on, and the room is empty.)


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