Sarah Jane faces her greatest challenge yet: trying to survive both alien diplomacy and Luke’s first attempt at cooking.
Short Synopsis
When a pair of Slitheen in “friendly” disguise arrive on Earth offering a peace treaty (because that’s always believable), Sarah Jane decides to give them a chance. Naturally, the gift they bring turns out to be a deadly alien plant trying to turn the entire planet into compost.
Extended Storyline
We open with Sarah Jane Smith once again doing her best imitation of a well-adjusted, normal human being. This illusion is immediately shattered when two members of the Blathereen family show up, claiming to be distant cousins of the Slitheen. They insist they’re the nice ones — a claim about as trustworthy as “we only eat organic humans.”
The Blathereen arrive bearing gifts: a mysterious orange plant called Rakweed, which they claim can end world hunger. Sarah Jane, Luke, Clyde, and Rani are suspicious — because the last time an alien promised to fix Earth’s problems, it ended with a giant spider queen in the sewers. Still, Luke’s curiosity and Sarah Jane’s sense of diplomacy win out. The Rakweed is planted. The Blathereen are charming. Everyone smiles for about five minutes.
Then the sneezing starts. The Rakweed releases spores that cause violent allergic reactions in humans. Schools are evacuated, hospitals overflow, and Clyde develops the kind of rash that dermatologists use as horror stories. As it spreads, Sarah Jane realizes the “gift” is actually a biological weapon designed to terraform Earth into something a bit more edible for the Blathereen palate.
Luke, ever the genius with poor social instincts, concocts an antidote with a little help from Mr. Smith — who is once again insulted that the fate of the world depends on an overgrown calculator like him. Meanwhile, Rani and Clyde do their best Scooby-Doo impression, sneaking into the attic and then out again to help. The team’s desperate plan: use sound waves to destroy the Rakweed spores before they choke the planet.
The Blathereen return, all smiles and slime, to collect their prize — only to discover that Sarah Jane’s team has turned their “gift” into a planet-wide allergy cleanse. In the ensuing confrontation, the Blathereen’s own Rakweed turns on them, leading to their explosive (and surprisingly satisfying) end.
Sarah Jane, once again, saves humanity — this time from eco-friendly aliens and deadly houseplants. Luke learns a valuable lesson about trust, Sarah Jane reminds everyone to never accept gifts from carnivorous aliens, and Mr. Smith probably updates his firewall to block future visitors from Raxacoricofallapatorius.