Enlightenment (1983) Review

The Doctor and Turlough know s**t is about to go down.
The Captain does not. The guy in the middle is dead inside.
And the guy on the right never gave a crap.

Enlightenment is superb science fiction, combining a variety of genres(period drama, futuristic thriller, adventure, mystery, quest...) to create something fresh and awe-inspiring. 

WRITTEN BY

Barbara Clegg. She doesn't seem to have many credits to her name(aside from 7 episodes of Coronation Street), but there's no denying that she is an inspired writer perfectly suited for this programme.

PLOT

Desperate to foil the Black Guardian's latest scheme, the White Guardian uses what's left of his power to redirect the Doctor's TARDIS onto a creepy yacht. The crew quickly find themselves in the middle of a race of immortal beings who are manipulating reality for their own amusement. 
As the Black Guardian looms over all, it's up to the Doctor to outwit the Eternals themselves and ensure that the yacht reaches its destination before any of the others...

ANALYSIS 

The level of detail, cohesion and charm in this story is outstanding. More than once, I found my questions answered as events unfolded, which is always lovely. The special effects are awesome - even though I guessed the ships were in space, the reveal itself just blew me away. Assisted by Malcolm Clarke's howling score, the scene felt downright ethereal. 

I love that outside of the TARDIS crew, all of the characters are Eternals(or Guardians). For once, literally everyone are more powerful than the Doctor and could kill him and his friends at a moment's notice. Thus, he has to rely solely on his intelligence and play on the Eternals' thirst for amusement. 
Meanwhile, we get the continuation of the Black Guardian story arc that finally, finally starts picking up some speed with Turlough essentially having a near-mental breakdown over his fear of the Guardian's revenge. I heard that the story was originally written without the Guardians, but they fit into the themes of... well, enlightenment like a glove since that's what the original Key To Time arc was about. Being wise enough to surrender ultimate power. 

CHARACTERS

Peter Davison thrives in this story, solving riddle after riddle. He serves as the bridge between the TARDIS crew and the Eternals - not quite helpless, but also vulnerable to their telepathy. That, plus the incapacitation of the White Guardian, makes him literally the only one who could possibly save the universe from the future of "dark Eternals". It's exactly the kind of story the Fifth Doctor needs - brainy, dashing and all involved play by the rules. 

Although the storyline given to Turlough is exquisite, I've never really been able to buy Mark Strickson as a cowardly weasel. He looks like Daniel Craig's younger brother and I think he has an inherent swagger. So the moments where Turlough panics come off as somewhat hokey. In this case, the writing itself and Strickson's likability as an actor carry him through.

Janet Fielding doesn't have too much to do as Tegan apart from a creepy subplot where one of the Eternals takes an overt liking to her mind and follows her around. It's tinged with tragedy, since the Eternal isn't really malevolent nor wants to hurt her, but it's still uncomfortable and I'm not entirely sure what the writer wanted to say with it. 

Cyril Luckham reprises his role as the White Guardian, though he doesn't seem as confident in the role as he was in The Ribos Operation. It fortunately fits the character, but I think the awful dialogue and the bird on his head might've had something to do with it. 

Lynda Baron(who famously sang The Ballad Of The Last Chance Saloon) gives a hilariously hammy, but still menacing portrayal of an Eternal captain who prefers to surround herself with cruelty and is willing to go to any lengths to win the race. She's a great, unpredictable villain and her scenes with Turlough are priceless.

Keith Barron's stoic Striker is almost Brigadier-ish in his sense of fair play and willingness to help the Doctor, but his lack of morality and alien attitudes keep them on their toes. He showcases best the soullessness of the Eternals and it's made me wonder... is he the way he is only because of the human traits he happened to pick up? 
Could Wrack(Lynda Baron's character) only be evil because she happened to run into the Black Guardian? Did the Guardian create the whole scenario and imprint the desire for enlightenment on the Eternals? Are they like galactic jellyfish, waiting to be influenced by any wandering mind? 
You know it's the sign of a great writer when these sorts of thoughts pop into your head.

NOTES

*Turlough criticises the Doctor for not understanding what's going and says that "he never does". But... Turlough just came onboard and has barely spent any time with the Doctor. How would he know? Or is he hinting at the Doctor's inability to guess that Turlough is trying to kill him?

*The Doctor hears random echoes, which later turn out to be the White Guardian and increases the power to the TARDIS to hear him properly. But that's a huge risk... how was he so certain that the echoes were related to the power of the TARDIS?

*Why is the White Guardian's power depleted?

*Shouldn't both Tegan and especially Turlough ask who the White Guardian is?

*Why does the Doctor get upset when Tegan leaves the TARDIS to deliver him the White Guardian's message? Why would she just stand around there after hearing something important? Does he think something else might happen and she should be there to hear it? In that case, why doesn't he just say so?

*The TARDIS flashlights are really badly designed, they're shaped like huge jars. 

*Did Marriner climb on top of the TARDIS to be so close to the TARDIS scanner? What is it with the 80s and villains appearing on the scanner anyway?

*Why does the ship's human crew not question the sudden appereance of Turlough and the Doctor? Even if they're supposedly crewmembers as well, I'd be a little confused if two people showed up on sea, one wearing a cricket uniform. 

*Marriner keeps insisting that his cocktail will make Tegan feel much better... and she finally decides to drink it without insisting on knowing what's in it?

*Why does Turlough not tell the Doctor immediately that the crewmembers are being forced to drink the rum?

*Why is Marriner so obsessed with Tegan in particular? Wouldn't the Doctor logically be the one who is so different from the other ephemerals and with a complicated mind to explore?

*The Black Guardian's evil laugh is the stuff of legend. "Nyeee he he he he!"

*Something that really upset me: the Doctor explains in great detail that they shouldn't reveal the existence of the TARDIS to the Eternals and yet Tegan continually demands to be allowed back in. Tegan's priorities are always out of whack. I do find it realistic that a companion would like to chill out during an adventure, but only if it doesn't increase the danger they're in!

*One of the more believable moments of cowardice came when Turlough spurted out that Jackson intended to cause a mutiny onboard, leaving the Doctor in shock. Davison sells it. 

*I love how Turlough's hair stays immaculate even after he helplessly tumbles about in space. 

*Usually, I'd put Turlough's blatant manipulation of Wrack up to bad writing, but here, it 
might actually be him taking advantage of the Eternals' naivete when it comes to ephemerals.

*After hearing that the Doctor's in the wheelhouse, Tegan announces that she must see him and then... sits down to have a chat with Marriner?

*How can the competing captains have dinner on Wrack's ship? Is the race still on or is it on pause? If it's still on, isn't this wasting time? If it's not on, are all of the captains even aware?

*Why didn't Wrack give Turlough some fancy dress for the party?

*What lead Turlough to muck about in what's obviously an airlock and worse, sealing the door behind him?

*And after he's rescued by the Doctor, HE seals the door as well. I know he turned on the vacuum shield, but still! Safety hazard, much?

*What's up with the Fifth Doctor's tendency to flip a coin until he gets the desired result? He's just like the crappy version of Two-Face from Batman Forever. How is this supposed to help you decide, even on a psychological level?

*Why is space circling around under the grate in Wrack's airlock? Is her ship spinning?

*Okay, so the cowardly Turlough is suffocating in the airlock and the Black Guardian laughs over him. Instead of getting on his knees and begging for another chance to kill the Doctor, which is literally the only thing that might placate the Guardian, he just asks to be saved? Yeah, sure. That'll work.

*I know this story wouldn't work half as well with some made-up alien cultures, but why did the Eternals pick Earth, specifically? They could've added a line where the Black Guardian reveals he picked Earth to torture the Doctor further or something.

*What leads Turlough to guess that Wrack is in cahoots with the Black Guardian?

*I love how, in the midst of a dramatic scene where the Doctor rushes about, trying to destroy the jewel Wrack gave Tegan, he just lightly taps it with an axe as opposed to hitting the floor with all his might.

*Why on earth do they pick up the shards with their hands as opposed to just throwing the rug out? There's a lot of dust there that they did NOT get out in time. 

*And if the power multiplies when the number of unique crystal pieces increases, why didn't Wrack just send everyone back with a dusty pile?

*Funnily enough, both Cyril Luckham and Valentine Dyall have shaved their goatees since their last appereance. I guess the Guardians have to maintain a singular style of fashion.

CONTINUITY ADVISOR

1) The Doctor comforts Tegan, who isn't a very good sailor, with the familiar "Brave heart, Tegan." I'm sure he's said it before in a story, but I don't remember which one. Even so, I love the quote. 

2) Tegan tells the Doctor he needs someone who won't run away in times of peril, at which point Turlough retorts that he explained what happened on Terminus. I don't really understand this, since at no point did Tegan or the Doctor display any disappointment with Turlough in that story. And why don't they try to coax courage out of him instead of berating him anyway?

3) Tegan finds a framed picture of his Aunt Vanessa from Logopolis inside her cabin room. A sweet touch, especially since the picture is of the original actress. 

4) The White Guardian reminds the Doctor that he once denied the Key To Time to the Black Guardian, which occurred in The Armageddon Factor. A nice way to get newer fans interested in that period of the show, I think. I always love it when they make older adventures sound like legendary events from long ago. 

BEST QUOTE

"Time override. Locking must have been in the coordinates." - Davison-era technobabble at its finest.

CONCLUSION

A lovingly-crafted, shining example of imagination, brought to life by some of the best production work I've seen in the 80s.