The Sarah Jane Adventures/Recap/S3/E09 E10 Mona Lisa's Revenge

The Mona Lisa comes to life and seeks out her "brother."

One of Clyde's drawings has won a prestigious art contest. His prize is a trip to the International Gallery for his whole class and a change to see the Mona Lisa, which has been loaned to the Gallery by the Louvre. However, Mona Lisa comes to life, forcing the curator's assistant Phyllis to take her place in the painting. When the curator, Lionel Harding, sees the painting, he assumes the real Mona Lisa has been stolen and calls the police. However, Mona Lisa uses her powers to imprison the police and everyone in the gallery inside paintings. Rani, Luke, and Clyde sneak back into the exhibit to investigate.

Sarah Jane hears about the "theft" from Mr. Smith and goes to investigate. She finds Mona Lisa, armed with a Sontaran blaster from Clyde's painting, telling Harding that she needs his help to find her brother, who she knows nothing about except that he was painted at the same time as her and by someone living near da Vinci. Sarah Jane tries to stop her but is imprisoned inside a painting. Luke manages to take the painting but Mona Lisa animates a painting of a pistol-wielding highwayman called the Dark Rider and sends it after the three friends. Clyde splits off from his friends, allowing them to escape while he is captured by the Dark Rider. Mysterious roars echo throughout the museum as Mona Lisa's brother comes to life.

Rani and Luke manage to escape and, researching a book in the gift shop, learn about the Abomination, a painting made by Giuseppe di Cattivo which was believed to drive anyone who looked upon it insane. As di Cattivo and da Vinci were friends and neighbors, Luke theorizes that the paint used in the Abomination and the Mona Lisa contained minerals from a sentient meteorite. When the Mona Lisa was brought to the International Gallery, being so close to her brother caused them both to come to life.

The Abomination was considered so terrifying that di Cattivo locked it away, using a Chinese puzzle box as a key. Luke realizes that the puzzle box is on display at the gallery, mistaken for another work of art. He and Rani find the puzzle box but are confronted by Mona Lisa and Harding. Harding, who has had enough of the Mona Lisa's rampage, destroys the puzzle box. Before Mona Lisa can kill them, Luke tells her there is another way to free her brother. They join Clyde in the museum cellar, where he is being held prisoner by the Dark Rider. Luke orders Clyde to draw in his sketch book another puzzle box based on an illustration in the book from the gift shop. Mona Lisa then brings the box into reality and unlocks the Abomination. However, the drawing of the puzzle box was right on top of a sketch of K-9 in Clyde's sketchbook, causing K-9 to be brought to life as well. K-9 fires on the Abomination, causing "pigment dispersal." This forces all animated drawings, including himself and the Mona Lisa, to return to normal.

Tropes

 * And I Must Scream: Mona Lisa spent centuries stuck inside a canvas. Sarah Jane almost feels sorry for her.
 * Covert Pervert: Phyllis, Harding's frumpy assistant, has an online dating profile which says she's "open-minded and willing to try anything."
 * The Faceless: We only see the Abomination's hand and what might be a pair of horns.
 * Gambit Pileup: The whole Living Paint issue got mixed up with Scaroth's scheming, as the living paint infected at least one of the seven Mona Lisas.
 * Hey It's That Guy: Mona Lisa is Idris, aka the TARDIS.
 * Robotum Ex Arte