 DVD Review: Doctor Who: The Black Guardian Trilogy
By Craig Byrne - KryptonSite Webmaster
In 1983, right in the middle of the 20th anniversary season of Doctor Who, the show brought us the "Black Guardian Trilogy," a series of three inter-connected serials that brought back the villain from the "Key To Time" season earlier in the series.
Like another famous trilogy in Doctor Who history (that would be the "E-Space Trilogy,") this three-parter saw the coming of a new male traveler in the TARDIS (this time, it's Turlough), and it also saw the departure of a familiar companion (Sarah Sutton's Nyssa). Also in this trilogy was the long-awaited return of Nicholas Courtney as Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, one of my favorite characters in all of Doctor Who.
One thing to get out of the way if you're considering buying this set - the episodes look VERY 80's - especially "Mawdryn Undead." However, in some ways that makes it an ideal choice for those curious about the Peter Davison era.
For the first of the three stories, "Mawdryn Undead," I was so happy to see the Brigadier again, as I stated earlier. However, I do have to admit that one of the earlier proposals for the story to include schoolteacher Ian Chesterton instead would have made for an even more exciting story. I still hope to see Ian at some point in Doctor Who, although now it's been 40 years since he's been seen on the series. That is not to say good things are not done with the Brigadier - in fact, I liked his appearances here much more than what we got in "The Five Doctors" and "Battlefield" - but Ian would have been a better treat.
The subplot involving Turlough and the Black Guardian is also at its best here, even if it's a little hard to take the Black Guardian seriously with a bird on his head.
"Terminus" is my least favorite story of the three. It also might have been the cheapest to produce. The creature seen in this one is almost embarrassing, and I have to admit, Nyssa was always one of the most boring companions in Doctor Who history; although some might enjoy that she manages to lose a good bit of her clothing in this one. Still, it's the weak link.
"Enlightenment," on the other hand, despite being studio-bound, is one of the best looking Doctor Who stories of the era. Beautifully designed and shot on an Edwardian sailing yacht in space, that story has some imagery that will stick with you for a long time. It also happens to be the last chapter in the trilogy.
Every story in the Black Guardian Trilogy has a wealth of DVD extras... commentaries, featurettes, and more. Some of course are more interesting than others; some - like "an interview with Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart" in character - are rather embarrassingly bad. "Enlightenment" gets 2 discs and a "new feature length edit" containing new CGI effects; to be honest, I actually prefer the original version.
Still, this is some of the best early 80's Doctor Who in one nice package. Check it out on DVD - it's now available. Order yours from Amazon.com and support this site!
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Doctor Who: The Black Guardian Trilogy
BBC Video
Available November 3, 2009
12 episodes (3 stories) plus a wealth of extras on 4 discs
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