The Time Meddler [TV/1965.7.3 ~ 7.24]

★★★☆☆

  The Time Meddler is a first time for many things, chief among them the first appearance of another Time Lord, but what makes it stand out amongst the lineup of Season 2 stories is that Douglas Camfield's direction makes it quite a visually sleek and intriguing. Episode 1 is a masterclass in how to set up mysteries in the most fascinating way, with Peter Butterworth at front and centre providing the already well set up mystery another believable, utterly fun layer. The Monk makes a striking impression, immediately being a different breed of antagonist from all the others we've had over the years purely because of how confident he is, and how he refrains from being self-serious and earnest all the bloody time. It's as if Dennis Spooner reckoned the Hartnell era needed a villain or two who knows how to have a laugh and poke fun at the entire formula of the show, and I'd argue that this decision paid off countless times throughout Doctor Who's history -- namely whenever the Monk shows up! 

  As touched upon before, Butterworth is absolutely fantastic as the Monk, presenting his own unique take on the bumbling old man travelling around time and space (except his reasons are a world apart from the Doctor's), and William Hartnell seems to relish the chance to bounce off another celebrated actor and show just how perfect he can be as the titular role. There's a chemistry between them, one of the best Hartnell's Doctor gets during his tenure from a character who isn't a companion, and it's an electrifying sight. For this magnificent chemistry, plus the Battle of Hastings plot that the Monk partakes in for his own meddling gains, it'd be understandable if the Doctor's companions were rather left in the proverbial mud... but they aren't. Granted, they don't get to do a ton here on their own, but Vicki and Steven prove to be a formidable pair more than up for whatever history's willing to throw at them, even without their old man's help. Maureen O'Brien and Peter Purves immediately strike off together, and Purves also gels nicely with the First Doctor, allowing him to slip into the companion role with ease. Is this one of the smoothest companion debut stories we've had to date? That's certainly a big claim, but I will say that Steven passes off as a much more confident and compatible addition to the show than some others do in the future. 

  With all these strengths, The Time Meddler never falters from a good time. It's a mostly quiet, subtly amusing and comical tale of the buffoonish Monk and his selfish exploits to change history, and everyone in the cast has a good time. It's not the most riveting representation of history we've had, but it's certainly not boring or unmemorable by any means. Plus, the way the script and the direction use the strength of slow revelations (gradually building upon odd occurrences until it's revealed that the monk with the mysterious demeanor has a bunch of "contemporary" equipment that don't belong in 1066) is titillating, almost. I always have such a delightful time with this serial.