Here's my interpretation of what happened: The Circle has a self defense mechanism, a way of stopping itself from ever getting broken. It does this by creating a splintered timeline around the breaker of the circle with the absolute worst life they could ever imagine with all their fears coming true. For Ruby its her fear of abandonement and people leaving her for seemingly no reason. It gives her this life and then at the end of her life has her go back and stop herself from ever breaking the circle. The reason we never know why people run is to feed Ruby's trauma of not knowing why she was left as a baby. The reasons we cant see the old womans face even through cameras is because its Ruby's only companion in life and its "always distant" feeding her loneliness even more. The reason the Doctor disappeared and the tardis didn't is because as another breaker of the circle he also went through his own 73 yards storyline where even the tardis abandoned him. One of the best episodes of the show ever. Up there with Blink, Midnight, Turn Left, Heaven Sent.
That's the best theory I've heard so far. I enjoyed it immensely as well, and not every episode has to spoon feed the audience every answer. Sometimes, it's fun to speculate, although I think some of the answers may come later in the series.
100% agree. This episode has reinvigorated my interest in Doctor Who again. I was close to never watching it again, however with the chance of more episodes like this is what will keep me coming back for more.
@@lordhoot1I think it's that it forces the writers to think outside of the box, and also to play around with the core tropes of the show. Most doctor lite episodes explore what it's like for the companions without the doctors help. This episode goes so far that the doctor never even knows about what happened this whole time and therefore, even us as the audience are without the doctor and without his explanations. (Another reason for the unanswered questions.)
I'd argue that even though he says hello to everyone he still would have been influenced by the perception filter around the old lady, and probably wouldn't have noticed her since he was looking over at Ruby she wasn't explicitly pointed out to him. Otherwise you'd expect tons of people who just randomly pass by within 73 yards of Ruby to freak out and run away. Buuut it does also seem like there may have been something supernatural about Mad Jack himself as well, so maybe that's precisely what allowed him to notice the old woman everyone else ignored, and ironically what brought about his downfall as well.
@@moonlightbay4814 That’s for me to decide, actually, thanks for the input input. I don’t personally consider two paragraphs worth of speculation about stuff that was all shown on-screen as “too much thinking”, but to each their own.
@@Wolf6119 It's fine to think about it. It's fine to think about the writer's thought processes and how concepts like 'the supernatural' and 'perception filters' get them out of dead ends. It's another thing to talk about these things as if they are real (unless you are 7 years old - I think you aren't!).
Even in an alternate timeline, Kate knows what’s up. Especially after Turn Left with Donna, whom she’s met (that was technically another timeline, but hey, so was this episode).
Everyone says this line sounds weird, but she's saying "this timeline" as in "this series of events in chronological order", not "this timeline" as in "this alternate reality"
Interesting point on this one is that it was the first episode Millie filmed. This one was done first because Ncuti was still filming Sex Education so wasn’t available yet, hence why he was hardly in it.
@@frankshailes3205 sorry, don’t get wrong, the episode was always going to be what it was, the reason they chose to film it first was because they knew they could get the vast majority of it done with out him, the episode would have still been exactly the same had they filmed them in order.
@@Babbitty81 you will find that 'out of order filming' is much the norm, demanded by weather, availability of location shots, and other things that go wrong.. If you watch the 'behind the scenes' doctorwho:unleashed film, you will see a lot of answers, even what the 'mystic figure' was actually saying and doing..
@@bobm4378 I’m well aware of that and never said it wasn’t the norm. I also watched the unleashed programme, funnily enough that’s where I got the info above from.
The episode really reminded me of elements in "Turn Left" & "The Curse of Clyde Langer", having a timeline where choices really matter and having to deal with a burden that turns people against the focused character. The interactions were really good between Ruby & "The Herald", from a looming discomfort to a manageable lifestyle throughout their time together, yet far.
He looks like the kind of man who thinks money and power allows him to grab women by the pussy. Of course, no country would be insane enough to vote for such a man.
@@Axetwin ....And a difference between those two approaches to storytelling, and *_barely_* giving people enough clues to piece it all together, so that it prompts mass-scale speculation & theorising as seen in multiple comment sections. I personally love _this_ option for that very reason. Plus it was an intriguing, brilliant, captivating episode in itself.😊
@@ameliacraiig4193 Parts of the episode was great, but the last 3 minutes felt like a RTD wrote himself into a corner and didn't know how to write himself out. As pure coincidence he just happened to be watching the Haunting of Hill House and concocted a quick deus ex machina to get himself out of it. THAT'S what the ending felt like.
@@Axetwin "We see something inexplicable and invent the rules to make it work." Kate Lethbridge-Stewart There is no right answer. Same as with myths and folklore and legends. People see something they don't have any explanation for, so they try to come up with an explanation on their own.
Something to note. In the Behind the scenes video for this episode, its revealed that this was the first episode Millie shot as Ruby which is really impressive given how Companion Heavy this episode was along with the deep and heavy themes.
73 Yards is definitely an experience that I probably will never have again. Doctor Who as an A24 horror film. One of the most weird and baffling yet fascinating and thought-provoking stories of Doctor Who yet. Haunting, tragic, melancholic and heartbreaking. A fantastic showcase for Ruby and Millie Gibson is an absolute sensation, especially considering this was the first story she filmed.
Ruby is 50% Donna and 50% Clara. A staggering unliklihood, with a mystery of her own. The snow, the extra timeline in this episode, her birthmother question hanging over everything...
@@joshuajoshua2732 I know they are talking storywise, but I saw a thumbnail with Ruby awhile ago and wondered why Clara had blonde hair. Their faces are quite similar and I had not realized it till then.
I was initially so confused, but by the end I was left in awe by the superb twists and turns of this episode. Spectacular writing and powerful acting on Millie's part.
Totally agree, I'm glad there is no full explanation to tie everything up in a neat bow. I think I have a pretty great explanation for the episode myself and have seen some other good theories, but the fact that we could watch the episode and just enjoy the creepy vibes and then puzzle out the reasoning ourselves later is lots of fun imo
Well spotted that Ruby said "3 times" rather than 2 in the final scene. I didn't spot that on my first viewing. I can't help thinking that this storyline with the abandoned Tardis on the clifftop ties back to the comment that 14 made to Not-Donna (when he still thought he was talking to Donna) in Wild Blue Yonder, about what would happen to the Tardis without him.
At the start, she says she has been to wales 2 times, 'went to see 'shygirl' in Cardiff, went to Mumbles because of a boy, neglecting that this is the 3rd time visiting wales (in the tardis) and at the end she says '3 times' but still says 'went to see 'shygirl' in Cardiff, went to Mumbles because of a boy... neglecting that this is the 3rd time visiting wales (in the tardis) ... mistake???
I love how this episode sucks the traditional Doctor Who elements out to make the audience feel as trapped, scared, and alone as Ruby. The Doctor, the theme, Kate, UNIT, The Tardis, etc.
You called it on the fandom reaction: People either love the episode feeling how nothing is explained enhances the horror. Other people seem to hate it feeling it was too ambiguous and lacked closure. I fall into the camp of liking that it didn't explain it and forces you to keep asking questions after the end.
75% of the episodes so far have had "watch where you step" moments... Space Babies and the butterfly, Boom with the mine, and now this with the fairy circle. Coincidence? (Looks around for Goblins)
@@SeeJay81 right at the beginning. Ruby has a conversation with him about stepping on a butterfly and he shrugs it off, then when they get out of the TARDIS in dinosaur era, she steps on a butterfly and turns into a lizard person. He revives the butterfly and everything goes back to normal
An incredible piece of this episode- this is Millie’s first episode she filmed. Her first performance, her first ever scenes on doctor who at eighteen, without even Ncuti to help her because he was off filming sex education, and she killed it.❤
The episode made me think of the darker fairytales. The story resolves in a darkly sweet way, Ruby having accomplished her purpose. Really good I thought.
In the behind the scenes video, RTD says: “Something profane has happened with the disturbance of this fairy circle. There’s been a lack of respect. The Doctor is normally very respectful of alien lifeforms and cultures, but now he’s just walked through something very powerful, and something’s gone wrong. But this something is corrected when Ruby has to spend a life of penitence in which she does something good, which brings the whole thing full circle. It forgives them in the end.” Personally, I also think it’s important to acknowledge the underlying theme of Ruby’s worst fear: abandonment. To appease this spirit and save the world, she had to confront her fear of everyone she loves abandoning her, just as her own birth mother did. The "Old woman" didn't really say anything to anyone...it was part of the penitence and her fear. She had to keep people at distance, like her boyfriend as she got older. When she needed someone to be there for her, to help her...by talking to the "old woman", they then had to abandon her. It was her curse and her power, which she used to stop Mad Jack. The final piece to break this curse was at the end, she reaches out to embrace this part of herself, fully accepting who she is in spite of her fear and is able to stop the "curse" and reset.
People love to discuss the mechanics of the fairy circle and the literal intetpretations of the events, but I think those people are missing the forest for the trees. The episode is not about old fairy magics or time loops. Because people seem to have trouble grasping the central metaphor of the episode, I am going to explain it. You can call it my reading of the episode if you'd like, but it is also the clear intended reading of the episode. If you'd rather keep the mystery of it all alive for yourself, don't read this comment further. --- --- The episode is about Ruby's fear of abandonment. Ruby was abandoned as a baby on the steps of a church. Her whole life she has been struggling with the question of why. When the Doctor disappeared on her, the woman in the distance showed up. The woman in the distance is the physical manifestation of her fear of being abandoned. Everyone who talks to her leaves Ruby and even when they don't Ruby is subconsciously pushing the people around her away because of it. She tries to get help from strangers, from her family, from professionals, but the fear remains. Only at the very end, when Ruby acknowledges the fear in front of the Doctor, it disappears. The Doctor, a friend to Ruby and someone who never would abandon her no longer vanishes and the fear doesn't manifest. It doesn't mean she's over her fears, but it means she can learn to live with them. Whether the fear manifested because of the fairy circle or because Ruby is clearly incredibly powerful, I don't have the answers at the time, but it also doesn't matter. If you approach the episode as a sci-fi mystery with concrete answers, you are going to leave disappointed.
Seeing as the season appears to be building up to a conclusion on where Ruby came from and whatnot, do you think that'll damage the supposed metaphor of this part of her journey? Does it put a damper on her "learning to live with the fear" of never knowing why she could get abandoned, if we ultimately find out why she was?
@@Mayeur000Donz Mental health is a complicated thing. Closure doesn't heal the cracks that have been inflicted years prior. That is, if we even get closure, because what exactly would a good conclusion to the story arc even look like, for Ruby? That her birth parents abandoned her for supposedly good reasons? What if their reasons for abandoning her aren't good? Does it really matter? In the end, she was still abandoned as a child and has had to deal with it for the past 19 years.
But if she doesn't retain the experience, what does it really mean for her character? Star Trek had the Inner Light which Picard remembered. Turn Left, Donna remembered.
@@ninjabluefyre3815 another 4 episodes to come, even a special one about her on june 15, then a Christmas special with TWO companions, directed by Steven Moffat !
I've watched a few reactions to this episode, and it's not been that positive. The problem seems to be that all the answers weren't spoon-fed to us at the end. I quite liked the mystery, and we can come up with our own theories. I think we may get some of the answers later in the season.
@clintdavis1452 people don't like the fact the show has to change with the times. It can't stay like it was in the 60s and 70s. The show was just reflecting what is going on in the world right now, just like a lot of classic Who episodes did. Every time someone complains about it, I tell them to go back and watch the classic episodes because they did the same thing
@@cooluncle4242 I guess they forgot what RTD and Moffitt did. They didn't spoon feed us a lot of the answers until the end of their series. Go figure😖🙄
The two things that I’ve noticed when I was watching this episode was “Is it possible it might be her future self?” Since she was doing something similar to when Amy and Rory saw their future selves the first time they faced the Silurians. And another one was “What if it’s a Psycophonic Curse?” The same curse Clyde had when he touched the Totem pole. This episode was so sad, terrifying and great at the same time, as well as how it reminds me a lot of two good stories in New-Who.
This episode might have scared me more than any episode since “Blink”. It’s a very different type of fear- sheer overwhelming dread rather than anxiety over when the next jumpscare is going to happen- but the sheer level of tension I felt watching this was off the goddamn charts.
Amazing performance by Siân Phillips (the old woman at the bar). Who here thinks Jess should do a reaction to the whole "I Claudius" mini-series from 1975? That had an amazing performance from Siân Phillips as well with the character Livia; who makes Cersei Lannister look like a sweet angel.
I think the implication is that the fairy circle holds the spirit of ‘mad jack’ the doctor accidentally released him early, which is why the whole turn left split timeline was created. Rubies special nature like Donna in turn left allowed her to fight the alternate reality, The doctor still knows who mad jack the prime minister is because someone else probably stumbled along a few months later and released him to be born anyway. But we’ve already seen the whole butterfly effect so by coming into power that little bit later it’s a different chain of events and things probably dont play out as bad as they do on rubies alternate time.
I really enjoyed this one. So surreal and weird. Do not get why people are complaining that too much is unexplained, it was explained. They disturbed a fairy circle. As they say in Ireland, "You do not feck with the good gentlemen of the hills." The fairies did it.
@roborob4296 : you did not see her, but she did, you did not see her go to her room and sleep, but she did, she is shown eating breakfast, and then lunch/ dinner... you did not see her get a train ticket, but she did...
Sesska points out the key clue to what launches the circle of events, and which I didn’t clearly hear on my own prior watching of the episode. Which was elderly Ruby on the cliff whispering, “Don’t step” to the Doctor, and young Ruby. Of course, that leads to the, wibbely wobbely, timey wimey paradox of most episodes. To be clear, I like the show’s handling of time paradoxes that way. They don’t try to reconcile them in a metaphysics way, and simply accept them, because doing so enables much more interesting stories. Doctor Who has always been about telling interesting stories, with a loose sci-fi/fantasy frame as a vehicle for moving from one story to the next.
I like that it does that because it feels like in so doing, it keeps the time travel aspect of the show honest. Like, if we ever had time travel IRL I suspect it'd likely work a LOT like it does in Doctor Who as opposed to Star Trek or Back to the Future.
03:12 - a Twist appears... Well this is turning out to be a recurring "can you spot Susan Twist" run. My Theory is that she is Susan Foreman, the doctors grandchild. Too many mentions of The Doctor being a Father and the explicit mention of 1963 Doctor and Susan beforehand.
After a rewatch, because I really did not understand the ending the first time, I noticed something. Cate tells Ruby that “ we see something inexplicable and invent the rules to make it work”. Cate also mentions “ I think this timeline might be suspended along your event .” Ruby is obviously magical. So what if the doctor stepped on that fairy circle, and was somehow “taken”. And then Ruby, being magical, starts this whole timeline of her saving the world and then coming back and stopping the doctor from stepping on the circle. Along the way she deals with her fear of abandonment. I think Ruby actually caused this story to happen in order to get the Doctor back. She might’ve even have been the one to make the doctor disappear, although she didn’t know that she did it, because she saw the circle and immediately thought it was magical. But I don’t think she was conscious of any of this. But somehow, it’s now part of her story, because the first time she got off the tardis, she said she had been whales twice, but the second time she got off she said she had been there three times. The toy maker had control over play, the Maestro had control over music, I wonder if Ruby has control over time. She seems to be able to bring the snow in from one time to her current time. Perhaps she created her own timeline for this, because she was so calm the entire episode, like none of it mattered. Like it was all about her. Almost like a maladaptive daydream. I wonder if she can control time? Hopefully, when they finally explain how Ruby is different, this episode will make more sense! If they never touch on this episode again, then this episode would be one of my least favorites because the ending really does not make sense on its own.
Did you notice that the people who talk to the lady only run away after they turn back and look at Ruby and only then they run away. What is it they see when they look back at Ruby that scare them so much?
Reminds me of Haunting of hill house, it follows the "rules" of ghost stories which we aren't used to in doctor who. But I do think there's something powerful about ruby, she is able to do things that she hasn't realised yet.
I like the mystery. This is supposed to be based on Welsh folk horror and I think the unknown plays a role in building the terror. If it all gets explained the terror goes away. This season seems to be playing with genres as much as it’s been playing with the fourth wall. Wondering if both of those things could possibly play a role in the pantheon plot.
this was the best episode of Series 14 so far if i am honest, this episode felt so dark and heart breaking, was delighted to see Kate back, doing my best to avoid spoilers this season paid off
I agree the lack of definitive explanation was a good thing. The story is from Ruby's perspective and her never ever being sure of what happened helps sink in the horror and tragedy of it all. I think it was totally appropriate and not some kind of oversight by the writers.
MR James, A24, The Signalman, Folk Horror - this is proper mysterious ghost story where the "rules" matter less than the atmosphere and themes. Ruby's fears of abandonment played out large. Utterly beautiful and haunting.
My theory's that the Doctor disappeared because he broke the fairy circle, but that's what Ruby experienced; she disturbed the little messages, so I think she also disappeared from the Doctor's point-of-view, and they both experienced splinter timelines to ensure they never disturb the fairy circle in the first place.
I’ve seen this comment a few times now, and I agree with it. This episode was Doctor Who as a short A24 film. I’m still confused by some of it, but I can easily say this is one of the best standalone episodes in all of Who. Up there with Blink, Midnight, Turn Left, and Heaven Sent. I agree with every word Sesska has said. This truly is a special episode.
Thanks Jessica, listening to your view on it gave a little more perspective for me. Before I found it creepy but a little frustrated at the end at many things go unanswered but you feeling ok with that has me remembering cool stories I've read in my life that were basically the same, I feel better about it now.
My favorite episode this season and one of my favorite of all time and the best part is I don't know everything. Everyone complaining they don't understand or they want to know how everything works are missing the point entirely.
Warriors' Gate evoked similar back in '81. My English teacher reckoned it was the best story the show had ever done to that point, and he'd been watching since 1963.
Really enjoyed this. My only caveat were the repeated hand signals from 'the herald'. Not that I needed an explanation of them, just someone at some point acknowledging they were happening and questioning what they were. Maybe Kate saying during their meeting, 'we've analysed those hand signals she's making....haven't come up with anything'. It felt like it was a big thing that no one commented on in 60 years (unless i missed something).
Just had a thought what if the susan twist character has manipulated ruby's ghost so that any one who meets it will avoid her/helping her and leave her on her own and vulnerable - her running away was just for show
Don't know if anyone mentioned it yet, but a little fact about this episode - this was the very first episode filmed because Ncuti Gatwa was not available when filming started as he was finishing filming for Sex Education at the time so because this episode was primarily Ruby they filmed it first.
As you've now seen 'Logopolis', you can imagine what was going through the collective fan-brain when the shots of a distant figure started appearing in the publicity. And that kind of turned out to be the key to the whole mystery. I don't think the villain of the piece really had enough screen-time, although I understand he may return at some point. I did sit and wonder if RTD has some kind of portal into the near future, because this episode popped up around the time a Conservative agitator in Britain was talking about us being at war with Russia. Then the government started talking about stockpiling in case of shortages. And in the last 24 hours they want to bring back mandatory national service (which used to be a thing in Britain after the war). If I was prone to conspiracies, I might wonder if there was something they're not telling us.
Turn left did it better, with this one there is nothing that actually happens to break the loop. Nothing ruby does that lets her communicate with her younger self on this version of the loop. She just goes through the motions of what turns her into the old woman on the hill and somehow magically this time she sees her and can hear her. It was a dumb ending.
It might have worked if Ruby remembered at the end. Otherwise it’s completely pointless. Roger Ap Gwilliam is still a problem in this timeline unless you say that the faerie circle stops him somehow, 20-odd years before he becomes prime minister, which makes no sense. Great work by Millie Gibson, but story doesn’t work.
I don't get this episode... I'm confuse, and I don't know what I feel about it... Maybe cause it's involve folklore that I'm not familiar with But seeing that this is Millie's first performance in Doctor Who, that's just incredible by itself. Overall, I'm just proud that I pick up "I've been here twice" being changed at the end of the episode, haha
I feel like it has to do with Ruby's powers. She can manifest stuff depending on her mood and state if mind, and as Kate said sometimes we see something and make up the rules around it.
Jess. Thank you. Thank you for watching and listening and just getting this episode. So many reviewers seem lacking the skill to just…. Watch. Always love ur videos. 😊🎉❤️
I hope not. The fact we don't have answers to all the questions is literally the point of the episode We know nothing more than Ruby herself knows because there's no reasons for us to know.
@@tunderdiamant8651 Some things almost have to be. The question of her birth mother has been in every episode this season, the blurring of the time lines has to be significant to the power of Ruby Sunday. The fact that we are getting an episode titled "The legend of Ruby Sunday" means we are definitely getting some answers even if we don't get all of them.
@@XanderHarris1023 yeah i was talking exclusively about this épisode Of course there are going to bé answers to ruby mystère its literally thé point of thé season
Kate and the pub gave us all the "hows" we need, it had nothing to do with the supernatural. Russel T Davies even said so in the behind the scenes. If you must have a practical explanation, landing the TARDIS's perception filter on a fairy circle causing Ruby's perception of herself to come to life and haunt her is plenty. It's the same as the salt between universes from Wild Blue Yonder that caused everything this season, bc like Doc and the old lady in the pub both said, the clifftop is a liminal space between the land and the sea, where the rules don't apply. (Space Babies also mentioned how most of the universe is still full of holes after Flux) The episode was somehow still entirely sci-fi, just like past "meta-story" bits like The Bogeyman, and I find that impressive. More importantly, that means we can toss that to the side, bc the only thing that actually matters is what it teaches us about the characters, like with Ruby's fear of abandonment (semperdistans. The Woman keeps everyone away from Ruby because of her own perception of herself, including the Doctor) and what one might do when you never receive the closure you expected. We got plenty of closure with the ending of the episode, people who say otherwise are trolling, the point is that during her journey, Ruby did not. That's why we don't ever find out what The Woman said, and we shouldn't, because any concrete answer would diminish the point. That's also why Roger ap Gwilliam is such a simple character who had nothing to do with anything supernatural, and why defeating him didn't stop Ruby's situation. The important thing is that Ruby was convinced it would. That she had a purpose here. (they straight up tell us to our face TWICE that the moment is purely symbolic) This is also why The Woman very explicitly is NOT Old Ruby, they aren't even the same actress. (check the credits or behind the scenes, Old Ruby is Amanda Walker, The Woman is Hilary Hobson) The snap back to the present is the first time Ruby actually reaches out to The Woman instead of chasing her or staying away (i also wonder if the time added up, 66.7 meters = 66.7 years? would be fun) When it comes to potential future threads related to this, i really don't think it makes sense to expect the finale to fully spell out the message and meaning of this episode, that's not necessary at all. But I do think this helps tease a greater context for later, since it seems like they're hinting at The Oldest One being a Pantheon member that's a living story, and has powers based on that, just like Toymaker and Maestro. Given that the memory of that Christmas straight up changed itself during Space Babies, and that the unique musical cue played in that moment was also played here when The Woman finished the circle and allowed Ruby to warn her younger self through her body instead, I wouldn't be surprised if the living story is Doctor himself. It would fit with The Timeless Child and what Toymaker said as well, but that is definitely still a bit more out there. Whatever story they are in could reasonably have given Ruby her powers too. I'm reminded of how tv-static or interference is often referred to as snow, and Ruby makes it snow whenever she starts to think too much about her mysterious origins
Great reaction as always, and I loved the fact you didn't get annoyed by not having everything explained at the end. I've watched a few reactions to this episode, and other people didn't like the ending or lack of answers. This episode is up there with Blink, Midnight, Heaven Sent and Left Turn. I also think we may get some answers later in the series as I think It'll be tied up with the Ruby mystery.
Absolutely adore this one. It's a vibe and genre that Doctor Who doesn't often attempt, without any feeling like it has to make something that's very far from sci-fi fit into a sci-fi aesthetic by the conclusion which I think serves the story well, and does a fantastic job of it. I need to sit on this further to be sure, but it's in contention for my favourite ever story/episode of Who (Alongside Midnight, Turn Left, Heaven Sent, and in the Classic era City of Death and one you haven't seen yet so I'm not going to state it's title)
The haunting of hill house is the best explanation of this episode I thought of that at the very beginning so I spoiled the episode for myself. No one would follow someone forever unless it's themselves or someone who wants to do them harm.
A bit of 2001: A Space Osyssey and 2010: Odyssey Two, a bit of Sapphire and Steel, a bit of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, a lot of Father's Day and Parting of the Ways, and a gigantic helping of Inside No 9's finest story "The Twelve Days of Christine".
This is the Warriors Gate of the season, I reckon those that enjoyed that loved this and those that hated that would have the same feelings on this, I loved them and your reactions to them.
It's really interesting watching Americans react to the pub scene. As a guilty Englishman who lived and studied in Wales for a significant amount of time and am here writing this comment, that scene hit different. In certain local pubs, you are not welcome, simply because you are English. You are the oppressor and there is blood on your hands. I thought this was a little unfair, until I spoke to my Welsh and Scottish friends, and you realise just how horrifically we've behaved historically and continue to in different ways today. Look up the Welsh Knot, Owain Glyndwr, Capel Celyn, even the English/Welsh response to COVID. It might seem rude in the moment, but can you blame them? The pub is by far my favourite bit of this episode. I wish we'd seen more of it. Some really interesting social commentary and great characters.
After racking my brain, I think I've come to my own interpretation of the episode. I believe that by breaking the fairy circle, the Doctor disappeared. Ruby, on the other hand, has suffered the curse of this circle, which consists in the realization of her greatest fears. What Ruby experiences is in fact a nightmare: everyone abandons her (even her adoptive mother), everyone is extremely afraid of what her true essence is, an essence that she has in front of her throughout her life but always at a distance. . The distance between her and the woman symbolizes her not yet being able to discover who she really is. Roger Ap Gwilliam, then? Well, in his nightmare he represents the greatest threat in the world simply because his unconscious remembers the conversation he just had with the Doctor. It's as if Ruby has sleep paralysis, which she manages to overcome when, as an old woman, she tells young Ruby not to break the circle. Kate, then? Well, in my opinion in recent months the Doctor will have talked to her about Kate or in any case he may already know her face because the Unit is no longer hiding. It's the closest connection to the Doctor she can subconsciously think of. Susan Twist? She has already seen her during the Christmas episode, that's why she subconsciously remembers having seen the same face during the last episode too and that's why she asks her if they've already met. Why are there things that don't have an explanation? As with all nightmares, things happen with no logical explanation. It's all a stream of consciousness that materializes after breaking the circle. Ruby, in the end, says she has been to Wales 3 times. He says it because he unconsciously remembers what he experienced, like when we have a nightmare or have a sense of deja-vu.
This episode was amazing in many ways and definitely one of RTD’s best, but it felt little like a re-tread of “Turn Left” (the Doctor is gone, the companion is stuck is an alternate timeline, there’s a scary person or thing following the companion with a weird perception filter, and the companion goes back in time to influence her past self to stop thing from happening). To be sure, the episode had lots of unique ideas and other things in it.
I am enjoying this season a lot. In fact from Power of them Doctor on I have been entertained. As much as I wasnt a fan of Jodiez era, im loving this era a lot. Glad you liked this episode as well.
Doctor Who Ecclestone once mentioned a Charles Dickens horror / ghost story called 'The Signal-man' to Charles Dickens and mentioned how it scared him ( worth reading, or watching the BBC TV adaptation ). Now we see why. The ghost is not of the past, but of the future, and it's you.
She's telling them ''that woman over there doesn't watch sesskasays reactions to doctor who'' it made them freak out and run away
LOL
Could you blame them!?
@@adamcarlson2192 yeah
Here's my interpretation of what happened:
The Circle has a self defense mechanism, a way of stopping itself from ever getting broken. It does this by creating a splintered timeline around the breaker of the circle with the absolute worst life they could ever imagine with all their fears coming true. For Ruby its her fear of abandonement and people leaving her for seemingly no reason. It gives her this life and then at the end of her life has her go back and stop herself from ever breaking the circle.
The reason we never know why people run is to feed Ruby's trauma of not knowing why she was left as a baby. The reasons we cant see the old womans face even through cameras is because its Ruby's only companion in life and its "always distant" feeding her loneliness even more. The reason the Doctor disappeared and the tardis didn't is because as another breaker of the circle he also went through his own 73 yards storyline where even the tardis abandoned him.
One of the best episodes of the show ever. Up there with Blink, Midnight, Turn Left, Heaven Sent.
That's the best theory I've heard so far. I enjoyed it immensely as well, and not every episode has to spoon feed the audience every answer. Sometimes, it's fun to speculate, although I think some of the answers may come later in the series.
Brilliant dissection of a great episode
What is it about these Doctor/companion light episodes that makes them so good?
100% agree. This episode has reinvigorated my interest in Doctor Who again. I was close to never watching it again, however with the chance of more episodes like this is what will keep me coming back for more.
@@lordhoot1I think it's that it forces the writers to think outside of the box, and also to play around with the core tropes of the show. Most doctor lite episodes explore what it's like for the companions without the doctors help. This episode goes so far that the doctor never even knows about what happened this whole time and therefore, even us as the audience are without the doctor and without his explanations. (Another reason for the unanswered questions.)
21:15 "He says 'Hello' to everyone." You are the only person who spotted that!
I'd argue that even though he says hello to everyone he still would have been influenced by the perception filter around the old lady, and probably wouldn't have noticed her since he was looking over at Ruby she wasn't explicitly pointed out to him. Otherwise you'd expect tons of people who just randomly pass by within 73 yards of Ruby to freak out and run away.
Buuut it does also seem like there may have been something supernatural about Mad Jack himself as well, so maybe that's precisely what allowed him to notice the old woman everyone else ignored, and ironically what brought about his downfall as well.
@@Wolf6119 You are thinking about this way too much. It's not real. Find something real to put your energy into.
@@moonlightbay4814 That’s for me to decide, actually, thanks for the input input.
I don’t personally consider two paragraphs worth of speculation about stuff that was all shown on-screen as “too much thinking”, but to each their own.
@@Wolf6119 It's fine to think about it. It's fine to think about the writer's thought processes and how concepts like 'the supernatural' and 'perception filters' get them out of dead ends.
It's another thing to talk about these things as if they are real (unless you are 7 years old - I think you aren't!).
"This timeline might be suspended along your event."
Even in an alternate timeline, Kate knows what’s up. Especially after Turn Left with Donna, whom she’s met (that was technically another timeline, but hey, so was this episode).
Everyone says this line sounds weird, but she's saying "this timeline" as in "this series of events in chronological order", not "this timeline" as in "this alternate reality"
I'm a Welshman. Can i say that most Welsh people are a lot friendlier than the characters in this episode!
Most. This has the rest of them.
RTD is usually extremely positive about Wales, so we can cut him some slack to have fun with a grumpy pub crowd!
I thought they were great. Not their fault they were influenced by the supernatural lady.
I'm sure you're lovely.
@@Dunybrook Is that what we think happened? I thought they were just jerks.
Interesting point on this one is that it was the first episode Millie filmed. This one was done first because Ncuti was still filming Sex Education so wasn’t available yet, hence why he was hardly in it.
Not sure why they couldn't just wait for him, after all this was made nearly 18 months ago. It doesn't take that long to make 6 or 7 episodes...
@@frankshailes3205 sorry, don’t get wrong, the episode was always going to be what it was, the reason they chose to film it first was because they knew they could get the vast majority of it done with out him, the episode would have still been exactly the same had they filmed them in order.
Every Doctor has had one Doctor Lite episode. Blink is one of my favorites.
@@Babbitty81 you will find that 'out of order filming' is much the norm, demanded by weather, availability of location shots, and other things that go wrong.. If you watch the 'behind the scenes' doctorwho:unleashed film, you will see a lot of answers, even what the 'mystic figure' was actually saying and doing..
@@bobm4378 I’m well aware of that and never said it wasn’t the norm. I also watched the unleashed programme, funnily enough that’s where I got the info above from.
The episode really reminded me of elements in "Turn Left" & "The Curse of Clyde Langer", having a timeline where choices really matter and having to deal with a burden that turns people against the focused character. The interactions were really good between Ruby & "The Herald", from a looming discomfort to a manageable lifestyle throughout their time together, yet far.
I definitely got both of those as well as Father's Day. I do wish we got, not an explanation, but a reason, and there is a difference.
Isn't this just normal life?
That creepy PM Roger AP Gwilliam, “Don’t You Think He Looks Tired?”
I thought the same thing!
He looks like the kind of man who thinks money and power allows him to grab women by the pussy. Of course, no country would be insane enough to vote for such a man.
He was probably wondering why he had such a short time on screen!
Old Ruby was telling everybody, "Don't you think she looks tired?"
It's rare that we get episodes that don't spell everything out. I kinda like that. A very atmospheric and creepy episode. Loved it!
There's a difference between "not spelling everything out" and giving people enough clues to piece it all together themselves.
@@Axetwin ....And a difference between those two approaches to storytelling, and *_barely_* giving people enough clues to piece it all together, so that it prompts mass-scale speculation & theorising as seen in multiple comment sections. I personally love _this_ option for that very reason. Plus it was an intriguing, brilliant, captivating episode in itself.😊
@@ameliacraiig4193 Parts of the episode was great, but the last 3 minutes felt like a RTD wrote himself into a corner and didn't know how to write himself out. As pure coincidence he just happened to be watching the Haunting of Hill House and concocted a quick deus ex machina to get himself out of it. THAT'S what the ending felt like.
@@Axetwin "We see something inexplicable and invent the rules to make it work." Kate Lethbridge-Stewart There is no right answer. Same as with myths and folklore and legends. People see something they don't have any explanation for, so they try to come up with an explanation on their own.
@@Axetwin This gave us everything we needed to know, if you watch and listen.
Something to note. In the Behind the scenes video for this episode, its revealed that this was the first episode Millie shot as Ruby which is really impressive given how Companion Heavy this episode was along with the deep and heavy themes.
What better way for an actor to find their character through a full episode that's virtually a character study of Ruby's fears?
73 Yards is definitely an experience that I probably will never have again. Doctor Who as an A24 horror film. One of the most weird and baffling yet fascinating and thought-provoking stories of Doctor Who yet. Haunting, tragic, melancholic and heartbreaking. A fantastic showcase for Ruby and Millie Gibson is an absolute sensation, especially considering this was the first story she filmed.
You mention A24, the plot is very similar to A Ghost Story, which is an A24 film
It wasn't that creepy.
@@flaggerify It was SUPER creepy. With other Doctor Who monsters you can at least get rid of them. But this woman is always there.
@@flaggerifyIt's more like a psicological terror creepy than a visual terror creepy.
@@danielkiran8174 Not creepy enough to put me off watching it again.
Ruby is 50% Donna and 50% Clara. A staggering unliklihood, with a mystery of her own. The snow, the extra timeline in this episode, her birthmother question hanging over everything...
have you seen 'unleashed' lots more details, and misleading stuff for fans to speculate on :/ LOL
Everyone keeps comparing Ruby to Clara I must be the only one because I just don't see it.
@@joshuajoshua2732 Not as a person, just as the 'impossible girl' story.
@@joshuajoshua2732 I know they are talking storywise, but I saw a thumbnail with Ruby awhile ago and wondered why Clara had blonde hair. Their faces are quite similar and I had not realized it till then.
@@HuntingViolets intentional, the casting operator found a lookalike...
I was initially so confused, but by the end I was left in awe by the superb twists and turns of this episode. Spectacular writing and powerful acting on Millie's part.
Totally agree, I'm glad there is no full explanation to tie everything up in a neat bow. I think I have a pretty great explanation for the episode myself and have seen some other good theories, but the fact that we could watch the episode and just enjoy the creepy vibes and then puzzle out the reasoning ourselves later is lots of fun imo
Well I want answers:[
@@geraltdelautreriv download / watch the 'behind the scenes' doctorwho:unleashed film, you will see a lot of answers..
We'll go ask RTD...
Well spotted that Ruby said "3 times" rather than 2 in the final scene. I didn't spot that on my first viewing. I can't help thinking that this storyline with the abandoned Tardis on the clifftop ties back to the comment that 14 made to Not-Donna (when he still thought he was talking to Donna) in Wild Blue Yonder, about what would happen to the Tardis without him.
Parting of the Ways too.
At the start, she says she has been to wales 2 times, 'went to see 'shygirl' in Cardiff, went to Mumbles because of a boy,
neglecting that this is the 3rd time visiting wales (in the tardis)
and at the end she says '3 times' but still says 'went to see 'shygirl' in Cardiff, went to Mumbles because of a boy...
neglecting that this is the 3rd time visiting wales (in the tardis) ... mistake???
@@bobm4378 Possibly.
The scene where Ruby meets Kate and UNIT was filmed in the high street of my home town - Newport, South Wales.
I can't ever think of Newport without thinking of that Newport remix of "State of Mind"
It looked distinctly unlike anywhere in London lol
I love how this episode sucks the traditional Doctor Who elements out to make the audience feel as trapped, scared, and alone as Ruby. The Doctor, the theme, Kate, UNIT, The Tardis, etc.
NCUTI was filming on another show and this was filmed first for the season.
You called it on the fandom reaction: People either love the episode feeling how nothing is explained enhances the horror. Other people seem to hate it feeling it was too ambiguous and lacked closure.
I fall into the camp of liking that it didn't explain it and forces you to keep asking questions after the end.
They'd go frantic over Sapphire and Steel.
"73 Yards" is much like "Listen" in that regard: not everything is fully explained. I have a soft spot for ambiguous stories.
I liked it for pretty much the same reason as you. It's my favorite episode of Season 1 (so far).
I adore this episode. My heart breaks for Ruby all throughout.
Also, best use of Kate in a while.
75% of the episodes so far have had "watch where you step" moments... Space Babies and the butterfly, Boom with the mine, and now this with the fairy circle. Coincidence? (Looks around for Goblins)
I was trying to piece this together, but where in Space Babies did they watch their step? I think I missed that one
@@SeeJay81 right at the beginning. Ruby has a conversation with him about stepping on a butterfly and he shrugs it off, then when they get out of the TARDIS in dinosaur era, she steps on a butterfly and turns into a lizard person. He revives the butterfly and everything goes back to normal
You make an interesting point!
@@celicynd oh so she did 🤦🏻♂️ thanks for clarifying
An incredible piece of this episode- this is Millie’s first episode she filmed. Her first performance, her first ever scenes on doctor who at eighteen, without even Ncuti to help her because he was off filming sex education, and she killed it.❤
The episode made me think of the darker fairytales. The story resolves in a darkly sweet way, Ruby having accomplished her purpose. Really good I thought.
In the behind the scenes video, RTD says:
“Something profane has happened with the disturbance of this fairy circle. There’s been a lack of respect. The Doctor is normally very respectful of alien lifeforms and cultures, but now he’s just walked through something very powerful, and something’s gone wrong. But this something is corrected when Ruby has to spend a life of penitence in which she does something good, which brings the whole thing full circle. It forgives them in the end.”
Personally, I also think it’s important to acknowledge the underlying theme of Ruby’s worst fear: abandonment. To appease this spirit and save the world, she had to confront her fear of everyone she loves abandoning her, just as her own birth mother did. The "Old woman" didn't really say anything to anyone...it was part of the penitence and her fear. She had to keep people at distance, like her boyfriend as she got older. When she needed someone to be there for her, to help her...by talking to the "old woman", they then had to abandon her.
It was her curse and her power, which she used to stop Mad Jack.
The final piece to break this curse was at the end, she reaches out to embrace this part of herself, fully accepting who she is in spite of her fear and is able to stop the "curse" and reset.
People love to discuss the mechanics of the fairy circle and the literal intetpretations of the events, but I think those people are missing the forest for the trees. The episode is not about old fairy magics or time loops. Because people seem to have trouble grasping the central metaphor of the episode, I am going to explain it. You can call it my reading of the episode if you'd like, but it is also the clear intended reading of the episode. If you'd rather keep the mystery of it all alive for yourself, don't read this comment further.
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The episode is about Ruby's fear of abandonment. Ruby was abandoned as a baby on the steps of a church. Her whole life she has been struggling with the question of why. When the Doctor disappeared on her, the woman in the distance showed up. The woman in the distance is the physical manifestation of her fear of being abandoned. Everyone who talks to her leaves Ruby and even when they don't Ruby is subconsciously pushing the people around her away because of it. She tries to get help from strangers, from her family, from professionals, but the fear remains.
Only at the very end, when Ruby acknowledges the fear in front of the Doctor, it disappears. The Doctor, a friend to Ruby and someone who never would abandon her no longer vanishes and the fear doesn't manifest. It doesn't mean she's over her fears, but it means she can learn to live with them. Whether the fear manifested because of the fairy circle or because Ruby is clearly incredibly powerful, I don't have the answers at the time, but it also doesn't matter. If you approach the episode as a sci-fi mystery with concrete answers, you are going to leave disappointed.
Seeing as the season appears to be building up to a conclusion on where Ruby came from and whatnot, do you think that'll damage the supposed metaphor of this part of her journey?
Does it put a damper on her "learning to live with the fear" of never knowing why she could get abandoned, if we ultimately find out why she was?
@@Mayeur000Donz Mental health is a complicated thing. Closure doesn't heal the cracks that have been inflicted years prior. That is, if we even get closure, because what exactly would a good conclusion to the story arc even look like, for Ruby? That her birth parents abandoned her for supposedly good reasons? What if their reasons for abandoning her aren't good? Does it really matter? In the end, she was still abandoned as a child and has had to deal with it for the past 19 years.
But if she doesn't retain the experience, what does it really mean for her character? Star Trek had the Inner Light which Picard remembered. Turn Left, Donna remembered.
@@ninjabluefyre3815 another 4 episodes to come, even a special one about her on june 15, then a Christmas special with TWO companions, directed by Steven Moffat !
YES.
This episode is controversial online but I love it deeply. It’s paced amazingly and felt different.
All new Doctor Who episodes are controversial online. That's a given
I've watched a few reactions to this episode, and it's not been that positive. The problem seems to be that all the answers weren't spoon-fed to us at the end. I quite liked the mystery, and we can come up with our own theories. I think we may get some of the answers later in the season.
Most people giving intensely negative responses to this episode are the same that are just projecting their hate of how progressive the show is
@clintdavis1452 people don't like the fact the show has to change with the times. It can't stay like it was in the 60s and 70s. The show was just reflecting what is going on in the world right now, just like a lot of classic Who episodes did. Every time someone complains about it, I tell them to go back and watch the classic episodes because they did the same thing
@@cooluncle4242 I guess they forgot what RTD and Moffitt did. They didn't spoon feed us a lot of the answers until the end of their series. Go figure😖🙄
The two things that I’ve noticed when I was watching this episode was “Is it possible it might be her future self?” Since she was doing something similar to when Amy and Rory saw their future selves the first time they faced the Silurians. And another one was “What if it’s a Psycophonic Curse?” The same curse Clyde had when he touched the Totem pole. This episode was so sad, terrifying and great at the same time, as well as how it reminds me a lot of two good stories in New-Who.
This episode might have scared me more than any episode since “Blink”. It’s a very different type of fear- sheer overwhelming dread rather than anxiety over when the next jumpscare is going to happen- but the sheer level of tension I felt watching this was off the goddamn charts.
This is my favourite episode thus far, really good writing!
Amazing performance by Siân Phillips (the old woman at the bar). Who here thinks Jess should do a reaction to the whole "I Claudius" mini-series from 1975? That had an amazing performance from Siân Phillips as well with the character Livia; who makes Cersei Lannister look like a sweet angel.
I thought she looked/sounded familiar.
I remember Livia, and she was a holy terror! What a powerhouse actress Sian Phillips has always been.
Im so happy that you reacted to this positively. We don't always have to understand everything to score an episode high.
I think the implication is that the fairy circle holds the spirit of ‘mad jack’ the doctor accidentally released him early, which is why the whole turn left split timeline was created. Rubies special nature like Donna in turn left allowed her to fight the alternate reality, The doctor still knows who mad jack the prime minister is because someone else probably stumbled along a few months later and released him to be born anyway. But we’ve already seen the whole butterfly effect so by coming into power that little bit later it’s a different chain of events and things probably dont play out as bad as they do on rubies alternate time.
I really enjoyed this one. So surreal and weird. Do not get why people are complaining that too much is unexplained, it was explained. They disturbed a fairy circle. As they say in Ireland, "You do not feck with the good gentlemen of the hills." The fairies did it.
people complain a lot about everything these days
The worst part about this episode to me is 5 quid for a class of soda and we dont even see her drink it?!
Cutting her losses... awfully unhealthy drink.
Probably a pint of bitter there is 4.
@roborob4296 : you did not see her, but she did, you did not see her go to her room and sleep, but she did, she is shown eating breakfast, and then lunch/ dinner... you did not see her get a train ticket, but she did...
Sesska points out the key clue to what launches the circle of events, and which I didn’t clearly hear on my own prior watching of the episode. Which was elderly Ruby on the cliff whispering, “Don’t step” to the Doctor, and young Ruby. Of course, that leads to the, wibbely wobbely, timey wimey paradox of most episodes. To be clear, I like the show’s handling of time paradoxes that way. They don’t try to reconcile them in a metaphysics way, and simply accept them, because doing so enables much more interesting stories. Doctor Who has always been about telling interesting stories, with a loose sci-fi/fantasy frame as a vehicle for moving from one story to the next.
I like that it does that because it feels like in so doing, it keeps the time travel aspect of the show honest. Like, if we ever had time travel IRL I suspect it'd likely work a LOT like it does in Doctor Who as opposed to Star Trek or Back to the Future.
03:12 - a Twist appears... Well this is turning out to be a recurring "can you spot Susan Twist" run. My Theory is that she is Susan Foreman, the doctors grandchild. Too many mentions of The Doctor being a Father and the explicit mention of 1963 Doctor and Susan beforehand.
The curse of Clyde Langer, oh wait Ruby Sunday 😅
After a rewatch, because I really did not understand the ending the first time, I noticed something. Cate tells Ruby that “ we see something inexplicable and invent the rules to make it work”. Cate also mentions “ I think this timeline might be suspended along your event .”
Ruby is obviously magical. So what if the doctor stepped on that fairy circle, and was somehow “taken”. And then Ruby, being magical, starts this whole timeline of her saving the world and then coming back and stopping the doctor from stepping on the circle.
Along the way she deals with her fear of abandonment.
I think Ruby actually caused this story to happen in order to get the Doctor back. She might’ve even have been the one to make the doctor disappear, although she didn’t know that she did it, because she saw the circle and immediately thought it was magical. But I don’t think she was conscious of any of this.
But somehow, it’s now part of her story, because the first time she got off the tardis, she said she had been whales twice, but the second time she got off she said she had been there three times.
The toy maker had control over play, the Maestro had control over music, I wonder if Ruby has control over time. She seems to be able to bring the snow in from one time to her current time. Perhaps she created her own timeline for this, because she was so calm the entire episode, like none of it mattered. Like it was all about her. Almost like a maladaptive daydream. I wonder if she can control time?
Hopefully, when they finally explain how Ruby is different, this episode will make more sense! If they never touch on this episode again, then this episode would be one of my least favorites because the ending really does not make sense on its own.
Did you notice that the people who talk to the lady only run away after they turn back and look at Ruby and only then they run away. What is it they see when they look back at Ruby that scare them so much?
Reminds me of Haunting of hill house, it follows the "rules" of ghost stories which we aren't used to in doctor who. But I do think there's something powerful about ruby, she is able to do things that she hasn't realised yet.
It follows the rules of Charles Dicken's 'The Signal-Man' pretty well. - and that's a favourite of the Doctor, looking back on his meeting with CD.
I like the mystery. This is supposed to be based on Welsh folk horror and I think the unknown plays a role in building the terror. If it all gets explained the terror goes away.
This season seems to be playing with genres as much as it’s been playing with the fourth wall. Wondering if both of those things could possibly play a role in the pantheon plot.
I didn't even know Wales HAS folklore.
Are any of the good ones compiled anywhere?
Sesska going "okay" at the "of course you can pay with your phone" is a vibe.
Seriously, what is UP with those people? Rude LMAO
Harold Saxon or Mad Jack. Both were dangerous.
...& both were leaders of The Albion Party..
this was the best episode of Series 14 so far if i am honest, this episode felt so dark and heart breaking, was delighted to see Kate back, doing my best to avoid spoilers this season paid off
I can’t wait for Jess to find out the ‘twist’ later on 😊😊😊
I agree the lack of definitive explanation was a good thing. The story is from Ruby's perspective and her never ever being sure of what happened helps sink in the horror and tragedy of it all. I think it was totally appropriate and not some kind of oversight by the writers.
Honestly I expected to hate this based on twitter but I love this episode
Twitter hates everything. Don't listen to anything that is on there
Twitter hates *everything*.
Given a choice between going to hell and going to twitter, go to hell every time. The demons are kinder in hell.
I wouldn't let social media lead you into opinion-forming anyway, especially the absolute cesspit of X.
Does anyone else notice that Susan Twists hiker character tells Ruby you shoukd BOTH get inside.
MR James, A24, The Signalman, Folk Horror - this is proper mysterious ghost story where the "rules" matter less than the atmosphere and themes. Ruby's fears of abandonment played out large. Utterly beautiful and haunting.
This was very Black Mirror and I loved it
wait for the next episode
That pub Ruby stays at must get some interesting Yelp reviews.
My theory's that the Doctor disappeared because he broke the fairy circle, but that's what Ruby experienced; she disturbed the little messages, so I think she also disappeared from the Doctor's point-of-view, and they both experienced splinter timelines to ensure they never disturb the fairy circle in the first place.
I’ve seen this comment a few times now, and I agree with it. This episode was Doctor Who as a short A24 film. I’m still confused by some of it, but I can easily say this is one of the best standalone episodes in all of Who. Up there with Blink, Midnight, Turn Left, and Heaven Sent. I agree with every word Sesska has said. This truly is a special episode.
Omg that top, as Donna and 14 would say GORGEOUS
CREEP
@@ernie-_-9415 saying a top is gorgeous is not creepy are you okay?
@@Randomperson-nc7ye I thought they meant Ncuti's fantastic orange coat!
( 0:26 ) No opening credits! 😱
I'm gonna say what most of us are thinking
Ruby is dressed just like Ashley Graham this episode
I've just googled Ashley Graham and she's a model? Not sure what your comment means.
Oh thank god, I thought I was the only one lol
@@hanonhold Ashley is a character from resident evil 4. Ruby in this outfit looks alot like her.
Oh! She is, isn't she?
Thanks Jessica, listening to your view on it gave a little more perspective for me. Before I found it creepy but a little frustrated at the end at many things go unanswered but you feeling ok with that has me remembering cool stories I've read in my life that were basically the same, I feel better about it now.
My favorite episode this season and one of my favorite of all time and the best part is I don't know everything. Everyone complaining they don't understand or they want to know how everything works are missing the point entirely.
Exactly.....100% agree.
Warriors' Gate evoked similar back in '81. My English teacher reckoned it was the best story the show had ever done to that point, and he'd been watching since 1963.
The entire paying with your phone scene - For a minute, I wondered if fiddling with the circle had changed the world to one without smartphones.
Every cloud has a silver lining!
Really enjoyed this. My only caveat were the repeated hand signals from 'the herald'. Not that I needed an explanation of them, just someone at some point acknowledging they were happening and questioning what they were. Maybe Kate saying during their meeting, 'we've analysed those hand signals she's making....haven't come up with anything'. It felt like it was a big thing that no one commented on in 60 years (unless i missed something).
I am hopeful we will come back to this and it will be explained. Otherwise it's just creepy forever!
have a look a t 'drwho:unleashed' it explains a lot! if you did not record, its on download..
The people in the bar have been made fun of so much, whenever someone mentions witchcraft now they play along lol
That wasn't playing along.
It was very American Werewolf just subverted.
Just had a thought what if the susan twist character has manipulated ruby's ghost so that any one who meets it will avoid her/helping her and leave her on her own and vulnerable - her running away was just for show
Susan who?
@@frankshailes3205 Susan twist the actress playing this recurring woman or women
My favorite parts were when Russel tore out my heart and when Millie started beating it with a hammer.
Don't know if anyone mentioned it yet, but a little fact about this episode - this was the very first episode filmed because Ncuti Gatwa was not available when filming started as he was finishing filming for Sex Education at the time so because this episode was primarily Ruby they filmed it first.
As you've now seen 'Logopolis', you can imagine what was going through the collective fan-brain when the shots of a distant figure started appearing in the publicity. And that kind of turned out to be the key to the whole mystery. I don't think the villain of the piece really had enough screen-time, although I understand he may return at some point. I did sit and wonder if RTD has some kind of portal into the near future, because this episode popped up around the time a Conservative agitator in Britain was talking about us being at war with Russia. Then the government started talking about stockpiling in case of shortages. And in the last 24 hours they want to bring back mandatory national service (which used to be a thing in Britain after the war). If I was prone to conspiracies, I might wonder if there was something they're not telling us.
It's like The Curse of Clyde Langer all over again 😳👀
that was one of the best Episodes of DW ever! Change my mind!
In my humble opinion, Heaven Sent was the best episode of new who
@@AmyWarriorPrincess Heaven Sent is in the top 5 at the very least. It's just that good.
I can’t it was top tier.
Turn left did it better, with this one there is nothing that actually happens to break the loop. Nothing ruby does that lets her communicate with her younger self on this version of the loop. She just goes through the motions of what turns her into the old woman on the hill and somehow magically this time she sees her and can hear her. It was a dumb ending.
It might have worked if Ruby remembered at the end. Otherwise it’s completely pointless. Roger Ap Gwilliam is still a problem in this timeline unless you say that the faerie circle stops him somehow, 20-odd years before he becomes prime minister, which makes no sense. Great work by Millie Gibson, but story doesn’t work.
When the Doctor says "Sorry", run for the hills.
If he says it twice... don't bother to run 😊
I don't get this episode... I'm confuse, and I don't know what I feel about it...
Maybe cause it's involve folklore that I'm not familiar with
But seeing that this is Millie's first performance in Doctor Who, that's just incredible by itself.
Overall, I'm just proud that I pick up "I've been here twice" being changed at the end of the episode, haha
Someone posted here, it's the second top comment. Go read it, I felt the same way as you but reading that comment made this a beautiful episode
@@philyjfryI have read it, and it changes my perspective~ thanks for telling me! :D
I feel like it has to do with Ruby's powers. She can manifest stuff depending on her mood and state if mind, and as Kate said sometimes we see something and make up the rules around it.
I can see why some people don’t really enjoy this episode, but personally I enjoyed it! I kinda love the mystery and horror of it
Jess. Thank you. Thank you for watching and listening and just getting this episode. So many reviewers seem lacking the skill to just…. Watch. Always love ur videos. 😊🎉❤️
I absolutely love the tone of the episode! It's just a ride.
I assume there will be another episode to fill in the questions left by this episode but on edge throughout watching this one!
Don't count on it. Remember The Doctor's Daughter?
I hope not. The fact we don't have answers to all the questions is literally the point of the episode
We know nothing more than Ruby herself knows because there's no reasons for us to know.
@@tunderdiamant8651 Some things almost have to be. The question of her birth mother has been in every episode this season, the blurring of the time lines has to be significant to the power of Ruby Sunday. The fact that we are getting an episode titled "The legend of Ruby Sunday" means we are definitely getting some answers even if we don't get all of them.
We never did find out exactly what was happening in Midnight...
@@XanderHarris1023 yeah i was talking exclusively about this épisode
Of course there are going to bé answers to ruby mystère its literally thé point of thé season
She says "be kind to each other". That's why they freak out.
Kate and the pub gave us all the "hows" we need, it had nothing to do with the supernatural. Russel T Davies even said so in the behind the scenes. If you must have a practical explanation, landing the TARDIS's perception filter on a fairy circle causing Ruby's perception of herself to come to life and haunt her is plenty. It's the same as the salt between universes from Wild Blue Yonder that caused everything this season, bc like Doc and the old lady in the pub both said, the clifftop is a liminal space between the land and the sea, where the rules don't apply. (Space Babies also mentioned how most of the universe is still full of holes after Flux) The episode was somehow still entirely sci-fi, just like past "meta-story" bits like The Bogeyman, and I find that impressive.
More importantly, that means we can toss that to the side, bc the only thing that actually matters is what it teaches us about the characters, like with Ruby's fear of abandonment (semperdistans. The Woman keeps everyone away from Ruby because of her own perception of herself, including the Doctor) and what one might do when you never receive the closure you expected. We got plenty of closure with the ending of the episode, people who say otherwise are trolling, the point is that during her journey, Ruby did not. That's why we don't ever find out what The Woman said, and we shouldn't, because any concrete answer would diminish the point.
That's also why Roger ap Gwilliam is such a simple character who had nothing to do with anything supernatural, and why defeating him didn't stop Ruby's situation. The important thing is that Ruby was convinced it would. That she had a purpose here. (they straight up tell us to our face TWICE that the moment is purely symbolic)
This is also why The Woman very explicitly is NOT Old Ruby, they aren't even the same actress. (check the credits or behind the scenes, Old Ruby is Amanda Walker, The Woman is Hilary Hobson) The snap back to the present is the first time Ruby actually reaches out to The Woman instead of chasing her or staying away (i also wonder if the time added up, 66.7 meters = 66.7 years? would be fun)
When it comes to potential future threads related to this, i really don't think it makes sense to expect the finale to fully spell out the message and meaning of this episode, that's not necessary at all. But I do think this helps tease a greater context for later, since it seems like they're hinting at The Oldest One being a Pantheon member that's a living story, and has powers based on that, just like Toymaker and Maestro. Given that the memory of that Christmas straight up changed itself during Space Babies, and that the unique musical cue played in that moment was also played here when The Woman finished the circle and allowed Ruby to warn her younger self through her body instead, I wouldn't be surprised if the living story is Doctor himself. It would fit with The Timeless Child and what Toymaker said as well, but that is definitely still a bit more out there. Whatever story they are in could reasonably have given Ruby her powers too. I'm reminded of how tv-static or interference is often referred to as snow, and Ruby makes it snow whenever she starts to think too much about her mysterious origins
Great reaction as always, and I loved the fact you didn't get annoyed by not having everything explained at the end. I've watched a few reactions to this episode, and other people didn't like the ending or lack of answers.
This episode is up there with Blink, Midnight, Heaven Sent and Left Turn. I also think we may get some answers later in the series as I think It'll be tied up with the Ruby mystery.
And now I'm curious what shenanigans the Doctor and Ruby they got into in Wales after the episode ended.
Absolutely adore this one. It's a vibe and genre that Doctor Who doesn't often attempt, without any feeling like it has to make something that's very far from sci-fi fit into a sci-fi aesthetic by the conclusion which I think serves the story well, and does a fantastic job of it.
I need to sit on this further to be sure, but it's in contention for my favourite ever story/episode of Who (Alongside Midnight, Turn Left, Heaven Sent, and in the Classic era City of Death and one you haven't seen yet so I'm not going to state it's title)
A bit of Donnie Darko, a bit of Bent Neck Lady from Haunting of Hill House, a bit of It Follows, all packaged in a nice one hour episode, i loved it.
The haunting of hill house is the best explanation of this episode I thought of that at the very beginning so I spoiled the episode for myself. No one would follow someone forever unless it's themselves or someone who wants to do them harm.
I also was thinking Donnie Darko! That and The Inner Light episode of TNG
A bit of 2001: A Space Osyssey and 2010: Odyssey Two, a bit of Sapphire and Steel, a bit of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, a lot of Father's Day and Parting of the Ways, and a gigantic helping of Inside No 9's finest story "The Twelve Days of Christine".
Odd coincidence that this episode features a general election, and was released in the same week one was announced.
Yes those people in the Pub were not repping Wales very well aha
This is the Warriors Gate of the season, I reckon those that enjoyed that loved this and those that hated that would have the same feelings on this, I loved them and your reactions to them.
Your reactions are the best!!
1:33 she says after she gets round the back...
It's really interesting watching Americans react to the pub scene. As a guilty Englishman who lived and studied in Wales for a significant amount of time and am here writing this comment, that scene hit different. In certain local pubs, you are not welcome, simply because you are English. You are the oppressor and there is blood on your hands. I thought this was a little unfair, until I spoke to my Welsh and Scottish friends, and you realise just how horrifically we've behaved historically and continue to in different ways today. Look up the Welsh Knot, Owain Glyndwr, Capel Celyn, even the English/Welsh response to COVID. It might seem rude in the moment, but can you blame them?
The pub is by far my favourite bit of this episode. I wish we'd seen more of it. Some really interesting social commentary and great characters.
The Watcher! So she was Ruby all the time!! Really interesting similarity as you've just recently watched Logopolis
THANKS for this!!!!
After racking my brain, I think I've come to my own interpretation of the episode. I believe that by breaking the fairy circle, the Doctor disappeared. Ruby, on the other hand, has suffered the curse of this circle, which consists in the realization of her greatest fears. What Ruby experiences is in fact a nightmare: everyone abandons her (even her adoptive mother), everyone is extremely afraid of what her true essence is, an essence that she has in front of her throughout her life but always at a distance. . The distance between her and the woman symbolizes her not yet being able to discover who she really is. Roger Ap Gwilliam, then? Well, in his nightmare he represents the greatest threat in the world simply because his unconscious remembers the conversation he just had with the Doctor. It's as if Ruby has sleep paralysis, which she manages to overcome when, as an old woman, she tells young Ruby not to break the circle. Kate, then? Well, in my opinion in recent months the Doctor will have talked to her about Kate or in any case he may already know her face because the Unit is no longer hiding. It's the closest connection to the Doctor she can subconsciously think of. Susan Twist? She has already seen her during the Christmas episode, that's why she subconsciously remembers having seen the same face during the last episode too and that's why she asks her if they've already met. Why are there things that don't have an explanation? As with all nightmares, things happen with no logical explanation. It's all a stream of consciousness that materializes after breaking the circle. Ruby, in the end, says she has been to Wales 3 times. He says it because he unconsciously remembers what he experienced, like when we have a nightmare or have a sense of deja-vu.
I love that they make Ruby 40 by just giving her glasses. It feels very like a stageplay in that sense, plus I think she looks cute.
22:42 well done!!!
The reason Ncuti isn’t much in this episode is because filming for Sex Education kept being drawn out.
This episode was the first thing they filmed.
DID SHE TELL HER THAT BEN WAS DEAD?! LMAOOOO BENNYYYY
You know when Sesska doesn't say a word you've got a gripping episode.
I thought this was outstanding, creepy and it gives me John Carpenter vibes.
Major “it follows” vibes yes
This episode was amazing in many ways and definitely one of RTD’s best, but it felt little like a re-tread of “Turn Left” (the Doctor is gone, the companion is stuck is an alternate timeline, there’s a scary person or thing following the companion with a weird perception filter, and the companion goes back in time to influence her past self to stop thing from happening).
To be sure, the episode had lots of unique ideas and other things in it.
Father's Day did the Doctor disappearing from the timeline long before Turn Left.
Definitely my favourite of this season so far similar to Donna in turn left
I am enjoying this season a lot. In fact from Power of them Doctor on I have been entertained.
As much as I wasnt a fan of Jodiez era, im loving this era a lot.
Glad you liked this episode as well.
Doctor Who Ecclestone once mentioned a Charles Dickens horror / ghost story called 'The Signal-man' to Charles Dickens and mentioned how it scared him ( worth reading, or watching the BBC TV adaptation ).
Now we see why. The ghost is not of the past, but of the future, and it's you.