73 YARDS REVIEW - Doctor Who Series 1 Episode 4 review

[@danielkiran8174]

I think magic circle put Ruby in the weird timeline, where her biggest fear is realized - everyone abandons her. The Mad Jack thing is a red herring and it only gives Ruby a false hope that by "defeating" him she can stop the loop. But it doesn't happen. She only gets out when she accepts that everyone left her and stops being afraid of it.

[@TheTechOrc]

IMO: Ruby’s power is memory. She can manifest memories and in her final moments she loops within herself and create a paradox. That paradox warns ruby about the circle, thus closing the loop. It seems like this isn’t the first time either. Those banking on Ruby putting herself on the church steps may be right.

[@TheNerdyBrit]

That would make sense

[@ianpage1709]

I’m starting to think that Ruby is going to be Doctor Who’s equivalent of Red Dwarfs’ Dave Lister who of course is his own father.

[@TheTechOrc]

@@ianpage1709 yup, Ruby is a walking paradox.

[@micron000]

Agreed, I'm very confused. This was like a more nonsensical version of Turn Left. Which, I mean, I love Turn Left, but part of what made it so great is that we've already seen how things were supposed to go in the first place, making it easier to grasp what went wrong in the alternate timeline and what Donna had to do in order to fix it. In 73 Yards, not only was the thing initiating the alternate timeline in the first place was basically "magic"; but, we also don't really get any explanation of what's actually supposed to happen. It just leaves us having to guess too much, which is a problem RTD's resolutions often have sadly. I agree that Millie did amazing in carrying the episode, and I loved the vibe and setting overall. I even liked the twist of Ruby being The Woman - I just wish there was a better explanation for how she went about "fixing" the timeline, what actually happened after she did, and why people ran away from her older-self in the first place. I mean, if Ruby was the one to stop the Roger ap Gwylliam, what happens in the restored timeline where she doesn't? I would say that maybe stepping on the shrine was the thing that made him become Prime Minister in the first place (releasing "Mad Jack"), but then, the Doctor was talking about him almost causing Nuclear war BEFORE ever stepping on the shrine. Is it just because he's the Doctor and could somehow sense the aborted timeline? Unlike the well-thought out writing of Turn Left, we never got any explanation of how older-Ruby went back in time to become The Woman in the first place, or how and why she was able to teleport/keep exactly 73 yards away. Also, what could she possibly say to cause so many people to run away from her? I can MAYBE buy UNIT stepping back once they realise she's older Ruby, cause they don't want to mess with the timeline.. But, what made her own Mum run and turn on her? Or got perfect strangers to run away screaming? Oh and also, what even caused the Doctor to disappear? That wasn't explained at all as far as I can tell.

[@dwfan91-]

10/10 episode. All I'll say

[@TheNerdyBrit]

I hope on a rewatch I'll feel similar

[@SupaKen74]

This is my favorite episode so far this season. I dont fully understood everything about it but i LOVED it.

[@TheNerdyBrit]

Love that!

[@jessalynoree3710]

I was slightly confused at the end but I need to watch it more intensely! No complaints from me though

[@TheNerdyBrit]

Je suis baffled

[@johnnyrocketed2225]

Except that you didn’t understand it because it was lazy writing - but no complaints.? 😟

[@susanplatt5331]

​@johnnyrocketed2225 it wasn't lazy writing, it was a great episode. She stayed 73 yards away from herself, she would have been shot at 73 yards away from the pm. She got rid of a crazy pm. She even defeated unit. She figured it out, she saved the world and she saved herself, twice. It was spooky, interesting, it was very Dr Who.

[@msoda8516]

I think this episode is gonna come back later in the season kind of like silence in the library was a bit confusing until we later figured out who River song was.

[@TheNerdyBrit]

Would love that!

[@Pooter-it4yg]

It's a ghost story - the idea of people being their own future ghosts is an old concept. The Doctor disturbs a charmed circle containing a supernatural ward against a possible future disaster, triggering the possibility into reality and Ruby reads the message, linking that future to her. At that point the apparition appears - her future self at the point of her death having prevented the disaster. For 73 yards, think 73 years as the gap between them and they can't communicate. The Doctor disappears for the same reason everyone else does - Ruby is cursed by reading the message into having to understand and prevent the disaster alone. He's also glibly spoiled an important event in her future which results in a time line without him. Middle aged Ruby knows the ghost drives people away so uses it to defeat the villain. On her deathbed she realises she herself has been the ghost all along and appears to her younger self to prevent the circle being broken so none of it ever happens. The ward has worked, using the person who read it as an instrument. The Doctor is only in it to inject a flash of trusted foreknowledge as a clue, but the North Wales sequence could have been written to include other clues such that the sci-fi element wouldn't be necessary and it could have been written by someone like MR James. In that sense, it isn't really a Doctor Who story at all, it's a ghost story with a Doctor cameo. Ghost stories are for romantic rationalists - you need to embrace both.

[@BearToonStudios]

I can figure out why she would send her own mother running though. I’m so confused about that!

[@TheNerdyBrit]

Yeah that real needs an explanation

[@ianpeterdavison1963]

Anyone who likes Kermit and Grommet can't be too bad........

[@TheNerdyBrit]

Neŕdy brit muppet content?

[@ianpeterdavison1963]

@@TheNerdyBrit yes please?

[@Turn-h7g]

Finally banger from showrunner! 10/10

[@TheNerdyBrit]

Love that!!

[@MrMetallix]

It felt like a doctor who “twilight zone” episode… where it’s creepy and confusing, and doesn’t explain what’s going on 😅 I like the twilight zone so that’s okay…

[@TheNerdyBrit]

I think I need to watch it again with that mindset

[@MeandmyTea]

I'm so glad I am not the only one who's confused 💙💙

[@TheNerdyBrit]

SO CONFUSED

[@chrisleneil]

I loved it! For me, the story works in 2 ways. Traditional tale of disturbing the fairies. The Doctor broke their circle, thus he disappeared. Ruby read the invocation for Mad Jack to rest in peace, so she was given a life of never really being at peace until she accepted that she was fated to a life alone. She did, however, feed Mad Jack back to those who had bound him before by giving his soul to her shadow-self. This allowed her that moment at the end of her life where she was able to bond with her shadow-self thus giving her the feeling of deja vu which saved them both. Or as an allegory about the haunting of loneliness and our fears of being deserted by being known. Ruby, as an adoptee, seems to have issues about being left/abandoned. She then haunts herself as self-sabotage to (in some cases, literally) make people flee her presence. It is only by embracing her fear that she is freed by herself. The one person who was there for her the entire time. As I said, I loved it, but I also have always been drawn to fairy bargains.

[@TheNerdyBrit]

I look forward to rewatching it with that lense

[@Amazingsloth]

your post is the epitome of 'head canon' where you obviously thought about it alot more than RTD did.. but good for you that you enjoyed all the fantasy elements in what used to be a scifi show.. btw - what is a 'fairy bargain'? Never heard that term used before

[@philbear7882]

So at the beginning the doctor steps on the circle, breaking it, and freeing maddog jack who in the future becomes primeminster and starts a nuclear war. And notice when he reveals that bit he says says "oops". I am not sure what the other figure kept telling people that ran them off screaming. Was it a future version of Ruby coming back in time. Was the woman using British Sign Language? I thought she kept signing "I give you ______". So, this figure follows Ruby all through her life, always staying 73 yards away ... Ruby realizes that she can use the figure to get rid of maddog jack. Then she lives the rest of her life and right before the end she is sent back to the doctor. Perhaps a way to resolve the paradox? The Doctor really bent time laws there getting Ruby to get rid of the guy that started the nuclear war in 2044. Then after being sent back, Ruby keeps the doctor from breaking the circle. So could this entire episode been an alternate future? Was it preventing something that really shouldn't have happened? Did she/the other woman create a paradox to correct what would have happened? I liked the episode. It started off as the spookiest episode I have seen in a while. Rather strange not seeing Ncuti except for a few minutes at the start and a bit at the end.

[@JojoTheVulture]

The lack of title sequence I believe was a stylistic choice meant to set the tone for the episode.

[@TheNerdyBrit]

It defo worked but for me every ep should have the sequence

[@guygrist4436]

At the moment I really don't know what to think about this episode.

[@TheNerdyBrit]

Same defo needs a rewatch

[@papalaz4444244]

another companion who is superpowed immortal god - no doctor in the episode - another "companion ages and meets herself" so much for the relatability of the companion to the audience

[@TheTeamAka]

Theres so much through lines in thus episode, you have susan twist, flood, snow, and in the field scene there albion plastered all over and stickers being placed everywhere, even ruby has the shirt on. I feel like this episode sets up alot to come

[@TheTeamAka]

Also I just rewatched Wild Blue Yonder, I somehow wonder if these two episodes are connected, it getting cold around the nobody's, and the doctor talking about what would happen with the TARDIS if he disappeared, thinking it would end up on the shore and people would worship it not knowing why like Ruby said at the end of this episode. Also WBY is when the salt and supernatural first started and Kate made sure everyone had salt necklaces and mention how often the supernatural is a big thing now.

[@TheNerdyBrit]

I would love some more explanation from russel when it comes to the finale

[@susaniacuone5758]

They filmed this doctor light first because Scuti had other commitments. For a Doctor Light it was good. Not as good as blink but then what is? Getting rid of mad jack the long way round. I still dont understand the running away screaming

[@TheNerdyBrit]

I understand why there was a doctor light ep, just wish there wasn't one in a shorter season

[@gazsmith7105]

Not the first time episodes haven't had intros jodies first episode didn't give us titles

[@Turn-h7g]

Also one the best episodes Sleep No More :)

[@TheNerdyBrit]

Tbf my bad I completely forgot haha

[@Thetoon25]

Still dont understand the following: 1. Why did the doctor dissappear? 2. What was the woman/ruby saying to all those people? 3. What was the sign language all about? 4. Given she re-set the time line, does that PM now set off nuclear war?

[@TheNerdyBrit]

Agreed

[@lauragreen5622]

I had to watch it twice to figure it out

[@TheNerdyBrit]

Gonna do a rewatch tomorrow

[@Veldryn17]

But what did Old Ruby possibly say that even made Unit run scared? There's nothing I can think of that she could have said and made them instantly disengage and her own mother. It doesn't even explain what were the looping gestures she was making. It doesn't explain 73 yd. "Ask her?" It did a lot of things for the sake of effect but not plot.

[@TheNerdyBrit]

Yeah that very much confused me

[@SkaroShorts]

I bet she said, “don’t you think she looks tired”😂

[@MrStephenLodge]

To me the spirit did not become Ruby until the end when dying Ruby reached out. It doesnt matter what it said or maybe it just made a sound that programmed peoples brains to fear Ruby.

[@Veldryn17]

@@MrStephenLodge Unit is supposed to be above that and for it to have no plot significance and just be for effect is lazy writing. And to have her mom disown her for her whole life for no purpose? Lazy. Since we know she's Ruby from the future and we know the life she's lived. We know she has no extra knowledge or power that could be used for that effect. Lazy

[@MrStephenLodge]

@@Veldryn17 I would find it lazy writing if every detail was explained rather than getting people to think, that is when writing is at its apotheosis to me.

[@oliverloch2916]

I think the lack of the intro was done on purpose. I think it would have staggered the flow, especially as the plot is quite linear.

[@pampam8584]

I was about to comment on the actual episode but now I’m sat here wondering how bad Basingstoke is lol

[@TheNerdyBrit]

I've never been😂

[@pampam8584]

@@TheNerdyBrit Basingstoke Tourist Board watching this like “he’s never even BEEN!” 😂 (I’m from near Glasgow so I’m not gonna slag anywhere off too much lol)

[@TheNerdyBrit]

Tbf I've never been that far north uk wise. Need to make it up there!

[@pampam8584]

@@TheNerdyBritI think you’d like Glasgow. Everyone just has a laugh and takes the piss out each other constantly 😁

[@thedeadpoolwhochuckles.6852]

I think RTD has forgotten how to write for The Doctor.

[@TheNerdyBrit]

Or maybe forgot to give him any lines in this one

[@thedeadpoolwhochuckles.6852]

​@@TheNerdyBritpotato, potato.

[@Sam-zu5mr]

Why people confused?! Its basic TIME LOOP. Its why its called a fairy circle....the circle is the loop. She became part of the events, to stop the bad guy and to stop the circle being broken to begin with. The whole unbroken circle is a time event/loop....break it and you become part of the loop, until its undone. So easy to understand. Thats the best i can explain it.

[@JacquesSagittarius]

The confused adipose and Blindwave could figure this out quickly 😅

[@twangkz]

Nobody’s confused by the time loop bit. What’s confusing is why the Doctor disappeared, why the TARDIS locked, why 73 yards, why people kept running away after talking to old Ruby, and how she looped back to the start as her old self. I presume RTD will explain everything in the series/season finale but we’ll see.

[@TheNerdyBrit]

Thank you for explaining, I bow at your clever excellence for knowing more than i

[@johnnyrocketed2225]

None of that was explained or let alone hinted at. You basically had to come up with that on your own- lazy writing. 😢

[@Thetoon25]

Still dont understand the following: 1. Why did the doctor dissappear? 2. What was the woman/ruby saying to all those people? 3. What was the sign language all about? 4. Given she re-set the time line, does that PM now set off nuclear war?

[@EvilEvilMonkey]

Positive point it was ok at time negative point the whole.fooking thing it was a fob out... It was obvious from the start and again we are 4 episodes in sshe already left the show sp.why are we doing a full episode of a companion

[@jesshood4813]

So confused but wow

[@TheNerdyBrit]

Couldn't have put it better myself

[@stevkyt2374]

No intro because it's not Doctor Who. Gibson can't handle an entire episode at all. Never been so bored with any Doctor Who episode ever.

[@bursty1382]

Better than the first 2 episodes in my Opinion. I’m also a new season hater but I want to like it I just wish the characters weren’t all gay

[@joesmith8600]

Yeah yeah, we believe "it's not Doctor Who"... And now take some 💊🥛 and go to sleep 🙃

[@MrMetallix]

@@bursty1382wasn’t the goth/emo guy in the pub at the beginning the only character in this episode who was implied to be gay?

[@MrStephenLodge]

​@@bursty1382not one gay character in this episode, one jokingly implied to be gay but if that makes them gay I have worked and drank with a lot more gay people than I realised.

[@TheNerdyBrit]

You can criticise many things about the ep, but I don't think millies performance is one of them