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TARDIS Guide

Overview

First aired

Tuesday, March 1, 1983

Production Code

6H

Written by

Barbara Clegg

Directed by

Fiona Cumming

Runtime

100 minutes

Time Travel

Future

Tropes (Potential Spoilers!)

Pirates, Breaking the Fourth Wall

Story Arc (Potential Spoilers!)

Black Guardian Trilogy

Location (Potential Spoilers!)

The Buccaneer, The Shadow

Synopsis

Materialising on an Edwardian sailing yacht in space, the Fifth Doctor and his companions Tegan and Turlough find themselves caught up in a mysterious and deadly race. The prize is Enlightenment - the wisdom to find your heart's desire - and it quickly becomes clear that one of the crews will let nothing and no-one stop them claiming victory.

As the Black Guardian pressures Turlough to complete his side of their murderous pact, it seems that the Doctor may not survive to cross the finish line...

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4 Episodes

Part One

First aired

Tuesday, March 1, 1983

Runtime

25 minutes

Written by

Barbara Clegg

Directed by

Fiona Cumming

UK Viewers

6.6 million

Appreciation Index

67

Synopsis

After receiving a warning from the White Guardian, the Doctor initially believes the TARDIS has landed aboard an Edwardian clipper ship - but all is not as it seems. While the time travellers are caught up in the omnipotent Eternals' race for the ultimate prize, the Black Guardian's scheme to destroy the Doctor enters the end-game - but which side is Turlough a pawn of?


Part Two

First aired

Wednesday, March 2, 1983

Runtime

25 minutes

Written by

Barbara Clegg

Directed by

Fiona Cumming

UK Viewers

7.2 million

Appreciation Index

65

Synopsis

Captain Striker and his officers reveal themselves to be Eternals, mind-reading creatures who live outside of time and who require Ephemerals (humans and other "time dwellers") to relieve them of their emptiness. They race against other Eternals for the grand prize of Enlightenment, by which to grant their deepest wishes. That can't be good for the universe, but how can the Doctor strategise against beings adept at reading his every thought?


Part Three

First aired

Tuesday, March 8, 1983

Runtime

25 minutes

Written by

Barbara Clegg

Directed by

Fiona Cumming

UK Viewers

6.2 million

Appreciation Index

68

Synopsis

Turlough's panic puts him aboard a pirate ship where Captain Wrack uses his presence to invite all the other captains over for dinner. She's been picking off a few of her greatest rivals in the race and now sees an opportunity to clear the field once and for all and become the clear winner.


Part Four

First aired

Wednesday, March 9, 1983

Runtime

25 minutes

Written by

Barbara Clegg

Directed by

Fiona Cumming

UK Viewers

7.3 million

Appreciation Index

70

Synopsis

Tegan isn't aware she been outfitted with a device to destroy Captain Striker's ship. While the detonation will merely slip the indestructible Eternals back into the realm of eternity, nothing nearly so elegant or as tidy awaits the Ephemerals aboard the ship.



Characters

How to watch Enlightenment:

Reviews

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5 reviews

enlightenment part 2 is sometime running gag fifth doctor wear enlightenment space suit is awful first second third fourth sixth seventh eighth war nineth tenth eleventh twelfth thirteenth fugitive fourteenth fifteenth doctor with cap jack sarah jane and ram don like enlightenment space suit by fifth doctor second tenth and eleventh doctor sometime word i don like it


captain wrack one of the top cuntiest dr who characters of all time holy shit


This review contains spoilers!

This is part of a series of reviews of Doctor Who in chronological timeline order.

Previous Story: Terminus


This story has such a creative and distinct feel to it. All the ideas feel fresh and really just make sense for Doctor Who. It really helps that the production looks so good. The sets, the lighting, the costumes and the effects are all fantastic. The scene where Turlough jumps off the ship is so vivid with the gloomy lighting and haunting image of him drifting further and further into space.

The actual plot is really interesting too, and I'd love to see more of the Eternals. The race to reach enlightenment adds high stakes to this story. Turlough gets a lot of character development here, he gets a lot of character-defining moments and I'm glad that the Black Guardian business is mostly wrapped up. Turlough is easily one of the most inventive companions that Doctor Who has done. Mark Strickson's performance is phenomenal, he's charming yet duplicitous and has elements of cunning aswell.

Overall, I think this is a really solid, tightly-written story. It feels quintessentially Doctor Who and is one of the best looking stories I've seen in ages. The cliffhangers here are also marvellous and the ending is one of my favourite endings to a TV episode in a long while.


Next Story: Freakshow


This review contains spoilers!

everything with tegan and the marriner in this really put me on edge. he's constantly leading her around to different rooms aloneadn you're worried he's going to sexually assault her, and to me, it really reads as he has. he's flirting and she's so uncomfortable and it's a really horrible way to write tegan. her and wrack's edwardian (?) dresses both looked sooo good.

turlough in this serial is also quite strange. he is constantly doing things for his own benefit, betraying whoever. i understand his conflict in regards to killing the doctor but this is a different bad personality trait that i dont think is sufficiently resolved by the end of this serial where the doctor forgives him. he doesnt betray the doctor one time and that makes him good and sympathetic? it's very odd. the scene where he jumps overboard and is floating through space is so well done in isolation though.

the whole seaboat aesthetic of this serial is very sick in general, with them floating through space, all the different eras of boats. theres a lot of creativity with the conception of this story. the eternals are fascinating beings, so different from any other enemy we've encountered thus far. i think they were a good enough villain on their own without needing to bring in the black guardian but that is just where this serial fell in the series as a whole.


This review contains spoilers!

There are so many satisfying, quintessentially Doctor Who moments in this story. The actual, real life space “ships”; the various twists and turns with the eternal beings that are weird in a way you can never put your finger on and the sheer drama that comes with Mark Strickson’s beautifully layered and at time tortured performance.

Turlough’s character when from intriguing to essential viewing in this story. Hats off to JNT and the production team for taking such bold risks with this character - truly setting him apart from all other companions. It shows that even though this show is 20 years old there are still countless ways in which it can be refreshed, so many brand new stories to tell. The moment when he jumps ship in a bid to save The Doctor from his actions is surprisingly dark for a show which, across these four episodes at least, is quite theatrical. It’s affecting and effective.

The direction, lighting, outfits and settings were all on point in this story. Who says 80s Doctor Who is over lit? Some of the shots captured by Fiona Cumming are truly cinematic. Amazing that she captured these given the set up she was working with. Tegan in her elaborate dress and hairstyle is a sight to behold!!

Barbara Clegg’s beautiful script was slightly hampered by needing the involvement of the black and white guardians at the end to tie up the three story arc. I wish their closing scenes could have been left until the next story, as it meant the ending with the Eternals felt rather rushed.


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Statistics

AVG. Rating284 members
4.09 / 5

Trakt.tv

AVG. Rating218 votes
3.75 / 5

The Time Scales

AVG. Rating165 votes
4.20 / 5

Member Statistics

Watched

549

Favourited

86

Reviewed

5

Saved

8

Skipped

0

Owned

8

Quotes

Add Quote

TEGAN: You believe him because he gave up Enlightenment for your sake.

DOCTOR: You're missing the point. Enlightenment was not the diamond. Enlightenment was the choice.

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Transcript Needs checking

Part One

[TARDIS]

(A chess match is underway. A hand moves a white bishop to Kings Rook 3.)

TURLOUGH: Check. I said, check.
TEGAN: I heard you.

(Tegan is leaning on the console while the Doctor does some work underneath. The lights are dimmed.)


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