Monday, July 27, 2009

WW4 - The Krotons 4



Well meaning characters, especially people who are in positions of power, are not long for the world in Doctor Who stories. Look at poor Selris - once the leader of the Gonds, blindly offering his citizens for selection by the Krotons, powerless to stop them on his own once the truth is revealed, but he is key in the Krotons' destruction before he is vaporised. Yet no one will know of Selris's sacrifice, and it's all The Doctor's fault.

Typical of Patrick Troughton's Doctor, he and his companions flee the scene before the dust settles at the end of this story, leaving Selris's death a mystery to the rest of the Gonds. The Doctor could have at least spoken up about how Selris died before he left. It would have helped rebuild Selris's standing within the community, as his legacy was left somewhat battered by all those who abandoned him. Instead, Selris is forgotten, and now a power struggle seems to be at hand between Eelek and his supporters, and a small minority who might be in favour of Beta and his amazing sideburns. Thanks for helping, Doc.

I have to admit - I was more enthralled while watching The Krotons at times than I was while watching The Invasion. Does that make me a bad person? It was all rather enjoyable fluff, notable for two noteworthy Doctor Who debuts in front of and in behind the cameras, and some terrific comedy sequences that never detract from the story at hand. Much better than its undeserved reputation.

1 comments:

Who+ said...

The Krotons is fine. It's just disliked because of the number of stories that could have survived instead of it from the 60s; and because the Robert Holmes writing credit builds unfair expectations.

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