Doctor Who (TV Series) The Macra Terror: Episode 2 (1967) User Reviews

There is no such thing as Macra.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 15 November 2015]

The Doctor and Medok protest to the guards that he has indeed witnessed the Macra, but they refuse to believe him, he's sent to see the Pilot. Medok's statement saves the Doctor's bacon, he protests his innocence. The Pilot is given a message by control, 'there is no such thing as Macra,' and that the visitors must undergo processing. In their sleep they hear a soothing voice telling them that the colony is perfect and that they're to be given work. The Doctor gets to Polly in time, but Ben falls under the spell, Jamie did not. Ben turns on his friends, elsewhere Medok is refusing to fall to the processing, he chases after Polly, who witnesses a Macra which sets on Polly.

As with the opening episode it's a fun continuation, it's a good character driven story, the TARDIS regulars get to have some fun, Ben and Polly are brilliant, it's one of their strongest stories. The Colonists are well created, Peter Jeffrey is fun as the Pilot, and Terence Lodge is good value as Medok.

It's not in my top three of Troughton's outings, but it's a fun story. I would love to see how the Macra were realised. 8/10

Big brother is watching you .... and he is a crab!

[A_Kind_Of_CineMagic · 8/10 · 21 August 2014]

Review for all 4 parts:

I have been able to reassess this story having seen the nice new animated reconstruction which allows me to find greater appreciation for the story and edit my earlier review.

This 4 part 'futuristic' story is set in an apparently idyllic world which has dark secrets underlying the society. It is enjoyable and interesting with strong ideas of a 'Big Brother is watching you' type society and political underlying themes about manipulation and control. The Macra creatures, often referred to as 'giant crabs' due to their claws and crustacean like forms are quite an unusual and interesting idea too, though obviously the low budget and age of this story limited their original realisation on screen. The animated version makes the Macra a good monster visually as well as conceptually.

Part 1 features the ultra cheesy musical number which I found slightly irritating along with the music throughout but to be fair it was meant to be irritating, as it represents the unthinking, unquestioning happiness of brainwashed people. All 4 parts are well written, well acted, fun and have deeper themes that add quality. The animation provides sufficiently good visuals to allow the story to be really appreciated. I always enjoyed parts 2 and 3 just as much as I did watching the animation but parts 1 and 4 went up in my estimation as the visuals enabled me to enjoy them better. Reviewing by judging an animated version which gives a fair idea of how it was intended (albeit adding colour which was unavailable to the makers in the first place but if it had been available I am sure they would have used it). I therefore think it only fair that I use the animation to help judge the original story.

Overall an entertaining if slightly unexceptional adventure with some interesting elements and some great scenes. The animated version has beautifully vibrant colour visuals.

My Ratings: Episodes 1 to 4 - 8/10.