Doctor Who (1963–1989): Season 16, Episode 18 - The Power of Kroll: Part Two - full transcript

The Doctor rescues Romana from the Swampies but is horrified to hear that Kroll has awoken.

(DOCTOR WHO THEME)

(MEN CHANTING)

ALL: Kroll! Kroll! Kroll!

Kroll rises from the depths!

(MEN CHANTING FASTER)

(SCREAMS)

(SCREAMS)

(GROANS)

How did you know?

Well, he probably looked
more convincing from the front.

Too convincing.
But there's no need to be smug about it.



-I'm not smug.
-I can tell that expression,

even from behind.

-Sucker marks!
-Sucker marks?

Look, sucker marks!

Pretty ancient, too,
by the way the erosions are...

-Presumably that was Kroll.
-Oh.

They've told you about
their local water deity, have they?

Yes, they seem to think

I should be quite honoured
to be sacrificed to the thing.

Yeah, or to his memory.

Kroll was brought here
hundreds of years ago.

He must be dead by now.

Then that explains the masquerade.
It must have been political.

-Don't talk to me about politics.
-Look out!



Thawn here. What is it, Control?

I'm getting something very odd
on the scanner, sir.

What do you mean?

Well, it's something I don't understand.
There's movement underneath the baygule.

How do you know?

Well, I've just done a routine scan
of the bottom.

The entire picture's changed
during the past hour.

The whole bed of the baygule's moved.

Well, it could just be a gas build-up.

Well, I thought of that, but...

It's changed shape
over two square miles.

All right. Well, keep a check on it.

But let me know
as soon as it starts to cone.

Right, sir.

What is it?

Nual's brought us a message
from Mensch.

The dryfoots are planning to attack us
at dawn.

What, to attack us?
You mean here in the settlement?

They're coming in their air boats.

But that wasn't what...

You'll have to leave here at once.

Get your people to hide out
in the swamps.

We are not running from the dryfoots.
We have weapons now.

But you don't know how to use them.

A rifle's not a difficult weapon.

You have to know one end
from the other, Varlik.

Like all dryfoots, Rohm-Dutt,

because we lead a simple life,
you think we're fools.

All I'm saying is
that you're not ready to fight yet

and, if you stay here,
you'll get trapped and stand no chance.

But, if you split into small groups

and spread your people
across the swamps,

they'll never hit you.

Our plans are made.
Our men are moving into position.

We will ambush them on the lakes,
in the open.

We can take them by surprise.
There's only a handful of them.

Chief, Chief, even if you succeed,
it won't be the end.

They're the invaders of our waters,
the aggressors. They have no right here!

And there are many on Delta Magna
who support our cause.

Why else would the Sons of Earth
send us weapons?

I still say it's too soon to fight.

You would rather we waited until
you are safely back on Delta Magna?

I came here to supply arms,
not to fight.

But you will fight
with us now, Rohm-Dutt.

We need every gun.

I wonder where they found that.
Look, it's a genuine antique!

-Fascinating.
-Are you all right?

Doctor, there's something
I have to tell you.

What?

-I dropped the Tracer.
-What!

I picked it up.

Well, let's get out of here
and find the fifth segment!

It would be extremely foolhardy trying
to cross the swamp in the dark.

Yes, but what about our monster?

He's liable to back at any moment
with his friends!

I don't think so. They're more likely
to be digging trenches.

-Why?
-They expect to be attacked

-at any moment.
-Really?

Yes, I followed a Swampie
carrying vital information.

-How did you manage that?
-Well... Shh.

Well, it wasn't too difficult.

The technicians at the refinery
were so busy

trying to find an excuse to start
a massacre, I just slipped away.

What is this refinery?
They keep accusing me of coming from it.

It's a primitive
methane catalysing refinery.

A pilot plant for bigger things,
they hope.

-Who's ''they''?
-The Earth colonists from Delta Magna.

They're the ones who shipped
the little green men up here.

Ah, because they thought this moon
was no use to anybody.

That's right. Of course
that was all a long time ago.

And now they've found something here
they want,

they're trying to get rid of them again.

Precisely.

-But methane?
-Yes.

I wouldn't have thought
it was worthwhile.

They're producing 100 tons
of compressed protein twice a day.

-As much as that?
-Yes.

They're sending it back
to Delta Magna in orbit shot capsules.

But it doesn't make sense.

I mean, how can they possibly produce
that much protein?

Where is it coming from?

I don't know.
I haven't discovered that yet.

But they're producing it

and in sufficient quantities
to make it worth fighting over.

Yes. This lot are spoiling
for a war too.

The whole idea of this sacrifice

was to propitiate Kroll
and get him on their side.

That's why I said it was political.

And there's a gun runner here
called Rohm-Dutt.

He thinks I've been sent here
to get evidence against him.

Rohm-Dutt?

So Thawn was right about the guns.
I wonder...

-What?
-Well, who's paying Rohm-Dutt?

I mean, they obviously don't use
money here.

Doctor, does it matter?
Let's just get out of here

and find the segment
and leave them to it.

It'll be dawn soon.

At the bottom of that shaft,
there'll be an underground passage.

-I wonder where it leads to?
-I hate underground passages.

So do I.

You can see how it's moved?

I've been recording these scans
every five minutes.

-What's the latest picture?
-Coming up.

(MONITOR BUZZING)

That's weird.

It's as though something's lifted up
the whole bed

-and then settled back again.
-Yeah.

It can't be a gas build-up,
not over such a wide area.

Well, we'd better sink a probe right
into the centre and take some samples.

-That fellow's disappeared.
-Huh?

That Doctor fellow has disappeared,
gone, not a trace.

Well, have you looked in his quarters?

He said he was going to get some sleep.

I have searched
the whole station, everywhere,

and one of the boats is missing.

Do you suppose that he could be
connected with this?

-I wonder.
-Why, what's going on?

Something very odd is going on
on the lake bed, look.

THAWN: Have you seen
anything like this before?

-FENNER: No, I haven't.
-It's on such a big scale.

I doubt our mystery friend could manage
anything that size on his own.

If he is on his own.

Of course, when we picked him up he was
talking about looking for some friend.

Well, maybe there's more than one.
We don't even know how he got here.

Or how long he's been here.

Well, the only track of anything
we picked up, apart from your own ship,

was of whatever followed you down.

I think it's too much of a coincidence.

You know we assumed
it was Rohm-Dutt's ship that had landed.

We haven't found it, though, have we?

It could've belonged to this fellow,
I suppose.

He's been here with us, so he couldn't
have done much by himself.

But if he's got friends out there,
well, we're in trouble.

-So what are they up to?
-Obvious, isn't it?

They're trying to sabotage the plant.

Well, any activity on the lake bed
could disturb the methane source.

Of course.

Now I don't know
where this fellow comes from,

but he's obviously got
considerable scientific knowledge.

Look at the way he knew
all about this plant.

Unless, of course, he was very
well-briefed. It could've been an act.

No, no, no. Not when he was talking
about inserting the plasmin catalyst.

That's true.

But whatever he is,
I think that he's helping the Swampies.

-You say one of the boats is missing?
-Yeah.

Well, if he took a boat
rather than a swamp glider,

it means that he doesn't want
the noise of an engine.

That also means he's trying
to cross the swamps on foot.

Why would he take that risk?

Because he's a Swampie-lover!
I've told you!

He's in with them!

You think he's gone to warn them
that we're coming?

Exactly.

I had an instinct about him
from the very start.

He was too glib by half.

Ah, yes. He's one of those fanatics
from Sons of Earth.

Well, they won't be much help to him,
will they,

when he starts wandering off the path.

He can't have got very far.

So I'll take Mensch
and head him off in a glider.

I wouldn't bother.
He'll probably drown anyway.

Oh, I intend to make
quite certain of it.

What's that you've got?

I think it's an illustrated history
of the tribe.

A sort of Bayeux tapestry
with footnotes.

-Oh, a sort of Holy Writ.
-I think it's atrociously writ.

But the pictures aren't bad, look.

That shows them being evicted
from Delta Magna.

Where they originally came from.

That's right, yes. They were given
this moon as a sort of reservation.

Look, there you are.
There's Kroll and his aquarium.

-What did I tell you? Sucker marks!
-What's the footnote?

Let me see.

''And Kroll...

''When Kroll awakened, he saw
that the people were fat and indolent,

''and then Kroll became angry

''and he struck them down, swallowing
into him the symbol of his power

''and killing all who were in the temple,
even Hajes the priest.

''Great was the lamentation of the people

''but Kroll returned to the water
and slept.''

Oh, I like a book with a happy ending.

''Thus was the third manifestation of...''

Well, he's obviously
one of those monsters

who's not always about the place.

No. Just pops up
every couple of centuries.

Yeah.

Still, a dormancy period of that length

would indicate
a creature of massive size.

You think Kroll really exists?

Well, does it matter? Hmm?
Does it really matter?

You know what I think?
I think that Kroll's still around

and he's just about due
for his fourth manifestation.

Well, if we had any sense,
we wouldn't stay.

Yeah.

(SPLASHES)

Let's get out of here.

Come on!

That way.

-Where did he come from?
-I don't know. He struck me from behind.

So the sacrifice was not made.

No one must hear of this, Skart.
They would think it a bad omen.

If the dryfoot woman is gone,
we can say that Kroll took her.

Then there must be fresh blood
on the stone.

I will see to it when we return.
Trust me, Ranquin.

(GLIDER BUZZING)

No, don't fire yet.
There must be a second boat.

(SCREAMS)

(GROWLING)

Ahhh!

Thawn, it's me, Rohm-Dutt!

(GROWLING)

Kroll! Kroll! Great Kroll!

Kroll! Kroll! Spare thy true servants!

Kroll rose from the deep to protect us,
his people!

Let us give thanks to Kroll!

No, Ranquin,
first let us catch Rohm-Dutt.

We've a score to settle with him!

Feeling better?

-So, was Mensch killed?
-I think so. I didn't stay to watch.

Oh, the size of that thing
was unbelievable.

Why haven't we come
across it before, sir?

It's probably a deep-water thing.

Even so, it's odd we haven't spotted it
before now,

if it's as big as you say it is.

You saw nothing of the Doctor?

No. He'd obviously arrived
there already.

The Swampies were waiting for us.

-So he did warn them.
-And they were armed!

-The Swampies with guns?
-Yes!

Rohm-Dutt was with them. So they're
obviously all in this together.

Yes, so they were the Doctor's friends.

Yes. They must have arrived
in the same ship.

And it's got to be the Sons of Earth
who are behind this.

They're the only people
with the resources or indeed the motive!

Shouldn't we send for
reinforcements, sir? A police unit?

No! The authorities are far too soft.

Besides, once they start interfering,
you can never get rid of them.

We'll handle this one by ourselves.

-And in my way.
-Your way?

Final!

We get rid of the problem
once and for all.

-No.
-It's the only way.

What about that creature, sir?

Well, we've got to deal with that first.
That's obvious.

It's out there lurking somewhere,
so once we've located it,

we can then finish it off
with depth charges.

I'll see what the underwater scanners
are registering.

-Look at this.
-What?

Well, I think it's a defective scanner.

-Where's Dugeen?
-It's his rest period, sir.

Well, get him down here!

Harg here, Dugeen.
You're needed in Control.

-Now?
-Right away.

See, that's scanner 12.

If I try scanner 14,
it's on the same parallel.

-Why, it's just the same.
-We have a signal, but no image.

-Well, both scanners can't be defective!
-DUGEEN: What's the problem?

Scanners 12 and 14
are not registering anything.

Well, they were all right
when I left them.

They're not now.

-DUGEEN: They're still functioning.
-Then why aren't we getting an image?

Because... Because something is blotting
them out.

Look, I'll try a transverse.

What do you make of that?

Well, that's what's covering
the scanners.

It's probably just a mass of sediment
thrown up when the lake bed moved.

That's what I saw.

FENNER: Those scanners
are 400 yards apart!

I tell you, that is what I saw!

That thing is alive!

DOCTOR: I told them
they had those figures wrong,

but, of course,
I didn't know about Kroll then.

-ROMANA: What are you talking about?
-The refinery.

There can't be enough sediment
in that place to produce

the volume of methane
they claim to have found,

-so where's it coming from?
-Kroll!

-What?
-Yes.

If a thing that size takes a nap
every couple of centuries,

its feeding processes
must continue independently,

-probably through its tentacles.
-Yes.

And Thawn's men vanished
while they were taking methane samples,

drilling into the sediment.

-Like prodding a sleeping tiger.
-Yes.

Got it! The refinery's heat exchangers

must've raised the lake temperature
by several degrees already,

and the noise of their orbit shot
is rousing Kroll!

-Doctor.
-What?

-We've got company.
-What?

-Well, you'd better introduce me.
-As what?

Oh, I don't know.

As a wise and wonderful person
who wants to help. Don't exaggerate.

-This is...
-Seize them!

I told you not to exaggerate.

-Who's that?
-Rohm-Dutt.

A popular figure in these parts
about an hour ago.

Ah.

Soon, dryfoot,

you will wish you had died
on the Stone of Blood.

Guard the dryfoots, Varlik.
No harm must come to them.

I will talk to Kroll and he will tell me
by which of the seven holy rituals

they must meet death.

Those depth charges are not going to
make much impression on that creature.

Not unless you hit
a vital spot first time

and you can't guarantee that.

We've got nothing else. Can you think
of a better way of killing it?

Thawn, we've been here months

and this is the first time
we've ever set eyes on this creature.

Now, surely, if it were hostile,
we'd have known of it before!

I've seen it! It's hostile!

All right, all I'm saying is that those
depth charges will only provoke it.

Director! This thing's moving again.

FENNER: Is it coming this way?

DUGEEN: Well, it's coming closer,
but not directly towards us.

Well, this station isn't designed
for torsional stresses.

-Not like an ocean refinery.
-It's stopped again.

Well, perhaps it might feed
on the bottom.

It's moving along the lake bed.

I'm not interested
in its feeding habits, Fenner,

unless they happen to include us!

Look, if it feeds
and lives in the water,

then maybe we could poison it
by dropping cobalt around it.

Radiation?
Harg, how long would that take?

Impossible to say, sir.

That size, it could be tough enough
to withstand a massive dose.

I still favour depth charges.
I'll go and check how many we've got.

Well, if Thawn wants to depth-charge it,
he's going to get us all killed.

I didn't like the bit about death

according to one
of the seven holy rituals.

No.

Probably the usual things, fire, water,

hanging upside-down
over a pit of vipers.

That's only three.

(WHOOSHING)

(SOUNDS ECHOING)

Varlik.

-Help me.
-You're a traitor!

Now listen, now listen, Varlik,
we're good friends, you and I, huh?

Now I've got a lot of money
back in Delta Magna. A lot of money...

It's your greed that brought you
to this, Rohm-Dutt.

You betrayed the people of the lakes.

You bought us weapons
that were old and rotten.

-No. I told you they had to be cleaned.
-We examined them.

The barrels are bent.
The metal corroded.

You thought you'd be safely away
from here before we tried to use them.

No, it's not true, Varlik.

I bought them in good faith.
Now, let me explain to...

There's nothing to explain.

We heard you call out
to the leader of the dryfoots.

Do you think we're fools?

I was confused!
I mean, the sight of Kroll...

It was a plot!
You bought us rotten weapons

so that we'd enter
into a battle that we couldn't win.

Oh, no, you've cheated us, Rohm-Dutt,

just as the dryfoots have
always cheated our people.

DOCTOR: You see,
the weight of history's against you.

-Oh, what do you know of it?
-I know a rogue when I see a rogue

and I've no desire to die
in the company of a rogue.

Have you any desire
to die in the company of a rogue?

-I'd rather not die at all.
-I know that feeling.

It hasn't moved for 15 minutes.

There's movement on the edge.

Rising and falling regularly.

Could be its breathing organs.

HARG: Ahhh!

The pump chamber!

DOCTOR: Here comes the verdict.

The Great One condemns
the prisoners to die

by the seventh holy ritual
of the old book.

Seven's my lucky number!

RANQUIN: Take them
to the place of execution.

-Ranquin...
-Silence!

DOCTOR: Wasting his breath.

I want to know why we're being executed.

This one knows what he has done.

You, dryfoot, have aroused
the wrath of the Great One

by denying him his promised victim.

He's not the Great One.
He's the Insignificant One!

If you're going to have someone
imitate Kroll,

it's ought to be more convincing.

When the servants of Kroll
appear in his guise,

they are part of him.
Doing as he bids them.

They're simply keeping a myth alive.
None of you here has ever seen Kroll.

You weren't even born
at the time of the third manifestation.

Kroll rose before us at dawn today.

We were waiting to kill the dryfoots
when the Great One appeared

-and drove them away.
-What?

HARG: Ahhh!

Enough talk. Take them away.

So Kroll's on the move.
I've less time than I thought.

Ahhh!

Harg!

(HARG GROANING)