Return of the Krotons

"We're the power behind your shiny new empire."

Writer: Nicholas Briggs
Format: Audio
Released: December 2008
Series: Bonus Release VII

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Charley

Synopsis

The dead planet Onyakis is being plundered by the last survivors of the human race, and their leader Commander Cobden, will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Already there are rumours of those who stand against him mysteriously disappearing. But when the Sixth Doctor and Charley find themselves on the side of those trying to expose Cobden, they discover something far more sinister.

Deep in the mines of Onyakis, alien technology is reactivating. Power is flowing. Something is forming in the darkness...

Verdict

Return of the Krotons was an excellent audio adventure to fit in very nicely with the Main Range stories of the Sixth Doctor and Charley. I am really loving this pairing and the mystery that comes with the Doctor knowing that something is up with his companion and Charley still not being able to reveal how she had recently been travelling with the Eighth Doctor. I still can't wait to find out why the Doctor didn't recognise Charley when he first encountered in Storm Warning, but we're taking baby steps. I have been wanting to get to this audio for such a long time now purely because of its title! Now, The Krotons is a good story, but it's far from being one for the ages. However, I just love that the Krotons make a comeback because they're an interesting enemy and any monsters coming back from the black and white era is something I'm a sucker for. I love the nostalgia associated with it. I wasn't expecting the connections with The Ark in Space and how this was set during the age of solar flares with humanity going its separate ways from Earth. The Doctor's mention of the Nerva ark was terrific and I liked how that resonated with those he encountered here on Onyakis. The adventure was really strong from start to finish. Cobden served as a fantastic villain before the Krotons emerged and his murder attempt with the demolition was brilliant. I felt that should have saw the story split in two as that would have made a superb cliffhanger. The rumours of the K-7 having a connection with a crystalline life form was magnificent and even though the title gives away their return, this was the clear moment where the presence of the Krotons was confirmed. Cobden being obsessed with the headset that was the Kroton teaching machine was very good and I liked the similarities it had with the machines used in the Second Doctor tale to test intelligence. The Doctor feeling a sense of familiarity regarding what was going on was good and I was glad that it didn't drag out longer than it needed to. These Krotons being more advanced than those the Doctor had previously met was a good way to go and I liked that they referred to some of humanity as high brains. Romilly was a wonderful character and his death was a very emotional fall as he fell victim to the flood by falling. Charley's reaction was devastating, but his return as literally being a Kroton was a very surprising and heartfelt moment. The threat of dispersal was great and harkened back to the first appearance of the Krotons. I was really impressed with how fearful the Krotons were made out to be and the Doctor wanting to surrender spoke volumes. It was a powerful moment that I really enjoyed. The desperation of Romilly in his Kroton form was quite difficult to listen to because he really wanted to destroy the Krotons. That was all he wanted. His efforts of putting out into the sense of Charley, the Doctor and co for a programme to send expand a crystalline bubble and set Onyakis en route into its sun. I thought that was excellent, but then Romilly and another Kroton destroyed each other which allowed for the Doctor to present that catastrophe and temporarily save the non-Krotons on the planet. That just left the imminent threat of suffocation! With the Doctor and Charley separated, the latter suggesting that the former should leave her as he was in close proximity with the TARDIS was intriguing because her comment about them never meaning to be together anyway came back to bite her. The Doctor's plan soon came into action though and I liked how it was revealed soon after the Krotons were actually defeated. It seemed to involve fizzy nostrils! That was quite funny. It was actually the result of hypoxia and the Doctor expanding the atmosphere generators to increase the pressure and filter out the oxygen. The human body produced euphoria at this stage and instead of the high intelligence the Krotons required, humanity became silly and that was enough to see off the Krotons. I thought that was brilliant. Charley's dazed reference to Absolution and the fate that befell C'rizz was very interesting, but she once again delayed in her explaining. The Doctor continues to push and it seems that The Raincloud Man will start in a cafe. Overall, an excellent audio adventure!

Rating: 9/10