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“THE CREED OF THE KROMON: A SLOW AND UNINSPIRED DETOUR INTO ANT SPACE”

Following the surreal brilliance of Scherzo, The Creed of the Kromon drops the Doctor and Charley into a desolate world of towering anthills and the insectoid Kromon. With echoes of The Web Planet (1965), this story leans into bleak, unsettling sci-fi horror. But unlike Scherzo, which thrived on psychological tension and emotional weight, The Creed of the Kromon struggles to make its oppressive atmosphere engaging.

The story revolves around the Doctor and Charley’s search for the TARDIS, only for them to be captured and used by the Kromon to unlock its secrets. While the Kromon themselves are grotesque and creepy in concept, their slow, droning presence saps the energy from the story. Philip Martin’s script, much like Vengeance on Varos, aims for a dark and unnerving tone, but here it feels stretched too thin. The plot meanders, often relying on sluggish dialogue and repetitive sequences that fail to build momentum.

A LACKLUSTRE SHOWING FROM THE DOCTOR AND CHARLEY

Paul McGann and India Fisher, usually a reliable duo, feel surprisingly subdued. Charley, in particular, goes through another ordeal—this time involving experimentation and body horror—but rather than deepening her character, it just feels like another round of suffering without much emotional payoff. The Doctor, meanwhile, spends too much time trapped in exposition-heavy conversations, lacking his usual spark of energy.

C’RIZZ JOINS THE TEAM, BUT IT’S A MIXED INTRODUCTION

This story marks the debut of Conrad Westmaas as C’rizz, an enigmatic alien with the ability to shift his skin tone for camouflage. His character is presented as passionate and decisive, yet his motivations and background remain somewhat murky. While C’rizz is given plenty of audio time, his introduction lacks the punch needed to make him feel like an essential addition to the TARDIS team.

OVERBEARING ALIEN VOICES AND STRONG SOUND DESIGN

The sound design does a great job in setting up the barren, dusty atmosphere of the Kromon’s world, with eerie music that reinforces the desolation. However, the alien voices go completely overboard, making many of the side characters indistinguishable from each other. The result is a soundscape that’s effective in some ways but frustrating in others, as dialogue becomes grating rather than immersive.

EFFECTIVE BODY HORROR, BUT A LACK OF EXCITEMENT

One of the few areas where The Creed of the Kromon succeeds is in its unsettling body horror. The scientific experiments, mind control, and poison-induced transformations give it a disturbing edge, even if the overall plot fails to excite. There’s a dark, twisted undertone to many of the Kromon’s actions, but without strong character work or narrative drive, these moments feel hollow rather than impactful.

VERDICT: A MAJOR STEP DOWN FROM SCHERZO

After the mind-bending brilliance of Scherzo, this feels like an unfocused and uninspired misstep. While it introduces C’rizz and explores some unsettling sci-fi themes, its sluggish pacing, lack of energy from the leads, and overuse of grating alien voices make it more of a chore than an engaging listen. The body horror elements add some intrigue, but they’re not enough to save what is ultimately a dull and bizarrely lifeless story.

📝4/10