TV episode review
UK airdate 19 November 2009 (BBC One)

Can any Raxacoricofallapatorians be trusted?

The final story of this season kicks off in an unusual fashion, with two Slitheen nearly triumphing over Sarah Jane and crew before being seen off by two Blathereen – fellow Raxacoricofallapatorians who claim to be on the side of right.

Readers of the Doctor Who tie-in novels will recall that they're no better than the Slitheen, and by the end of the episode, this is made clear, as The Sarah Jane Adventures seemingly becomes an early advert for the BBC's new adaptation of The Day of the Triffids.

Director Alice Troughton keeps the show moving, even during the middle part of the episode where the overlong dinner party sequence threatens to sag. There seems to be an unwritten rule that any script involving the Slitheen has to involve fart jokes, and this time we get foul table manners as well (which is odd, given that Margaret Blaine in the Doctor Who episode Boom Town didn't seem to have any problems).

The final shots of the episode and the throwforward both hint at an overwhelming catastrophe to come, but this episode is nothing out of the ordinary. Peter Quentin

VERDICT: 6/10