73 Yards – As this episode of Doctor Who begins, The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) is thrilled to be in Wales. Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) tells him about the times she visited. The Doctor mentions Roger ap Gwilliam and says he’s a bad example of the Welsh. He was the most terrifying prime minister in history because he led the world to the brink of nuclear war. The Doctor says Roger was 2046. They step on a circle that someone made. Ruby reads messages, including “Rest in peace, Mad Jack”. She finds herself alone and the Tardis locked. Her key doesn’t work so it’s been locked from the inside. Ruby sees someone in the distance. She tries to catch up with them, but they keep getting further away. Ruby wanders around alone as the figure watches her from a distance.

A hiker runs into her so Ruby claims her car broke down. She tells Ruby that the village nearby is Glyngatwg. Ruby asks the hiker about the woman who keeps following her. She asks the hiker to tell the woman she’s sorry. Ruby asks the hiker to ask the woman about The Doctor as well. Then, she watches as the hiker approaches the woman and speaks to her. The hiker ends up screaming and rushing in another direction. Ruby makes it to the town and the woman is still nearby. She goes inside and asks Lowri Palin (Maxine Evans) if she has a room for the night. Ruby asks about paying with her phone. They’re not in the dark ages yet. The locals say they’re supposedly getting Christianity next week. They don’t know who the woman outside is. Enid Meadows (Sian Phillips) thinks they should invite her in. Joshua Steele (Sion Pritchard) agrees to ask the woman why she’s following Ruby.

Ruby asks Josh to ask the woman if she’s seen her friend. She tells everyone how the woman keeps her distance. Josh speaks to the woman before fleeing from her. Ifor Jones (Gwion Morris Jones) wonders what she said to him, but Ruby doesn’t have the answers. Ruby tells them about the circle of cotton they encountered. They’re worried when she mentions witchcraft. Enid says it’s a fairy circle. Ruby admits she broke the circle. Enid asks if she knows why Wales has so many picturesque little castles. She claims they were used as torture centers for the English to rule with fear. Ruby insists they would never disrespect the circle like that before admitting she read the messages. Enid says whatever spell was cast in the circle was broken. Ruby tells them about the message that said, “Rest in peace, Mad Jack”.

Enid doesn’t think that was wise. They’re worried because Mad Jack was insane. The charm was clear. It intended to bind his soul to rest in peace, but Ruby has now broken it. Mad Jack is unbound. Lowri knows Jack called his place home. Ruby is told to answer the door. When she opens the door, Eddie Jones (Glyn Pritchard) is carrying pasties. Enid tells Ruby that she only walked into a piece of string. The woman is still standing outside in the morning. Ruby goes back to the Tardis and sits alone. Back at the pub, Lowri tells her that Josh is never coming back. Ruby thinks Josh wanted Lowri to ask the woman outside. Lowri wants Ruby to pack and leave. Ruby goes to the Tardis in hopes of seeing The Doctor. Then, she tells the woman she’s leaving and she’s won. She takes the train and the woman follows her all the way home. Carla (Michelle Greenidge) and Cherry (Angela Wynter) greet Ruby at home.

Ruby tells Carla about the woman. Carla wants to approach the woman and use her phone to let Ruby communicate with her. Ruby yells for her mom not to do this to her. Carla begins running away from the woman. Ruby chases Carla only to see her leave in a vehicle moments later. Carla doesn’t take her calls for a long time. Eventually, she tells her to stop calling because she’s not her daughter. Carla says even Ruby’s real mother didn’t want her. Ruby meets Kate Lethbridge-Stewart (Jemma Redgrave) who thinks she can help. Ruby tells her that her mother took out an injunction on her. Kate says they have a tradition of helping the Doctor’s former companions once they return to a normal life. They’re the Unified Intelligence Taskforce created to investigate the extraterrestrial and supernatural.

Ruby confirms she can take them to the Tardis. Kate wonders if the Tardis’s perception filter has affected things. Ruby notices that people at work see the woman but they don’t seem to notice her. She knows the woman is 73 yards away because she’s measured it a hundred times. Ruby worries she might die or the woman might die if she cuts her off. Kate confirms it’s 73 yards before saying she didn’t come alone. They haven’t been able to photograph the woman’s face. Kate thinks her team will be able to bring the woman in. Once the team approaches her, Kate’s attitude changes and she tells them to disengage. Kate leaves. Ruby tries to continue with her life. One day, she sees Roger Ap Gwilliam (Aneurin Barnard) speaking on television. He mentions that they used to call him Mad Jack. Ruby tells her date she’s going to save the world. She goes outside where she tells the woman they have work to do.

Then, she arrives at Gwilliam’s campaign office. She ends up volunteering and carrying the coats. During an interview, Gwilliam says he wants to spend billions on nuclear weapons. He explains he’s the son of Wales and the Welsh know what it’s like to be oppressed. He talks about defending the borders and firing a nuclear missile. The interviewer, Amol, asks if he wants to fire one. Gwilliam questions whether they’ll cut that bit out. After the interview, Gwilliam asks Ruby if she’s with her. He asks about the girl over there. Ruby says she’s a volunteer on Danny’s team. She calls the woman Marti Bridges. He speaks to Marti. Gwilliam is elected as a member of parliament. During the celebrations, Ruby speaks to Marti (Sophie Ablett) who is despondent.

Ruby believes Roger gives her the shivers sometimes. Marti says he’s a monster. Then, the group prepares for a broadcast in a football stadium. Roger is Prime Minister now. They don’t get access, but Marti has been invited to the party on Saturday. Ruby isn’t sure people will listen to Roger. However, there are rumors that control will transfer. Ruby learns they’re purchasing a nuclear arsenal from Pakistan and Roger will declare them independent from NATO. On Saturday, Roger will receive the codes. Marti worries he’ll launch on Saturday. Ruby apologizes to Marti that it took so long. She says she only gets one chance and she had to make sure she was right. Ruby wishes she could’ve helped her. She walks onto the grass and uses her phone to separate herself 73 years from the woman. Then, she watches as the woman causes Roger to flee.

The news says Roger has resigned as prime minister. Ruby looks outside and sees the woman. She asks the woman to leave her alone now. 40 years later, an old Ruby is driven to the Tardis. The woman watches her from a distance. Ruby (Amanda Walker) tells Elizabeth people don’t know why they put flowers there. Ruby admits she didn’t find her birth mother and it never snowed again. She keeps thinking she knows why. In the end, she has hope. She mentions her old friend. Later, a nurse tells Ruby how to turn on the light. Ruby tells her that she could make it snow once upon a time. She wakes up and finds the woman in her room. Ruby ends up back at the Tardis watching young Ruby with The Doctor. A young Ruby sees the woman. The Doctor doesn’t. Ruby prevents him from stepping on the circle. The Doctor calls it a fairy circle and tells her more about it.

He urges Ruby to let them rest in peace like her mysterious woman. They move on and talk about the times Ruby was in Wales. As for the third time she was in Wales, Ruby says it must’ve been now.

 

Doctor Who Review

73 Yards may very well be one of the weakest episodes of Doctor Who to date, especially after such a strong episode last time out. At times, the episode was actually strong considering it was less outlandish and the performances weren’t as over-the-top with The Doctor out of the picture.

The scenes with the woman following Ruby at the beginning and those at the pub were very good. It felt like a genuine mystery thriller to the point you could feel the anticipation. Slowly but surely, the episode progressively worsened until it turned into a half-baked idea with an even worse execution.

Millie Gibson did a good job with the script, but it’s hard not to feel like Aneurin Barnard was wasted here. What was his purpose and aspirations? We know he wanted a nuclear bomb, but nothing else made any sense. Was he going to bomb the border to stop refugees from getting in? Or, was the goal to make NATO the superhero that can do no wrong?

Honestly, that angle wasn’t even needed because the story could’ve worked well on its own. Instead, this felt like a weak political jab that was just thrown in at the last minute to tick another box. While that wasn’t the only issue here, it definitely didn’t help matters.

Boom was a significantly stronger episode because the message was delivered more effectively and it’s something everyone can get behind. Plus, it was just better written. While 73 Yards started strong, it shifted tracks midway through before going off the rails completely. Some viewers may feel that this episode was a waste of time considering that it ends exactly where it began.

Through four episodes, Boom has truly been the only one worthwhile with this one easily being in the running for the worst episode of the series. It scores a 4 out of 10. Recaps of Doctor Who can be found on Reel Mockery here. Find out how to support our independent site at this link. Learn more about advertising with us here. Discuss Doctor Who at the Reel Mockery Forum.