The FREAKIEST Episode Of Doctor Who - "73 Yards" Review

[@ChadBlevins]

Sometimes ambiguity is the point; here, it absolutely works!

[@ciaranirvine]

I see a lot of people online wondering about why the Doctor disappeared. He broke a fairy circle! Now doubtless you need to be up on your Celtic folklore to instinctively get that. But Celtic folklore is full of tales about the Bad Things that happen to people who mess with the Sidhe and their works. I just assumed he's been imprisoned by the Fae in their Otherworld for the transgression, which could also cause a soul-for-a-soul swap to release the spirit of Mad Jack (and in this case, splits the timeline). Maybe there was an in-episode explanation that got cut for time, pacing etc

[@rustytennakoon8661]

Or maybe it's a Russel T Davies story that has no rhyme, reason or logic.

[@CyberSlammer2024]

There isn't even a hint of what you are explaining. He literally just disappears we have no idea where he has gone. And it's never explained. Is he erased from the timeline? Is he dead? Does he go to another place or another dimension as you suggest? It seems this new era of Doctor Who explains everything away by saying it's magic of fairies. It's going to become very tiresome very very soon

[@edwardrizer8505]

@@CyberSlammer2024 “It seems this new era of Doctor Who explains everything away by saying it's magic of fairies.” Uh ya….thats the theme of the new run, the whole of reality has been changed by the Doctors actions at the edge of the universe, supernatural and magical phenomenon are taking over, it’s not SyFi anymore, it’s SyFantasy

[@CyberSlammer2024]

@@edwardrizer8505 which is why people are turning off. Might work for a season but beyond that I won't be interested. It's just nonsense being explained away as magic anyone can do that

[@WastedPo]

I don't understand the thinking that because the alternate timeline was erased (because Ruby fixed everything), then the episode was pointless. That's like saying that Back to the Future was pointless because Marty ended up fixing everything in the end.

[@treadingtheboards2875]

In all the reviews I've seen for this episode, the 40yo Ruby comments always pops up saying she doesn't look 40. I'm 79 and in my time I have seen people in their 40's and 50's who look years younger than people half their age. In a stage production I was working on, a 30 year old was cast to play a late teenager as she actually looked better than real teenagers that had auditioned for the role, the audience thought she actually was a teenager. So to me, a young looking 40 year old Ruby could actually exist.

[@ftumschk]

Same here. Maybe it's significant that most, if not all, of those who are bugged by 40-year old Ruby's appearance haven't yet reached 30, never mind 40. I'm nearly 60, and I've known plenty of people in their 40s who look far younger than their age. Indeed, I have a girlfriend who was asked for ID when she went to buy booze on her 40th birthday! She's quite short, which can't have helped, but she looked great nevertheless... and still does, nearly 20 years later.

[@Croshau]

It was OK but blink and turn left are way better

[@oathy03]

IMHO this episode is going to make her huge in America, she nailed the part and the story was good, RTD Busted! he said Susan Twist was basically an extra because she was around Ruby starts to twig this person she's seen before, Swansea Jack is Slang around here for people living and from Swansea like they call us Turks. I truly am baffled why so many creators are throwing shade at the show, Space Babies was a mistake opening but the pair are perfect, i love the chemistry and the acting for me is back to 2005 standards. One insane theory time "There's a hidden song inside her" Riversongs Daughter?

[@CyberSlammer2024]

Ruby is good but I must admit I find ncuti sadly

[@TheguynamedT]

this episode was basically donnie darko, am i the only one getting that? that movie was completely ruined for me by the explaination of the events, so i honestly am quite happy for it being completely up to interpretation

[@DsRelaxingSounds]

A bit more like S. Darko maybe. I didn’t make the connection personally, but you’re right it’s a bit similar.

[@stephaniepage4334]

Could ruby be doctor biological great granddaughter via Susan?

[@Thetoon25]

Still dont understand the following:? 1. Why did the doctor dissappear? Context is required to this and it cannot just be dismissed. Also the tardis locked. Again this is in conflict with turn left where it could be opened. 2. What was the woman/ruby saying to all those people? Dont think its good enough just to say "we dont need to know". We kinda do. 3. What was the sign language all about? 4. Given she re-set the time line, does that PM now set off nuclear war?...??...? It was all a bit dissapointing. It seems a miss match of midnight vs turn left. Which were superior eps.

[@AngelaH2222]

I think we were meant to have lots of unknowns, I suspect that the young woman caught up with the politician would have brought him down before he got to the point of using the weapons, The Doctor in the original scene did say that Nearly used the nuclear weapons, not that he did actually launch.

[@CyberSlammer2024]

Well it seems nowadays you can just say it's magic and it doesn't have to have an explanation in Doctor Who. A programme which always answered everything with science or reasoning. You can now write anything and not have to bother about an actual story

[@zemoxian]

2. I take it that she doesn’t actually say anything. She changes the state of mind of those who interact with her to flee. Probably awakens a sense of terror when they look at Ruby. There’s nothing anyone could just say in a few moments that will have such a consistent response. A mother abandoning her child; a stranger runs for the hills; a newly elected prime minister suddenly runs away and resigns with the only comment “ask her!” There’s no statement that can be made to have that reaction. Given that this is a mystical horror story the easiest explanation is that there’s a curse to was invoked when the fairy circle gets broken. This curse socially isolated Ruby. The woman does this by getting in their heads when they interact with her.

[@Thetoon25]

@@zemoxian ahhh so the "a wizard 🧙‍♂️ did it" answer it is.

[@AngelaH2222]

@@Thetoon25 .. don't mess with a wizard!!!😄

[@WriterPal]

Just started watching as I am between shows, but now I am invested, but I am completely new to the world of Doctor who I love shows about time travel and this show levels up on that but it's so strange and creepy especially the first episode and what looks like the next episode I am about to watch about the slugs. With what I know about time travel, is that one little misstep or mistake that can alter the fabric of time in innumerable ways.

[@selatidos]

maybe rtd is tricking you and us and this is more important than it looks like?, except for whatever old ruby or "the woman" was saying to terrorize people thats left to interpretation

[@KevinChantal]

Gwilliam looked like Javier Milei from Argentina.

[@AmazingWorldoffanboy0278]

Next episode is called dot and bubble those slug creatures sure do creepy or do they

[@MichaelJohnson-kq7qg]

6:22 she explains why she didn't do it earlier just before she does it.

[@127dot0dot0dot1]

It started as a really good episode, it continued as a really good episode, but they ran out of time to actually write an ending, so all they could do was cut out the intro and use the minute they saved to cobble together something that answered nothing. All good stories have a beginning, a middle, and an end, and this is missing one of those. And doing a 2 parter was obviously out because RTD can't write a decent cliffhanger.

[@prestonhurst]

"Freakiest" is putting it mildly. One minute I thought RTD remembered how to write, then the next he proves he's lost his damned mind.

[@ridetilldawnnn]

"Freakiset" 💀

[@Mountain-bb9m]

100% disagree 😊

[@prestonhurst]

@@ridetilldawnnn Thanks lol

[@prestonhurst]

@@Mountain-bb9m cool

[@bennettnez4711]

I thought it was really good until the very end. RTD is good at many aspects of writing who, but one of them is NOT timey-wimey stuff. Just leave it to Moffat. That time loop sucked and really didnt work and made the whole episode fall flat. A tiny bit of Moffat could have made the end a lot less dumb.

[@CyberSlammer2024]

Russell T Davies can write very good drama just look at it's a sin but he just cannot do science fiction. He always sets up a story and then resolves it badly or doesn't resolve it at all.

[@ChadBlevins]

An absolutely FANTASTIC episode!

[@ande74704]

I like that episode, finally it was mature, the rest of episodes were made for kids. Generally new doctor and one before were just poorly written. I feel very nostalgic for the past seasons. It was so cool, revolutionary that is what made me stay, now it is just painful, boring and sometimes oddly pointless. +1 representation of LGBT in almost every episode was too much, feels like Riverdale rather than Doctor, feel like disconnected from reality. lol, Drag queen villain was amazing

[@rustytennakoon8661]

For anyone expecting logical answers or outcomes from Davies, you forget the man is insane

[@CyberSlammer2024]

I realised that when he said people in wheelchairs can't be evil so davros will now be some camp pantomime villain from now on

[@thechurchofshulkanism1077]

This was the best doctor who episode in a long time, but i think it would have been better as a sci-fi short film that ended with ruby dying and the timeline not resetting.

[@ebcbr1791]

Loved the episode. Devastating. And can’t wait for the Doctor standalone episode that will no doubt follow.

[@jonathangmallender]

I loved this episode, and I've been watching the reviews and every reviewer is pulling different things and ideas from this episode. I love RTDs and Moffats writing so this current series is so refreshing after the Chibnall years!

[@aaronhubler]

I thought it was a fascinating episode. I definitely enjoyed it, despite many things being unanswered. 1. Why the Doctor disappeared and why the Tardis was unlockable. 2. What Old Ruby was telling everyone to make them scared/despise the young Ruby. Those are the biggest unexplained parts I would like answers for, but otherwise I loved the episode!

[@lRlMlGl]

Well that title could be taken another way rofl

[@sandraallen8832]

It was gripping and I enjoyed it right up until it became clear that it was not going to be satisfactorily resolved - it was obvious that the old woman was Ruby but I was waiting to know what had made everyone react to her in the same terrified way and what was the sign language she was doing over and over again. It was a great idea that ran out of steam and fizzled out.

[@tmage23]

I liked it but I can understand people who didn't because of its ambiguity and open ended nature.

[@CyberSlammer2024]

It's fine if you disengage your brain and critical thinking. It's clearly aimed at a Disney audience of 11 year olds

[@MarcosCha76]

​@CyberSlammer2024 would you really think this is something for kids? I liked it, but wouldn't call this a kids show (at least this episode)?

[@KevinChantal]

Great episode but I dont think the ending is good or surprising.

[@eugenerawls]

Good episode 👍👍

[@rustytennakoon8661]

Rip off of "It Follows". RTD is a hack

[@terrywalbrin7017]

best episode, loved it

[@Gibson1976uk]

It was BS writing! let’s just make something like a random dream sequence! for a whole episode

[@DeusLucifer]

this is so dumb even the so called villain i have no idea what wrong he did and this entire ep is a paradox as non of the even happened if old ruby prevented young ruby from letting the doctor destroy the so called circle so the entire story basically never happened!. lets not forget all the plot holes and dumb decisions character made during this episode worst writing RTD ever did to date

[@can_pacis]

What do you mean none of it happened? They did not break the circle in the end, Mad Jack wasn't unleashed.

[@DeusLucifer]

@can_pacis the end scene basically override the entire story

[@can_pacis]

Think of it this way: there are 2 timelines, one where mad jack is not in play and one where it is. If mad jack is involved, nuclear weapons go off, and if not, they do not. So she had to stop him to able to save the world and become the old woman and to not release it. It is a self resolving paradox.

[@CyberSlammer2024]

​@@can_pacisbut the doctor said about the Welsh politician before they broke the circle so that's going to happen anyway

[@can_pacis]

@@CyberSlammer2024 My head canon is that the doctor sees the universe in a way that is always changing. Other possible timelines seeping through. But that is my explanation to a possible plot hole or my logic so...

[@CyberSlammer2024]

To be fair we have only had four episodes. Space babies was an absolute appalling abomination. Devil's chord was over the top badly executed with a horrendous musical, Boom just showed that the doctor had turned into a wimp who cries. The bar was pretty low. The story had an excellent setup and was very watchable apart from the annoying Welsh people. But the resolution made 0 sense. It seems that the writer's can write whatever they want and just go "oh it's magic now".