Doctor Who Finally Explains The Truth Behind THAT Cameo

A mysterious incarnation of the Doctor just appeared in Doctor Who. But why? And does it mean anything? Answers have now been revealed!
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0:00 Intro
0:39 New Rogue cameo details
5:32 RTD talks 73 Yards explanation
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[@harveyburton7]

I'm pretty sure Russel is waiting for somebody to come up with a great theory that everybody agrees on and love, then goes. Yep, that was definitely what i was going for.

[@elliesteele2027]

Ah yes, the Scott Cawthon approach to writing.

[@kristopherbishop5535]

I blame the Toymaker. "I made a jigsaw puzzle of your past. Did you like it?"

[@mpsorrentino]

Which is the Doctor's own fault for invoking superstition at the edge of the universe allowing the Toymaker to rewrite reality.

[@chrisdiokno5600]

Plus, there is the fact that in-between Doctors were first referenced in a seventh Doctor story

[@kristopherbishop5535]

@@chrisdiokno5600 Which one?

[@chrisdiokno5600]

@@kristopherbishop5535 I can't recall the name, but the villain was like, looking into the Doctor's life directly. We see 7 and his previous incarnations yes. However, we also see other, seemingly other Doctors, inbetween some of them, and even one or two prior to Hartnell. It's believed to be part of the Cartmel Master Plan by fans, which revealed the Doctor may have been A. Training Ace to be a Time Lord, who would revolutionize Gallifrey, but also B. Was a Loom Clone of The Other, the mysterious third founder of Gallifrey

[@ianstonebridge7324]

That coupled with the timeless child, mean that the "regeneration reset" of the number of regenerations, of smith/capaldi could have been just a ruse by the timelords to maintain the appearance that the doctor only had a limited run of regenerations. And that there is a chameleon arch used by the division to bury the memories of the doctor pre hartnell

[@Theoneandonlydramaqueen.]

Russell saying "Oh, I know, but I won't say ✌️" is giving "I have no clue, and I'm just waiting for a fan to come up with a better excuse"

[@MrSmileyFaceGames]

I got the vibe that the majority of this season RTD didn't really know what he wanted to do with the stories he wrote. It's not a good sign when the 2 episodes not written by RTD end up being the ones I like the most because you can actually follow the plot of those two episodes.

[@rudeboyjohn3483]

How dare you call out us Dungeon Masters like that

[@Tasorius]

Is the aggravatingly incomplete "it's giving [...]" (without saying "vibes" at the end) a new thing? I've only seen or heard it this year...

[@arto1473]

My problem with the idea of the Fugitive Doctor being Pre-Hartnell is that she has the TARDIS that he stole. It wasn't a police box before that. It was when he took it to earth in 1963 that the chameleon circuit got stuck

[@CraigXJ87]

For me the Fugitive Doctor fits best between 2 and 3. 2 gets put on trial and before being exiled is forced to work for Division, ultimately regenerating into Ruth before finally being forced regenerated into 3 after having the memories of division wiped.

[@CaritasGothKaraoke]

You’re seriously complaining about things happening in the wrong order for a sentient time machine that specifically once mentioned it gets confused between “goodbye” and “hello” and exists outside of time itself and that’s how it works?

[@arto1473]

@@CaritasGothKaraoke not complaining, just trying to work it out like everyone else. This was just a response to a comment in the video.

[@Smakka13420]

The TARDIS has a perception filter, so my head cannon is, (& this is going off what the TARDIS said to 11 in The Doctor’s Wife, that she had indexed future console rooms, because she’s a literal time machine), the TARDIS recognised 13 as a future incarnation of The Doctor & used the perception filter to display itself as the TARDIS she knows, the police box, where it’s more likely it was actually disguised as a coffin, because it’s Chameleon Circuit would’ve still been intact. It’s the only way to make it make sense, because if we add her in-between 2 & 3, then technically, 10two would’ve been the one not being able to regenerate, & not 11.

[@BronieZandermon]

Respectfully, Ive never understood why thats an issue, to me it seems that the Fugitive Dr was given a brand new type 40 tardis fresh off the line while working for Division. At some point its chameleon circuit broke leaving it stuck as a police box [just as we always believed happened to Hartnel] Later after she "retired" the now decrepit type 40 is stored in the museum/repair yard, what have you, given minor/partial restoration and is left to rot, until William Hartnel arrives to steal a Tardis. A Galifreyan incarnation of Clara told the doctor which Tardis to take, [perhaps this Clara had discovered something about his past] and off he goes in his new/old Tardis, which remembers him and takes the first opportunity to become the doctors old favorite shape, the police box, and sabotage its own chameleon circuit to keep that form.

[@bretth342]

The other thing we have to remember is that Ruby is coming back next season. It's entirely possible we get these answers in such a way where it's obvious looking back

[@magnusgreel275]

Hopefully, but then he should have signalled that a lot better in this past season. Leaving your audience with unsatisfactory answers, and then not hinting there's more, is a strategy that will lose viewers.

[@Char10tti3]

I kept hearing that there was another actress who was recording and there were a lot of articles about how hard series 14 was because Millie allegedly was hard to work with because of night shoots. I think a few people think it was the BBC sewing seeds for the public to turn against her (like Eccleston).

[@grugs6801]

I think that the TARDIS got attached to Ruby when the Doctor broke the fairy circle. One bit of superstition on fairy circles is they can trap people who disturb them as well as create chaos and since the Doctor invoked supersition it became true. The woman was 73 yards away because she was a part of the TARDIS' perception filter, and it took 67 years (yes i know she said 65 years she hasnt been alone, but she was 89 at that point and could easily just not have been being specific) for the TARDIS synchronize with her and close the distance (73 yards being 67 meters hence 67). What people heard the woman say was what old Ruby said at the end of the episode "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. And look at me, I was so young. Ruby make sure he doesn't step any closer. Please you can't let him step. Don't step. Don't step. Don't step." possibly with the perception filter also causing them to see Ruby as the old woman. Alternatively the old woman could have been pointing out Sutek being wrapped around Ruby and talking about him, but I feel a bit less confident in that.

[@2001Crews]

also the other big element about Inception's ending is that it doesn't necessarily matter what the real answer is because its about his arc, he doesnt NEED the answer because hes moved on to caring about his children again theres nothing Ruby gains from her arc that outweighs the mystery, she just forgets not to mention the entire episode was demanding you engage in the mystery until they just decided it didnt matter and that you the viewer are wrong for wanting that answer: same with Ruby's mom I don't care if her mom is just some woman, the question is why do these impossible things happen around Ruby

[@Vobatho]

This entire season gave me Lost the tv show vibes. Questions that never led to answers because the writers dug themselves into a hole they couldn’t write themselves out of. I think you said it beautiful with the Inception comparison and treading the line carefully of the audience’s good will. ❤

[@hostile_1866]

Most of Lost was actually answered though, you just had to connect the dots a little more.

[@alfredvickers4054]

You clearly didn't actually watch Lost, because its mysteries, both major and minor, were given substantive answers. The whole story made sense in the end, unlike this 2nd RTD era of modern Doctor Who. He used to care about storytelling, but not anymore.

[@grahamcann1761]

Thank you for referencing "The War Doctor" on (Sir) John Hurt's Birthday (R.I.P.). I still have mixed feelings on The Doctor being more than 'just' a Gallifrean, but I appreciate more multiple Doctors And I love a few unanswered questions, except when they lead to someone else down the road giving an answer. As always, thank you all so very much for the videos.

[@tgiacin435]

I still go with the Master lied about the timeless child being the Doctor. How did they remove the kid’s ability to regenerate when he became the first incarnation? Time lords get their second heart after the first regeneration

[@arthemis1039]

@@tgiacin435 They used a fob watch to turn him into a Gallifreyan, that is explained in the Timeless Children episode. That was the story of Bran, the Doc would work for division for a number of incarnation, but every time he became to nosy they would use the watch to turn him into a gallyfreyan.

[@bitchenboutique6953]

I’m a little bit mad that RTD didn’t just say “it’s because of the Blinovich Limitation Effect” and then create a diversion and run away. Because that’s Doctor Who.

[@kisassa]

I have a few theories about 73 yards based on empire of death. The first is that breaking the fairy cyrcle deleted the doctor out of the timeline, so he couldn't fight the prome minister (in the finale he said that he helped depose him). The second is basicaly two, without the Doctor stearing the Tardis in the fairy-timeline Suthek moved to the only other being nearby that has traveled throu time and created a perception filter around Ruby to hide himself. We know throu dialog in empire of death that the perception filter is 74 yard in radius so the people talking with old Ruby where probably able to see Suthek in Rubys place which made them run in fear. And third is that the Tardis was not comleatly dead and a part of her was able to follow Suthek to Ruby and created a possibility for old Ruby to influence the past throu the use of the perception filter. She basicaly created a sapient illusion with the mind of old Ruby. And I think four old Ruby the timeline moved backward and was more wibbily wobbly and probably all those years just in a few seconds but for everyone else it looked like the woman was stuck in some kind of loop.

[@Ballissle]

I can definitely see it having something to do with sutekh. Maybe you are on the right lines here. But the lines are very blurry.

[@kisassa]

@@Ballissle We have to admit that the whole episode is kinda blury and I find it sad that it seams that we need Infos from other episode to even atempt to solve this single stand-alone episode.

[@CayceLauder]

“What’s going on is actually very obvious” “I’ve not seen anyone guess what’s actually going on” Well it’s not very obvious then is it, Russell? A mystery box is only satisfying if it actually has something inside when you open it up. If it’s completely empty then your audience just feels robbed.

[@koshnaranek4442]

Re: Non-recognition of the Fugitive Doctor. The Fugitive Doctor (FD) was one of The Division Doctors so 13's memory would have been wiped. Also, since The Division work was in 13's past, The FD would not know 13 since 13 was in the FD's future.

[@adrianbruce2963]

I've always assumed that the Doctor's mind was wiped - logically immediately before they regenerated into "Hartnell", so I've never had a problem with non recognition. As for the TARDIS, well, she stacked the deck to join up with the "Doctor" again by invoking the Clara splinter.

[@Carlostheloving]

It does seem that either the old ruby or young ruby has the tardis bubble surrounding them that the other cant get any closer, the biggest flaw in 73 yards is that you have a paradox at the end ruby wasn't left alone, she didn't live her life without the doctor and she didn't stop the worst prime minister. There wasn't a reason why the paradox happened, what stopped the fairy circle being broken, how did ruby remember being in Wales when she just erased that from happening. It felt like 73 yards was a set up for 1. Ruby knowing that the tardis shield was 73 yards and that the way to find ruby's mother was with the DNA records which needed the prime minister to still be bad and ruby not stop him.

[@Domihork]

I do like the theory that 73 yards was the TARDIS using Ruby to fight against Sutekh. TARDIS created the 73 yards paradox because she knew that Ruby will need to have memories of the Prime Minister to be able to recall him in the MemoRDIS.

[@OliverSmithson-ir9fi]

I think it's a time loop as Ruby remembers being the 73 yards woman

[@Carlostheloving]

@@OliverSmithson-ir9fi the loop was broken when the fairy ring wasn't broken. But ruby kept remnants of that time line likely when saw the 73 yards ruby the tardis sent a psychic connection to keep ruby's knowledge of that time line while moving in a different time line.

[@AFCManUk]

I really want the Fugitive Doctor to come back. Jo Martin absolutely smashed it in her portrayal of The Doctor.

[@CraigXJ87]

Agreed.

[@DaddyStoat]

Supposedly there are "plans" to bring her back somehow - was in the news a few days back. Chibbers has an episode in the next series and apparently the Timeless Child stuff will revisited, so maybe that'll be the episode we see her in.

[@jonesnori]

She was amazing. I want to see her again, too.

[@jonnythegamemaster]

Remember that they broke the fairy circle and read out the notes, annoying the fairies. I think Ruby was put in a version of purgatory where she had to live through her worst nightmare before they sent her back to fix the mistake.

[@susanleslie6178]

@@jonnythegamemaster That's my interpretation too. Magic doesn't need a logical explanation.

[@soonerproud]

Richard E Grant also played Classic Loki in Loki season 1. Marvel couldn't have found a better fit for a variant of Loki,

[@A4Kelly]

This makes me love it even more that he returned in the episode penned by Kate Herron who was the showrunner for season 1 of Loki

[@sandal_thong8631]

Richard E. Grant was also in _Dispatches from Elsewhere_ which was really intriguing but had a really rotten, unsatisfying ending. The last episode (or two) was terrible and I wished I hadn't watched it.

[@LenHazell]

Try this idea. Perception filters work for a 66.7m (actually if you round down instead of round up it is closer to 66.6m) which means that both Ruby and the old woman can both see and be aware of each other even if either of the is wearing one. However, when anyone is "Close" in any sense of the word, to Ruby if she is subject to a perception filter, that person CANNOT fully perceive her, only be superficially aware of her. When they are with the old woman however and look back, they can see Ruby as she truly is, and what she truly is they find terrifying. All the old woman has time to do and say is "Look at her" and doing that utterly traumatizes the viewer. "Ask her" is all they will say All Ruby sees when viewing the old woman outside the perception filter is, a harmless old woman. It is Ruby who frightens Gwilliam, her mother, Kate's soldiers, NOT the old woman. Ruby uses this power, with knowing what it is to save the world from Gwilliam, but it does not go away, because she is who she is and what she is. The old woman stays with Ruby for her entire life, just to stop her from being alone because she is the one person NOT frightened by Ruby's true self, even when seen outside of her perception filter. No one, not even the gods can see Ruby for who she is, even technology is shrouded for knowing her, even magic, unless they are more than 66.6 metres away, because she must be protected from discovery and this very attribute is what saves the universe from Sutekh for the sake his obsessive curiosity about her. This of course following the Egyptian theme of the Sutekh story tells us who Ruby is, she is the Veiled goddess whose face must never be seen, the only Osirian the god of death and destruction fears, she who to look upon her face brings madness, the god with rubies for eyes, the great Mother ISIS. All the stuff with Ruby's "real" mother is a lie, made up by the doctor to stop her from seeking (Rule number one sweetie, the doctor lies!" , when Sutekh let go of the rope if is because he saw Ruby for who she really is, which is why she could call him the "great big god of nothing" and literally put him on a leash. Among other things, Isis is the god of time, an attribute she passes on to her son Thoth. Ruby is the older sister of Set aka Sutekh, the second born of Nut and Geb the sky and the earth and the Mother of Horus, the god who sealed Sutekh in the Pyramid of Mars all those eons ago.

[@ArakkoaChronicles]

When do we get Peter Cushing face cameo, eh?

[@sandrasaunders8777]

Davies taunting us that we should know or isn't going to give us an explanation just reminds me of Sherlock when we never got the real answer to how Sherlock's death scene was pulled off. Moffat claimed it was all there in front of us, but it really wasn't and then when the series returned with Sherlock still alive, we get these half-assed scenes that were clearly based on fan theories, but none of them were the actual answer. He was laughing at us fans, and we ended up angry about it because it felt like he was laughing because we're stupid. That's no way to treat your fans. Davies risks doing the same thing with DW if he continues down this road. A mystery is one thing, but never giving us some answers just leaves us feeling used. There are parts of 73 Yards that don't need an answer and can remain a mystery, but there's other aspects that really should get solved and not leave us hanging.

[@TheChaosLupin]

I couldn't agree more. After the Sherlock stunt many people quit the show and the quality in writing dropped too. I stayed until the silly Magnussen episode but my faith was already lost. RTD is going the same route. At this time I couldnt care the less about the Mrs. Flood mystery and I'm done with the show. I ignored all the red flags of the season and the awful confrontational attitude towards the audience by RTD, but exploiting the audience curiosity and naiveté without a real and satisfactory payoff is inexcusable, considering his stellar career in TV.

[@adrianbruce2963]

Different people will have different needs for completion. I don't remember any significant issue at all with Sherlock's not-death for me. The business about S's sister at the end is a different matter - Sherlock was supposed to have read the gravestones to find Watson - but those stones had been there for years. It's impossible for those stones to be relevant to Watson. The 73 Yards questions are unanswered rather than impossibilities, so I'm less concerned.

[@thebobbrom7176]

100% Agree The thing is it's like a Boy That Cried Wolf situation You put these things in and go "Oh that doesn't matter" and "Why do you care it's only a TV Show" And sooner or later people will just agree with you and stop caring. I watch Doctor Who for good stories. If I get just teases for good stories then laughed at I'm just going to stop watching

[@sammysamlovescats]

"It's actually very clear what's going on" ........no????

[@daidai8129]

Honestly I think I get where Russell was coming from with 73 yards. Kate basically explained the entire phenomenon herself. It was a seperate timeline. A whole “What If?…”. The Ruby we saw in the timeline never existed because the timeline never came to be due to them never messing with the Circle after all. Why was that figure so scary? Perception filter is my guess.

[@Dave-VK5PL]

In the Finale when the Doctor, Ruby and Mel are in the Memory Tardis the Doctor tells them about the perception filter being 66.7 metres and Ruby says 73 yards. The Doctor asks "how did you know that?" shes says "I don't know" but she has watched herself in an alternate timeline in 73 Yards and learns enough to warn the Doctor not to step on the Fairy Ring. It is an alternate timeline just for Ruby, as the Doctor is not there and the Tardis & Ruby are surrounded by the perception filter.

[@EskoBomb]

3:27 Ellie one thing you can consider though is that just because the Doctor is the timeless child doesn't mean he isn't a Time Lord. He just isn't of Gallifreyan blood. If I recall correctly not all Gallifreyans can regenerate. I can't source that for certain I just remember it coming up at some point. My point is, a Time Lord is bestowed regenerations when they graduate to Time Lord status. And since the doctor is the source of all regenerations I would say that he is the source of the Time Lords

[@Croftice1]

Becoming a Time Lord after graduation was the ruse actually. They were born ever since Tecteun cracked the child's DNA. But the point still stands. Not every Gallifreyan is born a Time Lord, just some are (at first selected by the first ones, who altered their own DNA, so Rassilon, Omega, Tecteun and who knows, who else), but there were still Shobogans born without the ability to regenerate. So there were two "races" on Gallifrey, the non-regenerative Shobogans, and the former Shobogans, who became Time Lords. Both still had children, so both "races" existed alongside each other on the planet's surface. About the child/Doctor, yes, he/she is the source of regeneration, which makes them the original Time Lord, even if not born on Gallifrey. So the Doctor is a Time Lord, just not a native Gallifreyan. Not all Gallifreyans are Time Lords, but all Time Lords are Gallifreyan, except the Doctor, who was adopted.

[@SariaSchala]

With 73 Yards, I thought Roger ap Gwilliam was a wicked fairy (Mad Jack). Now that I've seen him in Empire of Death I revise my theory: in the 73 Yards timeline, Mad Jack (the fairy) was released from the circle and possessed Roger (who was already a bad man and may have been willing), and proceeded to plot humanity's nuclear doom just because that's what the Unseelie Court does; they want to ruin the lives of everyone. Perhaps the Pantheon of Discord are also of the Unseelie Court.

[@skinnysnorlax9356]

I like this idea! Bring on the scary fairies, RTD!!!

[@mikeinhouston8181]

RTD and the Scary Fairies… an 80’s cover band?

[@2001Crews]

okay but the War Doctor doesn't bring in that question they took SUCH GREAT CARE to seal that gap it created, we see him regenerate from McGann and into Eccleston, that's my major gripe with this Timeless Child and Shalka Doctor thing, theres no care about finding a home for it in canon, its just THROWN IN and reeks of even more disrespect than ignoring the extra canon to me

[@jcasali3391]

i agree the war doctor made sense cause he bridged the gap between Paul McGann and Christopher Eccleston aka the classic and new who series the rest have no place in the timeline

[@maskmaker6374]

They even explained why he was "forgotten". Im glad people are not bringing up the Valeyard because that too had an explaination. Its going backwards that is causing all the issues they should have just said the Doctor was the reincarnation of the Other and the lives they are remembering are lives they lived as the Other before the Other died and it's essence was scattered. I mean there is a whole Big Finish book that they could have cleanly pulled from.

[@alexanderrobertson9297]

Exactly the war doctor fits in the story the others don’t. But worse they don’t even bother to explain why.

[@davidponseigo8811]

I don't think Russell T. Davies has a clue about 73 Yards, he just doesn't want us to know he doesn't know !

[@ade1665]

Hi Ellie- so, I have rewatched 73 yards (which was my least favourite episode on 1st watch)- I still have the same issue, I think it's a collection of set pieces without any actual story linking them together. If anyone can show/tell me what I'm missing with this episode great, but it just doesn't work as a story for me

[@ospero7681]

Same here. It's one thing to base a story on a mystery that doesn't get explained - Davies himself did that with "Midnight". But that's not what "73 Yards" did. "73 Yards" can't do the same thing "Midnight" did because it tried to link the mystery directly to the protagonist of the story at the end, and that's where suspension of disbelief shattered for me. It doesn't leave the mystery unexplained - it gives just enough info to pull the rug out from under the entire story. Also, Davies going "it's actually very clear what's going on"? Yeah, sorry, calling complete and total BS on that. If no one has managed to find a satisfying explanation for what's going on in the episode, that means one of two things: either the Doctor Who audience is completely stupid, or the episode simply doesn't give us enough information to figure it out. I *know* the former isn't true, so where does that leave us, Mr. Davies?

[@sandal_thong8631]

One of the first things I was thinking was that she was trying to use some kind of sign language to communicate. Second it's just a hologram on repeat. Then we wondered what it could possibly say to make people run away screaming and not coming back or answering. I think someone in a behind-the-scenes episode said Fairies were punishing Ruby for breaking the circle (though didn't the Doctor do it?), and until she served her penance, the timeline wouldn't be restored. But it still doesn't explain the woman who is supposed to be Ruby as an old lady, (or a copy of Ruby) and why it made people leave going mad. Couldn't she have set up some TV cameras and microphones or something to communicate with this thing herself? You'd think she would have tried different things over 40 odd years, even going inside a dome or something where there was no sound, except the two of them, and learned sign or gesture language? So that's two bad episodes, with the other being "Dot and Bubble" which didn't make any sense for the A.I. to have created monsters to eat people (if that's what really happened) when it could kill them, by the dot or walking people off a cliff or building. And it looked like the creatures could eat people out of order if someone got too close. And really, no one on Homeworld would notice, either? There were supposed to be a thousand more people from Q-Z still in the city. I guess the Doctor and Ruby decided they weren't worth saving anymore.

[@Kleineganz]

Well, my interpretation of 73 yards is that the Woman is *not* older Ruby. I think she's a fae creature or spirit of some kind. One that's protecting that fairy circle, and the way she does this is by (somehow) remaining 73 yards away away and following a person throughout their life and then when the person dies, rewinding their life to just before they damaged the fairy circle, with just enough awareness to stop it from happening again. The one thing I haven't been able to work out are what the gestures she keeps repeating mean. They must have a meaning and I bet if we can work that out, it would clear up a big part of the mystery. Also, keep in mind that the big thread throughout this season is that the supernatural has been made real because of what happened in "Wild Blue Yonder."

[@golden_gloo]

Big Finish has no excuse now not to pick up Shalka for a boxset or two, I expect lots from this cameo.

[@owen_trammell629]

That may be the actual reason for including him. More Doctors = more £.

[@brianhogg358]

The old woman wasn't always Ruby: It was the Fae (I'm sure I'm spelling or referencing that incorrectly), who pulled her into her punishment for damaging the circle. The Fae watched her from a distance to see if she'd figure out what was going on. But Ruby doesn't figure it out, and thinks, wrongly, that stopping the PM is her task. It isn't until near the end of her life, when she goes back to Cardiff and sees people leaving the same kind of notes and trinkets on the TARDIS that were left on the Fairy circle, that she realizes why everything had happened to her. The scene after she realizes it, the Fae approaches her, then sends her back to right the wrong. The dialogue she says there, about it taking so long, was her apologizing to the Fae for not figuring it out earlier. Now, that doesn't explain why Ruby essentially rehabilitated in prison and then made to forget about the whole thing, and it leaves us with the issue of the otherwise clever companion being ... not clever ... but hey.

[@timrob12]

I personally feel that The Timeless Child story put the "who?" back into Doctor Who.

[@docishere1019]

When I saw 73 Yards I interpreted it like a Heaven Sent type episode, with what we saw being just one instance of much larger time loop. I also think that when Old Ruby travels back to the beginning of the loop she has no idea what is happening, like she may think she's just reliving her life from a 3rd person perspective.

[@sammysamlovescats]

"Well me, the writer, knows what it is so it's obvious" Has anyone tried explaining Theory of Mind to RTD?

[@scaroe89]

In terms of ruby traveling back in time when she dies...the god of death sutekh was on the tardis. So what if, the doctor and ruby broke the fairy circle cursing ruby and the doctor, and when ruby read those spells it caused the doctor to disappear, leaving the tardis and sutekh stranded. So sutekh created an avatar type thing to follow ruby and stay tethered to her tome line, but that tether was also cursed and couldn't be any closer then the 73 yard limit the perception filter allowed. When ruby died, that finally allowed sutekh to used a little of his power plus the tardis time travel ability to turn ruby's spirit into the tether and send her back in time far enough to distract past ruby enough to stop the doctor from being cursed. That way sutekh wouldn't be stranded and could finally figure out who ruby's mom was

[@TheChaosLupin]

That makes a lot of sense. Funny thing how some fans can even be more creative and imaginative than the showrunners.

[@nathanielh026]

Most solid theory I’ve heard so far

[@88rodrigo88]

9:02 The powers and the distance, from what I understood from that episode and the season finale, are derived from the Tardis. From that point on, I don't know how she got the Tardis's abilities, I feel like the chapter lacked a twist, I hope that at some point in the series they take it up again.

[@jd_music23]

They won't revisit it. You can tell from how the episode is written and how it's spoken about that RTD is happy with it being left how it is. I agree though with your theory of Ruby (or the woman as I'm still not convinced the woman is Ruby until the end) taking the TARDIS' powers in some way (i mean the effect at the end where the woman comes closer is basically the TARDIS materialising)

[@MTEllipsis]

I wonder if something is gonna happen to ruby that turns her part tardis or gives her time powers some other way... And it affects her back through her timeline somehow... So ruby's mom isn't special, but ruby will be... Her having powers to pull and push things through time could explain the snow and possibly even the 73 yards thing...

[@mattpreece6106]

For 73 yards, my guess is that its the perception filter of the Tardis which is later said to be 73 yards projected between Ruby and Sutekh. I think as its her death that is ever present it might have been made possible by Sutekh being on the Tardis. It still isnt explained enough but I think the explanation lies roughly there. Ruby/Sutekh death/perception filter.

[@WheelerKyle]

In Matt Smith's era, the 11th Doctor claims he's on his regeneration, being its 13th reincarnation; and we've already seen the 8th Doctor regenerate into the War Doctor, and later the War Doctor into the 9th. How would this "new" 9th Doctor fit in the established canon?

[@nrdscott]

I don't know when this become so prevalent but I truly feel as these days most people refuse to just trust their critical thinking and rely far too much on being handed information from directors and writers.

[@owen_trammell629]

I don't think people are complaining about not being handed information, they just want to reach the end of a story and have the ending make sense based on what came before it. That is critical thinking.

[@nrdscott]

@@owen_trammell629 I'm reading statements and even Ellie at times says things like "X or Y wasn't stated" which is literally asking to be handed information. Sometimes stories are meant to brew and steep in our minds for a while. No one at the BBC said the end of Season 1 was the end of the story. That incorrect assumption and expectation is self-generated. There's nothing wrong with that but that supports my point. Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action. Choosing not to form conclusions without having things spelled out for you is not critical thinking.

[@randallhubbard8131]

Ruby became caught in a tangent universe, like Donnie Darko. The old woman was the Frank the Bunny. She was her own displaced dead

[@tiger44ism]

73 Yards was a good creepy episode as it plays on my fear of losing the people close to me. Ellie mentioned a lot of my questions about the episode too appart from what the deal with "old Ruby's" repeated gang signs she was throwing out while standing there. So many in unanswered questions! Not obvious, not at all! 😭

[@ohheyitskmedia]

I forget where the behind the scenes that explains this was, but it was sign language, and she wasn't saying anything too prevalent. It was just something that looked interesting, so they went with it.

[@D.W.-tt4ng]

Maybe something will happen in an episode next season that will tie in and explain the mysteries.

[@richardwillison6841]

Don't forget about gravity/mavity

[@TheChaosLupin]

That wasn't given a proper conclusion neither. It meant that Donna altered the past (much like in "Father's Day") and nothing happened of real consequence. Also the salt trick in Wild Blue Yonder doesn't have a satisfactory payoff.

[@chrisj617]

Remember that Ruby is an orphan---a strange and inexplicable thing happened to her, and she's trying to make the best of it. In 73 Yards, another strange thing happens to her. She can't explain it, but she finds her own meaning and use for it. It's a simple but powerful character study. The actual mechanics of the fairy circle, the time loop, and the rest aren't explained because that's not the point. Honestly, 73 Yards feels more like a spiritual sequel to Turn Left than anything else---Donna's alternate reality without the Doctor, which she faintly remembered.

[@TVDUDRock]

RTD basically saying "Fuck knows what's going on, but I'm not going to tell you that!"

[@natty4bumpo]

I like the fact that what the Woman was actually saying to the people before they ran off in terror was, "Bless you, thank you so much. That's so kind of you when you gave me that little thing, it was so precious. How am I ever gonna repay you? But we'll think of something".

[@ianwiltshire-young4680]

The TARDIS “dies” when the Doctor disappears, or as I think it transfers itself to Ruby. The 73 yards is the Perception filter, which is manifested by the older Ruby. People run away due to the affect of the perception filter. When she dies she goes back to just before the point the Doctor vanishes due to the link to the TARDIS. That’s my take anyway 🤷🏻

[@amyroos]

It’s so clear, the entire freakin’ internet hasn’t figured it out?

[@xenosaga8436]

The Next episode "Dot and Bubble" also had an interesting premise that had no explanation for anything. Why were the giant slugs there killing people? Was the technology controlling them somehow? Why were they being killed in alphabetical order? How was the main girl able to figure out celebrity guy's real name? She had access to the same info the tech did. Seems like RTD just threw a bunch of random stuff together and is just claiming he had a plan all along.

[@wendyheatherwood]

Yes. The AI was controlling them and it was just killing everyone in its database in order. It's not that the AI didn't have access to Ricky's old name. It just wasn't looking into the details. All it needed to know was their position in the list and their current location, so had no reason to look deeper. Lindy made an argument that Ricky was in the wrong position on the list, the AI checked the information, considered it, agreed and killed him next.

[@xenosaga8436]

@@wendyheatherwood How were they controlling the slugs? They don't have dots. Why does it matter that they're killed in alphabetical order? It had to matter for some reason otherwise it wouldn't have stopped killing the girl to kill the guy. Why did it want to kill people in the first place? Presumably these were some of the dangerous lifeforms from the planet they're on, but then they were also on the the other planet with their parents.

[@Streifi]

@@xenosaga8436 I agree. Most of the plot elements felt incredibly random. Especially if the AI wanted to kill people, why not kill them right where they were? The dots were perfectly capable to do the job, even without the alien slugs or the alphabetical order. I feel the slugs were just there to be a misdirect, to make it look like an invasion or an outbreak of feral creatures and to set up the plot twist that they weren't the main threat after all. The alphabetical list felt like something that only existed to create tension. Also, if Sutekh created Lindy's mom to spread death in his name, why would he allow for the slugs and dots to kill off his harbinger? Or to turn it around, if the dots did such a good job exterminating life already, why have a Susan at all? The interesting plot point could have been that this one time the Doctor doesn't run into a Susan and would have to wonder why that may be. But no, we got one but she was of no utility for Sutekh.

[@OuroBoros_Games]

@@xenosaga8436 How were they controlling the slugs? Technology makes miracles. They invented slugs to follow orders. And also used Dots to kill the resistance. --- They don't have dots. Why they should need it? Dots are for humans to socialize and lifestyle. --- Why does it matter that they're killed in alphabetical order? Because they had a list so they don't miss anyone, having list in alphabetical order is a very human/intellignet-alien thing to do, so they were being killed by someone who prepared this and had the info of every human alive, the colony got attacked the last because no one could have access to it. It may explain why they used slugs and dots for the job, because this outside attacker could not get in. --- It had to matter for some reason otherwise it wouldn't have stopped killing the girl to kill the guy. The episode it propose this problem, and solve it saying they can change the list anytime, and they corrected it, it was a moment of tension because even if the AI/person was considering it, they didn't know which name would stick on the list, so as a viewer we didn't know who was going to be killed, the women or the men. --- Presumably these were some of the dangerous lifeforms from the planet they're on, but then they were also on the the other planet with their parents. It is true they said outside world is dangerous for people, maybe in the levels of australia, but it could be in the context this people are posh and not prepared to survive with the wild life, they say this to make the viewer expect slugs CAN BE the treath of the outside of the colony so later one reveal the twist and the reality is much worse, it was part of all mistery/plot of the episode. --- The real question is who was the attacker? We never get an answer, Doctor would make sure human specie would survive at least looking in the tardis if they made it, so after this slugs incident we can assume the attacker or was dead, or they left without checking. If it was dead, it is likely that it was someone from Earth where everyone is alredy dead beacuse they set it is impossible to hack the system, so the most logical conclusion is that someone who had acces to the net of the colony did it, but we don't have any proof.

[@sandal_thong8631]

Yeah, that one was really messed up. I was thinking they were like snakes going to an island where birds had no instincts what to do about them, so they just crawl along a branch gobbling them up one after another. I thought somehow the A.I. was corrupted or taken over by these beings so it couldn't see them. But once it was decided that the A.I. was responsible for bringing them, the show doesn't work. If the slugs were created as GMOs or something, that's a lot of wasted effort. Also, once all the people were dead, what would they eat? But they then said a dot could kill a person, so the slugs weren't even necessary. Heck, even if a dot couldn't kill a person, the A.I. could walk people off a cliff or into an elevator shaft and be done with them. Stupid episode. Looks like someone doesn't want to question the logic of an episode because of who wrote it. Maybe it will be revisited and we find a malevolent presence interfered with the A.I. to get these creatures there and on Homeworld and eat people in alphabetical order just for his amusement? Or is that what the series finale said: that he sent his Harbinger to worlds where he was going to unleash death?

[@CaritasGothKaraoke]

The only part of 73 Yards that bothered me was that Roger ap Gwilliam resigned. I don’t understand why he would resign. Everybody else just hated Ruby. Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, for instance, didn’t quit being head of UNIT. She just hated Ruby. Ruby’s mum didn’t move to the Netherlands. She just hated Ruby and locked her out. But for some reason, Roger ap Gwilliam resigned as PM. It didn’t align with what anyone else did. Sure, I can accept that. But Ruby knew that that would work. She should have only thought “I can make him run away, maybe be a big embarrassed on telly.”

[@susanleslie6178]

She was part of the election staff. Maybe the fear and hatred transferred to the very idea of the election.

[@Rutanachan]

I think it was also implied enough that with his outburst of fear, he basically ruined his career and chances, so he was forced to resign. That, or the Fae/figure just showed everyone their biggest nightmare, and that made him resign to get away from whatever he saw/heard

[@FuriosDevil]

Moffat affected all of them. He is 73 yards away, whispering "Don't bother to explain it to audience, it just happened, just blame timey-wimey and keep on"

[@CraigXJ87]

For me "The Fugitive Doctor" fits best as being between the Second and Third Doctors. 'The Two Doctors' suggests that the Second Doctor worked with/for the Time Lords for a time before his forced regeneration and exile as the Third Doctor. Plus the Fugitive Doctor's TARDIS appears to fit in to that era as well.

[@mattwaltersfilm]

Lazy writing, that's it. When this episode started I was so onboard and loving things (especially the bit in the pub), but the lazy wrap-up explained away by 'oh it's just part of the supernatural/folklore' theme of the season is beyond frustrating. Feel like RTD2 is just using that as a crutch in the writers room and an excuse not to explain things this season.

[@Streifi]

I felt the same. The stories felt a bit lackluster and random because of that. Random stuff happens. Why? No need to explain, random stuff simply happens. "Let the audience figure it out" feels like an excuse for not having a good reason and resolution behind it all, especially if the story gave no hints or any way for the audience to figure out and to explain what might be going on.

[@CaritasGothKaraoke]

Let’s see you do better (though no, I don’t want to read your fanfic). “RTD2”? You do realise he’s the same RTD still. He’s not a transporter clone or anything.

[@daymienbunao2763]

In my own headcanon I still see the Fugitive Doctor as an incarnation between 2 and 3. I could squeeze an infinite amount of Doctors between 2 and 3. Shalka included

[@SomeUniqueHandle]

I figured this version of Ruby was something like a time shadow since she created a paradox. She's always 73 yards away because she's tied to the Tardis' perception filter.

[@nate2d2]

Good analysis and critique of 73 yards. The Inception and Midnight comparisons was a good way to put it into perspective. I do feel we need more information.

[@sir-mass3909]

Personally I thought the 73 yards story was obvious. Its all the Fae. The Doctor and Ruby disrupted the Fae, and the Fae are vengful tricksters. The Fae messed with Ruby out of revenge and for fun. They used her old self to torture her, making anyone who went near her old self to run away and never wanna see Ruby again. Thats why old Ruby is 73 yards away, because thats how far away the tape is from the church, and why shes blurry, because the tape was also blurry from the snow. The Far were torturing both old and young Ruby by using old Ruby to scare away anyone who Ruby could connect with, because they were exploiting her fears of losing her connections, because of her fear of not having a family. And thats why old Ruby went back in time, because the Fae were doing it, sending her back in time to torment her past self. To isolate both of them. So, thats what I believe. That this has nothing to do with the TARDIS or Sutekh or the Doctor, its just the Fae.

[@ryanpetty8843]

I feel it’s worth mentioning that The Doctor said in either Legend of Ruby Sunday or Empire of Death, that the range of the TARDIS perception filter is 73 yards. Not sure what the connection is, though.

[@niranjana7777]

For the cameo, I really think it's about the war doctor : 8th doctor drank the soup to choose his appearance for the next one, becomming the war doctor, but I think its DNA calculated to be Grant but was replaced. It really fit, above the fact that there are many incanations of the 9th in the whonivers, being the many choises and oportunities given by the soup splitted in other dimentions

[@chriscoombes6751]

I honestly just take the appearance of Richard E Grants Doctor as a kind of 'shout out' from Russel - don't believe they're going to do anything further with it, I feel the whole Timeless Child thing got a bit convoluted - The Fugitive Doctor having the Tardis stuck as a Police Box has caused great debate & argument among the fandom as to where she'd fit into the Doctors timeline, the Timeless Child arc itself caused controversy & a divide too... And I'm pretty sure given that the War Doctor bridged the gap between McGann & Eccleston, & that the Doctor supposedly can't remember these hidden incarnations (apart from Ruth having met her!) - yet somehow Rogues ship pulls this face out from scanning him? - the appearance of Grants face will do exactly the same! It's just one of those things that most likely won't ever get any kid of explanation, & we know there's plenty of those: you've already done a list!

[@Appl3P1cker777]

I agree with a lot of the other people here that 73 Yards was supposed to set up that Ruby has a perception filter on her, but I don't think it has anything to do with the TARDIS or Sutehk. I think that Ruby has had her own perception filter on her ever since she was born, and for some reason, the thing summoned by the breaking of the fairy circle couldn't cross its boundary. The reason Ruby has a perception filter on her? To make everyone and everything around her, including Ruby herself, think that she's human. I don't think anything we've learned about Ruby's identity or humanity is true at all, and it's all because of the perception filter. It's also why the Doctor's theory about all the stuff with the pointing and the snow doesn't work; it isn't meant to. He formed that whole string of theories around the "fact" that Ruby was human and hasn't figured out the inconsistencies of his own theory yet. This also explains what was scaring everyone away in 73 Yards. It wasn't the old woman, it was Ruby herself. In Empire of Death, when Ruby learns that a perception filter has a radius of 73 yards, the Doctor says that "people see weird things at 73 yards". I believe this was meant to mean that people aren't persuaded by the filter anymore right at that distance, and all the people who went to talk to the old woman or wound up near her were right at that distance. All those people also looked back at Ruby when talking to the woman, saw what Ruby truly was, and were terrified by it. If I had to say what she really is, it's either something tied to the Pantheon or something supernatural. Whatever she is, she has to be extremely powerful, and the thing that put the perception filter on Ruby doesn't want ANYONE or ANYTHING knowing or saying what she really is, and that's what the perception filter is for.

[@TeltStory]

This makes sense.

[@vze1nv918]

I appreciate your (and Sean's) explanations, in this case your explanation of why RTD's constant ambiguity is frustrating. Your lesson of how proper ambiguity still has certain rules is spot on.

[@tempvsfrangit3854]

Seems like it goes back to the first meeting of The Doctor(s); "If they regenerated into the next Doctor/actor, why does the revisited Doctor still age?" Like the road-not-taken and "branching" of timelines, certain things happened because of changes to The Past so a The Doctor just regenerated differently or at a different relative dimension, so Four did eventually retire from Doctoring and became a The Librarian. Though Jenny will always be Susan Foreman's mum.

[@tekoneiric]

I don't think 14/15 was the first bigeneration. I think that when the 2nd Doctor was forced to regenerate, it was a forced bigeneration. In addition to the 3rd Doctor, there was another split; likely the Shalka Doctor first then regenerating into the Fugitive Doctor who was likely caught, had a memory wipe then became the white figure that followed the 4th Doctor. Merging with him on his death.

[@timrob12]

Now it's only a matter of time before Rowan Atkinson's Doctor makes a cameo, I'm telling you.

[@kelaxuspokefan5726]

I hope that it means that we will understand more with info from future episodes

[@emullinsstreams]

This honestly reminds me of ASOUE and the prequel series All the Wrong Questions...so much mystery (mainly in the latter) with so little payoff and so few answers

[@johnwoolard4599]

My theory is she never left the TARDIS and 73 yards is the limit of the field around it so the time image of herself was always just on the edge of it. The events were a virtual reality of the TARDIS trying to give her information about Sutekh on it without letting it realize what information the TARDIS was giving information to her.

[@GTArajgaming]

First rule of who, everything official is canon. Second rule of who, multiverse theory and parallel worlds and timelines exist. RTD just leaned on the timeless child instead of saying " scream of the shalka doctor is the 9th doctor but from another timeline" plus it also goes to show that the cartmell masterplan would have worked since timeless child exists and chibs just basically pulled a " you can copy my homework but don't make it obvious"

[@bodhithemetahuman2531]

Now we just need a small postumous cameo of Peter Cushing's Doctor in the series.

[@Rasyr]

In regards to 73 Yards..... Perhaps, the whole "alternate timeline" was actually the doing of the Tardis. Since the Perception Filter only has a effective range of 73 Yards, and since the Tardis could not effectively influence the Doctor, it went after Ruby, which temporarily thrust her into a temporal bubble in which she lived out a version of her life, and then the "old lady" was simply a temporal echo bouncing back to the moment of its creation....

[@CallumMcPherson]

If RTD's "Doctorverse" is now a thing, maybe the Eighth Doctor bigenerated on Karn (creating the War Doctor) and then later regenerated again into the Shalka Doctor?

[@user-gi7yv8jm8c]

I think the informations to understand 73 Yards are not only in the episode. We have to look at the inspiration of RTD. Like What is a Fairy Circle in folkloric legends.

[@billivee]

I don’t mind confusion regarding the fairy circle, the time loop/ paradox ‘73 yards and the perception filter’ , rubys further involvement all seem to be linked. Potentially sutekh needed the doctor to come back without revealing himself? I hope there’s actually decent pay off at a later date

[@charlesmento5968]

How long before Joanna Lumely's 13th Doctor appears? SHE was the first Female Doctor from CURSE OF FATAL DEATH.

[@johnhmaloney]

73 Yards is a folk tale, not science fiction. It is under no obligation to make sense. Before the Grimm brothers came along, folk tales didn't have clear morals or even make that much sense. They were just stories about weird things that supposedly happened and that's what 73 Yards evokes. It's all about how Ruby acclimates and learns to make the most of the situation that she's stuck in. The whys don't really matter.

[@Sebastianraikkonen_actualname]

For 73 yards, maybe it's a case RTD knows it's nonsensical and this is just his cop out as he doesn't have an answer himself

[@lgarnes1]

Is it just me, or does the floating image of Richard E. Grant look like Bob Newhart?! The man himself really bears no resemblance, but for some reason, I keep seeing Newhart when Grant's face floats around! And the thought of that is hysterical to me!! LOL!

[@YoAuDHD]

As clunky as the Timeless Child arc was, my first thoughts seeing it was that it tied in Morbius as well as allowed for Peter Cushing's Doctor to be canon beyond Moffat's explanation of him being an in-universe TV show/book story. I think a lot of the Chibnall era was filled with a lot of interesting ideas that just weren't executed as well.

[@JonathonSwinney2814]

If Shalla Doctor is canon now, I hope like hell that means The Lumiat and The Valeyard can come back. Also, the very clear Doylist reason is 73 Yards was kind of a filler episode because Ncuti was filming other things at the time.

[@ballroomdru]

Ruby was living traveling backwards in time and existing at two places at the same time. Both things should break the Space Time Continuum.

[@OuroBoros_Games]

The thing with 73 yards is that what happens with Roger ap Gwilliam, they tell us he is like a ghost that got free after breaking the pixie magic seal, then Ruby of that timeline stop him, but in the last episode of Sutekh in empire of Death it is revealed that Roger ap Gwilliam was still being prime minister anyway, so he was set free by someone else? He was real all along? About what did happen to Ruby we don't have any information, it could be anything because suddendly magic exist, the only thing i can think is the space-time heaven that Bill Potts was dragged had something to do about, because the Ruby that was used, it was from the moment she "died"?.

[@EddieMcGee-te2dp]

I loved 73 yards and I loved that it makes us think and it’s mysterious

[@JoeNayDoh]

In an alternate universe similar to our own Steven Moffat used the Shalka Doctor for the 50th Anniversary instead of creating the War Doctor. Although that probably means The Great Intelligence wouldn't have been Richard E Grant either. At this point I'm just waiting for them to find a way to canonize Peter Cushing's Dr. Who into the lore.

[@zeak999]

In the finale episode the Doctor and Ruby said the perception filter on the TARDIS has a radius of 73 yd, that may be why she is always that far away and is always blurry. So old Ruby's time traveling powers must be from the TARDIS. No idea why she can make everyone run away or why the Doctor disappeared in the first place.

[@CliffsOfInsanity423]

73 Yards. The old woman is not old Ruby. When the old woman came for old Ruby in the hospital, the old woman was clearly taller than the actor who plays Ruby. Thought: at the end of the episode, when we see the old woman’s hands and hear Ruby’s voice…the old woman is death. She took Ruby back to that moment to see her younger self through the old woman’s (death’s) eyes.

[@RichiePootle]

In 73 Yards I think the Tardis perception filter kind of latched on to Ruby, and the old woman was a manifestation it created. When Ruby’s mum approached the woman she just described her as ‘she is what she is’ in a hypnotised voice. I don’t think the woman says anything specific, it’s just the listener ‘hearing’ whatever will keep them away from Ruby. But some things make no sense: Where did the Doctor go? How did Ruby project her voice back in time? If the timeline never happens and the events are never explained, why should viewers care about the episode?

[@shiroi201]

yes to everything you said about 73 yards! we don't even have the means to form our own conclusions which is more frustrating than anything. and the fact that russel even has thought about the answer and doesn't give any hints so we CAN solve it does not help at all!

[@alexhelm2]

I think Richard E Grant might appear in the future stories. There is a lot of potential for interesting ideas to introduce or re-introduce him.

[@yellowbird8690]

My interpretation of 73 Yards is that when The Doctor broke the string and Ruby read the message, this released a sprit of death. It needed someone's point of death to become physical. The Doctor don't have a point of death, so it took Ruby's. This then caused Ruby's life to be looped. The TARDIS, to protect young Ruby, used it Perception Field to push the vision 73 yards away. When people approached the old woman, they were given a vision of their death. Maybe the one in last episodes, and saw that Ruby was the cause.

[@theoldjedimindtrick]

Makes perfect sense to me… we also don’t know how our life will ever turn out, so I guess the blurred figure could be any future representation of self…?

[@froggiepie]

I really like the mystery of 73 yards, it puts us directly in Ruby’s shoes. We literally have no idea what’s going on and neither did she, but she still managed to live her life and eventually take advantage of the situation. I don’t think it needs to be explained, since it doesn’t really have any impact on the plot in the end.

[@johnsensebe3153]

What if the woman in "73 Yards" isn't Ruby at all, but a shadow of the Doctor, similar to the Watcher in "Logopolis"?

[@jordantanirau679]

The ending of sucker punch is a perfect example (in my opinion) of keeping the mystery but still leaving enough information for people to have discussions on how it ended

[@meewarwoowoo]

RE: 70odd Yards. Plot, the plot of a movie or TV show, is not a Sodoku Puzzle to be solved, it is an experience to be felt. I know that the prevailing culture hates this idea and wants a hard science in all narrative, but I'd suggest that when Teedavies (sic) says that he knows what it means but will not say what he is saying is that he knows what the narrative is saying. Because what 70ish Yards is about (in my estimation) is regret, and the idea of the things you will regret always being on the edge of understanding, and the idea of purpose. I imagine what he means when he says that he knows what it all means.

[@qienna6677]

Is it possible that the old woman was some sort of projection? It would explain why zooming in on a camera got blurry, if something is only a high enough quality to be seen at a distance (like a video made for older TV), you're not going to see anything better zooming in. It would also explain why Ruby couldn't get any closer. No idea what the woman says or anything to scare people away

[@dogfleetgallifrey5455]

First of all, Doctor Who is not the only franchise/show to have plot holes and if you understand this, then you know not to dig too deep in any storyline or story arc. The beauty of this tells us to accept it and go along for the ride. (Because, isn't that the reason that you are watching to begin with.) Everyone knows that every story wasn't great but there are some that are amazing. Showrunners have an almost impossible job where they try to mix in something new while trying to maintain continuity (or to present it as canon or not). Now for some example of plot holes or things that didn't make sense - 1) The earliest plot hole was how could the travelers understand the denizens of wherever/whenever they landed. This wasn't explained until Season 14. So sometimes we got an explanation at some point and sometimes we didn't. And that's where we are right now with "73 Yards". 2) "Underworld" in Season 15 stated that the Time Lords stopped interfering with others because of interaction with the Minyans but with "War Games" and "Genesis of the Daleks" the Time Lords specifically wanted to interfere. 3) "The Sontaran Experiment" had the Sontarans wanting to test Earth people. But at the time, there were no Earth people on the planet and had to lure humans just to come to the Earth. Basically the Sontarans could have invaded that part of the galaxy because parts of it were uninhabited. 4) "The Brain of Morbius" had Solon wanting The Doctor's head for the patchwork body for Morbius. The easiest thing would have been to just transplant Morbius' brain into The Doctor's body; but then how could The Doctor prevail and beat both Solon and Morbius if The Doctor was no longer The Doctor. 5) In regards to not remembering The Fugitive Doctor, the same can be said where The Fourth Doctor did not remember meeting the Mordee Expedition in "The Face of Evil". I could name other stories where things were not properly set up or explained, but I accept The Whoniverse with all its frailties and faults.

[@jesseszymcik3026]

73 Yards: when Ruby opens the notes, she activates the protection spell. The Doctor disappears when she opens the scrolls. Then she is scorned for having opened them. It plays out in her head. She breaks the spell by getting back when she and The Doctor arrive. The trap resets time just enough to help her save the trap and keep Gwilliam contained.

[@IncredibleTeamAidan]

To me, 73 yards felt like it was made purely so there would be a bit of context to the conclusion of Empire of Death.

[@azcomicgeek]

The Tardis said she had 35 versions of the control room even though the Doctor hasn't seen that many yet. The reason the Fugitive Doctor had a Police Box Tardis is because that was her favorite shape and she chose Hartnell's Doctor, he didn't choose one at random.

[@owen_trammell629]

But if Hartnell's Doctor stole his tardis, then Martin's tardis would have to be a completely different tardis, so that explanation doesn't work. And please don't do the writer's job and come up with some explanation like, Hartnell unknowingly chose the same tardis because he had a psychic connection, because that's not our job. Showrunners relying on fan fiction to erase their mistakes is lazy and stupid.

[@k012957]

Perhaps the Richard E Grant Doctor is actually Classic Loki?

[@mindortv8462]

The thing I dont like about timeless chiled is that before The Doctor was just a time lord that was special because he/she chose to do good but now he/she is just some super character that was born special and was always meant to be special

[@timothyweers8054]

Thinking back, there was a substory where it centered around a couple that found a baby, reported it, the baby was never claimed, they adopted the child, child grew up, became a policeman, had an unfortunate accident in which he survived without harm, retired as a policeman to have his memories removed by his father and Sargent. This seemed to coincidental why it would be done especially to a human. So it begs the question, was that the Doctor being mindwarped as the policeman?

[@CaritasGothKaraoke]

Uh, yes. They specifically said that was a perception filter over the memories inside the Matrix.