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Spoilers 73 Yards grade and discussion thread

How do you rate 73 Yards

  • Total voters
    61
Just watched "73 Yards."

This is the first episode with this Doctor that I thought was really, really good. The others had some good moments in each of them, but I can't say that any of them were consistently good from start to finish. But this one was, in my humble opinion.

I love that not everything was answered and spelled out and tied in a bow.
 
I'm guessing RTD perhaps doesn't even know what she said to them all, or at least not in every case as again I suspect it was perhaps something different said to each of them, or else a magical incantation that would make no sense to the viewer but which bewitched the person.
 
SolarisOne said:
I'm just gonna headcanon it was some kind of incantation that warps people's perception of Ruby.
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Starkers said:
I'm guessing RTD perhaps doesn't even know what she said to them all, or at least not in every case as again I suspect it was perhaps something different said to each of them, or else a magical incantation that would make no sense to the viewer but which bewitched the person.
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That's my interpretation as well. Not much else could possibly explain it.
 
Starkers said:
I'm guessing RTD perhaps doesn't even know what she said to them all, or at least not in every case as again I suspect it was perhaps something different said to each of them, or else a magical incantation that would make no sense to the viewer but which bewitched the person.
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Pretty much has to be something magical. There's absolutely nothing that would've scared her mother away without even a word. Also probably true with Kate because her professionalism would've driven her to investigate whatever Distant Ruby said, which would involve interrogating Ruby.

But that opens another can of worms because the episode didn't need yet another unexplained magical thing to drive the plot to where RTD wanted it to go.
 
Mr Awe said:
Pretty much has to be something magical. There's absolutely nothing that would've scared her mother away without even a word. Also probably true with Kate because her professionalism would've driven her to investigate whatever Distant Ruby said, which would involve interrogating Ruby.

But that opens another can of worms because the episode didn't need yet another unexplained magical thing to drive the plot to where RTD wanted it to go.
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Best can hope for is it’s like Trek and Remember Me — Ruby was shafted into a pocket universe essentially of her own making when she read the notes, which the Doctor technically saved her from going around because by not being distracted by the Blair What Project he told her not to second time around.
Russell, if you’re reading this, and as we suspect didn’t have a Scooby — you can have this explanation for free, just get Ncuti off the H&M catalogues and run everything past Moffat going forwards. And don’t do ‘messaging’ unless you’ve consulted a couple of people who actually have modern day experience of the thing you’re messaging on — alright mate? Crack on.
 
Ruby has a woman who stands 73 yards away from her and every time someone Ruby knows talks to that woman they becomes terrified and/or run away and want nothing more to do with Ruby.

I'm not sure there are as many impossible things that are completely separate from each other as people think in this episode, they're all connected to the central premise surely?

And by that rule don't most, if not all, Doctor Who episodes feature multiple impossible things?

The Doctor is 2000 years old: Impossible.
The Doctor is an alien: Impossible.
The Doctor has two hearts: Impossible outside of a conjoined twin.
The Doctor's entire body can regenerate at a cellular level making him look completely different: Impossible
The Doctor has a machine that can take him anywhere in space. Impossible.
The Doctor has a machine that can take him anywhere in time. Impossible.

Even if you conflate the first four points and the latter two points you still have two impossible things, and that's before the Doctor opens the door of the Tardis and meets a stone statue that can transport you back in time (Impossible) or a race of xenophobic mutants who exist in self propelled tanks (impossible) or an alien who's splintered his consciousnesses throughout time (impossible) or even an impossible girl who's splintered her consciousness throughout time ;)

Don't get me wrong, the 'one impossible thing' is a very good storytelling tenet to follow, I'm just not sure it's something that can be necessarily applied to an ongoing show like Doctor Who that's entire premise is based around things that are essentially impossible.
 
Starkers said:
Don't get me wrong, the 'one impossible thing' is a very good storytelling tenet to follow, I'm just not sure it's something that can be necessarily applied to an ongoing show like Doctor Who that's entire premise is based around things that are essentially impossible.
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In a SF series you kind of have to buy into a lump sum of impossible things as the price of admission. Those are the baseline impossible things. I'm thinking about new impossible things introduced in a given episode.
  1. Breaking the fairy circle releases Mad Jack.
  2. Doctor is gone but TARDIS remains.
  3. Distant Ruby is always 73 yards away.
  4. Distant Ruby can make everyone avoid Rudy (and mysteriously makes Mad Jack resign).
  5. When Old Ruby "dies" she time travels and becomes Distant Ruby (or maybe not because different actresses but something impossible is happening here).
That's at least 5 impossible things introduced in this episode alone. I feel like I'm forgetting some others.

I think we all have different tolerances for unexplained impossible things. I'm glad for those you enjoyed it. I just have difficulties with the amount of magical unexplained things that happen due to author fiat.

At the beginning of the episode, I thought we were in for a real treat too. Nice creepy atmosphere but it fell apart at least for me.

Obviously, YMMV. And I'm glad you enjoyed it! :techman:
 
Mr Awe said:
That's at least 5 impossible things introduced in this episode alone.

I think we all have different tolerances for unexplained impossible things.
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Alice and the Fifth Doctor would agree on the last point. Possibly the Doctor just wants those scrambled eggs a bit sooner?

Though I suppose it's plausible that Alice would find some things impossible that the Doctor wouldn't, hence him only going for three rather than six?
 
Why the doctor was absent

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I wonder if it's as simple as the words allowing people to see Ruby's true form and that her true form sparks a primal disgust in humans. And that change in perception is the result of both the words and that she is using her powers to send those words backward in time. If so, we'll probably get confirmation when we learn more about Ruby's origins.
 
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66 metres = Well, you can probably guess what it equals...
 
Just watched this today. What I don't have answers to are:
1. Where did the Doctor go?
2. What did the old lady say to make everyone hate Ruby?

Did I miss the answers to this?
 
1. Who knows.
2. Again this isn't made clear. I bet RTD doesn't even have a clue.

It's basically a curse feeding on Ruby's greatest fear, that everyone she cares about would abandon her the way her mum did.
 
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