Episode Discussion: 73 Yards

Television Doctor Who (2023-)
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21

Ok after sitting with this one for a while: I really liked it, but I definitely think it dropped the ball a bit by really not explaining anything. And I quite enjoy episodes where there’s a lot of mystery left like Midnight, Impossible Planet/Satan Pit, or Wild Blue Yonder, but I think where this falls flat in comparison is that with those episodes I’m left wondering about what something is or how it works, but not about what happened, which is kinda the case here. Like I understood and followed the plot but I’m left with no explanation for why any of it happened or if it had any impact on the main timeline in a way that feels to me like it goes a bit beyond keeping things mysterious and into having so little reasoning as to be kinda meaningless.

Still a great episode and I think 4 stars from me, but where I was watching most of it with the expectation that it might be another episode that makes me re-evaluate my top 30 stories list, it really didn’t land there in the end

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22

My favourite episode since World Enough and Time. I’m over the moon. Kept on thinking “surely they can’t push this concept any further!” And they kept on pushing.

In a great mood this morning!

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23

I watched with a group of non-fans on a friend holiday this morning. One who’d never watched the show, who hadn’t watched since 2010. Before putting it on no one other than me and my wife seemed that keen.

Once it was on they were totally hooked for the whole show. Couldn’t take their eyes off of it. Great first episode for someone to watch imo.

Perfect Saturday morning activity.

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24

I think this is like Blink where if you just want to show them an episode you think they’ll really like, then it’s a good choice (at least for certain audiences), but if you want to introduce them to Doctor Who and what it’s generally like, it’s an absolutely terrible choice.

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25

Really, really good, but I am a bit put off by some plot details. In spite of excellent atmosphere and some strong moments, the ending felt a little rushed and unsatisfying. Midnight is a good example of the mystery feeding into the horror, but here, I don’t know, I think we are ought to have a bit better of an explanation.

Here’s my big question I am really struggling with since it is a central point of the episode. If the woman following Ruby is future Ruby, why does she make people run away like that? It seems like such an essential part of the episode and we are offered no sense of why. Midnight gives us at least a sense of there being rules to its monster even if we never quite learn its nature. Here, I’m not entirely sure what exactly was going on. It’s not a big deal because it’s a good episode overall. Really strong cinematography, direction, and production. Right now I’m wavering but I think it’s a 9/10. In spite of my problems it is a cool episode and great creepy fiction even if the plot was a bit jank.

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26

Yep, this is basically my problem, I just don’t get any sense of reason or motive for anything. I’m not looking for all the details of how the woman appeared or what she’s saying or anything like that to be explained, just some explanation of why

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27

Exactly. I don’t want all the answers but I really could have done with an answer.

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28

10/10. My favourite Fiftenth Doctor episode and tied with Wild Blue Yonder for second RTD era episode. So much atmosphere, this was really great.
While I think having a bit more explanation at the end could have helped, I do love that it remains a mystery too. Guess I’ll just have to see how I digest and think about this story over time.

Kate showing up was a pleasant and unexpected surprise!

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29

It was excellent. Genuinely the best episode so far of RTD2.

But it squandered being one of my top episodes of all time, as I have the same grievances as many others seem to. The lack of meaning. Midnight, Blink, both episodes I would compare in vibe, that have similar intense, frightening mysteries that are explored as the episode continues. This episode fails where those ones succeed however, in making it have a meaning.

I have no problem with an episode that gets undone, plenty of timey-wimey reasons for that to happen. But the conclusion left me hollow. I don’t need to know every detail of how and why it happened. That’s what makes Midnight so great. But there’s almost not a single detail that is explained, and, as I doubt the theories of us learning more about this episode later, it likely never will be.

I’m left wondering what happened and what the purpose of it all was, and ultimately, am left frustrated by that. Midnight succeeded where it failed, in that regard.

What I know of this episode can be summed up as such: Ruby is followed around by a woman for her entire life. At her death she suddenly snaps back to the past and becomes the woman.

No reasoning for a single thing in the episode. In Midnight, the question we’re left with by the end is “What was the creature?”. In 73 Yards, we are left with… everything. Why did the Doctor vanish? Why is she stuck 73 yards away (including with film)? Why does she have a perception filter? Why is everyone so terrified and disgusted by what she says? Why did the time loop occur? Why was it different the 2nd time around? I could go on.

I didn’t expect or even want, EVERY question answered. But, all my investment in the episode was banking on learning at least the tiniest bit. I was not given the tiniest shred.

However, this is only my feeling after the episode is over. The experience of watching it is still extremely high on my Doctor Who tier list. But not even close to as high as it could be, if not for making me feel I’m lacking a single bit of awareness of any event that occured.

If I’m wrong and we do get SOME answers later, I will certainly be impressed, and take this back. As it is though, I genuinely loved the episode- but mourn the fact that it could have been at the very peak.

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30

A perfect 10/10 for me. I am very much a “great vibes over coherent plot” kind of person - hence my love of The Ring of Akhaten and In the Forest of the Night - so I fully understand the problems other people have with the lack of explanation/“plot holes”, but they don’t really bother me because this episode is much more focused on the feel, and that’s something it did very, very well. I’m a little disappointed it was an original “monster” rather than something from Welsh folklore, and I was really hoping for at least a mention of Torchwood, but I knew neither of those were likely to happen.

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31

Exactly what I just came on here to say!! This is in no way putting me off the ‘it’s the Trickster’s grand scheme’ theory, alas.

But yes, I enjoyed this one a lot - I liked that it was spooky and felt very anxious, this is a kind of vibe I can really get behind. I didn’t mind that it wasn’t ‘explained’ as much but I do feel that it didn’t quite have the power of like Turn Left where the alternative universe has a real weight to it. But I do think this is exactly the episode we needed for Ruby, and I enjoyed how she defeated the PM with the old woman, I thought that was quite smart

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32

Best new episode!!! Why are so many of the episodes without the doctor so good?
The middle bit with the campaign dragged a bit, but thats my only complaint.

Millie was so good in this episode!

p.s. can we also talk about that horrible “40’s ruby” makeup, she didnt look 40 at all :joy:

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33

Was anyone else reminded of ‘The Curse of Clyde Langer’ from the SJA by this episode?

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34

One of the best DW episodes I’ve ever seen. I loved it. I was getting a bit scared after last week’s episode, because the only other Fifteen story I took a big liking to was Space Babies, but this one was fantastic. I’m hoping my overall thoughts of his first season will be more favorable than lackluster.

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35

I loved that we got to see millie gibson more in this episode than we normally do . And i loved that we never knew what the woman was saying .

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36

I’m going to have to digest this one for a while I think, because initial reaction is a 2,5/5 :star:

Millie was great as ever, but having a Doctor-lite episode in an 8 episode season?

I think I was left with too many questions by the end. I hope there will be answers later in the season, because this felt like half a story to me - like it’s the first of a two-parter with the second part should be from the Doctor’s perspective.

And the practical joke in the pub just went on for way too long and in the end wasn’t really all that funny.

The Doctor actually saying the rumoured name of an upcoming spinoff makes me think it will be set in Wales - easy location shooting :+1:

The best part was the Doctor’s outfit - I would like a hat like that.

Like I said I need to digest this one a bit because all I have right now is a mind full of unanswered questions…

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37

Apparently, Ncuti recorded sex education and was unavailable. This is the first episode of the season they filmed.

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38

What is up with her arm movements is just one of many questions I have.The obvious things such as what could she possibly be saying to scare these people so quickly and run away. Leave it to your imagination is ok for a lot of people but you need to leave us some bread crumbs to follow.

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39

I have to say, I love the Doctor lite / companion lite episodes. They are essential for me. Messing with the formula is part of the DW formula for me.

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40

I’ll read everyone’s comments properly later but I absolutely loved that episode. I was glued to the screen and thoroughly unsettled throughout. Gibson was excellent. Probably 8 or 9 out of 10.

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