Enlightenment by Barbara Clegg
1 - 9 March 1983
It took twenty years, but a woman finally gets a credited writing role on Doctor Who. Hurrah for my sisters!
As it happens, Enlightenment is an exceptional story. I've
struggled with a few stories in this era on the grounds that they seem
to be written for a different main character than the Fifth Doctor we
actually have. Enlightenment is in the same club as the very best
of this era (including the Mara duology) in part, I think, because it
actually recognizes and plays to the strengths of its lead.
Moodily lit and with a relative minimum of monsters and mayhem, the
story is a more sedate and thoughtful affair which gives us ample time
to appreciate the characterization. The main cast are written superbly.
Peter Davison's Doctor feels right at home in this setting, and it shows
in his performance; his quiet outrage at the callousness of the
Eternals is extremely well-played. Other enjoyable moments included him
casually switching out his celery for a fresher one at Wreck's salad
bar, or when he tells Striker, "You know how impulsive the young are! ... No, I don't suppose you do."
I enjoy his performance at the end as well, when he's observing
Turlough make his choice about whether or not to attain Enlightenment.
Something in his manner tells me that the Doctor knew something was
wrong about Turlough already; maybe he noticed as soon as he joined the
TARDIS. If so, him letting him stick around and try to befriend him is a
great show of the character's compassionate side.
Both of the companions get some great work and a lot of attention as
well. This is the last part of Turlough's struggle with the Black
Guardian, of course, and while that subplot has not been written the
most elegantly his emotional turmoil is still portrayed wonderfully, and
his decision to do the right thing at the end is definitely a fist-pump
moment. Tegan is written a lot more subtly than she usually is, and is
generally just great in this; her relationship with Marriner, such as it
is, is really fascinating. I admit, the story had me going at first
believing that it was merely an infatuation on his part. Then came his
plaintive, almost heartbreaking plea in the final part, "What is love? I want existence!"
The Eternals are a fascinating bunch. Timeless in such a way that they
consider even Time Lords like the Doctor to be "Ephemerals", they are,
as a rule, completely disinterested in the existence of life and the
universe itself and simply chase new ideas and stimuli from the mortals
who, unlike them, are capable of dreaming them. Their disregard for the
lives of their abducted crews is really quite chilling at times, like
when Striker, eyes cold and dark, blandly remarks, "Bad luck, really," in response to an entire crew dying.
Wreck is a brilliant villain here also. Pure ham. Full marks, no complaints. Lynda Baron's performance is loads of fun.
I was heartened to have this story (and Snakedance, for that
matter) in a season that otherwise felt pretty rough. I feel like I got a
better glimpse at the Fifth Doctor that I wish I was seeing all the
time.
The Kings' Demons is next.
(Modified from the original posted at Gallifrey Base on 25 April 2024.)
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