It is fully possible I would have enjoyed this story much more if I didn't already know what the Monk's deal is. Unfortunately, I've known about him for ages and was fully prepared for the twist, so none of the build-up did anything for me. That's obviously not the story's fault; no one could have expected this show to have such staying power, and not many people today write for rewatch value, let alone back then.

Still, when I try to think of how I might have experienced this story had I not been familiar with the Monk already, I can't help but feel that it still would have fallen flat for me. Most of the intrigue is condensed in the first episode, and yet the reveal of him being a fellow TARDIS owner is left until the last. It leaves the middle episodes to meander, never really doing or getting anywhere. It's a lot of walking back and forth between the beach, the village, and the monastery. The plot simply isn't strong enough to hold up while we wait for the reveal.

The late reveal also means we have very little time to explore who the Monk is, why he's meddling and in what ways, and why it's wrong. All the examples given for things he's done are things that have really happened, so we have no way to compare them to what history might have been like, or any reason to view them as bad. We just have to take the Doctor at his word, even though, notably, there have been many stories where the TARDIS team's actions can be considered meddling.

There are a few fun scenes here and there, and I like the village woman. The viking deaths are a little more gruesome than I've come to expect from this show, which is neither here nor there.

Despite this being Steven's first proper outing, I really don't feel like we got to know him at all. I'm hoping that changes soon.

All in all, it's a fairly average story. It's not terribly boring but not very interesting either. It's an important moment in the history of the show but doesn't add any lore beyond the idea that other people can have TARDISes, which is a forgone conclusion. I wouldn't say it's skippable, but it's not a must-watch either.