Last week’s Doctor Who episode, ’73 Yards’, has sparked significant conversation among fans and critics alike, earning widespread praise and high ratings. Many have lauded its unsettling atmosphere and unique approach to storytelling. However, this very ambiguity has also proven to be a point of contention for some viewers. Unlike typical episodes with clear resolutions and explanations, ’73 Yards’ deliberately withholds answers, leaving audiences pondering the nature of the mysterious woman stalking Ruby Sunday and the overall meaning of the episode’s events. While some find this lack of clarity frustrating, it’s crucial to understand that the episode’s power lies precisely in its unexplained nature.
Understanding the Divided Reactions to ’73 Yards’
Millie Gibson as Ruby in
The Doctor Who episode ’73 Yards’ starring Millie Gibson as Ruby, showcasing the central character facing the unsettling mystery at the heart of the narrative.
The varied responses to ’73 Yards’ highlight a fundamental aspect of storytelling: audience expectations. Doctor Who often delivers thrilling adventures with clear-cut villains and problems for the Doctor to solve. ’73 Yards’, in contrast, presents a more elusive and psychological kind of mystery. Some viewers, accustomed to more traditional Doctor Who narratives, express frustration at the episode’s refusal to provide concrete answers. Questions abound: What was the woman saying? Why did her presence cause such fear? What was the true nature of the entity and its connection to Ruby? This desire for explanation is natural, but ’73 Yards’ intentionally subverts it.
On the other hand, many viewers and critics have celebrated the episode’s ambiguity. They recognize that the lack of explicit explanations contributes to the episode’s unsettling and thought-provoking atmosphere. This perspective appreciates ’73 Yards’ for venturing beyond typical sci-fi tropes and embracing a more nuanced, almost supernatural, style of storytelling. The episode’s success in generating such passionate, albeit divided, reactions underscores its effectiveness in challenging audience expectations and delivering a truly unique Doctor Who experience.
Shifting Genres: ’73 Yards’ as a Modern Ghost Story
Instead of adhering to the typical science fiction or puzzle-box mystery formats, ’73 Yards’ aligns more closely with the tradition of ghost stories. Many popular mystery shows focus on providing clues for viewers to solve, or they slowly unravel intricate mythologies, often introducing new questions even as they answer old ones. ’73 Yards’ deviates from both these approaches. Its strength lies not in solving a puzzle, but in creating a pervasive sense of unease and mystery, much like classic ghost stories.
Think of collections like the “British Library Tales of the Weird,” which compile strange and often inexplicable tales from the past. These stories frequently prioritize atmosphere and uncanny imagery over logical explanations, operating on a dreamlike logic that defies easy interpretation. Similarly, ’73 Yards’ evokes the unsettling mood of BBC’s “A Ghost Story for Christmas” adaptations, Mark Jenkins’ film Enys Men, or even the famously enigmatic Twin Peaks: The Return by David Lynch. These works excel at creating a sense of profound mystery that lingers long after the story ends, and this is precisely the territory ’73 Yards’ explores.
Deciphering the Unexplained Events of ’73 Yards’
Aneurin Barnard as Roger ap Gwilliam
Aneurin Barnard as Roger ap Gwilliam in Doctor Who ’73 Yards’, a character who becomes entangled in Ruby’s inexplicable haunting and the episode’s eerie atmosphere.
The narrative of ’73 Yards’ unfolds with a loose sense of cause and effect, starting from the moment the Doctor inadvertently disturbs the faerie ring. This action seemingly triggers a series of inexplicable events: the Doctor’s disappearance and Ruby’s relentless haunting by a silent apparition. The episode suggests a connection between the faerie ring, the apparition, and perhaps even the ambiguous figure of Mad Jack. Ultimately, it appears that by altering the initial event—preventing the Doctor from disturbing the ring—Ruby breaks the cycle.
However, the mechanics of these events remain deliberately vague. The episode never explicitly explains the nature of the apparition, its motivations, or its precise relationship with Ruby. Is the woman Ruby herself, as some interpretations suggest? The episode offers hints but no definitive answers. The fact that different actors portray elderly Ruby and the apparition, and that they bear little resemblance to each other, further deepens the mystery. This ambiguity isn’t a flaw; it’s a deliberate choice that enhances the episode’s unsettling and ghost-story-like quality.
Embracing the Unsolvable Mystery: The Power of the Unexplained
Millie Gibson as Ruby in
Millie Gibson as Ruby in a moment of confusion and fear in Doctor Who ’73 Yards’, effectively conveying the character’s isolation and the episode’s central theme of inexplicable phenomena.
’73 Yards’ intentionally breaks established Doctor Who conventions from the outset, even dispensing with the iconic title sequence and theme music. The episode repeatedly sets up familiar patterns only to subvert them. For instance, the creepy village pub initially appears to be populated by stereotypical weirdos, but they turn out to be ordinary people simply frustrated with prejudice. Ruby’s attempt to confront Roger ap Gwilliam initially seems to lead the story into a familiar parallel world trope, but this expectation is brutally subverted by the “40 years later” title card, revealing the futility of her actions in the grand scheme of things.
This constant disruption of expectations serves a crucial purpose. It mirrors Ruby’s own experience of confusion and isolation. The episode’s central aim isn’t to provide neat explanations but to immerse the viewer in Ruby’s perspective, making them feel her confusion, fear, and loneliness. As elderly Ruby poignantly states, “Everyone has abandoned me my whole life,” a statement that resonates deeply precisely because of the inexplicable nature of her suffering.
In conclusion, ’73 Yards’ is a Doctor Who episode that boldly embraces the show’s potential for supernatural storytelling. It delves into the genuinely frightening aspects of the unexplained, moving beyond simplistic monster-of-the-week scenarios. The episode offers a truly unsolvable mystery, leaving the audience to grapple with the ambiguity and fill in the blanks with their own imaginations. The refusal to explain the woman’s words or motivations is not a narrative failing, but a deliberate and effective choice that makes ’73 Yards’ a uniquely unsettling and memorable entry in the Doctor Who canon.
