Doctor Who "73 Yards" is a Masterpiece
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- Опубликовано: 23 май 2024
- Doctor Who delivers yet another standout horror episode on par with "Blink", "Midnight", and "Turn Left".
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A minor detail I really enjoyed as a British viewer - the journalist (Amol Rajan) who interviews Roger in the middle of the episode wasn't an actor, they really just took a well known journalist and stuck on make up to make him look 20 years older.
They did that with the radio show host in the Christmas special too.
They did a similar thing with aliens of London in 2005
I love that they use actual news reporters/ journalists/presenters as often as they can. I'm from the UK too, so it feels more immersive, but I don't think they've aged them before so it was a nice touch.
@XanderHarris1023 Given that it's a BBC production, it makes sense that they use BBC reporters. It's similar to how the movies "Independence Day" and "Behind Enemy Lines" featured Sky News as then-20th Century Fox was previously owned by the same company as Sky, and how several other Fox-produced TV shows and movies featured KTTV Fox 11 anchorman John F. Beard.
When Carla rejected Ruby, that broke my heart. When Kate did, it stomped on the pieces.
Same. It was heart wenching when her Mum looked at her the way she did in the cab, and then I kept thinking while she was talking with Kate "please not Kate. Please not Kate" wow, this episode was so gut wrenching, and still don't understand why The Doctor disappeared
That moment when Kate walks away and we see Ruby with her eyes just... hollow... that's exactly how it feels when your last hope is ripped away. It turned my blood cold and made me cry.
@@TheCagedCorvid Kate came in as this beacon of hope for us and Ruby, to figure out what’s happened. And then it’s all ripped away. Bravo to RTD for the move. This episode will be talked about for awhile, it was just so well done.
And when the episode ended without even bothering to consider why they'd ever, ever do such a thing, it gave viewers the finger.
Funny enough, I didn't read Ruby's story in this episode as specifically a queer allegory, but I read it as a general "fear of abandonment" allegory. She's basically alone and lonely her entire life because she can't get close to anyone, and for me that resonated more with my physical disabilities -- which literally keep me from being able to get close to people -- than my queerness. Potentially because disability is more defining in my life than my queerness.
I have a very similar situation, thanks so much for expressing this so well!
I really was a bit confused when Jessie said it was a queer allegory cause that really didn't come across to me in the slightest
I think anyone who has a deep fear of rejection/abandonment for whatever reason can identify with those themes. I understand why Jesse views it the way she does.
I viewed it from my own perspective too. for me, the fear of abandonment comes from my neurodivergence, once people see that I'm not quite like them it's like the moment when the people in the episode look back at Ruby, like they've had a sudden realisation about her, and run. That look Kate Stewart gave her hit really hard, and the light leaving Rubys eyes in that moment was incredibly powerful😢... The fear of abandonment seems almost universal. The reason might be different, but the fear is something almost everyone feels, and I think that's the beauty of this episode.
Her abandonment was caused by her future self You are trying to hard with Projection of your central agenda of your life is incredible hubris with your ego seeing everything about you
The Doctor really needs to learn to watch where he steps!
Ruby does as well. If there weren’t so many things to worry about already, stepping on things could have been the new Bad Wolf. But it’s so far down the list with the mysterious snow, Susan Twist, etc., vying for our attention.
We were told to look for patterns; not just the one specifically called our.
Somehow I feel as if that's a repeated pattern for the Doctor in all the personalities.
The effects of misstepping are a pretty big element of this season so far- Ruby steps on a butterfly and changes the timeline, the Doctor steps on a landmine and nearly destroys half a planet, and now they both step onto a fairy circle. Might be a genuine plot or thematic element.
@@thysensMy thoughts exactly. Maybe the doctor has been too reckless and needs to remember the effects of every step he takes.
I loved seeing Dame Siân Phillips as Enid (the lady with the red hat in the pub). She’s such a wonderful actress and she looked so glamorous as always. She turned 91 a couple of weeks ago, so would have been 90 when she filmed the episode.
I was absolutely thrilled. I fell in love with her performances as Livia in "I, Claudius" and Reverend Mother Helen Gaius Mohiam in "Dune (1984)". I wonder what could have been if Peter O'Toole's instability hadn't destroyed their 20 year marriage.
Correction: she was 89 when she filmed the episode.
@CarysCantDance Correcting your correction: I said she turned 91 a couple of weeks ago...not when she filmed the episode. I was delighted to find her still with us :)
COULD BE IMPORTANT: Just rewatched the episode and noticed something no-one is talking about yet. When the people approach the old lady 73 yards away, they are not being talked to, the lady is not looking at them or saying anything to them, they get the terrible shock and start running away only AFTER they look back at Ruby. They are seeing something about Ruby that scares the life out of them, even from that distance. Ruby is not who / what she thinks she is.
Good point. Ruby is the one with the perception filter…
I assumed they noticed it was her
@@AmaranthOriginal:
But that wouldn't scare them off the way it did--especially not the hardened UNIT team who have seen clones and shapeshifters and temporal doubles and any number of fairly pedestrian explanations for "Woman looks a bit like other woman."
@@Tamlinearthly right. Also the look of disdain that Kate gives Ruby, while she herself hadn't approached, only listened to whatever was said by the lady, so she had in fact spoke, but we couldn't hear her.
@@Tamlinearthly not a bit like. Is the same woman. And that would scare most of the people. As for Kate? She never engaged with her, and she doesn't look scared. She looks *angry*
as an adopted person the rejection from Ruby's mother was horrible to watch, it really played on some of my rejection fears!
I loved it- I didn't need a neat tidy explanation at the end that justified everything because it's a ghost story, an urban legend- like Kate Stewart said, "We see something inexplicable and then invent the rules to make it work."
I was enthralled by this episode and was dreading the idea that they'd actually explain what was happening.
I'm so glad that RTD gets how to keep a story like this spooky on rewatches.
There are so many people complaining online about it not having an explanation or resolution, I think perhaps they missed the significance of that line... that's the whole point of this episode, to make your mind work
@@TheCagedCorvid It is proving the theme of the season, myths, folklore, religion, legends, all grow from people needing to explain the inexplicable.
I think this also makes sense with the theory that ruby has some sort of control or power related to story telling, just as in Space Babies! she did not know what to do when the Doctor dissapeared so she unconciously made up a story that became her reality in orde to make sense why he left, so her story created a reason, the woman, for everyone to leave her. To me that's why there are inconsistencies with Mad Jack, it's pulled from and merges what the doctor just told her and the scroll she read just like in dreams where ramdom people u've seen on the street become characters!!
@@mariajesusespinozalazo6645 That last bit jives with my theory that Susan Twist is just a background actor or extra in the tv series about the fictional character Ruby Sunday.
I like the queer reading. For me personally, it was a bit more vague.
Ive been having a pretty bad mental health episode. When this episode came on, about this thing, that follows you for your entire life, that can affect your relationships, that can make people in your life leave with no explanation, it affected me greatly.
All her support networks, things that seem like they should work, failed. She went to her mother and got rejected. UNIT came out of nowhere, giving the impression that they're about to save the day and change the course of the episode.....but they don't. She gets this idea to stop the prime minister, thinking this will be the thing that changes things.....amd nothing happens. No matter what, sometimes mental trauma just sticks with you for your entire life, and your only solution is to keep living. People may leave your life, it may affect all of your relationships, but you keep going, and lesrn to accept it as a part of you. Absolutely beautiful. 10/10
You got a similar feel to this as I did. Also not sure this was Russel T’s intention, but I immediately thought of Russel growing up in the 80’s, with the fear of AIDs and gay men. How everyone would keep you at a distance. And some blurry, far away out of focus person could whisper “he has AIDS, he is gay, etc” and turn people, even your mother, against you. And thinking once you did something really good, it would stop. But it never does. Because there will always be those that stand far away, unknown, blurry and tell stories. I grew up in the 70’s and 80’s and Pertwee was my first Doctor. I’ve lived in the UK, America and OZ. But I was not gay. I was one of those far away, blurry tormentors. One of those that pointed a judgmental finger. And I was wrong. For all those who had to suffer from those far away, blurry tormentor, I am very sorry.
This comment gave me the shivers. Really excellent insight.
fuck this is a good read. kudos.
I love to see someone reflecting on their past and learning from it, it gives me hope... thank you
I don't know if it's her name from birth, but Susan Twist has been acting professionally since at least 1980.
I remember when she was in Brookside.
This episode captured exactly what you were talking about with anxiety. I associated it with PTSD and a fear that people can see my trauma no matter how normal I try to act. It’s always there and after being abandoned by people early on surrounding that topic, I stop bringing it up and just hope people don’t notice and even when they ask to see it I hesitate to share. Even as I grew to accept that as apart of who I am, it still very much mine. Great episode. Great read
Sooooooooo…three episodes where stepping on something proved consequential 😬
Yup. That's definitely part of the overarching themes of the season.
I might have to rewatch Ruby road and devil's chord to look for instances I might have missed
💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩 i wonder what the next episode has in store for us, also watch your step...
Not counting the butterfly when they went to prehistorical era.
@@TheCagedCorvid Not as consequential, but at the end of the Devil's Chord music plays when they step on the Abbey Road street markings
Susan Twist is her real name. I was surprised by that as well, but it is. Possible that RTD cast her partially because of her name, just to be cheeky.
Perhaps RTD is just doing this to mess with us… nah in retrospect it would make all the scenes randomly focusing on her even more awkward, so maybe its a Clara situation or perhaps its like some kind of retroactive tardis perception filter where random people happen to look like Susan Twist for no other real reason and to nobody but the doctor and ruby
She is the decedent of Oliver Twist
Awesome name for a Plot Twist!
@@CybernautzOliver Twist... An orphan like Ruby and The Doctor both are.
I haven't been this freaked out by a Doctor Who episode since The Angels Take Manhatten. And for what? No lasting consequences on the rest of the season plot? Well, we did learn a lot more about Ruby and the mystery surrounding her. But that's just for us to know, not for the plot. But oh boy, was I scared. And the part where her mum locks her out of the flat, and reminds Ruby that she's not her real mom. Oof, kicked me right in my mommy issues.
The whole 'lone person with future knowledge and ruined life takes out psychotic world leader before he can end the world in nuclear fire' aspect made me strongly think of The Dead Zone by Stephen King
I was in the process of clicking to type the same thing when I saw the top of your comment. :-) So true!
It was very reminiscent of Years and Years too
Yeah, me too - love the film!
Good call.
@@TheAlyconariaTrue dat.
Looking back from the end it felt to me like the things she read from the circle were forshadowing future events. I could be misremembering, but things like "I miss you", "Mad Jack", and "Rest in peace", all felt like steps in her road.
I think this whole season keeps pointing out that Ruby has something of a "farytale" magic to her, that unravel in all of her stories in some way or another, so for me it kinda works that we don't know "how" certain things happen or are explained.
Like how Creepy is to have this shadow follow you your whole life that makes everyone run away from you... I loved it!
Ruby is a fairy child, a changeling put there by otherworldly beings (fairies?)
Hey now, Roger ap Gwilliam wasn't not Mad Jack; he said as much, or at least he was *a* Mad Jack. He just wasn't *the* reason for Ruby being in the timeline with the 73-yard woman and no Doctor.
Speaking of which, I really like that Ruby had to do this all with absolutely zero Doctor, and barely any involvement from the Doctor's allies. That really sets it apart from, like, Sally having the DVDs in "Blink" or Rose showing up in "Turn Left". All Ruby got was one scene with U.N.I.T., who turned out to be completely powerless and left her to solve everything by herself. I can't think of another time a Companion has been *that* alone.
Did Ruby actually solve anything, though? She figured out the mechanics of the “ghost” but any dickhead could, and would eventually, do that. She more or less just lived out her life and died before (for some unexplained reason) being given the ability to go back and telepathically influence her past self.
The way I read the story is that the circle has a defence mechanism against being broken. It ruins Ruby’s life - never letting her forget that the breaking of the circle is the reason for her misery - and then gives her a chance to magically undo it with time-loop shenanigans. The circle has all the agency, not Ruby.
@@clarkmannen8789except for a key moment. Her ghost self warned Ruby who warned the doctor not to break the circle because she finally figured out the ghost was herself. When she died and became a ghost stuck in time, she was able to affect the key moment to appear to Ruby and prevent this timeline.
It really reminds me of the Sarah Jane episode curse of Clyde langer
That was my first thought @@Venemofthe888
I would say Martha Jones did most by herself when she traveled the world by herself
As a cis het middle aged white guy, I appreciate your views on this episode. I was baffled, but in a good way. Your commentary made me cry.
i hope jessie is "the latest episode is my new favorite" in all the reviews from now on, because this will mean that the season keeps getting better and better
to me this episode was scarrier than other dw horror episodes, i don't know why, but it affected me a lot more than any other
This gave me a very intense panic attack, just the isolation. reminded me of my grandma turning most of my home town against me because i wanted to tell the truth about our family... just having someone elses word used against you and unable to defend yourself.
Hope you are doing all right now and have good (found) family to support you ❤️
I can really understand what you mean, it did the same to me, to the point where I had to stop watching it for about 10 minutes, just to calm down. I've watched many a horror film, but there was something deeply disturbing about this entire story line that sent me on an emotional rollercoaster. Definite 10 out of 10
I had an ex that did a similar thing to me. You expect it from people like that, but your own grandmother?! 🫂❤️
@@lioba628 been no contact since a few months before covid
Ever since “Midnight”, I’ve been waiting for RTD to write another episode in that same style. Intense, horrifying, with no clear explanation, that leaves me feeling uneasy without quite knowing why. Millie did truly shine all on her own. Bravo.
As far as I’m concerned this makes three absolute bangers in a row. I loved this one, unanswered questions and all.
Yeah I didn't really like space babies. Really weird way to start a series
@@connorscorner443 Same. Kind of a week execution to the idea too. Loved 73 yards, though.
I think the episodes have been really sloppy so far, Moffat's was fine, definitely better than anything else this season. The Tennant specials were incredibly strong, everything after has been limping along, strangely enough.
The first episode for me was meh episode 2 just felt rushed and felt like a kids show. Episode 3 I liked showed me that doctor who can get serious still. This is looking like season 3 and 4 of new who when the best episodes of that season were wrote by Moffat under RTD's run. Edit although I forgot about midnight which is definitely fighting for top of season 4.
I'm very glad that when time reset no one had a memory of it cos that was a lot of trauma (Ruby would never be able to interact with her mum again if she could recall that rejection)
Also yay for Jessie specifying she is of Welsh descent and avoiding the stereotype of Americans saying they are another nationality lol
it’s a running joke in Irish families about Americans claiming to be Irish cos their great great great grandfather’s cousin’s best friend was bitten by an Irishman’s dog so that makes them full Irish lol.
One weird thing with RTD Who this ep brings back is that somehow we don't have access to our own nuclear weapons. In World War 3 in s1, we apparently set it up where we had to beg the UN for launch codes for our nukes (the whole point of the evil things is no one wants to attack cos you can retaliate immediately) and now we have a prime minister having to get them off the black market.
It’s a very strange alternative history take for the doctor who uk that I don’t think can be justified
@@sonicsean34 DW has a lot of changes against our regular timeline . I don't think its too unexplainable something happened and now its like this because butterfly affect yada yada yada.
@@sonicsean34I wonder if the instances from "World War Three" and from "73 Yards" are linked to part of the plot from the Seventh Doctor episode "Battlefield", where the UK nukes are being decommissioned and hauled away for disposal in a near-future version of the 1990s while under UNIT guard.
If I'm right...the UK of Doctor Who had been at least partially disarmed of any nuclear weapons for about a decade by the time of "World War Three" and what ones they did still have could only he launched by UN permission. And further disarmament happening between 2005 and....some vague time before 2046, since Amol Rajan didn't make it sound like that the UK's nuclear disarmament was a very recent thing that made ap Gwiliiam's pledge ever more wasteful of brainless.
Such an interesting episode cuz it does alot of things for the audience while keeping the characters in the dark. Confirms Ruby at least was about to notice the Multi Cast but also conveniently makes that timeline not happen so its an exchange we get but maybe now she doesnt. We get to see Ruby age and she also isnt Susan Twist when she grows up removing that fan theory from the board too. Also though the "2 times in Wales" becoming "3 times in Wales" was a really nice semi creepy bookend on the episode too. This and Devil's Chord top my list for the season so far
I don't think many people have noticed the "twice" then "three times" detail. Even I had to rewind to make sure.
What baffles me still is that the first ep was SPACE BABIES i still can't get over that.. with more time passing it's just so bad compared to the last three eps
I love your reading of it-I think the idea that the “monster” is the fear of people being turned against because of your own insecurities really pulls this whole episode together (especially with Ruby not only using it to her benefit but learning to live peacefully with it).
I think where the episode doesn’t work for me is that it evokes folk horror but doesn’t really dive into folklore. I don’t by any means think there needs to be a definitive answer-I think the mystery of not knowing what the woman saying really embodies the themes of her representing insecurities-but I think the episode is just slightly too inconclusive (like why does the Doctor stepping on the circle erase him and “curse” Ruby? for example). I just think a few extra lines of dialogue from the townspeople towards the beginning to establish folklore beyond just the fakeout/joke would have really helped the episode, that way the mystery would be engaging and not just confusing.
Okay, I'm something of a folklore and fairy tale geek. In a number of stories involving a fairy circle, stepping on the circle is seen as highly disrespectful by the Fair Folk, and they will punish anyone who does that.
@@nancyjay790 But the thing is, it was The Doctor who stepped on the circle, but it was Ruby who got the punishment, so that doesn't add up
Ruby read out the note!
@@cfor8129 Yeah, but that doesn't change the fact that nothing happens to the Doctor despite doing something worse than Ruby did
In the erased timeline he just stops existing or something, and that's it
What Ruby went through was really interesting and all, but that doesn't solve the issue of the Doctor being exempt from any real punishment in this scenario
@@flastyy_ ceasing to exist is a pretty severe punishment IMHO.
Swing and a miss or grand-slam home run??? You decide!!!!! Frankly, as a straight Black hetero, I'm struggling with *almost everything* coming from you with being a (white) queer/LBGT interpretation, but I needed this one this time!!! I'm glad I understand at least some of "73 Yards" now!!! You are actually *teaching* me with this channel. THANKS for sharing things that need to be shared!! I'm glad I subscribe to and share your opinions!!!
I'm a non-binary person myself and two years ago, I decided to cut ties with a former friend of mine who until then, my relationship with had become more and more rocky to the point where I realised for the sake of my own mental health that I could no longer have them remain in my life. In an act of revenge, they told all of our mutual friends that I was pedophile/groomer, and despite having no evidence to back themselves up, almost all of our mutual friends immediately took their word for it without thinking to come to me to hear my side of things, and I lost pretty much my entire local friend circle from the previous three and half years overnight. I wasn't reminded of my own situation while I was watching the episode, but after hearing another trans reviewer's take on it, the episode immediately became a lot more relatable.
🫂❤
😂
@@Durka-Durka01 I missed the joke. Care to explain hun?
RTD apparently was describing it before the episode as Welsh Folk Horror, and... It works. It bloody well works.
What I got from it was more a ghost story than horror, per se. The horror side of ghost stories, but still more of a ghost story rather than horror. And I do not mean that as a critique. In fact, what it _specifically_ reminded me of was The Wish Dog And Other Stories - Which is an anthology book of ghost stories all written by Welsh women. Not all of them are horror, not all of them are spooky, but this... Very much fit the overall vibe of that anthology. And I'd need to think more on it but this might be my favourite Doctor Who story ever? But, I'm a sucker for a ghost story and this comes the closest I think Doctor Who has ever come to just doing a ghost story without a sci-fi twist, and it does it extremely well.
Susan Twist was in every episode this season, including the Christmas Special, but she was also the woman Isaac Newton spoke to in Wild Blue Yonder. And since you weren't sure about it - Susan Twist is actually the actor's name, or at least her stage name, and that is how she was credited in her earlier roles, for example when she played Mrs Bennet in In The Flesh which I've just used to confirm this wasn't just every online source being changed to accommodate things - There she is, credited as Susan Twist. (Strongly recommend In The Flesh if you haven't seen it, incidentally. I'm not without my criticisms, but... If you're looking for a bit of zombie fiction that instead of the usual zombie story instead asks "What happens afterwards?" - The zombies rose, humanity found a treatment, what happens _next_ ? And I love how the show answers that.)
I absolutely loved it, don't understand why so many people want an explanation of why the monster scares people, it's obvious enough in the subtext
Is itm
My, you were quick with this one, you must have really liked it.
I tried looking up the lore behind fairy circles in Welsh mythology and couldn't really find anything in relation to this episode. The only thing I can think of, is how fairies could be responsible for kidnapping people. Kind of a precursor for alleged alien abductions, in which the victim would appear sometime later, with no memory of what happened to them. Lost time basically. Also, that people who broke fairy circles would be cursed. To say the least, I'm pretty sure Davies' took inspiration from this myth. Other than that, I appreciate how Jessie was able to clarify this episodes themes for us.
I came across an article where a part said the fae “would covet golden haired humans And replace them with changlings” and thought maybe Ruby was a changeling but didn’t know and so people left her because somehow the women told them that Ruby is a changeling and maybe made them see
I think hes referenced the gwylliom (a mountain spirit known to shriek, who leads people astray by being hard to approach). Though one name for fairies in welsh is bendith y mamau (mother's blessings), which fits the themes of the series p well.
I agree wholeheartedly and as a trans woman myself (whose family shunned her when she came out) I definitely read this episode as a beautifully poignant allegory too. Ruby was physically blocked from both of the places she could consider "home" (the TARDIS and Carla's flat) and lost the people she considered "home" but she made her way and found a home despite all that. I was sitting in stunned almost-silence at the end of this episode and I love this show so much when it is like this.
This was my favourite. I wasn't as keen on "Boom" as most other people seem to have been. The only thing that it really bothered me not to understand was how Ruby dying at the end made her reappear near the Tardis and see her younger self again, and then the timeline just reset.
Amazing performance from Millie in this - even more impressive when you find out (from watching the "Unleashed" ep) that these episode were filmed out of order, and this was the first thing she filmed this season.
I gather the Doctor breaking the circle, which would lead to preventing a future he'd seen, led to a paradox where he'd undo his own being in that timeline, but Ruby becoming the ghost so to speak closed that circle. However she could pull that 'drop everything and run away' thing about everybody.
The apparition that follows Ruby reminds me of _the Watcher_ from Tom Baker’s final episode ‘Logopolis’.
I got "Watcher" vibes, too.
It has taken me a couple hours to wrap my head around it, they mentioned something about the Tardis perception filter affecting the fairy circle and I’m guessing that’s linked to why talking to the mysterious figure reveals everything about Ruby and makes people run away, I didn’t initially catch that. Maybe it’s the hidden song, the oldest one, maybe it’s the Trickster ;) This episode fucked with my head at the end there and I loved it. It’s also so open to interpretation and the real horror was rooted in the reality we live in. Wow.
Maybe Ruby is one of them, deep down or Chameleoned
Hillary Hobson says in Unleashed that the message is: 'Bless you, thank you so much, that's so kind of you, when you gave me that little thing it was just so precious. How am I ever going to repay you? But we'll think of something.'
I'm not sure that's the "message", more of a way for her to use saying that as a way to cue those same motions every time.
@@paulhammond6978 Possibly though. Hobson herself says she doesn't understand what she is saying. However what does it for me is the mismatch between what she is signing and what she is saying - and some of those motions - or signs - are essentially our language being used for a different purpose....
The actress is legitimately named Susan Twist, she's been active on-and-off in British television since 1980, she has entries on sites like IMDB. I think RTD took a shine to her when they did Wild Blue Yonder, so he brought her back for the series proper (but it was too late to work her into The Giggle).
That would be hilarious if in the finale she's on unleashed saying it's her real name, I think it'd send people going "whaaaaaaat?!" But I do hope that whatever happens she gets something cool to do, whether it is something like a Susan/timelord, or a character imparting more and more wisdom. What was interesting was The Hiker seemed friendly to Ruby, so let's hope that this... person, or thing or whatever it is, will be an ally to them, whoever Susan Twist ends up playing in the end.
It was absolutely amazing - I did really relate to the feeling that no matter what I'm going to do everything wrong and that people are going to hate me which is because my teachers bullied me for having autism when I was a kid. I have felt that way even with my family despite the fact that they are the most loving, awesome and accepting people in the world. Ohh and the twist that the woman was Ruby is perfect because you yourself are the only person that you are never going to be able to escape. Also I learned about offences stereotypes of people from Wales which I didn't know about because I'm Danish.
🫂❤️ I had the same experience growing up, but didn't know why since I was only diagnosed a few years ago. This episode hit me really hard, but it was beautiful.
For those that don't know "jack" is a slang term for those from Swansea
They call us Turks in this part of Wales. There's like a long term tension between Llanelli and Swansea. I loved the episode IMHO this is the episode Millie will make it huge in America.
I love atmosphere and ambiguity and having it wrapped up in a M.R. James type story is wonderful.
I have to admit my first thought after watching this episode was whether the old lady was going to reappear later in the season, and whether it ties into whatever is supposed to be the mystery of who Ruby is. It never occurred to me to treat the old lady as a metaphor about the fear of rejection, but now it seems like as good an explanation as any.
I kept thinking of a similar episode from The Sarah Jane Adventures. The Curse of Clyde Langer.
Clyde got cursed somehow so that when anyone heard his name they couldn’t stand him. Sarah Jane, his friends, his mother all abandoned him. There was a similar sense of dread and abandonment. At least she was able to function.
He was left homeless and was able to survive only by using a fake name.
I don’t recall how it was resolved. I think it was some kind of entity trapped in a totem pole or other artifact that was trying to escape.
But that same sickening dread was there in this episode. I was hoping it would only affect the UNIT people talking to the lady but when Kate and everyone pulled out it was devastating.
Did you see the sheer heartbreak on Rubys face when it happened? The light literally leaves her eyes! Very powerful, and for many of us, very relatable...
This episode definitely had me glued to the screen the entire time wondering what would happen next and how they would explain what came next. And you know what? I'm ok with it not being totally explained. It was fantastic and I didn't even really notice or care that it was a Doctor Lite episode. The series had a bit of a rough start but wow, banger after banger with Boom and 73 yards!
Jesse, I think you’re spot on with the queer analysis of this episode. Watching Ruby see people whispering, pointing, then rejecting her, dredged up deep feelings of dread, flashing me back to my nine year-old brain and body, and all played out in a twilight zone scenario. It was brutal to watch and truly nightmarish.
Not getting story pay-offs is rough. The more I think about it through, the figure is Ghost Rider.
This was a lovely, thoughtful discussion of the complexities contained within the episodek and the season as a whole
This episode encapsulates everything I was hoping they'd do now that myths and legends and hard science fiction rules are being broken. While bombastic villians and song and dance numbers might appeal to some, this is exactly what I was hoping for, an original black-mirror-esque-come-fantasy-horror vibe
I actually thought the political commentary was done really well this episode as well whereas RTD can be a little too on the nose, he did this well and it feels like pretty timeless commentary, I especially liked the dude on his campaign that was like "he's not gonna launch, it's just symbolic" I feel like this is very much calling out the lengths people go to denying what's right in front of their eyes sort of like "he's not serious... it was just a joke... it's just symbolic... you're overreacting..." until you MIGHT get a "we never thought he'd go this far..." - when people tell/show you what their true nature is - believe them.
6:10 RTD said that very tongue in cheek, he wasn't trying to hide that about Susan Twist😅
I found it funny with the pub interaction. I think we never got a confirmation early in the episode, but how they were playing ignorant of paying by phone played into this being some other earlier timeline.
I was thinking how EASILY Ruby's Grandmother just disowns Ruby outright even Without being in Contact with the MYSTERY Lady! 😂 Thanks for NOTHING Gramms! lol
I figured she's bedridden so couldn't really get up and go talk to Ruby, especially after the mum changed the locks so Ruby couldn't get in. And I don't think she has a phone, so if she would want to call Ruby, she'd have to through the mum.
The actress's name IS Susan Twist. She has acting credits going back to 1980.
I'm still left with some questions, like what Kate meant when she mentioned about Timelines and "Her Event." Additionally, was "Old Ruby" using sign language? I'm not as familiar with it as I should be, but I wonder if it is significant.
Thank you for such a heartfelt review, it made me blub.Thanks for sharing your take on what I felt was a episode that was just wonderful, multi-layered and with plenty of ambiguity to discuss for years to come. Love the way it sits within the wider season(s) too, so much going on thematically.
"Oh, the rocks and the water, it never ends."
I enjoyed the episode, the whole time I kept waiting for the way things would go back to normal which I didn’t see coming. I can understand the queer allegory with the rejection by her mum but I didn’t see it that way. As someone who’s adopted, it was something that was in the back of my mind growing up, not a real fear as I didn’t think my family would reject me (and haven’t since I came out as a trans atheist) but the fear of rejection was in the background. When her family rejected her, I could feel that fear and loss, especially when she said Ruby wasn’t even her real daughter. That part hit home, and something that I’ve seen in media and was a common attitude from people who were raised by their birth parents.
I was so impressed by this episode it was the best i’ve seen in years
It was interesting to think of this episode in the context of Turn Left and Midnight, but it also reminded me of The Girl Who Waited. I have some issues with The Girl Who Waited, but there are some things I really loved about it, and there were similar things that I liked about 73 yards - growing older and wiser while grieving loss and isolation, and becoming a badass problem-solver in the process.
I really love your interpretation of the episode. It really helped me to think even deeper about it.
The weirdest thing about this episode was the lack of a title sequence.
Really? I seem to have gaslit myself into thinking that there was a title sequence
Perhaps a conscious decision since the Doctor wasn't involved?
They did that a couple of times in the Chibnall era as well. I didn't like it then and don't like it here either. If this issue is that the title sequence breaks the mood, just drop the pre-title sequence.
That said, that was one of my few complaints abou 73 Yards.
@@markjohnson4356 I'm really not a fan of cold opens in general, You often are conditioned so that you feel like you are waiting for a ZING moment for the opening to occur.
I didn't really mind it tbh I thought it wasn't overly necessary tbh like they wanted to get into the story straight away
I was expecting Ruby to check if the old lady was doing sign language
I agree that this is an absolutely amazing episode. What does episode reminded me of more than anything was the “Star Trek Deep Space Nine” episode “The Visitor,” because of the loss of an incredibly important person in the life of the central character and the lifelong quest to find a way back home. While “73 Yards” does have more of a horror than a Sci-fi orientation, “The Visitor” does have its “dark and stormy night” framing device which is certainly adjacent to the horror genre. In any case, this episode of “Doctor Who” is so deeply thoughtful and moving, that I’m sure I will return to it many times in coming years.
I guess I found it to be a metaphor for the fear all human beings as social creatures have - the fear of absolute rejection. Honestly watching this episode reminded me of the discomfort I felt watching the Clyde Langer episode of the Sarah Jane Adventures when I was 11 where he too for the entire episode was horrifically rejected by everyone in his life which spiralled out of his control, leading to total isolation and homelessness. I suppose the difference was that here Ruby found a way to be empowered by it and used her rejection metaphor to depose a dangerous bigot while in Clyde’s case his rejection macguffin was resolved by his closest friends overcoming it. Found this episode intriguing in the way it doesn’t answer everything.
I was not sure what to think at first after watching this ep, it was so different then what I expected, but thinking about it... I think this is going to go down as one of my all-time favs. It was such a chilling horror, the way it tapped into the fear of being abandoned, Jessie puts it so well what made it so frightening. I love how the show is embracing that ‘unexplained’ horror more. Millie was fantastic, and I think this ep was one of the first things she filmed for the show. I kinda feel the ending could have been a bit longer or better explained, but then I also feel that we may revisit some elements of this ep in the future/when we know more about Ruby and who is.
This episode gets ten out of ten for style, minus several million for good thinking
When Doctor Who does horror it creates a scenario you can't believe is going to make sense; I mean it seems like there's ghosts, or a creepy vampire like family that only comes out at dark (or actual vampires) - but then at the end it's explained. Maybe one or two slight unknowns, but you're never left thinking the writer just didn't know how to explain this crazy.
This episode in particular built up the mysteries, "why 73 yards", "what is she saying and why is she scaring them off" and we never get answers because the writer didn't have in-world reasons, only what he wanted to do. So at the end when I'd been trying to figure it out (and having worked out that it was Ruby after the first time jump ala the watcher).
Amazing atmosphere but just no pay off at all. Now that said if it turns out that Ruby is a timelord and that's her watcher stalking her or some other twist that makes Ruby the actual instigator of this episode I will re-evaluate. I lost faith in RTD a long time ago so I'm pessimistic, but if it happens he will regain a lot of my faith.
If an explanation isn't coming it will re-confirm my fears that RTD is just using magic as a "get out of writing free" card.
Ruby was looking at her shadow self but not directly interacting with it. Her shadow self is telling her she is not good enough and will forever be unloved and unworthy.
Enys Men is the film it reminded me of. If you want to watch a great indie horror set on an isolated stretch of coastline, and develop a phobia of lichen and standing stones, that is the film for you.
Very strong comment on an incident in British politics about 5 years ago. We have a very hostile, right-wing press in the UK and one of their favourite tricks is to ask someone a politically charged question that they can't safely answer, and then, when they basically 'no comment', they interpret it as them endorsing the worst possible answer. They did this recently with Keir Starmer, our leader of the opposition over the Israel Gaza issue, but the incident in question was when they tried to corner his predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn, over 'whether he would push the nuclear button'. Corbyn is a pacifist so they knew that he wouldn't answer this. What followed was insane; just about every right-wing MP started happily announcing their willingness to initiate mass murder and the end of civilization. This is a direct reference to this madness.
The episode itself hooks heavily into the legend of the doppelganger. There was obviously something not native to Ruby about the woman that stalked her. She had the ability to change people's thoughts and perceptions, which clearly operated by magic, as normal ESP filters didn't work. It also seems to have been triggered by a spell connected to the fairy ring. However, what I wondered was whether this is linked with Ruby's mysterious origin. Is she some kind of changeling?
I don't know why Davies, a Welshman, is so down on his country. He seems to be forever showing Welsh people as hostile and often nuts. He's also far too keen on the Slaughtered Lamb motif. I'm sure this must be the second or third time he's used this.
BTW, there is no 'nuclear button' in the UK at least. There are sealed orders from the PM to open in case of a nuclear attack. I hope that any sane politician would just order the recipient not to retaliate and, if possible, seek a place of safety. There is no possible value in such petty revenge.
I believe Susan Twists name really is Susan Twists. I think she was in a soap over here called Brookside for a few years in the 90s
This was such a good episode!
One thing that I thought was really effective was that by tying the fascist with the folk horror elements, it replicated accurately the horrible feeling of unreality from back when Trump won the 2016 election.
This was like a more nonsensical version of Turn Left. Which, I mean, I love Turn Left, but part of what made it so great is that we've already seen how things were supposed to go in the first place, making it easier to grasp what went wrong in the alternate timeline and what Donna had to do in order to fix it. In 73 Yards, not only was the thing initiating the alternate timeline in the first place was basically "magic"; but, we also don't really get any explanation of what's actually supposed to happen. It just leaves us having to guess too much, which is a problem RTD's resolutions often have sadly. I loved the vibe of the episode and the twist of Ruby being The Woman, I just wish there was a better explanation for how she went about "fixing" the timeline, what actually went on after she did, or why people ran away from her older-self in the first place. You say that the story in the pub about Mad Jack and the fairy circle was a misdirect, but, was it? As far as I can tell, it's the thing that caused the alternate timeline in the first place, and somehow made the Doctor disappear.
I mean, if Ruby was the one to stop the Roger ap Gwylliam, what happens in the new restored timeline where she doesn't? I would say that maybe stepping on the shrine was the thing that made him become Prime Minister in the first place, but then, the Doctor was talking about him almost causing Nuclear war BEFORE ever stepping on the shrine. Is it just because he's the Doctor and could somehow sense the aborted timeline?
Unlike the well-thought out writing of Turn Left, we never got any explanation of how older-Ruby even went back in time to become The Woman in the first place, or how and why she was able to teleport/keep exactly 73 yards away? Also, what could she possibly say to cause so many people to run away from her? I can MAYBE buy UNIT stepping back once they realise she's older Ruby, cause they don't want to mess with the timeline.. But, what made her own Mum run and turn on her? Or caused perfect strangers to run away screaming?
Oh and also, what even caused the Doctor to disappear? That wasn't explained at all as far as I can tell.
As a fellow trans Whovian, I do appreciate your queer reading - I felt similarly about the scenes of Ruby's mum rejecting her.. But sadly the ending ruined it for me. Knowing that The Woman was older Ruby, made that entire sequence make no sense. What could she possibly tell her own mum to cause her to turn her back on her in such a vicious way? I just don't get it.
Also, if anything, up until this episode I really felt like Ruby was probably gay or at least bi (mostly due to her friends and her taste in music, so maybe that's on me lol), but then when seeing basically her entire life, she only dated men which was a bummer lol. I know she might still be bi, but yeah, would have loved to have in confirmed here.
Yeah, sometimes you don't have to know all the whys (though honestly I really like to) and some stories like midnight are better if you don't but... this one isn't really working. And I'm still hung up on his nickname being mad jack especially. That's... quite the coincidence if he isn't related to the incident. And you didn't need it. Remembering what the doctor said about him w/ his real name was enough. I guess it was meant to be a misdirect? I mean it worked. I missed other things that should have been obvious (not in a good way; I'm quite sure I wasn't intended to miss them) because I was too focused on figuring out how he connected to the mad jack of the fairy circle.
I like a lot about this episode. I really do. But I don't actually think it's working that well as a whole. I'm hoping that something will clarify it, if not totally then enough for it to work better, in future episodes but IDK. It doesn't really feel like it's going to be.
I think the connection to the PM and the fairy circle is Mad Jack.
The circle is there to make Mad Jack rest in peace, breaking it means Mad Jack isn't resting in peace. The PM says he was nicknamed Mad Jack when he was younger on one of earlier TV interviews, suggesting he might be a reincarnation of/possessed by/being influenced by the Mad Jack the fairy circle was containing, which is why he's a monster who's looking for nuclear war, but only after the circle is broken.
The pub scene is reminiscent of American Werewolf in London and any Hammer Vampire film.
The hunting of hill house.
Thank you for the video, Jessie!
We finally got a "slow burn" episode for this season! I really like how the aspect of the fear of rejection, even by your dear ones, in this episode could be applied to being queer, disabled, and/or bad mental health. It is not something that people in marginalized groups can make to go away, it is who we are. And despite all this, including being rejected by her own mother Carla, Ruby still tries to do what is right and take down a fascist politician!
I am not an easy person to unsettle.
...
This episode unsettled me. >_>
Lesson of the episode, don't fuck with the fae.
This was my first time watching one of your recaps, and I’m SOOO glad I did. Your interpretation of the story answered all of my questions and helped me see an already enjoyable episode for the profound message it was.
This was a great episodes, and this season has been so amazing so far, and I agree, each episode has been my favourite. I love the creepy stories, like the episode Blink.
This new season is incredible ngl
Amazing video!
There was a lot of interesting ideas, but it did get very ‘Years and Years’ in the middle.
(Excellent summary of Turn Left, btw)
Brilliant, Doc Who at his best. I've missed it all through Chibnall era
Ok, with Susan Twist, although I think there is likely a reason for Susan Twist being in every episode, I'm not ruling out the possibility that RTD is just messing with us. 🤣
There were some Mabinogi vibes going on for me in this episode. You should check it out, it's *the* part of Cymraeg mythology. The third branch sees people disappearing, and this episode reminded me of it.
"Its comforting to know there have always been a shadow looming over you"
VERY brave to have an episode without the Doctor when we're still learning his character, but as a standalone story, a quite satisfying horror episode. It is however, going to rub some people the wrong way. The one thing I felt was weak was the overuse of the typical horror Extreme Close Ups - a little over done that was a bit distracting.
I absolutely loved it. I think it's the kind of story that would resonate with anyone with a disability or mental health issues that you have to come to terms with over your lifetime, but that you never really feel comfortable sharing with anyone else lest you drive them away. I get that people don't really like that "there wasn't enough explanation", but I think the basic setting of "the current DW world is one where superstitions and magic are becoming realized" was enough for me.
I think somehow the start of the episode was the second time Ruby had been there and the older version shadowed at 73 yards to avoid a paradox. It then took the second one to be passing away and break the 73 yards rule to cause the paradox to happen. The paradox triggered the third visit and ruby's memories and friendlieness to her other self stopped the disaster happening again. I love unanswered questions and trrying to think them out after watching this episdoe. Reminds me how some David Lynch movies have that same effect on me.
this is why I watch your channel, a take on episodes that I totally missed
People do ❤ Dr Who
Loved your take but that’s probably cause I had the same take too ha ha. I was disowned by my mother when I came out in the nineties and the scene where rubys mum rejects her and gave her the look. Woooooof that was a tough moment but it was just such a resonating piece over all, loved it!
Nahhhh, this season is all about how nobody does watch their steps!
Ruby and the doctor did fell in front of the gobbling king, then Ruby step on a butterfly and sliped with knots, then the doctor steps on a landmine and now this.
Use your darn eyes, people!
Good episode 👍
The bit with UNIT is filmed in my hometown. Also the pub Great episode Russell is such a good writer. I suffer with anxiety & it did leave me with that sense of fear of abandonment. I like that you've picked up on that.❤
I assume Albion is his political party rather than a slogan. In the UK we don’t elect our heads of Government directly, we vote for our local member of parliament (MP), and the leader of the party with the most MPs in the House of Commons (the main chamber of parliament) becomes the Prime Minister. Basically, imagine if the House of Representatives was also the Electoral College.
Ruby’s acceptance at what had happened to her at the end of the episode reminded me of a time when one of my wives had a health crisis back when we were dating. I basically moved in with her to take care of her for a month, and our relationship grew stronger. When we met, she thought she never wanted to live with a partner, but now we’re married and have a mutual other wife too. None of this makes what happened to her a good thing, it was awful, but we have been able to appreciate the part it has played in our lives and relationships. Ruby’s acceptance of the figure felt a lot like that.
Lets see how this plays out. The "hand" that picked up the Gold Tooth containing the Master
was wearing Ruby Red Nail polish... Kate was wearing the same Nail colour in the latest episode and she was on the roof. RTD say's the master is being rested for the moment
will bet 10p the Master is back and we've already seen him.
Thank you so much for this interpretation! I came straight here after watching the ep because I was very confused but hearing you talk through your thoughts on it helped me put the pieces together in my head!
Also, The Tardis itself rejected Ruby.