The Watcher
1)This is very much a transitional episode - the arrival of Steven Taylor as a member of Team TARDIS, the first indication that the TARDIS is not unique and the last story produced by original producer Verity Lambert.
2)Lots of fun dialogue in this episode:
- "Well, they weren't getitng any younger, were they?" ""It's lucky for you, child, they weren't here to hear you say that."
- "That is the dematerializing control. And that, over yonder, is the horizontal hold. Up there is the scanner, those are the doors, that is a chair with a panda on it. Sheer poetry, dear boy! Now please stop bothering me."
- "What do you think of that, now, eh? A Viking helmet." "Maybe." "What do you mean, 'maybe'? What do you think it is, a space helmet for a cow?"
- "But I'm not a mountain goat, and I prefer walking to anyday. And I hate climbing."
3)Cliffhanger: The Doctor is trapped by the Monk!
The Meddling Monk
1)Ah, yes, it's Hartnell's week off.
2)The Monk stops to take a pinch of snuff, but to modern eyes it looks as though he's doing something else.
3)The Saxons are presented as pretty much being the Flintstones. Don't know enough about the time period to say how accurate that is.
4)Steven and Vicki make a good team. Re-watching these stories, my opinion of Vicki is improving greatly.
5)"I don't trust them!" "Well, I'm not mad about you, either!"
6)Cliffhanger: The Doctor is gone!
A Battle of Wits
1)Hartnell seems to be having fun here. The Doctor doesn't seem to be all that concerned about giving away the future. I like how he managed to capture the Monk with a stick! And he gets of fsome good lines:
- "This may not be a gun, but I can still do you a considerable amount of harm."
- "And remember, no more monkery!"
2)An atomic cannon? A bit of overkill, I would think.
3)Cliffhanger: "The Monk's got a TARDIS!" That must've bene a mind-blower back in the day.
Checkmate
1)"So, that's it - you're a time meddler!" I find the Monk fun as a character - not thoroughly evil like the Master, just irresponsible. "Doctor, it's more fun my way!"
2)"It's a Mark IV." Which is better than a Type Forty, apparently.
3)"I take it you're both from the same place." We still don't learn much about the Doctor's people or planet here - not even the name.
4)"I'm marooned!" I wonder if it's such a goo didea to leave the Monk stranded there. He's still got that atomic cannon after all - he could get up to alot of mischief.
Overall:
This is one of my favorite Hartnell stories. An interesting idea, well carried out.
[Part of list of Doctor Who episodes here.]
Replies
I found the village woman, Edith, to have done a great job with her role. Although she seems to have recovered from the Viking attack rather quickly. Of course they were made of sterner stuff in those days.
I don't recall though if this was the end of a season. The reason I wonder is the main characters faces projected on a star scape. It just seems like something to do before going on a break to keep the image vivid in the viewers minds.
Yes, it was the end of the 2nd season. It was also (if memory serves) the final story produced by Verity Lambert. That makes it the WHO equivalent (more or less) of "The Forms Of Things Unknown" on THE OUTER LIMITS, the final story done by the original producer. Things were never quite the same afterwards. The character development seen with The Doctor, Ian & Barbara was never really replicated on the show after Lambert left... until seasons 25-26 came along.
John, I posted a reaction to episode eight of “The Dalek’s Master Plan” back on May 23, 2011 (see discussion), but I don’t recall if it was made specifically clear how the Monk escaped.