Customer Reviews

Doctor Who - The Krotons [VHS]

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I've been buying loads of Doctor Who videos and DVDs recently, most of which I have never seen. Being a fan of the series, I knew who Patrick Troughton was, but never saw any of his episodes. His appearance in The Five Doctors was just a glimps into what the second Doctor was like and "Who" he was. Needless to say I wanted more. Tomb of the Cybermen was my first Troughton episode...I'm convinced he is one of the best Doctors ever. The Krotons is another excellent episode. An interesting story, cold, creepy and truly alien aliens with bizarre technology and a solid cast. The Kroton's accent made me laugh a few times (don't always sound so bright) but somehow that just added to the charm of this episode. Is it just me, or does black and white seem more believable? I pity the latter generations who may never see anything broadcasted black and white on the TV... Another quality episode recommended for any fan of Dr Who or Sci-fi.

This is a clever Doctor Who story ostensibly about crystalline aliens who are dissolved in solvent and who can be restored by brainpower which can also drive their spaceship. The indigenous population are reared like sheep and educated in the learning halls to develop the intellect that the Krotons need whereupon they will leave the p;anet. Of course, the Doctor and his companions arrive and upset the applecart in their usual manner.

Why is this a clever story? Well the thrust of the plot is about the technologically superior aliens, crystalline based and susceptible to acid attack. However, the sub-plot revolves around the servile and passive Gonds who serve up their best and their brightest to be dispersed by the Krotons after they have been tested for brainpower. The interest lies in the revolutionary feelings of some of the younger members of the group, the staid conservatism of the leader and the almost complete disinterest in intellectual advancement. What occurs leads into revolt and betrayal, of the whole group and of the Doctor . There is a further side to this story of the intellectual arrogance of the Doctor and Zoe and the observation of the lack of common sense attached to high academic and intellectual ability.

All in all a very deep and complex story which operates on many levels. There is a comic side too of the many travels like a merry-go-round when the humanoids pass in, through and out of the Krotons ship and the surreal moment when the Kroton, travelling outside of the spaceship gets lost and cannot locate his position.

Lots of meat in this one originally broadcast 28 December 1968 through 18 January 1969.

The ying-yang like halves opening in the wall of the Gond people's teaching hall foreshadows a fight between good and bad. Two students, Abu and Vana, have been given the highest honour, to become companions of the Krotons. Yet Thara, the hot-headed son of Council leader Selris, adamantly tries to stop his girlfriend from going. "Why do we take their orders? We don't even know if they exist."

Landing on a rocky planet that "looks dead, smells dead," the Doctor, Jamie, and Zoe, encounter a machine and rescue Vana from certain death from it. Companions of the Krotons, huh?

When Selris learns the truth, the enormity of it sinks in. "The Krotons have been our benefactors. ... Our two best students join the Krotons. They can't all have been murdered!" He also fears that if other Gonds learn the truth, they will rise up against the Krotons, only to be slaughtered. That is being planned under Selris's deputy Eelek. Yet the Gonds' main problem is that they are dependent on the Krotons, especially the teaching machines. Consider this exchange:

Doctor: And everyone uses these machines?
Selris: When they are young, yes. That is the law.
Doctor: Whose law, Selris?
Selris: Our laws--the Gonds'.
Doctor: But I thought you said all your law was given to you by the Krotons?
Selris: Yes, all our science, all our culture, everything we have has come from the machines.
Doctor: I see. A sort of self-perpetuating slavery.

Things heat up, when in the course of their investigation, Zoe unwittingly submits herself to a Kroton teaching machine, reaches one of the highest scores ever, and is selected to become a companion for the Krotons. The Doctor also takes the test to be with her. There's humorous mention about Zoe's intelligence: "Yes, well, Zoe is something of a genius, of course. It can be very irritating at times," to which she shows her cute smile and lets out a small laugh. In other words, a Hermione Granger nearly thirty years before Harry Potter. Zoe later says cheekily, "The Doctor is almost as clever as I am." Almost? Well, actually, Zoe... But this is a great story for Zoe, showing off her math skills as well as a cute miniskirt. Jamie has a good hand-to-hand combat moment in Episode 1.

Beta the controller of Science, like Selris, wants to be free, but is rational about it. "We only know what the Krotons tell us. We don't think. We obey.", and "I'm tired of being fed information like a dog like scraps." The key though, as the Doctor and Zoe notice, are certain gaps in the Gonds' education, which may be significant.

There is a bit of a goof, as it's clear that the bottom of the Krotons are cloth and not metal.

Gilbery Wynne, who kind of resembles Dick Gephardt (D-NE), does a good job as Thara, as does James Copeland as Selris. Phil Madoc plays Eelek with a menacing understatedness. He would later appear in three Who stories: The War Games (1969), The Brain Of Morbius (1976), The Power Of Kroll (1979). And Roy Skeleton, who did voices for the Daleks and early Cybermen, provides voices for the Krotons.

Not a bad story, considering how the sixth season of Dr. Who is the most complete Patrick Troughton season.

This is a decent Second Doctor adventure, a little run of the mill but enjoyable. Worth the money, time and effort! For any Who enthusiast, almost any Troughton adventure is a delight in SOME way.

This is one of the more exciting Troughten era episodes (unlike that ever-so long "The Invasion")! It has many comedic moments as well. My favorite scene is when the Doctor and Zoe try to pass the Gond machine test. There are also more gibes at Jamie for being a little "below average."

I highly recommend this video for any Doctor Who fan!

This is a very well done series. This is one of Troughtons best stories. Troughton makes this series so good by acting at his best

The existing Troughton episodes pose a dilemma for Troughton fans. Some of the surviving Troughton serials (such as The Krotons) are below par; but we have to make do with what's available. Much of PT's work as Dr. Who was destroyed in the BBC's "housecleaning" of its video vaults in the 1970s. Anything that still survives has to be treasured accordingly. Thus, Troughton completists will want to acquire "The Krotons"; but my sense is that "The Tomb of the Cybermen" is still the best memorial for Troughton. "Tomb" is a little gem of a serial -- Dr. Who's dialogue with Victoria (in one of the quieter scenes) is especially memorable. "Tomb" was also very nearly destroyed.