17. The Time Meddler

I had only seen some of this story before -- the last episode I think -- but didn't know what to expect. This is the story that introduces the Meddling Monk, an apparent Time Lord. He has a TARDIS of his own although the Doctor's race and home planet are never named.

Many fans of the classic series have called for the Monk's return. I can't say I would be against that...he was an okay character and with a guy like Stephen Moffat writing for him and the way he plays with time it could get quite interesting. Moffat has brought back some of the Hartnell era feel to the show since he took over as well, but that's a discussion for another time.

The story as a whole was pretty interesting. The Monk's plan was a bit odd but Who villains don't always have plans that make sense... sometimes the madness is what makes it work. Here the Monk's plan is essentially to blow up a bunch of Vikings with future tech so some guy in England wouldn't lose a battle and therefore remain king. Some of the intrigue may have been ruined because so little is revealed about the Doctor's history and none of it new to an old Who fan...but overall I enjoyed the episode. It was a nice way to end the season.

Finally it is worth noting that there is a new TARDIS crew. With Ian and Barbara departing last episode The Doctor and Vicki took off thinking they were alone, but Steven, has passed out on board the TARDIS. He is revealed shortly and he becomes the third member of the crew. This is also the final story of season two.

Ranking: 7/10