Warning: spoilers ahead for Doctor Who season 14, episode 4.
Summary
- "73 Yards" and "Boom" both involve the Doctor stepping on something dangerous to trigger the plot.
- The similarity risks making the Fifteenth Doctor look somewhat silly.
- But maybe this is all part of a larger story, given the ongoing theme of coincidence in Doctor Who season 14.
Doctor Who season 14's "73 Yards" is a twisting, time-bending tale of witchcraft and thinly-veiled political allegory, but the basic premise comes very close to copying the episode directly before it. Written by Russell T Davies, "73 Yards" is quite unlike anything Doctor Who has previously attempted across its 60 years of existence. While Doctor-lite episodes are nothing new for the modern era, Ruby Sunday living an entire lifetime in a reality where the Doctor mysteriously disappears - and being haunted by the specter of her future self to boot - is a hugely ambitious swing even by RTD's lofty standards.
At first glance, "73 Yards" is markedly different compared to the Doctor Who season 14 episode that preceded it, Steven Moffat's "Boom." Whereas "Boom" took place on a futuristic battlefield, "73 Yards" is a Welsh folk story set in the present. "Boom" is straight-up sci-fi; "73 Yards" is a short horror movie. "Boom" stars Ncuti Gatwa; "73 Yards" does not star Ncuti Gatwa. Zooming out and taking in the broader perspective, however, "73 Yards" copies "Boom" in such an overt way that it's amazing both episodes released within the same Doctor Who season, let alone side-by-side.
Related
Doctor Who season 14 is Ncuti Gatwa's first full outing as the Doctor, and he is joined by an exciting cast of newcomers and familiar faces.
Doctor Who's "73 Yards" Premise Is Eerily Similar To "Boom"
The Doctor Really Needs To Look Down
At its core, Doctor Who season 14, episode 3, "Boom," is about the Doctor and Ruby exiting the TARDIS and Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor immediately stepping on something he shouldn't. Much trouble ensues, and the entire episode is spent attempting to undo the thing the Doctor stepped on. Doctor Who season 14, episode 4, "73 Yards," is about the Doctor and Ruby exiting the TARDIS and Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor immediately stepping on something he shouldn't. Much trouble ensues, and the entire episode is spent attempting to undo the thing the Doctor stepped on.
Each episode's toppings may be different, but the dough beneath is virtually identical. The fairy circle from "73 Yards" is effectively a magical version of episode 3's landmine, and it's amazing to think nobody involved in Doctor Who behind the scenes thought better of starting two episodes in a row with Fifteen stepping on something perilous to trigger the narrative. A Doctor making that mistake twice within the same regeneration would be strange; doing so one episode after another borders on ridiculous. The biggest takeaway, of course, is that Ncuti Gatwa really needs to start looking where he's walking.
Related
"Boom" Pays Off A Doctor Who Story From Steven Moffat's Very First Episode 19 Years Ago
Steven Moffat's return to Doctor Who means the resurgence of a presence first introduced to the show by the writer in 2005, extending his era.
Doctor Who's Repeated Story Risks Making Fifteen Look Silly
Ruby Can't Take The Doctor Anywhere In Season 14
Other than the repetition issue, Doctor Who season 14's "Boom" and "73 Yards" copy-and-pasting the same premise is harmful to Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor, making the fledgling protagonist look more silly than heroic. Whether through hubris, curiosity, or being outmaneuvered by an especially competent villain, the Doctor has always been imperfect, but the Time Lord is also renowned for acute intelligence, awareness, observation, and an ability to sniff out danger. The age-old comparison between the Doctor and Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes is not without merit.
The Doctor, typically five steps ahead of everyone else, now can't be trusted to take five steps outside of his TARDIS.
Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor stepping on a landmine in a busy war zone is one thing, but when the hero then vworps the TARDIS to his next location, steps outside, and immediately puts his foot straight through a magic circle, the Doctor's bad luck begins to look more like carelessness. The Doctor, typically five steps ahead of everyone else, now can't be trusted to take five steps outside of his TARDIS. There's certainly something to be said for depicting the Doctor as fallible and allowing the companion to rescue him for once, but the Doctor must still be a hero - a figure the audience can aspire towards. In Doctor Who season 14, he's almost a liability.
Do Doctor Who Season 14, Episodes 3 & 4 Have The Same Premise On Purpose?
There May Be A Reason Behind Doctor Who Season 14's Repetition
In all likelihood, Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat each composing Doctor Who episodes that start with the Doctor mistakenly treading on something dangerous is just a strange quirk of fate. With that said, many strange quirks of fate have occurred since RTD returned to Doctor Who - enough to consider the possibility of everything being part of a larger narrative picture that isn't yet clear.
In "The Church on Ruby Road," the Doctor mused over the power of coincidence in Ruby's life, and he then repeated this message in season 14's "Space Babies" after realizing his adventures with Ruby kept involving children without parents. The Doctor and Ruby also encounter the same woman - Susan Twist's Doctor Who character - wherever they land the TARDIS. It should also be noted that "73 Yards" is actually the third Doctor Who episode to include a character stepping on something and getting into trouble, since "Space Babies" began with Ruby Sunday treading on a butterfly.
"The Church on Ruby Road," "Space Babies," and "Boom" all required the Doctor and Ruby to save children left alone without their parents. Given that Ruby was abandoned as a child, she might be subconsciously causing this phenomenon.
Evidently, there is some element of curious repetition at play in Doctor Who's current timeline, whether because of Ruby, the One Who Waits, or some other force. Whatever the underlying cause, the same power of coincidence that keeps taking the TARDIS to places where there are orphans and Susan Twist might also explain why "Boom" and "73 Yards" start in exactly the same way. Or maybe Moffat and RTD just need to share their notes.
Episode | Disney+ Release Date |
|---|---|
"Space Babies" and "The Devil's Chord" | May 10 |
"Boom" | May 17 |
"73 Yards" | May 24 |
"Dot & Bubble" | May 31 |
"Rogue" | June 7 |
"The Legend of Ruby Sunday" | June 14 |
"Empire of Death" | June 21 |
Doctor Who
TV-14
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Originally premiered in 1963, Doctor Who is a sci-fi series that follows a powerful being known as a Time Lord, referred to as the Doctor. Using an interdimensional time-traveling ship known as the TARDIS, the Doctor travels time and space with various companions as they solve multiple problems and help avert catastrophe as much as they almost cause it. Though the Doctor is always the same character, they experience regenerations, allowing them to be recast every few seasons as a unique immortal being with new personality traits.
- Cast
- Jenna Coleman , Jodie Whittaker , Alex Kingston , David Tennant , Matt Smith , Peter Capaldi , Ncuti Gatwa , Millie Gibson
- Release Date
- November 23, 1963
- Seasons
- 14
- Network
- BBC
