Doctor Who: 73 Yards SPOILER Discussion - Does The Ending Make Sense?

[@WhoCulture]

Big thanks to our CinemaBlend colleague Mick Joest for joining Seán while Ellie's away! We'll see you again on Saturday with the Ups & Downs from Dot and Bubble - you're not going to want to miss this one 👀

[@mikegillespie4979]

For me, the episode is a time loop fairy/ghost story. The perception filter of the Tardis landing on a sacred charm circle + Ruby's....whatever + the ever changing nature of superstitions and magic in the universe = 73 yards. Armed with the Spoiler knowledge of Roger Ap Gwilliam,Ruby has to live a life to get her chance to get rid of PM Roger (Mad Jack). Then, she has to wait until near death to merge with the 'Ghost lady' (her older self) to go back and warn younger Ruby. DON'T STEP! Then she fades away while leaving a trace within Ruby. There are still lots of unanswered questions, and I for one. Love it,honey.

[@rubysultra]

Have you noticed the formulae is almost identical to the 2005 reboot? Ruby and Rose went to look at Earth in the future and talked to mom on their cell phone? Where's my Daddy.... Are you my mommy....were both were war places that future tech messed up. The wholesome family reunion is also a theme... the doctor will be reuniting with family. This makes me think that Ruby is family.

[@arnothill]

It’s a subjective thing, trying to make sense of this episode. Today, this is what I still think. These thoughts distilled by the careful rumination over the past few days. A Fairy Ring is broken, and the impossible becomes possible, yet again. The distant figure is waiting for Ruby to die, respectfully keeping her distance. Her silent mission requires that the spell is broken. She is not complicit in the isolating of young Ruby, but must simply wait. she is equipped with the capability to repel anyone who interferes. Ruby’s isolation is the condition of the spell, and of course propels the story. It may be that at this point, the distant figure is not Ruby. She may be an empty vessel, waiting to be made whole by the receiving of Ruby’s spirit. She is not malign, neither is she a force for good -she is merely waiting. Ruby’s journey is compelling for the viewer. Her learning and growth is satisfying, and serves to highlight Ruby’s virtue and strength of character. This remains with the viewer, - even though the experience is lost to Ruby, we know so much more about her. Her utilising of the watching figure as a means of ending Ap Gwilliam’s evil scheme is testimony to Ruby’s creative mindset, and her resilience is huge. Ruby becomes resigned to her isolation and the tragic circumstances of the broken Fairy Circle continue to limit her life. She is alone, even in death. At last the distant figure approaches and becomes one with Ruby, at the moment of her death. Ruby welcomes it in. The watching spirit, now one with Ruby - is able to influence the young woman’s timeline by dropping a thought into her subconscious. Ruby may well have rationalised it as a moment of deja vu. The resolution is neat, simple and shrouded in mystery. Of course, RTD may well weave Ruby Sunday's legend in such a way as to lift the veil on 73 yards. In any event, we are being made witness to the story - and just as in real life, where sometimes the oddest inexplicable things defy logic - we may never know the details, and they don’t really matter. it’s a masterpiece.

[@SadKris]

Disappointed you didn't correct Mick on saying Doctor Who and Star Trek are in a different universe since it was hinted they're in the same one in Space Babies

[@VideoShogun]

The pub scene where they're making fun of her is actually a red herring everything they said is true though. The liminal space of the land and sea is why the faerie circle was able to work because the rules can change there.

[@MsJaytee1975]

For those who don’t understand what a woman around the age of 40 looks like Billie Piper is 42, Freema Agyeman 45, and Karen Gillan is 37.

[@LapsedLawyer]

Exactly. They're not exactly "crones" are they?

[@marthahales2430]

For sure! Some people stay quite young looking for a long time. I'm in my 70s now, but in my 40s, people always thought I was at least 10 years younger than I was.

[@HouseSanity]

@@marthahales2430it’s called money mate

[@JulieAiken]

Thank you!

[@GarydeBrown]

@@HouseSanityNah, I’m broke af at the moment and everyone mistakes me for 38 and I’m 50. You’d be amazed at how not drinking alcohol can keep your youth.

[@markzutkoff1800]

I've watched "73 Yards" twice through, and today I focused on three scenes: - The opening segment: Ruby says she's been to Wales twice. The Doctor references the brink of nuclear war when describing Roger ap Gwilliam, and when he breaks the circle, doesn't seem to know that it's a fairy circle. Ruby doesn't see the old woman until after the Doctor has disappeared and she walks around the TARDIS. - When old Ruby returns with her caregiver to the TARDIS and circle site: We see a note in the circle that reads "Love You Josh". Josh was the man from the pub who went out to the woman and ran away and never returned. So it seems that a note was added to the circle... unless it had been there before and we didn't see it. - When Ruby and the Doctor come to Wales at the end: Ruby says she's been to Wales three times. The Doctor says that Roger ap Gwilliam was a terrible PM, but doesn't mention nuclear war. Ruby sees the old woman at this point. When she hears "Don't step" several times (not just once!), Ruby stops the Doctor from breaking the circle. The Doctor refers to it as a fairy circle for the first time. We do not see or hear the contents of any of the notes within the circle. This seems like evidence that the events of the timeline that we witnessed did happen, and there is SOME memory of it by Ruby (three times) and the Doctor (fairy circle). I'd also suspect that a "Love You Josh" note is in the circle at this point. As for Roger ap Gwilliam, it may be that in the new timeline, he's a terrible PM without threatening to use nukes. But we don't know for sure. That's my two (or is it three?) pence on this thought-provoking story. I hadn't heard anyone else mention the "Love You Josh" note, which I noticed on the second viewing and had to confirm by checking the specific scenes. Sorry for the length!

[@mikaelastefkova]

I'm wondering about the love you messages too! What do you think about it, because I'm not sure why it was added! 🤔✨

[@mattnaylor29]

Great Post.

[@markzutkoff1800]

@@mikaelastefkova It's EITHER: evidence that the timeline Ruby experienced actually happened and is not completely forgotten (i.e. she DID have an effect on the future), OR it's a nod to the fact that Josh was an early victim of the unleashed Mad Jack curse. Personally, I go with the first one.

[@markzutkoff1800]

@@mattnaylor29 Thanks!

[@mikaelastefkova]

@@markzutkoff1800 I mean, I totally see it as evidence imho! But I meant more like... Storywise inside the episode! The second one also makes sense! 🤔

[@ugolomb]

Nothing the old woman says would have the effect she's had. It can't be mere words. I got the impression that she didn't actually say anything, but rather projected something into the mind of whoever spoke to her

[@badfairy9554]

She did not want them to step on the fairy circle.

[@HereticReborn]

I think they’re right that it’s what people see when they look back at Ruby.

[@KBRoller]

It's almost definitely something she *showed* them about Ruby, since they don't freak out until they look back at her.

[@ftumschk]

@@KBRoller I imagine it was an effect a stage-hypnotist might produce by telling their "victim" that, once they see somebody in the audience, they'll completely freak out and hate them.

[@tempusspiritus]

All we can go by is what RTD said which heavily implies it was just words by his telling us to imagine what we might say to our mother to get such a reaction. It’s ridiculous but he’s the writer so he should know… Which is why I don’t think he knew how to explain any of it or write a coherent ending.

[@treadingtheboards2875]

In all the reviews of this episode, no-one has mentioned Mrs. Floods comment to Ruby after her mother goes to speak to the person. She says "It's nothing to do with me" and walks off. I feel this is significant.

[@JoshPinder92]

Agreed! Like she's up to OTHER things but not THIS thing

[@JulieAiken]

@@JoshPinder92 Exactly!

[@jamescurtis9450]

While I don't think it's correct. I thought it almost sounded like she WAS her mother. Mrs Floods says "you're standing in the street talking to your mother" while talking to her, and then goes on to say "it's nothing to do with me", in what could be seen as an exhasperated sarcastic tone.

[@treadingtheboards2875]

@@jamescurtis9450 I agree it was in a sarcastic tone, but I had the thought that the whole story has nothing to do with her, like she is just an audience member. Had a moment tonight while at the supermarket, my wife was helping someone got a product off a high self, watching us with a smile on her face was someone who could have been the twin of Mrs. Flood.

[@kimberlyPerth]

@@jamescurtis9450 it did give general nosey older neighbor who has a lot to say on the street 😂

[@saturnblue]

Agreed. The rejection from the adopted parent was brutal for those of us who are in fact adopted.

[@tnlwithtrixiekat478]

I can never trust an adopted. sibling. (Personal reasons).

[@igorschmidlapp6987]

Unwarranted rejection from a natural parent is worse (trust me)... All irritated replies can just piss off...

[@Jamezevans123]

@@tnlwithtrixiekat478Wtf, that’s an awful thing to say, you can’t just brush and view all adopted siblings as untrustworthy, like I’m sorry if you had a bad experience with yours, but it’s completely unfair and cruel to say you can’t trust adopted siblings in general, because it’s like you’re saying that all adopted siblings are untrustworthy, which they aren’t. It’s not because they are adopted that they were untrustworthy.

[@Jamezevans123]

⁠@@igorschmidlapp6987Why are you making it into a competition? Rejection from any parent, whether birth or adoptive are both really hurtful. As adoptees it’s common for us to struggle with abandonment issues, so to be rejected by an adoptive parent would be utterly traumatising, because not only were you separated from your birth parents, but now your adoptive parents too.

[@Mejoree113]

@@igorschmidlapp6987 Get out of here with your trauma one-upping. In many ways adoptive families can form tighter bonds than blood families because it's a chosen family and they often face unique struggles. But it's just a different relationship. If you really have had rejection from a parent you should realise how hurtful it would be for someone to be so callous about that pain you went through, and maybe you should empathise with someone that's been through the same thing, rather than just win the award for most hurt.

[@HerrChew]

I interpret the stepping on things / feet stuff as being a sort of indirect reference back to Wild Blue Yonder with the salt and daring them to cross over. They eventually step over the line, while now the Doctor and/or Ruby are now (mis)stepping on things since then.

[@ugolomb]

Regarding Roger Ap Gwilliam -- someone pointed out that the Doctor says he brought the world to the *brink* of nuclear war, meaning he got further than he did in Ruby's Doctor-less timeline but the war itself did not materialize. Which (according to this reviewer, I forget who it was) suggests that perhaps the Doctor was involved in stopping him, but Ruby found herself in a Doctor-less timeline wo she had to step in instead. The additional question is, if the Doctor stopped him *before* he met Ruby (which implies it was even an earlier incarnation that did it), is the effect of his disappearance so great that it even retoactively cancels his earlier history?

[@adrianhead6272]

No. If the Doctor had never existed at all, Earth would have been conquered/destroyed many times over... although I doubt anyone gave it enough thought.

[@carloszarzoso1724]

Hated all other eps but I liked this and the Dr not in it lol. So does nuclear war happen.

[@mr_vision1984]

The repetitions--stepping on things, the babies, the snow, the music, Susan Twist, the supernatural--they're kind of like poetry, they rhyme.

[@laykni]

Okay George lol

[@veggiet2009]

Yes! That's the perfect analogy for what this feels like

[@motionadapt1589]

Heavy spoilers is that you?

[@mr_vision1984]

@@motionadapt1589 LOLOL

[@hanlee3345]

Imagine of George Luscas worked on Dr Who 🤔

[@Nightsky67]

You’re doing an amazing Job Sean! Don’t get me wrong, it’d be lovely to see Ellie again, but you’re an awesome presenter as well, this was a really good video well done!

[@stevendrinkall5355]

So we’ve had a Christmas episode, a family episode, musical episode, action episode, horror episode. Mmm seems like every episode has a theme. This must mean something 🤔

[@Hissyspit]

I noticed that, too. It’s meta and seems to point to the fact that something is wrong with the Doctor’s universe. Magic is real - including fairy circles - and the characters seem to know they are in a TV show.

[@Amlock87]

That RTD is throwing things at the wall hoping it sticks?

[@kimberlyPerth]

@@Amlock87 baby chibnal was doing that shit for years, RTD is finally getting people to watch more than ten minutes!

[@StephenBoothUK]

RTD has been into the gin?

[@simonccraddock]

Why do we question this series? So many unanswered questions. ...yes there is! How long have we known RTD?? Just run with it all will be explained...none of the RTD'S episodes are ever stand-alone just sit back, wait, watch and enjoy

[@ftumschk]

My feelings precisely. And I really AM enjoying all this batshit madness.

[@Happymama12]

THANK YOU 👏 👏 👏

[@yamivkd]

I agree, but that doesn't mean not having it be mostly contained with internal logic, this is supposed to be a sci-fi show after all. Fantasy elements or not, write to your core not to mystery. An extra line or two acknowledging the timeline, and explaining the curse AT THE END where its needed, not just something you are told isn't the case early in the first 3rd. I go back to another RTD episode with big questions left, Midnight, we were still given enough to make the story satisfying, and didn't end up wiping it away with a closed loop.

[@Happymama12]

@@yamivkd I think people are just upset because they can’t figure out the overarching mystery rn. Like it’s clearly a clue RTD said himself this is a very important episode. There’s more to come. If he explained it all here we wouldn’t be surprised at the end. I’ll eat my words if by the end and we know who Ruby is it still doesn’t make sense. But you know what else never made sense? River song. Amy being pregnant and someone stealing her and replacing her with a flesh person. Until we got that bombshell that River was Amy’s daughter and the woman who killed the doctor she was an absolute mystery. If they told us all these details in the beginning we would not have been surprised and it would’ve definitely been more boring. Just trust the process.

[@simonccraddock]

​@@yamivkdMidnite...hhmmm one of my top 5 nuwho episodes

[@fraserjackson]

At the beginning the Doctor talks about Roger ap Gwilliam bringing the world to the 'brink' of nuclear war, but the impression given in Ruby's timeline is that he would absolutely have started nuclear war (possibly as a result of being inhabited by the malevolent mad Jack who was released when the circle was broken). So preventing the Doctor from breaking the circle keeps us in the timeline where even if Roger ap Gwilliam becomes Prime Minister, he won't start an actual nuclear war.

[@Hexmark]

Exactly 👍 at the end of the episode with the circle being made unbroken Mad Jack’s spirit is rebound and unable to negatively influence the timeline.

[@ladybugwa]

the 'every episode is a different universe' suggestion would certainly explain the Doctor's many many outfits- they're different versions of the same Doctor. I'll be thinking over that one for a bit

[@ladybugwa]

also would explain how a memory tardis is on its way 👀👀👀👀

[@ladybugwa]

if every episode is a different universe, this would also explain how susan twist can play so many different characters- they are completely different and not malevolent in any way, but her existence is showing us parallel, disconnected realities. i think we'll be able to see going forward how well this lines up... Ruby recognising the hiker's face in 73 yards could suggest that the fairy circle made her jump realities, so she would recognise susan twist's face from Boom, for example, even tho there is no correlation between the two. am i mental or does this kinda make sense?

[@JohnSmith-hh6hg]

I mean we know other worlds/dimensions/earths exist , like Season 2 where they end in a parallel universe with Rose And the doctor said , it was possible to travel there but ut was forbidden and it shouldnt work because of the time lords

[@DrWhoFanJ]

@@JohnSmith-hh6hgSeries*

[@thesagebrushkid1]

I like the unanswered questions. They’re ponder points, getting you thinking, like “what’s she saying?” As opposed to plot holes like “how is Graham in that volcano?!” The episode was fantastic and I loved the mystery of the unanswered questions :)

[@garfar912]

Have you gone back to this ep since watching The Legend of..? (spoilers if not) I first thought The Woman is Ruby, going back through her own life. But now I don't think she is. She has long hair when old Ruby has short, and is credited separately. Then wondered if she was Ruby's mother. Or 'death'. But now wonder if she's actually a memory. In The Legend of, the Doc talks about a memory changing making the even change. When we shift from Ruby to The Woman's hands at the end, it's almost like she's finally taking control of those hands, as if the sign language is significant, the only way she can communicate with original Ruby to stop her breaking the circle. The sign language seems, unhelpful. Maybe it has another meaning if run backwards? The voice over "I'm sorry I took so long. And I tried so hard. What else could I do? It took all these years, all these long years." That feels pivotal and I still don't understand it. Things I did pick out: I agree one read is the pub scene (The Dead Wood? The Marble Wood?) can be taken as setting the rules for the time bubble. The stuff with nukes isn't what 'fixes' things for Ruby, almost a red herring? I think the snow stops manifesting when Ruby is in her 20s (but is that just a global warming thing?!) Ruby starts wearing a ring (right hand, ring finger, but not a wedding ring) in her 30s - both old woman and Old Ruby are wearing a ring, same finger. Is that significant, and the rather obvious specs when she turns 40 are a decoy? And "semper distans" - Enid (Welsh name spirit; life; purity) using Latin - and nearly an anagram of "SMS opens Tardis". 73 yards might not quite be 66.6m but it's a devil of a little puzzle.

[@lunaflower4507]

I always assumed for people running from ruby was either A. Having people realise there two ruby from different times drove people to feel one ruby was not real. Or B maybe whatever ruby truly is was revealed to people when they looked back I hopw we never find out tbh

[@JamesScholesUK]

Yeah, this is where I'm at. Lots of mention of perception filters too. I think Ruby has one, and the old woman disables it so they can actually see Ruby, and it terrifies them. However, Ruby doesn't know who, or what, she is, so can't process it.

[@lunaflower4507]

@@JamesScholesUK honestly same am leaning toward she part of the pantheon and there been some fantastic theory about it tbh

[@sabalianderson]

I'm with A because her mom was like, "Are you really?" Ruby said she's her daughter.

[@Mithrandir39]

What about how she looked when she stepped on the butterfly? (I know I am writing this way after and have not seen the rest yet.) Could that be what they see?

[@SmartAlec86]

I just thought of something. Since that old lady has some sort of perception filter on her, and the old lady was Old Ruby, perhaps once someone interacts with Old Ruby, the perception filter on her suddenly transfers to Young Ruby.

[@mozblue3927]

At 27 minutes you’re questioning who Mad Jack is. When Ruby sees the interview with Roger ap Gwilliam he says he used to be called Mad Jack that what triggers her memory about him in the first place.

[@dianecliff6297]

Exactly!

[@DavidMoir-et2cx]

It felt very tacked on. Why was a guy called Roger nicknamed Mad Jack, why did the note say RIP Mad Jack, why did the doctor know who Roger was at the start of the episode, who did he want to fire nukes at (and why), why did he want to source nukes from Pakistan when we already have them? There are a million great questions raised but other than head cannon a million without an explanation.

[@thesagebrushkid1]

I thought the whole episode was going to be the pub! Creepy haunted pub, doctor gone, strange locals, I thought it was going to be Midnight 2, electric boogaloo!

[@Happymama12]

Yea now I want that episode you’re describing lol I would be down for that.

[@judithstrachan9399]

Me, too, especially if Sian Phillips is in it again. I can’t get over it, 90+ & still acting her socks off. Then again, my Dad is still flying his ultralight at 98 & who knows how much longer.

[@langleymneely]

I interpreted it as Ruby disappeared into her own supernatural pocket of time, NOT that the Doctor disappeared. Also it being supernatural in nature lends to the idea that the Doctor isn’t aware of what happened to Ruby.

[@barneysbestbuddy5472]

40 odd Ruby Sunday looked even better than normal aged Ruby Sunday! Loved that look for her, actually.

[@doorofnight87]

I do think the Pub scene went on for too long, but I think the biggest sin of the scene is that they did not make nearly enough use of Sian Phillips, an absolutely terrific actress who does lend a lot of gravitas to the scene, but otherwise is far smaller role than she deserves.

[@R.senals_Arsenal]

I swear I hear people talk about this episode and it's like they watched something totally different to what I saw. Pub scene too long?? Mad Jack wasn't followed up on?? What are you even talking about? 2 new things occurred to me watching this: 1 - What If the people look back at Ruby and see their own watcher now 73 yards away from them, beside Ruby? 2 - What if Ruby doesn't age until she takes action against the Jack possessed politician, then the Trickster or whatever is in her making her powerful, snow-generating whatever she is, leaves her then and she starts to age? (that said I didn't stop getting carded still in my 40s until I grew a beard, so some people age better than others so aging needs no explanation)

[@Mithrandir39]

I know the feeling. I think I was 38 the first time I got carded. *LOL*

[@robcannon]

Perfect answer: "Screw those people, this is still a great episode"

[@lancer1993]

I can't believe how much negative comments there have been for the new series so far, even compared to Jodie's run.

[@Jrl1002]

@@lancer1993 i think this is the best season in a long time it makes me so sad people just hate things nowadays

[@toddhouston4523]

One thing about the pub scene. The older woman explains about the mythology which we need.

[@badfairy9554]

Yes. It is about fairy magic. Mad Jack came back.

[@veggiet2009]

Yes I think the scene was great

[@robertmuir5949]

Mad Jack wasn't released, he was invented by the narrative.

[@tempusspiritus]

Except she then reveals she was lying in order to make fun of Ruby so you can’t trust anything she said.

[@toddhouston4523]

@@tempusspiritus True but there might have been some truth to what she said. There was definitely something going on with the circle.

[@spacemonkeymafia4756]

My thoughts on the pub scene, it was exposition. All the superstition goes back to the running plot. The patrons may not believe in it, but doesn't mean it isn't factual in this post mavity timeline.

[@yamivkd]

Then it was poorly delivered. Completely dismissing it, telling you it wasn't correct to not turn about later and say yes it was. Thats where it fails. Like blowing up a balloon you got great build up and yeah you expect a pop because thats what an built up balloon does, instead we just have the air let out. Its not that hard. The closed timeloop meaning none of it really happened cause it wasnt addressed for it to go forward. It might make more sense if we can watch next weeks episode now, but we cant so we have to judge it on its own merits.

[@joannelively9934]

Love you Sean. Sorry I told you off about Al-be-on ❤ Also im Welsh & ive never been in a pub where they do that. In Bristol maybe but not Wales 😂😂😂 Oh also the UNIT scene was shot in my hometown ❤

[@judithstrachan9399]

Cool! Did you get to see anything? Or find out afterwards, like I always seem to when something interesting happens.

[@cemtural8556]

Yeah, people look back at Ruby, then (as if realizing something about her for the first time) they run away or turn on her, or downright start hating her like her mum. I'm fairly certain RTD meant it as an allegory for homophobia / fear of abandonment or something to that effect.

[@Jamezevans123]

Ruby is an adoptee, and it’s common for adoptees (like me) to have abandonment issues and a fear of being abandoned, so RTD was exploring that side of being adopted in this episode.

[@doppelganger3992]

Future Who Culture top 10, 10 things the old woman could have said.

[@aannddrryyaa]

Nice conversation.. thank you so much. 73 yards def the best of this season so far. A debut, I guess they were laying the foundation... I surmise. Now its gonna be full speed ahead.

[@joshuajordan64]

For the spoilers for next week, it reminds me of the bells of st johns where you have people making videos warning others about something online

[@DonnaLang42rockglobally]

My understanding is that during the tv interview scene Roger Ap Gwilliams spoke of his early life and the range of jobs he had worked. He was a Jack of All Trades. "Mad Jack, they called me."

[@PJH233]

I do love that every time I think about this episode I come up with a new theory or answers to question, or even new questions! One thing that stick to me is how the old woman is said to have a perception filter. Since the old woman is Ruby - surely that means Ruby has a perception filter? Does this link to why people react to Ruby differently after talking to the old woman? Gets them to see something they're ignoring because of the perception filter. To me this could tie into the "they know they're in a TV show!" theory as they could no longer see Ruby but Millie and the knowledge that they themselves are just characters in a show. That would drive someone to run away I think! As we know people in Doctor Who have a good ability of forgetting what seem like big important events (believe it might be mentioned by Clara with regards to a T-Rex just wandering the Thames in Victorian London as being something that should be known about in the future) so people who interact with the old woman get this knowledge but run away and stay away from Ruby in the hope they forget the information and can get back to being a character - otherwise they fear not existing if they stay around and she completes her story. This could explain why her mam disowns her. We assume when Ruby is told that she's not her mothers daughter, we and Ruby assume it's because she's adopted. Maybe it's being told that Ruby is just a character and therefore not even an adopted daughter? Or maybe the old woman (thus Ruby) has a strong mind (hence the creation of snow) and has the power of suggested speech, much like how the Doctor uses a few words to bring down Harriet Jones, if you remember who she is.

[@alexfletcher5192]

I was going slightly grey at 40 but I didn't look so different from 30. Heavier. What tends to happen is that your face starts to drop. Arguably they could have done more about that. But then some people just weather time really well. I still haven't real bags under the eyes at 51.

[@joannelively9934]

I'm 58 I got no bags at all & I don't look my age... apparently

[@JohnPasay]

The healthcare became advanced in the future.

[@LapsedLawyer]

I'm 67. Do with that what you will

[@Happymama12]

I’ve had bags under my eyes since I was like 12 😂

[@judithstrachan9399]

71. No bags. Lots of people don’t believe I’m even 50.

[@jupamoers]

Ellie deserves some free time, let her be 😂

[@igorschmidlapp6987]

NO! WE MISS ELLIE! WE NEED ELLIE! Ellie is NOT allowed to have a life! ;-P

[@mortal6134]

I hope it is some free time.

[@Amlock87]

No Ellie is better than this guy. I miss the chemistry and banter between her and Sean

[@strodey123]

Really good episode for me, best so far and really enjoyed it. I dont quite understand why people ran away when they saw 'old ruby' though, or how the cycle started because they broke the circle the first time and what actually happened to the doctor. It might have been a bit more impactful as well if she'd said 'Ive been to Wales 100s of times', then we'd known the loop had been going on ages, rather than just one and done.

[@Monty-in-gumboots]

Just started binge watching this season and finished 73 Yards & just realising RTD is trolling us with this Twist thing. Even going so far as having the whole cast doing a song & dance purely just for the ordinance in The Devils Chord. I mean looking back on that segment, it is just GOAT level Trolling. It all adds another level of excitement for the rest of the season. Hope he can deliver! 😄

[@simonccraddock]

Did anybody think the 73 yard woman reminded them of the woman in black? Where the woman just turned up anywhere? the stage show was scary

[@editscreate]

I loved the episode it was awesome!!!!!! I am so excited for Dot And Bubble

[@AmazingWorldoffanboy0278]

Me too

[@badfairy9554]

Looks awesome.

[@alpinehouse9980]

I liked the unanswered questions. In the long run it doesn't really matter what the woman was telling everyone to make them bolt, whether we get the answer later on or not, all that mattered was that Ruby closed the circle.

[@koshnaranek4442]

@8:45 She did sort of remember what happened. At the beginning of the episode she says she has been to Wales two times. At the end she says three, but then "punts" when she could not quire remember the third time and says the third time was "now."

[@marikastewart2730]

@WhoCulture About what the old lady looked like - Could she have looked like an old Ruby? When her mom says "she looks just like you'd expect her to look..." Could it be that they recognized it was Ruby, but unnaturally aged or from the future? Then if all they heard was the old woman giving a warning about needing to avoid something horrific, maybe the combination of her saying "No! Get Away! Don't! The End of the World!" or something like that and seeing that she is constantly following and warning around Ruby, plus an uncanny valley element of seeing that she was an aged Ruby... could that have all combined to lead everyone to conclude that Ruby was the catastrophe? We could assume that her getting rid of the prime minister was Ruby preventing disaster; but perhaps the catastrophe caused by Ruby is still to come?

[@cyriljackal]

It was a completely different actress from who played old ruby.

[@steve-0493]

This is a really good line that Kate says to Ruby, when they meet..and it makes sense, I didnt even catch it the 1st time lol...Kate says something to the effect that she couldve veered off the timeline,like THE MAIN 1,cause the Dr is missing/dissappeared,the Tardis is just sitting there,no activity...and Kate seems to catch it,that theyre on an alternative line,since the timeline has been 'Suspended '...

[@maddormouse687]

It feels to me, like in Turn Left, where the world changed all around Donna (and Kate said something to that affect) and this was just a timeline without the Doctor. For whatever reason. That's in part why I think we'll get the Trickster to make an appearance this season as a relative to the Toymaker. Also, Big Finish better jump on this timeline for some Who adventures, either with or without UNIT.

[@garywoolton1875]

there is a residue memory in Ruby. At beginning of the episode she reveals she has been to Wales twice, at the end she said it was her 3rd time but couldn't remember when.

[@russbaxter1806]

"A whole different universe" he says at the start. Well maybe not. As for unanswered questions, that's fine with me. Not everything has to be answered immediately, or even answered at all. I'm also hoping that the twist at the end of the series is that Susan twists characters are completely unimportant, as that would be a great twist.

[@koshnaranek4442]

@4:05: Regarding Susan Twist SPOILER SPACE for Dot and Bubble In "Dot and Bubble" the Doctor also recognizes Susan Twist and mentions she was the ambulance interface in Boom.

[@staticneuron]

This episode makes me think Ruby is some type of being that is close to a weeping angel. The talk about perception filter, how her initial return through time from her POV has her hands outstretched like an angel that is not being observed. The Sheer fact that at the point of her death in this alternate timeline she was able to travel back in time, which is how angels are sustained. By the energy of peoples lives in a displaced timeline. And the very scary thought that if Ruby is a weeping angel, she does not feel the need to be quantum locked for defense, she has technically died twice and returned to life, making her a very powerful entity.

[@Yuberich]

One thing that stuck in my mind is that this is the first Doctor Who episode, that I remember, which end without any alien/tech explanation for what happened (from my memory at least, but it has been a while since I watched 9th-13th doctor, and I never watched classic Who unfortunately), and I’m kinda considering the pantheon of gods (Toymaker, Maestro, etc) as part of the alien explanation, even if is not totally correct. Probably related to the whole theme of supernatural becoming more of a thing in the universe, or (hopefully) will come back and explained later…

[@Immortal-Headcase]

That pub is the one from the Torchwood cannibal village as well.

[@TheCagedCorvid]

I knew it!!!!

[@judithstrachan9399]

Yes, I’ve heard that in other review videos.

[@grahamcann1761]

If The Doctor wasn't there, was he anywhere? Was this a world without The Doctor? Could a world without The Doctor survive? Was there (as Seán said) another Doctor out there? As always, thank you all so very much for the videos. Speaking as an adopted child: I have often laughed with other adopted people I've met about the "don't you wonder about your parents" trope. I've net met anyone with more than a mild curiosity. For me it happened when I started having kids of my own; and it was one of those kids who did a DNA test and found my 'other' family, which I'm thrilled with. (My Bio-dad is still around, a veteran of The Korean War, and Vietnam, got nuked (Castle Bravo), and orbited the earth (sailed around the world) on the Enterprise (Aircraft Carrier).) But I appreciate that my (Bio) parents loved me enough to give me up when they weren't ready for kids, and my (adopted) parents who always showed me love.

[@KBRoller]

I think a lot of people online are confusing "doesn't explain all the answers" with "doesn't make sense". Those are two different things. The story was internally consistent and did nothing illogical -- it made sense -- it just didn't lay out all the answers to any questions it raised. "I can't make definitive sense of it because I don't have all the information" is not the same as "it didn't make sense". Personally, I loved it. There are many different explanations of what happened, and we may never know the full details -- and I'm okay with that. It's fun coming up with ideas and seeing whether they fit the data we *do* have or not. Then again, I loved the FX show Legion, which is a show where nothing was ever truly explained and you never even knew what was real and what was imaginary -- the kind of show these "it didn't make sense because it didn't answer everything" crowds would *absolutely hate.* 😂 I'm also pretty scientific-minded, and science is all about coming up with different explanations for things before you test them, rather than just having one answer and sticking to it from the start; so I enjoy theory-crafting. (Which makes me wonder: how much overlap is there between these particular "it's nonsense" folks and the Game Theory / Film Theory audience? I'd guess not much.) My best guess as to what happened: 1. Reading the note in the fairy circle pushed Ruby into an alternate timeline, but since the Doctor didn't read it, he didn't come with her. How did that happen? I don't know, and I'm not sure I need to know. People are speculating it truly was Mad Jack, but I think it'd be weird if the locals gave the exact correct explanation while also thinking they made it up. Unless, of course, the point is that *because* they made up the local story it *manifested* as true -- stories becoming real seems to be a theme this season. Either explanation -- or something else we don't know -- are all interesting. 2. In one iteration of the timeline that we didn't see, Old Ruby gets sent back in time and becomes the Old Woman that we do see. How? No idea. 3. In the iteration of the timeline we follow, the Old Woman shows people something about Ruby that terrifies them. When they look at her, they run screaming, and can't even express *why* other than they're scared and they want to be as far from her as possible. The hiker and the pub guy run, the goth pub kid leaves and never returns to where he knows she's staying, her mom runs and then changes the locks to keep her out, etc. Her fear of abandonment continues to come true, but it's because people are afraid of her. What did the Old Woman show them? Don't know, but the "what" is not as important as the effect it had on people. Perhaps she showed them something about Ruby's true nature, as she seems possibly connected to the Pantheon itself? Maybe she's even a goddess or demigoddess -- maybe one of death? Don't know, don't really care that much, though if they ever reveal it it will certainly be interesting. 4. Ruby uses the Old Woman's ability to scare away Roger, who -- knowing Ruby is on his political staff -- leaves politics entirely to get away from her. This possibly prevents a nuclear launch and saves the world. 5. Her job long done, Old Ruby gets sent back in time, completing this second iteration of the loop. Only this time, she's sent back slightly earlier, enough to distract Ruby and the Doctor before they step on the circle. This Ruby also seems to retain some memories of the previous iteration, with the warning "don't step" in the back of her mind, and the memory that she's "been to Wales....now." These help them avoid breaking the circle; and in theory, prevents the loop from happening, as the Doctor tells her not to read the note to Mad Jack. Did this prevent Mad Jack from being released and possessing Roger? Or did it simply prevent Ruby from being tossed into another timeline again? If it's the latter, did Roger not destroy the world this time because he never really would have in the first place? Or because bits of the other timeline -- like Ruby's memories -- seeped in and prevented him from doing it even without this Ruby's direct influence? I don't know. So, yeah; a lot of unanswered questions, but that leaves a lot of room for theorizing, and I think that's really fun 😁I find it pretentious and lazy when a writer, asked what their stories mean, says "I don't know, I leave that to the reader to interpret." But Russel didn't do that; his answer to the question of what the Old Woman said/showed people was effectively that he knows, but he won't tell. Which is quite different; I full confidence Russell knows all the answers about what happened, but he intentionally left some bits out to keep the mystery alive. It's not so much "it means whatever you think it means"; it's just "you may never know what it really means, and that's okay; but there *is* a right answer to it all." And I love that.

[@LucasPritchard-ih4nl]

I definitely think we are seeing the last iteration of this loop rather than something that is happening for the first time. Here’s my take on how everything went down. 1. The Doctor steps on the fairy circle, releasing Mad Jack to possess Roger Ap Gwilliam. As part of the binding, the one who broke it replaces Mad Jack in a pocket dimension connected to the circle, hence the Doctor disappears. No old woman appears and Ruby eventually returns to normal life. 20 years later, she reaches the point where she sees Roger’s rise to power and tries to alert UNIT to him being a bad dude. They are unable to prevent his ascension to Prime Minister and he does actually launch a nuclear war that engulfs the globe, leaving the TARDIS the sole remaining resident of Earth. Realising her Doctor will never be released himself in this timeline, she acts on her own accord and loops Ruby somehow, back to Wales in 2024. She keeps Old Ruby at a constant distance, suspended in a sort of timelock, because she’s well aware of the danger of paradoxes, she herself could disappear and be no further help. 2. After the Doctor steps on the fairy circle, Old Ruby appears in this second iteration. She probably just sort of stands there without a perception field, so people notice her but can’t really do anything about her. UNIT try to study her and work out that she is a future Ruby but wisely tell Ruby there’s nothing they can do. Nuclear war still occurs, the TARDIS loops again. 3. A few more loops occur, the TARDIS gives Old Ruby a perception field so less people try to interfere with her, until the TARDIS realises that whilst Ruby always tries to stop Roger’s rise to power, she needs to be close to him to actually do it, however she does it. This is the loop we see. It introduces a Fear aspect into Old Ruby’s perception field to induce a sort of terror into the minds of those who approach, of her and thus Present Ruby. This leaves Ruby completely alone and thus desperate enough to get close to Roger. With the position and a weapon to use against him, Ruby finally succeeds in stopping Roger. The loop is extended somewhat by Ruby dying of old age rather than nuclear fallout and so the TARDIS is able to just about stretch r the loop at it’s start so that Old Ruby arrives just before the Doctor steps on the fairy circle and influence Present Ruby to stop him.

[@kevinlindstrom6752]

It was a great episode. Yes, there are unanswered questions. If they're never answered it might bother me a little bit, but it's still a great episode period, I think there's a greater than zero chance that we might get answers later on in the season.

[@MichaelJones-ni5pb]

I've now seen this episode twice & it is similar to "The girl who waited". The Doctor must have met up with the older Ruby & told her to arrive at the point the TARDIS first materialised years later so, that would explain partly where the Doctor went.

[@jamesholland7268]

I wonder if the fairy circle and the old woman are part of a fixed point in time. When The Doctor stepped on the fairy circle, it fractured that fixed point in time. The old woman was part of a way for the fixed point in time to be repaired through Ruby. That is probably why when people approached the old woman and looked back at Ruby, they ran away in fear or fright. It was a way to help protect the effort to repair the fixed point in time. Even The Doctor and the Tardis have an apprehension when it comes to a fixed point in time. This could be related to why The Doctor vanished when they stepped on the fairy circle. Once the repair was made it allowed for The Doctor to return and Ruby seemed to only have slight subconscious level of awareness of what had happened. She noticed the old woman and warned The Doctor not to step on the fairy circle, but the old woman vanished before The Doctor could see them. The old woman's purpose of helping Ruby repair the fixed point in time had been accomplished. The fairy circle remains there because its purpose to warn of the danger of breaking that fixed point in time. The Mad Jack story is something that was in the future and yet because of the fairy circle certain people were aware of it. All of this was to warn of the danger that this fixed point in time posed. Perhaps, this is part of who Ruby is and the role that she plays in the space time continuum. She can help to protect and repair these fixed points in time. Her travels with The Doctor may be helping to awaken this part of her. Time will tell as to how it all plays out.

[@wolfpackleader666]

My theory is ruby is a pre timeless child version of doctor's character

[@j.rileyindependentproductions]

Remember what RTD said about the villain of "73 Yards"? I can't find the quote now, sadly (as searching now pulls up RTD explaining the episode), but it would totally fit describing "the writer" lol. :-P If it weren't for the Ambulance roll for Susan Twist, I would suggest that it's not ANOTHER "Impossible Girl" but rather the SAME Clara "Impossible Girl" who just happened to come across The Doctor when older. Sean: "The companions, in a large scale, don't tend to live with the trauma." ME: True, because the companions who don't are the companions who die.

[@Terahnee]

Before I even finish this, I had to say that it's Sean and Ellie's fault I binged Years and Years yesterday. And I'm not sorry I did.

[@freeble100]

It kind of worked the opposite of 'Turn Left'. When everything kept getting worse as the Doctor was gone. '73 Yards now presents where not much occurs on Earth for the next 60 years that the Doctor would have to fix. It creats an unintentional result that major events that threaten the Earth and require the Doctor to fix it within the next 60 years would somehow have to of been cause directly or indirectly by the Doctor.

[@IsiahBradley]

Yes, we're into feet this season :) THANKS for this!!!!

[@EatSleepEmpire]

I didn’t read the internet as being specifically assaulted. I think the implication was that she was treated badly, and that Ruby teamed up with her out of mutual hatred for him, and they had a plan to take him down together, but he was going to launch the bombs earlier than they thought, so she had to figure out how to stop him right then.

[@JOEKPOND]

Ruby does retain some memory of her other lifetime. She went from being to Wales twice before to three times before. The memory is limited and imperfect, but she is young and coming into her own.

[@kevinlindstrom6752]

Discussion on the 25th minute - it may be way early to make these judgments.We don't know what was so traumatic about both of those circumstances. And by the way, I am adopted and very well aware of the trauma of that dynamic. I'm not minimizing that, but rather saying we don't know whether he was being flippant or whether it has a deeper meaning.

[@faceofbob]

The timeline changes the moment the Doctor doesn’t step on the fairy circle. It’s kind of a reverse butterfly effect. From that point, I doubt that they even remember who Roger AP Gwilliam is.

[@TBrincefield]

The Doctor knew who he was before he stepped on the ring.

[@editscreate]

Also, where's ellie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@peak_flow]

On holiday!

[@sccjono]

Gallifrey

[@HereticReborn]

She read a scroll and broke the circle. 😂

[@PsyrenXY]

73 yards away

[@WhoCulture]

She's gone for dinner with the architect

[@througtonsheirs_doctorwhol5914]

1) The Devil's Chord / 73 Yards. --- 2) The Church on Ruby Road / Boom -- 3/ Dot And Bubble 6 / Space Babies

[@johnpollock6711]

I have thought about the episode and I think I get the basic idea of what is going on in 73 Yards. And I think a lot of this is a set up for future episodes as we learn more of Ruby. What kind of made things click was a statement by Davies in the behind the scenes show. He said that breaking the fairy circle and reading the notes that something profane had happened. The term profane has a very visceral connotation, that merely the act stains the soul and it is an unforgivable sin. So first, the Doctor did NOT disappear, the Doctor went nowhere, it was Ruby that suddenly was pulled into a new world where there was no Doctor. The Doctor never talked to 73 Yard Ruby, he was just gone. I think Ruby created a new reality that had no Doctor as she was saving the Doctor by going back in time and changing the event of stepping on the circle. The reason she can’t get in the TARDIS as it is not really the TARDIS, its just a TARDIS shaped object. That is why it ages, as the real TARDIS would not show any aging from just a few decades, the TARDIS showing wear is one of the clues. To make a change in time that had already happened, Ruby needed to gather a huge amount of energy. That energy is all the lost relationships and the power they represent, including the most powerful relationship, the one with her mother. Another source of power is the lost hope that she could learn who the woman was and stop Mad Jack which turned out to be a red herring in a way. Like the Weeping Angels sending people back in time feeding off the lost potential Ruby accepting loneliness, being treated as an outsider, of being unacceptable and profane herself. Everyone leaves her and the one thing she thinks will fix things, stopping Mad Jack does not solve the problem. This is not unlike the Star Trek episode where Dr Crusher gets trapped in a collapsing warp bubble that seems to be reality but people keep disappearing. So it take a lifetime of loss until at the moment of death that Ruby has the power to then travel back through time. That is why old Ruby is sorry it took so long. The mysterious woman Ruby sees is not following her at all, she is seeing the woman moving back through time to the start of the time loop. We see all the flashes of her life as she travels back and using the incredible power she had built up can go just a bit further to stop the Doctor from stepping on the circle and committing a profane act. I expect we will find that indeed Ruby is some kind of god or being from another dimension, possibly is part of the Pantheon but is actually good. I also theorize that the woman who left Ruby at the church is in fact Ruby herself, that she herself is a loop.

[@Charliefarley170287]

Sean and Mick have a good point about glossing over parts to kind of minimise. It still really annoys me that Carla used THAT line. It didn’t just dig in the knife, it twists the knife. Someone in the Doctor Who production team could have said to RTD that it was too far.

[@0PhillMC0]

I think that PM is The Ministers of War from Before the Flood (12th doctor)

[@NixDuto]

Also this episode confirms that Mrs. Flood is not old Ruby. Unless she's a timelord.

[@JohnSheffield1963]

I will be surprised if this isn't an episode that gets touched upon in a later episode. They intentionally left way too much plot threads dangling . I agree that I don't want to see The Master, a Dalek, or a Cyberman until there are people in British hospitals going through withdrawal. All three are tremendously overused.

[@detectivesquirrel2621]

I don't think it matters what the old woman says, if it is old Ruby its a paradox, 2 Rubys in the same place. The human mind cannot cope with the concept of a paradox and it triggers the fight or flight response and its very much flight and so they just run

[@cyriljackal]

It wasn't old ruby. Different actress than who played old ruby.

[@GuitarJammerJohn]

⁠@@cyriljackalbut it was old Ruby she clearly turns into the 73 yard women. I think they probably used a different actress for the 73 yard women because the one playing old Ruby was less mobile and as you could never clearly see her face it didn’t matter if they looked different.

[@andrewmurray1550]

like FIVE doctors (classic series) in the one place is NOT a paradox....or in the reboot series, we've seen on several occasions all doctors - classic and modern make an appearance "together" (50th special in particular). but others as well. Matt Smith encounters Tom Baker, David Tenant encounters his.....father-in-law (Peter Davison) etc.

[@veggiet2009]

I loved the episode, and i Loved the unanswered questions, just because there are questions doesn't mean it's bad

[@VinnieBartilucci]

The Take I went with is that Mad Jack is an entity who worked with / took over / possessed Roger ap Gwilliam, an actual person who became PM. With mad Jack participating, the term was dangerous and took the world to the brink or Armageddon. Without it, ap Gwilliam was merely an inept and power-seeking person whose term was bad enough to make it into history, but not for nuclear war.

[@janeenpuckett5946]

What if Ruby stepping on the butterfly started a chain reaction through the following episodes and perhaps contributing to all the “false steps” we’ve seen? Next week has a ball in it, perfect for another step problem. Hmmmm.

[@TransDragon]

I'm 30 and I look 16. I've always looked younger than I am and I've always hated it. My brother has always looked away older than he is. When he was 13 people thought he was old enough to be my dad. Millie Gibson also looks way younger than she is so yeah, I believe Millie/Ruby would look like that at that age without plastic surgery. Not everyone ages the same.

[@andrewmurray1550]

Maybe there's more to Mad Jack....Captain Jack? (alternate timeline, who knows?) Immortality might drive you mad in the end.....

[@potato3.732]

As for the stepping on things, didn’t Ruby step on a butterfly in episode one with strange consequences?

[@iamliberator1101]

I've just finished watching the ups n downs for Disco finale. Both Burham n Culber state that not having all the answers is enough...or what they know is enough. Now for DW 73 yrds Yes the story gripped me enough to not get really hung up on not knowing what was said, what it meant or why people ran away and what happened to The Dr. It's enough that we have some mystery leftover that can or could come back later on or something for expanded media to run with. Overall the best story so far. I liked to horror vibe and yes I agree with the TW look at the start. as an aside...given Barrowmans taint on TW, I think UNIT will be the replacement spinoff . No reason not to see Gwen...or the BBC / Bad Wolf letting him back in....

[@cuppapablo]

It's a great episode. Millie delivered so spectacularly. My ranking mirrors Sean's... for now. The ending created more questions/problems than solve them. Maybe we will see the episode revisited later and we can have a more clear resolution to it, which would make me put it above Boom.

[@fraystreet9615]

When Ruby told Kate Stewart The Doctor disappeared a year ago, I don't know why she didn't contact Doctor 14. I'm sure he would have been very curious to figure out what's going on.

[@JosephN05]

That's what I was thinking

[@HereticReborn]

Carla isn’t a nice person without Ruby. I mean she doesn’t care for more fosters without Ruby. Then here she gets a protection order and slams that your own mom line. Wonder if it’s intentional?

[@judithstrachan9399]

It’s certainly intentional in that timeline. Ruby’s punishment for reading the faerie notes is to be abandoned. When her loving mother abandons her, that is gut-wrenching abandonment.

[@Ciofey]

The words make you see Ruby for what she is, which is a monster. "She looks like what she looks like.", "She looks like exactly what she is." refers to what Ruby looks like. The 73 yards could possibly also be just outside of Ruby's perception filter, which is why people can't see her true form from a closer range. There are many things in earlier episodes that hint that Ruby could be the End of Season Big Bad (or its manchurian candidate). Susan twist is the doctor's granddaughter Susan. This is Disney, and their target audience is (american) children, so that is likely the “there’s always a twist in the end” twist of the season. So, someone pushed the monster Ruby out of the way for 60 years, the circle was a trap. Is that someone setting things up for the season finale, to make it possible to defeat Ruby? The circle is too flimsy to have been placed there any time other than after the landing of the tardis (causes winds), and before they step out of the tardis. The only person nearby is Susan Twist. If the season theme is abandonment, then we could have a two-part ending where in the first half, granddaughter Susan (Twist) is going up against her granddad the doctor because he abandoned her, and in the second episode she forgives her dad, and now that they are stronger together they are able to win against Ruby (or her master).

[@SurjitShow]

I thought when the circle was broken a being from the pantheon came into the world as the old lady to give Ruby a message about who she really is.

[@LaDelaCraft]

The whole episode reminded me a little of Werewolf in London.

[@tobybricks1]

i wish it started with a scene in the tardis. We haven't had that much yet.

[@simonccraddock]

The butterfly question....Donna asked and answered this in fires of pompeii

[@wowewowlazer]

At the end of the episode when asked why people put flowers in front of the tardis and no one knows could this be in refrence to the 2023 specials where the doctor talks about what could happen when the tardis leaves when the hads kick in

[@allisonhellothere]

The American accent out of nowhere is jarring, even as an American myself 😅

[@Happymama12]

I didn’t even notice it 😂😂 like I switch between British tv and American tv so often I just translate accents, as long as it’s English I do not notice unless I’m listening for it lol

[@StalxD]

I am on the same ranking list as Mick has

[@SheSaidWhat1101]

I know you haven’t done it yet, but I have to say this before I forget: the beginning of Dot and Bubble, when she’s speaking to Ruby, and she says they work for do the content to send to the Home world, didn’t that feel a Satellite Five feeling of the ninth Doctor in The Long Game, yeah? Recycling a story, just jumbling the pieces? And the addition of the Police not able to be reached, the tenth Doctor, Gridlock, yeah?

[@Rocksteady72a]

The multiverse suggestion is interesting around 22:00. Like, that would actually go a long ways to explaining why each appearance of this Doctor has a completely different look. Then the other part of me screams "please no more multiverse stuff"

[@crunchysalmons]

after watching the first time i sat there thinking "what just happened, what was she saying to the people, what were the hand gestures, ect. I was confused and intrigued and just assumed there was some Welsh myth i didnt know about that would be a clear allegory for the episode and explain it all or something like that. Turns out we dont have many of the answers i wanted but also it kinda just seems like i was overthinking it and she just used time powers to prevent a mistake? So prob a combination of me wanting more complexity but also not understanding what type of creature Ruby is quite yet because we will prob learn in the finale and she will prob have time powers? Right? no? idk good on Ruby for befriending her curse either way

[@througtonsheirs_doctorwhol5914]

@18:00 Ap williams is dead. The doctor didn't step. So he didnt revive Ap williams. The first time yes. But old Ruby told young ruby not to, so it solved it! The future where Ap williams comes back was felt by the doctor. But he didnt know it was cuz he stepped on the strand that it happened in the first place. Now saved by Both rubies, the doctor didnt trigger the resurerction of Mad Jack Ap Williams. No danger, he cannot be president while dead.

[@doorofnight87]

Ruby (and Millie) makes me feel very old (and occasionally that I need to go find a confessional or something, even though I am decidedly not religious, because on several occasions I have had the thought that she is a very attractive woman. . .and then I remember that when filming this she was 18, LITERALLY half the age I am watching it.)

[@barbdec24]

Guys, guys. 40 is exactly what she looks like. 40 isn't decrepid.

[@billkerns9258]

Try saying this to many people age 25 and under.

[@judithstrachan9399]

True. I remember my brother saying he thought 30 was the end of the world. He was about 17 at the time.

[@Bored_Barbarian]

Overall, like 7/10. I wish the ending had a proper explanation/

[@Deliverance253]

I felt the same at first, but now I think it's gonna be a puzzle piece to the puzzle that is ruby. So in that sense I'm excited.

[@Bored_Barbarian]

@@Deliverance253 I mean, if they pay it off and explain then cool, but if not, then oof.

[@bennettnez4711]

​@@Deliverance253agreed. If they have a reveal at the end of the season or something that adds any context to this episode after the fact, it will easily jump up a point or two in score for me

[@mjgilbert5475]

Wow, not me! What explanation could have been satisfying?!

[@bennettnez4711]

@mjgilbert5475 ambiguity can be used effectively, but when overused, it just doesn't work. The idea of leaving something up to the viewer is cool sparingly, but none of us are as good at writing TV as RTD is. So, leaving millions of viewers that are less creative than him to make up the answers to 50% of the episode, you are going to end up with disappointment. Most people simply can't fill in the blanks as well as he could. This is why that tool needs to be used very sparingly. He could have explained the time loop, or if anything was actually changed, or what line could have possibly caused both Roger Ap Gwilliams AND Carla to run for the hills and/or abandon their child. Any of those would have been fine. Leaving all of them open reminds me of the parts of Lost that made people upset.

[@RisingStill]

As a Welsh person, I have a theory on Roger ap Gwilliam; the Welsh word for fairies is Tylwyth Teg. One of the first appearances of that name in Welsh history is by a Welsh poet named Dafydd ap Gwilym. "Dafydd" being the Welsh form of 'David', "Ap" meaning "son of", and Gwilym is pronounced almost as Gwilliam! (It would be more like Gwillim or Gwillam, but I think Russell T. Davies would add the 'iam" to throw people off a bit) It's a poem about a man who gets lost in the woods and encounters the fairy folk. In Welsh legend, there are many different types of Welsh fairies, some of which are fearsome and will replace humans with fairies, most often replacing babies with fairy babies, but in some tales they make themselves into men and women, and princes. I think Roger ap Gwilliam is one of the Tylwyth Teg (fairy folk) and it is his plan to destroy mankind so that they can rule, or something like that... I'm pretty convinced that must be it, especially because the whole series has talked about the supernatural being the underlying theme of this story arch...

[@bahbus]

Love the commentary. But where did you get that LV 426 shirt???