Faithful Friends: The Krillitane Feint

"Just think what our species could do with their abilities."

Writer: John Dorney

Format: Audio

Released: January 2025

Series: Classic Doctors, New Monsters 5.01

Featuring: Second Doctor, Jamie, Zoe

Synopsis

The TARDIS brings the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe to a planet where a secure research base is conducting disturbing experiments. A group of captive Krillitane are test subjects for a military power, keen to understand the species' unique abilities. But who are the real monsters here?

Verdict

The Krillitane Feint was an excellent episode to kick off the Faithful Friends fifth series of Classic Doctors, New Monsters! I am delighted to hear this range continuing because the possibilities really are endless. The Krillitanes made a huge impact on screen in School Reunion and whilst they have appeared in a couple of other media format stories, I believe this is their first appearance on audio and it’s a tremendous debut! I think from start to finish this just felt brilliant and I really enjoyed the atmosphere created at the site of the Krillitane experimentation. I must admit I wasn’t expecting this kind of adventure and without reading the synopsis prior to listening, I was surprised that the Krillitane were on the back foot. They didn’t feature massively (or so it seemed!) for most of the story but their presence as experiment subjects was intriguing. I can’t say I was surprised given the genetic abilities of the Krillitanes and I was surprised it took so long for someone to suggest that they had overlooked an ability they might have taken from the original inhabitants of the planet. That was a fun suggestion. The trio of the Second Doctor, Jamie and Zoe were just magnificent and this might be Michael Troughton’s best performance yet in the iconic role of his father’s. This felt so authentic and he really has grown into the position which is delightful to say. I thought the twist that came around forty-five minutes in that the trio were actually Krillitanes all along was superb! I didn’t see it coming at all - certainly not all three! - but the idea of the Krillitanes getting caught up within their personalities as well was a fitting explanation for why they were so familiar. It was also great to realise the Doctor alluding to not being human was actually a red herring. As far as the Krillitanes knew at the start, he was just that. I thought the Colonel was a strong character and his stance on the trio representing their financiers was amusing, especially with the Doctor suggesting the operation be shutdown! That wasn’t going to go down well in terms of profits. Doctor Darnley was another good character and the relationship built with the Krillitane Doctor was really nice. He was just after the key card which was fun to hear as the Doctor was the guise used for a peaceful effort to free the Krillitane brethren. I thought that was terrific and not the usual means by which a Krillitane might act. I thought the scale of the colony being in its hundreds was shocking with how the story ended. I thought the Colonel also being involved and the Zoe Krillitane having been neutralising the sedative all along was a fine way to make him realise that he was essentially screwed. Some fine delaying tactics indeed! The reactor blowing and wiping out the experiment was a horrifying end and the scale of Krillitane death was actually unfathomable. The Doctor being questioned on that as he awkwardly looked to get away was powerful stuff with the question of who was really the true monster here. I loved that and I wonder if the Krillitane return later in the boxset will come back to this or if it will be another isolated story. Either way, I’m excited to find out because the Krillitanes are an underrated and thus far underutilised monster. It didn’t surprise me at all that humanity was trying to harness their abilities! Overall, a really fantastic start to a series that I adore. 

Rating: 9/10