The Doctor and Polly manage to save Jamie from the Macra and then try to show the Pilot who is really in charge of the colony.The Doctor and Polly manage to save Jamie from the Macra and then try to show the Pilot who is really in charge of the colony.The Doctor and Polly manage to save Jamie from the Macra and then try to show the Pilot who is really in charge of the colony.
Photos
- Control
- (voice)
- Chicki
- (as Karol Keyes)
- Director
- Writers
- Ian Stuart Black
- Sydney Newman(uncredited)
- Donald Wilson(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis episode was wiped by the BBC and no copy of it is known to exist.
- Quotes
[last lines]
Ben Jackson: Hey, Doctor? Doctor?
The Doctor: Relax. Relax. More haste, more waste. Pleasure is beautiful.
Ben Jackson: Relax? You wait till you hear what they're going to do with you.
The Doctor: Oh, well. Ha, ha, ha.
Ben Jackson: Yeah, I just heard it on the grapevine. They're going to draft us as members of the Colony, and make you the next Pilot.
[the Doctor stops laughing]
The Doctor: They can't do that to me. Let's get out of here.
Ben Jackson: Yes, but how?
The Doctor: Take a leaf out of Jamie's book. Give them the old dance routine.
[the Doctor, Polly, and Ben enthusiastically join in with Jamie's dancing, slowly edging closer to the door]
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.
- A_Kind_Of_CineMagic
- Aug 20, 2014
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime24 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1