The Awakening

"You are about to take part in an event that will change the future of mankind."

Writer: Eric Pringle
Format: TV
Broadcast: 19-20 January 1984
Season: 21.02

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Tegan, Turlough

Synopsis

The year is 1984. The Doctor, Tegan and Turlough arrive in Little Hodcombe, a small English village, looking forward to spending some time with Tegan's grandfather. They soon discover that all is not well. Tegan's grandfather is missing and the locals are re-enacting English Civil War battles from 1643.

With the past mixed up with the present, can the Doctor stop the games before an evil entity hidden in the village church awakens?

Verdict

The Awakening was sadly not the best serial of the Fifth Doctor era by any stretch of the imagination. I remembered extremely little about this story from my first viewing eight years ago and I wonder if I was trying to block some elements out! That's probably a little harsh as it wasn't all bad as my rating does suggest, but it just seemed a bit off from the start and I can't quite put my finger on what exactly was wrong. It may have been the format of it only being two parts or the pace or just the writing in general. Perhaps a combination of all three? I really don't know but I did find some moments of this story tough to get through. It doesn't really bode well when a story of just two parts seems like it's dragging on a little. That's certainly not a good sign. I thought the premise of the adventure was actually pretty decent and I really liked the idea of the Doctor piloting the TARDIS with the explicit intention of going to visit Tegan's grandfather. Familial connections would become very common in the revived series so seeing it take place here in the Classic era was very good. Peter Davison gave an accomplished performance as the Fifth Doctor, although I was a little put off by his brashness in the TARDIS and the way he looked at Jane when she was slightly standing in the way of some of the console controls. That didn't seem to make much sense nor be in line with the character of the Doctor. Tegan wanting to have some time with her grandfather was nice, but surely she'd have to address where she had been since 1981 if this was now 1984? I presume the latter year is when Logopolis was set so she's been missing for three years! I felt that needed a mention, even if it was just the norm for her family to go a long time without seeing each other. Turlough didn't have much to do at all in this story which actually made him quite tolerable as I'm not a big fan of his to be honest. Will was a terrific character but I felt more could have been made of the fact that he was from 1643. He just seemed to be there as the person to give credence to the Malus and its power. The idea of an isolated village reverting back to ways of the seventeenth century was brilliant, but the execution never quite seemed right. It all seemed a bit too isolated and not up until the end did there appear to be enough people to create the psychic energy that was harnessed at the battle during the English Civil War. I'm still not convinced there would have been then, but of course you can only employ so many extras! I definitely think this serial will work better in prose and I have no doubt I'll enjoy it a bit more once I get to buying the Target novelisation. There was just a bit too much pantomime and it didn't seem right for the levels of seriousness involved that they were so clearly playing dress up. The Tereleptil connection was intriguing and I'd have liked some involvement from them, but it did make sense following on from The Visitation. One moment that stood out for me was the emphatic nature in which the Doctor proudly admitted to speak treason fluently. That was the Fifth Doctor at his best. The Malus itself looked quite impressive as a prop, but that same expression got a bit too repetitive by the end. I do think this would have worked better as a four-parter with some detail fleshed out and some more time to build. Overall, some decent elements but probably the worst Fifth Doctor serial which is a shame to say.

Rating: 6/10