The Power of Kroll

Viewing recommendation: actually, this isn't bad watched all in one go


It's Tom'n'Mary again, doing screwball comedy in space for The Power of Kroll.

At it's heart, this is actually Caves of Androzani with tentacles. Doctor accidentally finds himself stuck between a warring faction or four, and as both sides panic as they assume he's working for the enemy, he continues work on a completely disconnected motive. Here, rescuing Romana and finding another piece of the Key to Time - which doesn't have quite the same emotional punch, but the theory is the same.

Obviously, that comparison is far from insulting, and this is a pretty decent muddy romp. The plot's nothing new - it's Stahlmann Inferno vs. Timanov Planet of Fire, but it's nicely done and far from dull.

Yes, I just admitted to liking Power of Kroll. Deal with it. Having a lookie on the internet, no one will give the episode a break, which seems quite unfair. It might be bad Robert Holmes - oh the betrayal, that Saint Holmes has only produced a 4/5 star episode - but it's still pretty good by the standards of the rest of us. The sets are really nice - those lovely swamps! - the dialogue ain't bad, and it's not like Holmes was the first person to reuse a hackneyed plot on this show.

It's also got my new favourite cliffhanger ever - oh no! Romana is being attacked by an unconvincing man in a monster suit! The resolution? Don't worry, Romana - that isn't Kroll. It's a Swampie in an...unconvincing monster suit...

That's taking post, post, post irony a bit too far. And it must be said, as soon as I worked out that Kroll was a giant squid, that other famous bit of Caves sprung to mind, with the ill-advised magma monster. Have they outstretched themselves, I asked myself?

Well, yes, but they do their best. And I didn't mind it too badly. It was at its best when confined in the refinery, with the four most sympathetic extras of the week putting up with a bit of slow burning terror. Their dialogue was great - particularly enjoyed it when they tried estimating its size. You do get a sense of their situation, as they get picked off one at a time. There's something uniquely terrifying too about classic-Who's approach to special effects when compared to the glossy CGI of a modern movie. Obviously, overlaying Kroll on the marsh images didn't work brilliantly - but I found it quite creepy, and the quality of the effect was part of the creepiness. Had it been a perfectly rendered 3D creation, it wouldn't have been as good.

I'm starting to really appreciate Romana - look at her reaction to being kidnapped and sacrificed! She's smart, witty and very stylish indeed. Maybe Emma Watson, if they bring the character back in a few years.

All in all? Normally, you can kinda tell while watching an episode what the internet is going to say. I expected this to be fairly highly praised. Wrong, very wrong. But I enjoyed it.