We are already at the halfway point for this season of Doctor Who, and it’s hard to believe how fast it’s all moving along, but that’s what happens when you’re having a good time. Last week’s episode focused a lot on The Doctor as he tried to remove himself from a land mine before it activated and took out half the planet. This episode is actually a Doctor-lite episode, and while “The Girl Who Waited” and “Flatline” might count as Doctor-lite episodes to some people, The Doctor actually appears quite a bit in those episodes, unlike this episode, which I consider the first true Doctor-lite episode since “Turn Left,” which was 16 years ago.
This week’s episode of Doctor Who is titled “73 Yards,” and it follows The Doctor and Ruby as they land on the Welsh coast. Not soon after, The Doctor vanishes, and Ruby’s all alone, except there seems to be a woman following her every movement.
This episode was advertised as a folk horror, and that alone was enough to make this episode my most anticipated episode of the season, but I’ve got to say, I’ve been left a little disappointed. The episode starts off quite well, with Ruby feeling like she’s being haunted by this woman who only ever stays 73 yards behind her, hence the title of the episode. Ruby ends up in a pub, where they all scare her into thinking that she’s unleashed the curse of Mad Jack onto the world. This part of the episode has to be my favourite, as it’s genuinely one of the scarier moments of the episode. Another one of its scarier moments came towards the end of the episode, and it genuinely sent chills down my spine. I only wish there were more of those moments throughout the episode.
This episode sets itself apart from previous episodes such as “Space Babies,” which is more sillier in nature as it got to experiment with Welsh folklore, but it still feels like Russell T Davies was too scared to push it right to the edge of how dark it could’ve gotten. “Boom” felt like a much darker episode, and that was just in terms of the situation The Doctor was trapped in and also because of his dialogue. I thought that “73 Yards” would’ve taken it even further, but unfortunately for me, it didn’t get as dark or scary as I would’ve loved it to.
While I may not be satisfied with the overall tone of the episode, it still makes for an interesting story. Ruby is front and centre in this episode, meaning that Millie Gibson has all the spotlight, which she takes advantage of. I’ve loved her performances in all the previous episodes, but this is by far her best performance, exceeding my limits for how good she is. Millie’s performance makes this episode worth watching alone. Ruby’s storyline is already sad enough, but seeing what she has to go through in this episode while trying to get rid of the lady that’s following is truly heartbreaking at times. The direction for this episode was just phenomenal, and it also had great cinematography, probably some of the best this season.
”73 Yards” is a contender to get Millie Gibson a nomination for a BAFTA award, and I’m being so serious. Her performance radiates throughout the entire episode, keeping you locked in during moments where the episode may feel at its weakest with the story. It feels good to get Doctor-lite episodes back, and I hope we can get another next season with maybe both Millie and Varada at the centre. The episode lacks true potential with the topic and genre at hand, but it still makes for an entertaining episode, even if its mystery might not be for everyone.
Doctor Who Season 1 Episode 4 “73 Yards” releases May 24 on BBC IPlayer and BBC One in the UK and on Disney+ internationally.
