The Meddling Monk (The Time Meddler Episode 2)

The one which features drunkenness, murder, rape... and snuff!

To be honest, there's not much I can say about this episode. It's not that it's rubbish - far from it - it's just that not very much happens. More than any other Hartnell story, The Time Meddler takes its time in doing anything (it takes the Monk three long minutes to make and serve the Doctor's unwanted breakfast!) and this refusal to be dynamic and action-packed can sometimes lead to moments of tedium. There's always something happening, it's just that often it's not very interesting.

The main thing that happens in this episode which moves the plot forward is the arrival of the Vikings, who the Monk seems to be expecting. He waits on the cliffs looking out to sea, awaiting the first glimpse of their sailing boats, and seems buoyed by their appearance. He's obviously planning something, but the viewer is going to have to be terribly patient in order to find out what. I was quite surprised to see the Monk snorting snuff during this scene, however. Although taking snuff was a perfectly normal activity among the older generation in the 1960s, from a 21st century perspective he could just as easily be snorting a line of cocaine. And do you know what? We don't know that he isn't!

Peter Butterworth is a joy to watch as the Monk. He balances the comedic side of the character with the required scheming needed to show that the Monk is not necessarily the bumbling buffoon he makes himself out to be. He obviously has a plan involving time travel, future tech and the Vikings, and seems to know at least something about the Doctor and his TARDIS. He's also one step ahead of Steven and Vicki when they come knocking at the monastery looking for the Doctor, but Butterworth portrays this slippery customer with so much warmth and charm that you can't help falling in love with him. He's like the Second Doctor in a monk's habit.

As an aside... I've always loved the fan theory that the Doctor is influenced with each regeneration by a figure he has recently encountered in his departing lifespan, so the Second Doctor's appearance was subliminally influenced by that of the Monk; the Fourth Doctor's by Eckersley in The Monster of Peladon; the Fifth Doctor's by Farrah in The Androids of Tara; the Sixth Doctor by Maxil in Arc of Infinity; the Tenth Doctor's accent by Rose's; the Twelfth Doctor's by Caecilius (obviously). It's a floppy theory, but I rather like it.

I also like the developing characterisation of Steven here, performed energetically by Peter Purves. I love his confrontational attitude toward the Saxon villagers - when Eldred says "I do not trust you!", Steven fires back: "Well I'm not mad about you either!" Steven is far more likely to take to fisticuffs than Ian ever was, he seems to have a shorter temper, which has been demonstrated a couple of times already (he readily attacks the Saxons in the woods in episodes 1 and 2). And when Edith calms things down and persuades Wulnoth to give the travellers food for their journey, Steven begrudgingly says thank you. He has a stubborn streak too.

Apart from the Monk's snuff, the most alarming part of The Meddling Monk is the implied rape of Edith by the Viking marauders. It's only very gently implied that she has been violated in some way, but Alethea Charlton gets more across in her facial expression (she's in a shocked daze, a kind of limbo of the mind) than words could ever do. Because Edith isn't dead, maturer viewers will work out that she has either been beaten or raped, and due to the lack of bruising (if it was meant that she'd been beaten, the make-up department would have been to work) we must assume her assault was of a sexual nature. This is strong stuff for the kids at home, who probably just assumed she'd been beaten anyway, but it's also the second time the spectre of rape has appeared in Doctor Who (remember The Snows of Terror?).

The episode also features one of my pet hates - a really rubbish fight. Michael Miller (Wulnoth) is a particular culprit in this scene, waiting pathetically for his "opponent" to get into position, then swinging his sword with as much weight and intent as a horsefly. There's even one performer (perhaps it's Ronald Rich's Gunnar?) who plunges his axe into his "opponent" in eye-watering slow motion. It's the worst fight sequence in Doctor Who to date.

The cliffhanger's weak too. Steven and Vicki break into the Doctor's cell to find him gone (he's probably sunning himself on a beach in Majorca with William Hartnell), but that's hardly a shock-horror moment to leave us with for the next seven days. He's more than likely just escaped, which is a good thing. Bah!

First broadcast: July 10th, 1965

Steve's Scoreboard
The Good: Dennis Spooner is brave to introduce the concept of sexual assault into the story, but as that is one of the things Vikings were known for, at least he's being accurate.
The Bad: That fight sequence is appalling. Fight arranger David Anderson could surely have trained the actors better than that? #SlowMoAxe
Overall score for episode: ★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆

NEXT TIME: A Battle of Wits...

My reviews of this story's other episodes: The Watcher (episode 1); A Battle of Wits (episode 3); Checkmate (episode 4)

Find out birth/death dates, career information, and facts and trivia about this story's cast and crew at the Doctor Who Cast & Crew site: http://doctorwhocastandcrew.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/the-time-meddler.html

The Time Meddler is available on DVD. Find it on Amazon - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Doctor-Who-Time-Meddler-DVD/dp/B0010S3PUS