4/5 "This is the sort of excitement that makes eternity bearable."
  by Crazy Fox (Chicago, IL USA)
In a way, it's a bit of an overstatement to call the three stories included in this set a trilogy, for each is very distinct in both style and substance. Thankfully so, since variety is the spice of life. Linking the three ever so loosely though is the introduction of Turlough and his Faustian bargain with the Black Guardian, a cosmic being with a grudge against the Doctor. In a way, saddling the Doctor with a "rubbish" companion (well before Adam in 2005's "Dalek" & "The Long Game") is an inventively risky idea, and having a thoroughly unpleasant and devious character among the Tardis crew adds a suspenseful twist to the stories on the one hand, while on the other it often devolves into Turlough repetitively stepping not quite but almost out of earshot and hissing into a glowing crystal for instructions from his erstwhile Mephistopheles. Be that as it may, something beyond the bounds of the tried and true is laudably being attempted here. The trilogy as a whole also happens to transpire roughly during the middle of Peter Davison's tenure as the Fifth Doctor, a moment when his approach to the character seems to have become comfortably established while still retaining some of its initial freshness. On that score, then, these three stories amply demonstrate in both their significant strengths and minor pitfalls a good deal of what "Doctor Who" was capable of in 1983.

"Mawdryn Undead" is a particularly strong story that unusually makes the most of the potential for time paradox in the show's premise and even more unusually features an antagonist whose ambition is not to conquer nor destroy but to die. The reappearance of the Brigadier along with other references to the show's history are rather skillfully woven into the plot, although the resolution is a bit of a let-down, taking place not through the Doctor's own cleverness nor even the bravery of his companions past and present but limply through a credulity-straining coincidence. Likewise straining one's credulity in "Terminus" is the idea that a load of starship fuel could set off a chain reaction destroying not just a planet, a solar system, or even a galaxy, but the entire universe (!). One can't help but suspect that the writer's concept of cosmology and its scale is a bit uninformed. That said, the story deftly balances the grim imagery of drudgery and disease with resonant mythological motifs while confronting the contradictions between the profit motive and medical care in a way that coincidentally seems unusually relevant more than two decades later. Finally, "Enlightenment" is the real gem of this trilogy. There is something indescribably eerie about it. And yet it's also just an incredibly well-written science fiction tale juxtaposing impeccable expertise in historical detail with an utterly surreal context. The tone can pitch dramatically in range from hauntingly mysterious, boisterously campy, firmly moralistic, and strangely romantic--and yet the tale as a whole, while marred a bit here and there by some overacting, holds together wonderfully and verges on the profound without losing its sense of fun and adventure.

Come to think of it, then, on a deeper level certain rather weighty themes do in fact run through these three stories after all: temptation and redemption, death and regeneration, time and eternity, order and chaos, not to mention the unsuitability of dead birds as headgear.

5/5 Terminus Easter Eggs Missing, or just bad disc?
  by Ggreg Perry
Anyone missing the easter eggs from Terminus?

They're not where they are supposed to be according to [...]
(#1. COUNTDOWN CLOCK
Go to the first page of the 'Special Features' menu.
Click on the hidden Doctor Who logo to the left of 'Audio Options'.

#2. TARDIS INFORMATION SYSTEM
Go to the second page of the 'Special Features' menu.
Click on the hidden Doctor Who logo to the left of 'Menu.),

and I've tried everywhere else on the disc, to no avail...

5/5 Davison deserves more recognition
  by A. Shapiro (Fl)
The Fifth Doctor deserves more recognition!!! There, I've said it. Coming after the immensely popular Tom Baker, Peter always seems to get the short end of the stick. Everyone talks about Tom, and Collin's portrayal is a lightning rod for conversation. Peter did some wonderful episodes, and this storyline is among his best. No, it isn't up there with Kinda(one of my favorite episodes), but this is well worth the investment of time and money. The Guardian is such an interesting character, introduced during Baker's tenure and reintroduced here. The first and last episodes really shine. Just well plotted and acted. Torlough is a vastly underrated character, and here he is at his best. Just a really fun ride, full of Whovian turns that will captivate you and your kids. This one is great Sunday family time. Enjoy!!!!

5/5 About those special features...
  by Nathan Redmond (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada)
So you want to know about the special features? Come hither...

(Taken from the Restoration Team website)

Disc 1 - Mawdryn Undead

* Commentary -with actors Peter Davison, Mark Strickson and Nicholas Courtney, script editor Eric Saward.

* Who Wants to Live Forever? (dur. 24' 30") - cast and crew look back at the making of the story. With actors Peter Davison, Nicholas Courtney, Mark Strickson, David Collings and Lucy Benjamin, director Peter Moffatt, script editor Eric Saward and plastic surgeon Dr. Simon Withey. Narrated by Floella Benjamin.

* Liberty Hall (dur. 7' 19") - a new drama. Journalist Philip Clarke (Simon Ockenden) travels to Brendan School to interview Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart.

* Deleted and Extended Scenes (dur. 5' 14") - deleted and extended scenes from the location filming.

* Film Trims (dur. 3' 31") - film trims from the location filming, including clapperboards and cast and crew setting up and performing various takes.

* Out-takes (5' 33") - the producer's blooper reel.

* CGI Effects - this option allows the viewer to watch the story with a number of original effects shots replaced by new computer-generated images.

* Continuity (dur. 0' 55") - BBC1 continuity announcements from the story's original transmission.

* Set Photo Gallery (dur. 1' 35 ") - Set design photos from the story.

* Isolated Score - option to watch the story with the isolated music score.



Disc 2 - Terminus

* Commentary with actors Peter Davison, Mark Strickson and Sarah Sutton, writer Stephen Gallagher.

* Breaking Point (dur. 22' 32") - cast and crew look back at the making of the story. With actors Peter Davison, Mark Strickson, Sarah Sutton and Martin Potter, director Fiona Cumming, writer Stephen Gallagher, designer Dick Coles, camera supervisor Alec Wheal and sound supervisor Scott Talbott. Narrated by Floella Benjamin.

* Origins of the Universe (dur. 6' 28") - Sir Patrick Moore and, Dr. John Mason take a look at the science behind the Big Bang and the origins of the universe.

* Original Storyboards (dur. 1' 17") - production storyboards for the spaceship sequences, plus how the shots were realised on screen.

* Unused Model Shots (dur. 3' 29") - a selection of unused takes from the model effects shoot, taken from a timecoded production tape.

* CGI Effects - this option allows the viewer to watch the story with a number of original effects shots replaced by new computer-generated images.

* Continuity (dur. 1' 51") - BBC1 continuity announcements from the story's original transmission.

* Isolated Score - option to watch the story with the isolated music score.



Disc 3 - Enlightement

* Commentary with actors Peter Davison and Mark Strickson, writer Barbara Clegg and director Fiona Cumming.

* Winner Takes All (dur. 23' 47") - cast and crew look back at the making of the story. With actors Peter Davison, Mark Strickson, Janet Fielding, Keith Barron, Christopher Brown and Leee John, director Fiona Cumming, writer Barbara Clegg, costume designer Dinah Collin and camera supervisor Alec Wheal. Narrated by Floella Benjamin.

* Casting Off! (dur. 10' 33") - an actor's view of working on Doctor Who. With Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, Mark Strickson, Keith Barron, Christopher Brown and Leee John, with director Fiona Cumming.

* Single Write Female (dur. 5' 12") - writer Barbara Clegg looks back on her career and the writing of 'Enlightenment'.

* The Story of the Guardians (dur. 11' 53") - the Guardians have appeared in Doctor Who as far back as Tom Baker's era... but who - or what - are they? With Robert Luckham (son of the late White Guardian, Cyril Luckham), Sarah Leppard (daughter of the late Black Guardian, Valentine Dyall), Doctor Who Magazine editor Tom Spilsbury and Doctor Who Adventures editor Moray Laing.

* Storyboards (dur. 5' 56") - a dual-angle feature, in which visual effects supervisor Mike Kelt uses the original storyboards to explain how he went about planning and shooting the model effects sequences for the show. The disc should default to the main angle, but the viewer should be allowed to flip angles on their remote to see the model sequences full-frame.

* Isolated Score - option to watch the story with the isolated music score.



Disc 4 - Enlightenment - Special Edition

* 75 min movie-format edit in 16:9 with 5.1 (default) and stereo audio. Menu option to play with an introduction (dur. 1' 28") by the director if required.

* Re-Enlightenment (dur. 14' 30") - the production team responsible for the new version of 'Enlightenment' discuss how they are going to approach the task in hand...

* Original Edit Comparison (dur. 2' 34") - a comparison of the original opening of episode three compared to that eventually seen on transmission.

* Film Trims (dur. 5' 32") - trims from the story's filmed sequences.

* Finding Mark Strickson (dur. 8' 28") - Mark Strickson looks back over his acting career.

* Finding Sarah Sutton (dur. 7' 45") - Sarah Sutton looks back over her acting career.

* Russell Harty Christmas Party (dur. 3' 31") - Peter Davison and his then-wife Sandra Dickinson perform a song and dance routine on Russell Harty's 1982 Christmas show.

* Continuity (dur. 2' 09") - BBC1 continuity announcements from the story's original transmission.



* Plus of course the usual Radio Times Listing PDFs, Coming Soon trailer, Programme Subtitles, Subtitle Production Notes and Photo Galleries.

5/5 Don't Miss This One!!!
  by David W. Curry (Philadelphia,Pa)
I am sure many fans of the clasic series were hoping these three episodes would be released together and sure enough the Doctor Who Restoration Team did not disapoint us. The three episodes in the box set hail from Doctor Who's 20th aniversary Season (5th Doctor Peter Davison's 2nd season). While that season seemed a bit dis-jointed at times it did have one of those "moments" that reminded you why you loved Doctor Who in the First place. I am of course talking about the real "Gem" of this box set...Mawdryn Undead. This episode is so cleverly executed from start to finish. The writing, the direction and the acting are all top shelf! The story revolves around a group of alien immortals deperatly trying to escape the curse of immortality. The doctor is flung into the middle of their struggle by the bent on revenge "Black Gaurdian" and his emotionaly twisted and unwilling assassan Turlough (sounds like ter-low). The Doctor is aided in this episode by the returning Brigadere Lethbridge Stewart who is now retired from UNIT and teaching at an all boys school. This is truly the Brigadere's finest hour in the program's history as Nicholas Courtney returns to the role and plays the aging veteran to perfection. The episode also features a brilliant plot twist that has the doctors companions Tegan and Nyssa sent back in time some nine years or so and yet they are still able to aid the Doctor as events unfold. Other highlights are the brilliant set designs on Mawdryn's ship, the music score and a nice little "flashback" during episode two...But I'll say no more to protect first time viewers.
The other two episodes in the box set, Terminus and Enlightenment, have their moments but fail to come up to the level of Mawdryn Undead. That being said this box set is worth every penny. If you have seen it buy it again and relive the magic of Mawdryn if for no other reason than to remeber how you felt after you viewed it for the First time ( I would imagine most Doctor Who Fan's can remember exactly where they were the first time they saw this episode.)If you have never seen Mawdryn Undead (and I envy you) buy it as well and enjoy One of Doctor Who's finest hours....or hour and a half. Celery anyone???