There are some Doctor Who serials where their weakness appears to be to me that they are overly familiar and seem such an overdone idea in sci-fi that they don't work as well as they could have done. For some of these I have to try to view it with fresh eyes because this show was part of creating that trend but for others this is not the case and the Krotons is one such example. Here we have a fairly standard overseers versus underlings scenario, with the underlings being the ones we are meant to identify with while the overseers are clearly "baddies" by virtue of being robots or lizards or something like that – in this case big robots. Even by the standards of the show this is fairly familiar territory and it mostly delivers as such.
There is drama here and there is some aspects of interest but this (comparatively) short serial really feels like a solid by-the-numbers affair, mostly because that is just what it is. It isn't bad by any means and indeed it does a decent enough job, but there isn't anything special about it that got me excited. The plot is mostly OK and the action moves forward reasonably so. The Krotons are not particularly good creatures – I was interested in them as a species but this information comes late and is not really followed (I'll look to those more knowledgeable than I to find out if the Krotons return at some point – that means PM me, Theo!). The Gonds are also just basic humans, although I did like the idea of artificial evolution, shame it is not explored so much as stated. The sets and design is nothing amazing but it did strike me how far the show had come in a few seasons – it really felt more detailed and "real" than just a few seasons ago.
The cast are solid. Troughton continues to be my favorite Doctor so far (don't forget I have only seen up to this point, then Davison onwards). He adds to all the action with his delivery and I enjoy his presence and energy. Hines continues to grow on me and I liked the comic element to his delivery in moments such as him being dismissed by the Krotons as lesser! As Theo Robertson observed, Padbury adds to her skill of "screaming" by dressing in a tiny PVC outfit – nothing by today's standards but it stands out here. Personally I still do not care for her, not because of her performances but just because she is more and more becoming the model for the "young sexy frightened companion", which might not seem like a big deal but soon enough we'll have Bonnie Langford and then you'll be sorry.
The Krotons is a decent enough serial but no reason to be excited about it. It treads familiar ground in a decent enough way but without pushing itself or the viewer and, with only 4 episodes, before you know it, it's gone.
