6H3 - Enlightenment 3

Enlightenment is a visual triumph overall, but it positively sings in Episode Three. The space sequences on the deck of the Striker are stunning, beautifully shot on film at Ealing, and seamlessly integrate the equally gorgeous model shots of the Striker's opponents. There is something quite beautiful about seeing several grand, tall sailing ships from Earth's past sailing majestically in the vastness of space.

The party on board Wrack's ship is also a visual feast, featuring people in costumes from several different periods in Earth's history. Only in Doctor Who could such a scene feel so natural. Wrack herself is a loud, bombastic character, and Turlough's desire to align with her is interesting. Is he legitimate in his intentions? Even Wrack, and Eternal, calls his mind "murky". Turlough's dilemma in this story is the most interesting of the three in the Black Guardian trilogy because he has now seen that The Doctor is not the force of evil that the Black Guardian made him out to be. The Black Guardian's presence here merely seems to terrorize the boy, although he has another agent of destruction in the form of Wrack.

And I'm not going to dump on poor Leee(eeee) John as Mansell, because he's heard enough flack over the years for his performance. I do find it odd, though, that John, who wasn't even an actor, was given the job in the first place. Can this be put down to John Nathan-Turner's increasing penchant for stunt casting, perhaps? Was he hoping to lure fans of John's pop group Imagination to watch Doctor Who? Whatever the reason, John is still better than Rick James in The Mutants, whose title of Worst Actor in Doctor Who is still safe.