Episode One opens with the TARDIS crew seeing the honour that chosen Gonds face - death. They then proceed to destroy the beliefs of the Gonds by revealing this fact to them. That might seem to be a bit blunt and dark, but it's pretty accurate description of the basic events. The Gond society is bizzare mix of sophisticated thinking and primative weaponry - it's obvious that in many areas the Gonds are quite knowledgeable, but thanks to the Kroton's learning machines, they think the most powerful weapon is a rather dodgy looking axe. I can't fault Thara's logic - attack the learning machines and the Krotons will react, as it produces the desired result, with a sensing device heading right for the Doctor...

The device destroys an unfortunate Gond as Episode Two opens, with the machine thinking it has killed the Doctor. As the Doctor and Zoe investigate the Learning Hall and discover the cystalline and organic structures of the Krotons; Vana recovers enough to inform Jamie and Thara of some of her experiences in the Kroton's rooms. It's interesting to look at the different ways Zoe and the Doctor tackled the Teaching Machines - Zoe with a calm and cool approach; while the Doctor played the fool as he worked out how the machines worked and what they do and do not teach. All the Doctor and Zoe have done is given the Krotons enough metal energy to reform their bodies, and their first victim for investigation is Jamie...

Episode Three opens with the Krotons spying on the Doctor and Zoe, and the Gonds planning to attack the Krotons. Finally the full look of the Krotons is revealed, after two episodes of mainly hearing their booming electronic voices. The costumes work alright in the studio, on the Dynatrope sets, but on location they are pretty laughable, their movement constrained by the costume. Jamie learns more about the Krotons, that they need mental energy to fuel the Dynatrope, and therefore themselves. The Gonds make their attack, and sections of the Learning Hall collapse, burying the Doctor...

The Krotons make their ultimatum to the Gonds as Episode Four opens: hand over the Doctor and Zoe and they'll leave the planet; Eelek seizes the opportunity to wrest power from Selris, and Selris sacrifices his life in order to help destroy the Krotons. As the Gonds work to progress their society without Kroton influence, the TARDIS crew slip away for destinations unknown. There's some excellent visual effects work here, showing the Dynatrope dissolving due to the acid.

Looking at the basic plot, The Krotons is very similar to The Dominators - both stories feature indigenous cultures being exploited by an alien power who will eventually wipe them out. The Krotons is a far better story, because not only is it one episode shorter than The Dominators, but Robert Holmes has developed the Gonds so that their society is more than just defined by how the Krotons have affected them. The Gond characters cover a whole spectrum of archetypes, in contrast to the Dulcians who were all pretty much the same, bar Cully. David Maloney's direction is strong and suits the pacing of The Krotons. An interesting debut story from Robert Holmes.

7.1/10

Next time: The TARDIS crew fly to the moon in a rocket ship...