Thursday, 4 June 2020

Who Reviews The Krotons by Matt Rabjohns



All too frequently for me I’m seeing so much poor reception for stories that I personally feel have a lot more going for them. And The Krotons is one of those stories for sure. It exudes everything for me that made the Pat Troughton era magnificent.

OK, let’s get the humdrum out of the way first. Maybe this first debut script from Doctor Who legend Robert Holmes lacks the major impact of the epic tales he would go on to write for the show. Maybe some of the characters do seem a tad spineless and faceless. The Gond Race seem to be quite a run of the mill rather uninteresting bunch, but there are still some nuances to performances.

For a start we have the ever sublime Philip Madoc as the slimy Eelek. Phil always was a consummately superb actor and some of his later Who appearances would go down as some of the finest character portraits the show ever conceived. (Mehendri Solon and The War Lord spring at once to mind) Phil was adept at bringing a razor-sharp edge to his performances in everything he was in. It truly was a sad day for the acting world when he passed away.

James Copeland as the Gond Leader Selris too delivers a fine performance indeed. He is wholly a three-dimensional character and in a break from the norm for Pat Troughton tales his leader isn’t overtly officious or loud mouthed which does make for a nice change, as we do often get many loudmouths during the Second Doctor era. James delivers enough pathos in his role that one is truly saddened by his demise in the final instalment of the story.

Gilbert Wynne gives Thara a vein of steely determination that makes his character too very sympathetic and likeable. And his concern for Varna comes over very very well so as to make one easily believe these two Gonds could be a couple.

James Cairncross’s Beta is the last exceptional character. He portrays the constricted and restricted scientist very well, and the sparks between his scenes with Eelek are particularly good. The acid making scene with Frazer Hines Jamie too is quite a comedic moment too.

I for one absolutely love the look and sound of the Krotons. My first viewing of this story made me jump out of my skin when the first shouted word of STOPPPPPPPPP! Blared from my screen, I jest you not! I loved their mechanical, soulless booming tones and it suited their diamond headed look no end. The Krotons are not half as clunky as their reputation has suggested. They present a definite strong threat and to me at least command some respect. They were an alien race ripe for expansion and it sad they never got to appear again on the show. Patrick Tull and stalwart monster voicer Roy Skelton instantly bring us an awesome new alien chilling voice to quake at.

Yes, the plotting of the story may verge on the simple side, but this is by no means a bad thing at all. In fact, I get so confused by so many modern era episodes because their plots are just so tangled and convoluted that one finds it impossible to enjoy them.

Also, there are some very strikingly good visual effects on show in the Krotons too. The swirling slurry and how the Krotons form in them is a niftily directed scene. And the melting of the Dynatrope at the story’s climax is extremely well done.

And in this story Patrick Troughton and Wendy Padbury are on fire. There is one excruciatingly funny scene where the Doctor chides Zoe for using the Kroton’s teaching machines and then raps out a line of flustered orders that instantly makes the scene a diehard classic. Then later too we get to see them deliberately protract the leaving of the Krotons so their plan to rid the Gonds of them can work which is also extremely amusing. Although its plain to see Wendy’s costume is embarrassingly flimsy as there’s a massive rip in it and Patrick valiantly keeps his arm over her shoulder to try to conceal this. Honestly one must commend Wendy with how she carried those poor costumes off so well!

Patrick Troughton has long been my favourite ever Doctor on the show. To me there was never a bad moment in his entire era. It genuinely irks me to see the Krotons get such an irksome response from so many corners. The Krotons may not be the most absolutely flawless production ever (and don’t ask about the snakelike protuberance that emerges from the wall of the Dynatrope, the less said about that the better!) but it is nonetheless stalwart and workmanlike and a very solid story indeed. Maybe the rest of the faceless background characters could have been given just a bit more attention, but aside from this I can find no serious fault with this story at all. And that simply stems from the fact that there never was a bad Second Doctor story on TV. He had 21 highly brilliant and diverting adventures that for me at least are the cream of Doctor Who. The black and white era had a magic uniquely its own. I always thought the show was awesome in its black and white days. Black and white is creepier and unnerving. 

And Patrick’s clownish space elf Doctor is just so winningly awesome from the start to the climax. And that’s why I can seldom find a single fault with the whole of his amazing and incredible tenure as the errant Time Lord. His lined and expressive features too are part of the magic. I don’t think there has ever been a more expressive Doctor facially than Patrick. Oh, I’m starting to gush here, but some things happily are worth gushing about! Just sit back and give The Krotons a chance, it may very well surprise you just how good it is….



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