3 out of 5

Directed by: John Davies

Cool concept, acceptable execution.  The Macra Terror is, on the whole, a solid affair: this particular cast of companions – though maybe a bit crowded – is fully capable, with Polly, Ben and Jamie each capable of acting as individuals and not exclusively plot foils, and, of course, Troughton is a delight, settling into a balance between knowing and sly, with just the right touch of aloofness.  And the setup evolves at a worthwhile clip from episode to episode, it’s just one of those Whos you’re better off not thinking too much about.

The crew, last serial, saw some creepy claw-ed figures on the monitor; when they land, it’s in the middle of a chase for the renegade Medok, who’s going on and on about, y’know, clawed figures.  The Doc stops him; the pursuers are ever so grateful, and so escort the team back to their colony, which is very Prisoner-esque (both appearing in 1967…?) in its odd discrepancy between a happy, ordered exterior and the set of seemingly odd or pointless or militant rules that rumble beneath the surface.  There’s even an essentially unseen (just his image and voice) leader, called The Controller, whom apparently has final say on who does what where, when and why.  Curious why Medok’s proclamations are being considered a crime, the Doctor investigates and, of course, discovers there’s more to the Colony than it seems.  These discoveries sorta turn him into a prisoner as well, though.

Even though the Macra – the clawed figures – are a bit foam-construction silly, the overall conspiracy angle and quirkiness of the too-perky colony give the serial a leg-up on more plodding entries, and each companion ends up having their own bit to do, with Polly sort of the wildcard bouncing between people.  Still, the conspiracy is too close to the surface to really drive it into intriguing territory, and there’s a bit of a lack of grace in getting us from point A to point B, relying on the Doctor fumbling through an interrogation with Medok, when it’s really just so he can confirm that someone else saw claw creeps.  And – spoiler – the resolution is a bit ho-hum.  Oh – those clawed creeps, I see now that we were wrong.  Thanks, Doctor Who!

Definitely not a poor episode, but it rings in as average without any highlights to really bolster its worthwhile setup.