(599) Enlightenment - Part 4

So this the final episode of the Guardian Trilogy and it does have to do a lot because it has to finish the story but also finish off the trilogy in a way that is satisfactory and that is a lot of pressure for Barbara Clegg and I think that she manages to do it rather well. The episode starts off with the great reprise where Lynda Baron is talking to screen and its still impressive. I like how Wrack seems to hate the Doctor after just a short time and it’s the same level of hatred that the Master has for him and that one has been going on for a lifetime.

The relationship between Tegan and Marriner seems to take an odd twist which shouldn’t be a surprise considering how much this has been used in the story. Tegan thinks that Marriner is in love with her but he doesn’t know what love is. When he disappears its quite sad because I thought that the character was rather nice. Turlough goes through quite a manic period in this episode. There is one part where he talking to Wrack with his eyes wide open. It’s quite a uncomfortable moment.

Wrack’s plan of blowing up Striker’s ship with the gem is worked out in that way of being very close to the nick of time type thing. The Doctor smashes it thinking that it breaking it up would stop it but it just increased the power, now they just pick up the stuff but I wondered why they didn’t just pick the carpet up and take that outside. There is a bit where they are running around the same set trying to get up onto the deck but its clear that they are just going around the same set but I suppose it’s the restraints of the studio that means it is perhaps a bit silly.

The big scene between the Black and White Guardian is very good although the early stages of it are ruined by the sight of the stupid birds on the guardians heads. The surprise twists start with the Doctor being awarded Enlightenment but turns it down. Turlough is then offered part of it by the White Guardian. Turlough has to make the decision of which to give the Black Guardian, it’s either enlightenment or the Doctor and he chooses enlightenment which causes the Black Guardian to go up in a ball of flames. There is a hint that there would be a third outing but sadly that never happened on TV.

I like how the Doctor believes Turlough when he says he didn’t want the agreement in the first place. The Doctor has had to avoid being killed for twelve episodes and I think that it shows great character that he is willing to even go travelling with him. Now that Turlough is a proper companion that doesn’t have any secondary story and can now just be allowed to focus on the story. I think that the episode did what it needed to do and doesn’t use the entire episode to do this. The whole business with Turlough and enlightenment only goes on for about six or seven minutes and yet it doesn’t feel rushed. Barbara Clegg’s only contribution to Doctor Who is a good one and also Fiona Cumming has done a good job and the whole four episodes have been probably the best  of the season so far and watching the feature length version of this story is even better. Sadly I know that ‘The King’s Demons’ is coming up next. So at least this story will end up as story of the season.

 

(598) Enlightenment - Part 3

The penultimate episode of this story manages to make up for the lack of development that there was. At the end of the previous episode, Turlough decided to go overboard and what I was surprised with how much better it seemed. There seemed to be a bit more drama in it this time. The few moments when he is overboard is quite good but sadly the effects of Turlough being rescued don’t work entirely well. In fact it’s fair to say that Turlough doesn’t have the best of times in this episode. You could say that his chickens had come home to roost and so the predicament he finds himself in is of his own doing.

Lynda Baron finally makes an appearance as Wrack. She is the captain of the Buccaneer and her ship is the most interesting because Baron makes it seem the more fun. I like how Baron plays Wrack totally straight. Wrack is easily the best thing in the episode and I wish she had been in the story from the beginning. Wrack has been pulling the strings in the story without even being on screen. She is the one that has been handing out red gems like they are smarties and she does the same when she puts a gemstone in Tegan’s tiara.

Marriner has gone from being a bit creepy to being someone quite useful. He is helping the Doctor to locate Turlough and what he’s feeling and I thought that Christopher Brown’s performance has been somewhat underrated over the past three episodes. Even in his brief appearance Valentine Dyall’s performance is great. I haven’t spoken too much about Peter Davison and that is simply because it doesn’t really stand out that much. It’s not terrible but with everything else going on he does tend to blend into the background. Janet Fielding is slightly better but when she gets hypnotised by Wrack then it does feel like the character is back to the norm for a classic companions.

The cliffhanger is great but not because its dramatic or anything like that but simply because I adore Lynda Baron and she makes the ending of the episode work. I love how she is looking at the screen by Baron which ends with her cackling at the screen as the camera focuses on the jewel that is in Tegan’s tiara. So its fair to say that I have enjoyed this episode but not necessarily because of the narrative but because of the performances. The next episode has an awful lot to live up to and ties up a lot of loose ends. Only time will tell if this is done but this story is doing a good job of telling a story.

(597) Enlightenment - Part 2

Well Christmas is over for another year and the celebrations are a distant memory so now its time to not look at these episodes with a festive cheer. Ok that might sound like I am about to rip this episode to shreds but that’s not true. I’m just stating for the record (if such a thing exists) that that I’m back to reviewing these stories as I see them. After the rather mysterious and interesting opening episode, things seem to be moving at a slower pace in today’s episode. Something that starts the episode after the reprise is that Tegan becomes seasick.

Tegan’s seasickness is somewhat odd because I just think that someone who wanted to be an air stewardess would be affected. It’s also something that is sorted out quite quickly and seems to be a plot point just to get her into her room. Tegan wakes up in the room with a picture of Aunt Vanessa and there is a sense that Marriner has been going through her mind. This is where we learn a lot more about the Eternals who are involved in this race.

The Captain (Barron) is strange but he explains what the purpose of the story is. The information text reels off a list of people who were considered for the role of Striker including Peter Sallis who had appeared in ‘The Ice Warriors’ and was starring in Last of the Summer Wine and as much as I think that Sallis and the names given would have been good additions I don’t think that they would have done better than Barron. There is a good attempt to dislike the Captain and his crew but I personally cant find it in me to dislike him. Yes what they are doing is horrible and the lack of conscience is also horrible but Barron’s performance is so good that I am almost willing to look past it.

The spacesuits that are worn in this story are quite impressive and wouldn’t look out of place in todays Doctor Who. It’s very rare for costumes from the 1980’s to not look rubbish or cheesy by todays standards but here the costumes work really well and I like the colour scheme which is probably the reason why I think that way I do. I like the filming that takes place on the deck of the ship. The whole visual that is created with this is rather impressive and its credit that Fiona Cumming deserves. I made a note of highlighting the fact that this story was the first story to be written and directed by women which shouldn’t really be highlighted but is. Cumming is one of the best directors in Doctor Who because she knows what she is doing and directs her stories well. Even when things are moving slowly she still manages to make what you see on screen work.

One thing that does stand out in this episode is the small matter of Turlough trying to kill the Doctor. This is now officially the dumbest plot idea in Doctor Who. They got away with it in the first story but now it just seems like they have given up on it and that is why it doesn’t seem to be getting as much screen time as it perhaps should considering it’s the last story in the trilogy. Turlough is starting to crack under the pressure now that the Black Guardian has decided he isn’t the best man to kill the Doctor. Turlough ends the episode by jumping overboard. This is quite an effective cliffhanger but I think that the episode as a whole has been a little bit disappointing. It didn’t feel like it was actually doing anything and hadn’t progressed enough in my opinion. Also there isn’t any of Gladys Emmanuel yet.

(596) Enlightenment - Part 1

So today is the first episode of 2015. I have about eight months left which doesn’t really sound like that long considering I have been doing this for nearly 20 months. Yet there are still seven more Doctors left to watch (admittedly two of those will only take two days to watch). Today starts with the first story without Sarah Sutton in as Nyssa and I didn’t think that I would say this but I didn’t really miss her. I think that the fact there are just three people in the TARDIS is a good move and it means that there is an equal share of screen time and action for the regulars. The DVD for this story features the usual four episode version and a special version which has new CGI effects and is edited to be one feature length story. Sadly I will be watching the four part version but I may watch the movie length one at the end. This is most importantly the first Doctor Who story to be written by a woman. Barbara Clegg gets this particular honour in the 127^th Doctor Who story. It is also directed by Fiona Cumming so its an all female show.

The episode starts off in quite a low beat way with a nice TARDIS scene with the Doctor trying to fix the console with Tegan and Turlough playing chess. I like the low lighting that is used, its one of the few instances where it isn’t brightly lit.

The White Guardian makes his first appearance in this trilogy and it’s a great scene because it creates some mystery and it’s made even better with the appearance of the Black Guardian. The White Guardian’s performance isn’t as good as the Blacks because the White Guardian just spends his time spluttering out the odd word which doesn’t make any sense. This works in the context in the story but he does come off second best.

The place that the TARDIS has landed on is a very strange place because everyone seems to be acting very strange. Especially Marriner who seems to have a fixation on Tegan. It’s a nice performance from Christopher Brown because there is something mesmerising about the way that he appears on screen and Janet Fielding’s reaction as Tegan helps make it seem even more bizarre.

There are two famous faces that pop up in this story. The first being Tony Caunter who returns to Doctor Who as Jackson and would go on to play Roy Evans in Eastenders from 1994 to 2003. He previously appeared in ‘Colony in Space’ and plays quite a fun character that seems to be a sort of jack the lad kind of guy. The second is Keith Baron who plays Striker, Striker is the captain and comes across as such. It’s important when you get someone like Baron that they need to be able to pull off the part and thankfully that is the case. There is a third famous face that appears but that will have to wait.

The revelation that they are on a sailing ship in space isn’t revealed until the cliffhanger which must be quite an impressive ending if your watching it for the first time but after countless views its hard to really see it for the ending that it is. I think that Clegg has done a good job in creating a nice mixture of mystery and claustrophobia because there aren’t that many sets where there is a lot of open space. There is plenty to like going forward in this story and I do hope that this story will do a good job of completing this trilogy of stories up. So far the signs are looking good.