Doctor Who Television Review: 73 Yards

Episode: 73 Yards
Story Number: 308
Series: 14
Screenwriter:  Russell T Davies
Director:  Dylan Holmes Williams

Thoughts:

73 Yards brings folk horror to Doctor Who, along with homages to An American Werewolf in London and Taxi Driver.  In a bold move, this is a Doctor Lite episode very early in Millie Gibson’s run as companion.  In fact, it was the first episode Gibson shot, which makes her acting that carries this episode all the more remarkable.

Landing on the coast of Wales, the Doctor steps into a fairy circle and vanishes.  Ruby finds herself followed by an old woman who always stands 73 yards away from her.  Why 73 yards? Why yards and not meters? And what does the woman say to people that make them abandon Ruby?  These questions are not answered and that adds to the eeriness of the story.

I think the key to the story is something Kate Lethbridge-Stewart says: “That’s what we do, all of us, we see something inexplicable and invent the rules to make it work.” Ruby thinks that what she must do to make it work is save the world.  And she does this brilliantly by using the old woman to take down an tyrannical Prime Minister.  But that doesn’t seem to be the answer. 

Ultimately Ruby grows old and dies and is able to return to Wales to warn her younger self. As far as we can tell, everything that happens in this episode is erased, but I suspect that something is retained that will play a part in Ruby’s ongoing character arc.  This is a beautifully filmed and atmospheric story, and another great episode of what’s shaping up to be an excellent series.

Rating: 8 of 10