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The Lost Boy (The Sarah Jane Adventures)
Encyclopedia
The Lost Boy is the sixth story of the British
science fiction television series The Sarah Jane Adventures
. It forms the ninth and tenth episodes of the show's first series. The first episode was aired on the CBBC Channel
on 12 November 2007, and the second on 19 November.
, he threatens to move house again, only to have a change of heart when he sees how upset Maria is. His condition for not moving away, however, is that he is kept up to date with their battles against aliens.
However, a news report on a family searching for their son, Ashley, who has been missing for five months, brings a shock; for Ashley looks exactly like Luke. Mr. Smith compares their DNA, and confirms that Luke and Ashley are genetic matches; apparently Luke was not 'grown' by the Bane, but was a kidnapped boy. Chrissie calls the police and reports Sarah Jane as a child abductor; Sarah Jane is arrested and the police release Luke into the custody of Ashley's parents, Jay and Heidi, and Sarah Jane kept by the police, only for UNIT
to intervene and have her released. Depressed, Sarah Jane decides she was wrong to involve children and tells Maria to stay away from her. Mr. Smith suggests to her that she have a case to take her mind off things, and she visits a research centre where alien technology is being used to conduct experiments into telekinesis, where she meets an annoying child prodigy, Nathan. That night, Luke's new parents watch television and switch over to a channel that glows green; they announce to the 'Xylok' that 'they have the boy'.
Luke's new parents are extremely abusive towards him, keeping him locked up in his room at all times. Clyde and Maria
play truant to visit him but Maria is caught by their French teacher, leaving only Clyde to visit Luke. He arrives at the house but Heidi does not allow him to see Luke. Heidi claims that her son is a keen skateboarder, which worries Clyde as he knows Luke has a poor sense of balance and is a dreadful skateboarder; he decides to bring a photo of Jay and Heidi to Mr Smith. Luke goes frantic upon seeing Clyde leave the house, and desperately begins making attempts to escape. Mr. Smith, meanwhile, sends Sarah Jane back to the lab to steal one of the headsets there, which he claims he needs to analyse to work out Nathan's plans. Clyde gets to the house only seconds after Sarah Jane has left, but takes the photo to Mr Smith anyway, only for Mr Smith to confess that he faked the photo. It turns out that Mr. Smith is the Xylok, and he fires a bolt of energy at Clyde, causing him to vanish.
Back at Luke's new home, his 'parents' are meeting with Nathan, just as he is breaking out of his room, with the result that he fails to escape, but succeeds in discovering that his parents are actually Slitheen
using improved compression technology, and Nathan is the same child Slitheen Luke encountered previously
, now in a new disguise, and he will have his revenge.
Luke is tied up and taken to the Pharos Institute by the Slitheen, where they test his abilities. Luke overcomes the Slitheen and escapes, as Maria, Mr. Jackson and Sarah Jane arrive. Working together, they discover Mr. Smith's intentions with Luke and Mr. Jackson adapts a computer virus that could destroy Mr. Smith. Using the Slitheen teleporter, Sarah Jane arrives in her attic, where Mr. Smith is using Luke to crash the Moon
into the earth, to release other Xylok from within the Earth. Clyde returns when Mr. Smith states he is merciful, but threatens the duo with its gun. Mr Smith says that Sarah Jane is 'alone and defenseless'. Sarah Jane retaliates, saying 'You think I'm alone, you think I'm defenseless, well meet my dog, K9 PROTECT ME!' Sarah Jane unlocks a safe and K-9 launches several laser beams at Mr Smith. The robots battle and Sarah Jane inserts the virus, which makes Mr. Smith forget its purpose. As the Moon grows closer to the Earth, Sarah Jane tells Mr. Smith it has a new purpose: to safeguard planet Earth.
The Moon returns to its original position, K-9 goes back to the safe to guard the black hole and the Slitheen return to Raxacoricofallapatorius. As Sarah Jane, Maria, Luke, Clyde, Alan and Chrissie watch the ship leave, Sarah Jane reflects how she never thought she could be part of a family.
s first finale episode, "End of Days
". Digital Spy
commented that the tone of the episode was strangely dark, having expected more jovial adventures following the Slitheen adventure
which kick-started the series, commenting "dark emotions have been regularly encountered, often to do with human loss, and a fascinating morbid tone has descended". The Cult Editor for the website, Ben Rawson-Jones, noted a similarity with some Doctor Who stories wherein "the formula of an old enemy from earlier in the series returning has been closely adhered to. Such a shame it had to be the Slitheen then, rather than any evil nuns or General Kudlak's brethren".
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
science fiction television series The Sarah Jane Adventures
The Sarah Jane Adventures
The Sarah Jane Adventures is a British science fiction television series, produced by BBC Cymru Wales for CBBC, created by Russell T Davies and starring Elisabeth Sladen...
. It forms the ninth and tenth episodes of the show's first series. The first episode was aired on the CBBC Channel
CBBC Channel
CBBC is a BBC television channel aimed at 6 to 12 year olds. It complements the CBBC programming that continues to air on BBC One and BBC Two. Launched on 11 February 2002, it broadcasts from 7am to 7pm on Freeview, cable, IPTV and digital satellite, occupying the same bandwidth as, but a different...
on 12 November 2007, and the second on 19 November.
Part 1
Following on from Alan's discovery of what Sarah Jane and Maria do together in Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?
Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane? is the fifth story of the British science fiction television series The Sarah Jane Adventures. It forms the seventh and eighth episodes of the show's first series...
, he threatens to move house again, only to have a change of heart when he sees how upset Maria is. His condition for not moving away, however, is that he is kept up to date with their battles against aliens.
However, a news report on a family searching for their son, Ashley, who has been missing for five months, brings a shock; for Ashley looks exactly like Luke. Mr. Smith compares their DNA, and confirms that Luke and Ashley are genetic matches; apparently Luke was not 'grown' by the Bane, but was a kidnapped boy. Chrissie calls the police and reports Sarah Jane as a child abductor; Sarah Jane is arrested and the police release Luke into the custody of Ashley's parents, Jay and Heidi, and Sarah Jane kept by the police, only for UNIT
UNIT
UNIT is a fictional military organisation from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures...
to intervene and have her released. Depressed, Sarah Jane decides she was wrong to involve children and tells Maria to stay away from her. Mr. Smith suggests to her that she have a case to take her mind off things, and she visits a research centre where alien technology is being used to conduct experiments into telekinesis, where she meets an annoying child prodigy, Nathan. That night, Luke's new parents watch television and switch over to a channel that glows green; they announce to the 'Xylok' that 'they have the boy'.
Luke's new parents are extremely abusive towards him, keeping him locked up in his room at all times. Clyde and Maria
Maria
Maria is a female given name in many diverse cultures, including Mexican, African, Arab, Armenian, Bulgarian, Catalan, Croatian, English, Finnish, German, Greek, Italian, Maltese, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Romanian, Pakistani, Afghan, Serbian, Swedish, Spanish.In Roman Empire the...
play truant to visit him but Maria is caught by their French teacher, leaving only Clyde to visit Luke. He arrives at the house but Heidi does not allow him to see Luke. Heidi claims that her son is a keen skateboarder, which worries Clyde as he knows Luke has a poor sense of balance and is a dreadful skateboarder; he decides to bring a photo of Jay and Heidi to Mr Smith. Luke goes frantic upon seeing Clyde leave the house, and desperately begins making attempts to escape. Mr. Smith, meanwhile, sends Sarah Jane back to the lab to steal one of the headsets there, which he claims he needs to analyse to work out Nathan's plans. Clyde gets to the house only seconds after Sarah Jane has left, but takes the photo to Mr Smith anyway, only for Mr Smith to confess that he faked the photo. It turns out that Mr. Smith is the Xylok, and he fires a bolt of energy at Clyde, causing him to vanish.
Back at Luke's new home, his 'parents' are meeting with Nathan, just as he is breaking out of his room, with the result that he fails to escape, but succeeds in discovering that his parents are actually Slitheen
Slitheen
The Slitheen are a family of massive, bipedal extraterrestrials from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and they are adversaries of the Doctor. They first appeared in the 2005 series episodes "Aliens of London" and "World War Three", and subsequently recur in later episodes of...
using improved compression technology, and Nathan is the same child Slitheen Luke encountered previously
Revenge of the Slitheen
Revenge of the Slitheen is the second story of the British science fiction television series The Sarah Jane Adventures. It comprises the first and second episodes of the show's first series, aired on BBC1, broadcast in two parts on September 24 and October 1, 2007, with the second being broadcast a...
, now in a new disguise, and he will have his revenge.
Part 2
Clyde awakes to find himself inside Mr. Smith as Sarah Jane Smith returns from the Pharos Institute, having successfully stolen a telekinetic headset. Elsewhere, Maria and Mr Jackson go to Ashley's house, where they find a skinsuit and Maria realises the Slitheen have Luke. Mr. Jackson then receives a message on his computer from Clyde, who states Mr. Smith has turned evil. The Jacksons and Sarah Jane confront Mr. Smith and are nearly killed as it fires a bolt of energy from a built-in gun.Luke is tied up and taken to the Pharos Institute by the Slitheen, where they test his abilities. Luke overcomes the Slitheen and escapes, as Maria, Mr. Jackson and Sarah Jane arrive. Working together, they discover Mr. Smith's intentions with Luke and Mr. Jackson adapts a computer virus that could destroy Mr. Smith. Using the Slitheen teleporter, Sarah Jane arrives in her attic, where Mr. Smith is using Luke to crash the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
into the earth, to release other Xylok from within the Earth. Clyde returns when Mr. Smith states he is merciful, but threatens the duo with its gun. Mr Smith says that Sarah Jane is 'alone and defenseless'. Sarah Jane retaliates, saying 'You think I'm alone, you think I'm defenseless, well meet my dog, K9 PROTECT ME!' Sarah Jane unlocks a safe and K-9 launches several laser beams at Mr Smith. The robots battle and Sarah Jane inserts the virus, which makes Mr. Smith forget its purpose. As the Moon grows closer to the Earth, Sarah Jane tells Mr. Smith it has a new purpose: to safeguard planet Earth.
The Moon returns to its original position, K-9 goes back to the safe to guard the black hole and the Slitheen return to Raxacoricofallapatorius. As Sarah Jane, Maria, Luke, Clyde, Alan and Chrissie watch the ship leave, Sarah Jane reflects how she never thought she could be part of a family.
Continuity
- The SlitheenSlitheenThe Slitheen are a family of massive, bipedal extraterrestrials from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and they are adversaries of the Doctor. They first appeared in the 2005 series episodes "Aliens of London" and "World War Three", and subsequently recur in later episodes of...
reappear in these episodes, this time wearing new slimline skin-suits. - The Blathereen, cousins and rivals of the Slitheen, wore slimline skin-suits in The Monsters InsideThe Monsters InsideThe Monsters Inside is a BBC Books original novel written by Stephen Cole and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was published on May 19, 2005, alongside The Clockwise Man and Winner Takes All...
. - Clips from "Invasion of the BaneInvasion of the Bane-Sladen and Doctor Who:Elisabeth Sladen, who previously played Sarah Jane between 1973 and 1976. In 1981, she was offered the role again to ease the transition between the Fourth and Fifth Doctors, which she declined, but agreed to star in the pilot for the spin-off series K-9 and Company, which...
", Revenge of the SlitheenRevenge of the SlitheenRevenge of the Slitheen is the second story of the British science fiction television series The Sarah Jane Adventures. It comprises the first and second episodes of the show's first series, aired on BBC1, broadcast in two parts on September 24 and October 1, 2007, with the second being broadcast a...
and Eye of the GorgonEye of the GorgonEye of the Gorgon is the third story of the British science fiction television series The Sarah Jane Adventures. It forms the third and fourth episodes of the show's first series...
were shown in these episodes. - K-9K-9 (Doctor Who)K-9, or K9, is the name of several fictional robotic canines in the long-running British science fiction television series, Doctor Who, first appearing in 1977...
returns briefly in Part Two to distract and battle Mr. SmithMr Smith (The Sarah Jane Adventures)Mr Smith is a fictional extraterrestrial computer voiced by Alexander Armstrong which appears in the British children's science fiction television series, The Sarah Jane Adventures, with further minor appearances in the final two episodes of the fourth series of Doctor Who...
. This episode marks his first appearance since "Invasion of the BaneInvasion of the Bane-Sladen and Doctor Who:Elisabeth Sladen, who previously played Sarah Jane between 1973 and 1976. In 1981, she was offered the role again to ease the transition between the Fourth and Fifth Doctors, which she declined, but agreed to star in the pilot for the spin-off series K-9 and Company, which...
". - The Pharos Institute was named after the Pharos Project in Doctor Who serial LogopolisLogopolisLogopolis is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 28 February to 21 March 1981. It was Tom Baker's last story as the Doctor and marks the first appearance of Peter Davison in the role...
. - Sarah Jane's membership in UNIT during her original run as a companionCompanion (Doctor Who)In the long-running BBC television science fiction programme Doctor Who and related works, the term "companion" refers to a character who travels with, and shares the adventures of the Doctor. In most Doctor Who stories, the primary companion acts as both deuteragonist and audience surrogate...
of the ThirdThird DoctorThe Third Doctor is the third incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by actor Jon Pertwee....
and FourthFourth DoctorThe Fourth Doctor is the fourth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC British television science-fiction series Doctor Who....
DoctorsDoctor (Doctor Who)The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
is stated in the report the Chief Inspector reads. Attached to it is a photograph of Sarah Jane from the classic era. - The UNIT dating controversyUNIT dating controversyThe UNIT dating controversy is an ongoing debate in Doctor Who fandom, concerning exactly when the stories featuring the fictional military organisation known as United Nations Intelligence Taskforce, or more recently as the Unified Intelligence Taskforce, take place in the timeline of the...
is addressed on the report about UNIT that the Chief Inspector reads, and to which Sarah Jane's photograph is attached. The report's second paragraph refers UNIT's "golden period that spanned the sixties, the seventies, and some would say, the eighties." - When asked by Alan if the Slitheen would ever return to Earth from Raxicoricofallapatorius, Sarah Jane says she imagines so.
- Mr Smith's crystaline self was discovered by geologists at the site of KrakatoaKrakatoaKrakatoa is a volcanic island made of a'a lava in the Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra in Indonesia. The name is used for the island group, the main island , and the volcano as a whole. The island exploded in 1883, killing approximately 40,000 people, although some estimates...
which Sarah Jane describes as "the biggest volcanic eruption civilisation has ever seen." Either the FirstFirst DoctorThe First Doctor is the initial incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by the actor William Hartnell from 1963 to 1966. Hartnell reprised the role in the tenth anniversary story The Three Doctors in 1973 - albeit in a...
or SecondSecond DoctorThe Second Doctor is the second incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by character actor Patrick Troughton....
DoctorDoctor (Doctor Who)The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
was present at the eruption, as was the Ninth DoctorNinth DoctorThe Ninth Doctor is the ninth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by Christopher Eccleston....
. - Sarah Jane's monologue in the final scene, "I've seen amazing things out there in space, but strange things can happen wherever you are," reprises her voiceover from the start of the pilot episode, "Invasion of the BaneInvasion of the Bane-Sladen and Doctor Who:Elisabeth Sladen, who previously played Sarah Jane between 1973 and 1976. In 1981, she was offered the role again to ease the transition between the Fourth and Fifth Doctors, which she declined, but agreed to star in the pilot for the spin-off series K-9 and Company, which...
".
Outside references
- BBC News 24BBC News 24BBC News is the BBC's 24-hour rolling news television network in the United Kingdom. The channel launched as BBC News 24 on 9 November 1997 at 17:30 as part of the BBC's foray into digital domestic television channels, becoming the first competitor to Sky News, which had been running since 1989...
is once again shown to broadcast 'Breaking News' during the serial, although again without the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
logo present. - Alan likens Luke's creation by the Bane to the creation of Frankenstein's MonsterFrankenstein's monsterFrankenstein's monster is a fictional character that first appeared in Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. The creature is often erroneously referred to as "Frankenstein", but in the novel the creature has no name...
. - Alan compares his discovery regarding the existence of aliens to The X-FilesThe X-FilesThe X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
. - Mr Smith refers to the MITRE project as a "destroyer of worlds", the English translation of what VishnuVishnuVishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
proclames himself upon taking on his multi-armed form in the Bhagavad GitaBhagavad GitaThe ' , also more simply known as Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the ancient Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata, but is frequently treated as a freestanding text, and in particular, as an Upanishad in its own right, one of the several books that constitute general Vedic tradition...
: "kālo'smi lokakṣayakṛtpravṛddho lokānsamāhartumiha pravṛttaḥ" (Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds). The passage was made famous in Western culture in 1965 by Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer when interviewed for NBC's documentary, The Decision to Drop the Bomb, and asked the thoughts he had at the first man-made nuclear detonation on July 16, 1945.
Reception
Firefox News commented upon the episode positively, particularly in comparison with TorchwoodTorchwood
Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...
s first finale episode, "End of Days
End of Days (Torchwood)
"End of Days" is the thirteenth episode and the first series finale of the British science fiction television series Torchwood. It originally aired on BBC Three on 1 January 2007, alongside the previous episode, "Captain Jack Harkness". The episode was written by Chris Chibnall and directed by...
". Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
commented that the tone of the episode was strangely dark, having expected more jovial adventures following the Slitheen adventure
Revenge of the Slitheen
Revenge of the Slitheen is the second story of the British science fiction television series The Sarah Jane Adventures. It comprises the first and second episodes of the show's first series, aired on BBC1, broadcast in two parts on September 24 and October 1, 2007, with the second being broadcast a...
which kick-started the series, commenting "dark emotions have been regularly encountered, often to do with human loss, and a fascinating morbid tone has descended". The Cult Editor for the website, Ben Rawson-Jones, noted a similarity with some Doctor Who stories wherein "the formula of an old enemy from earlier in the series returning has been closely adhered to. Such a shame it had to be the Slitheen then, rather than any evil nuns or General Kudlak's brethren".