Written by John Edward Betancourt
Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 1404 of ‘Doctor Who’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
Over the course of its illustrious history, Doctor Who, has proven itself to be quite the versatile show from a storytelling perspective. Simply because this is that rare type of story that know how to fuse other genres into its science fiction foundation in a seamless manner. Allowing for the show to easily slip into dramatic elements that deeply move us, or from time to time… elements of horror that allow for one spooky adventure with our favorite time lord. But what’s fascinating about the show’s genre versatility is that it always makes sure to keep any shifts or any fusion limited to just one shift or a pair of genres, as though doing anything far more ambitious might be detrimental to the story or potentially confuse an audience. But that all changed during this week’s episode on Disney+. For ’73 Yards’ was a tale that was not only grounded in the usual science fiction we know from this show, but elements of horror, and even some fascinating dramatic elements were thrown in for good measure. All of which was accomplished by way of one unfortunate day in Wales. For shortly after the Doctor and Ruby landed in Wales, they broke a Fairy Circle placed upon the ground. Which prompted the Doctor to just disappear and left Ruby with a mysterious woman waving at her in the distance. One that caused all kinds of eerie trouble for Ruby when she returned home from Wales, after waiting for the Doctor for days upon days. In that, anyone that attempted to speak with the woman was frightened to no end and turned upon Ruby. To the point where she lost her mother and even saw Kate from UNIT step away and leave her be. Which left Ruby on a lonely path, one filled with failed relationships and minimal fulfillment. In fact, her only real heroic moment of note was using that creature to scare Britian’s version of Donald Trump, saving the world from a nuclear disaster. But only she knew of that possible outcome and received no accolades. Which meant that Ruby’s life was pretty uneventful, and even a last trip to the TARDIS proved to be innocuous and haunted by that ghostly lady, who was eventually revealed to be… Ruby at the end. Who was eager for Ruby to be more and live a better life than the one that she ended up with and thanks to a more aggressive warning on her part when this cycle started again… Ruby got her wish.
All of which made, for another unique episode of the show. One that really did lean into horror again. Because until we learned more about the origin of old Ruby, and until she was used in a positive manner, she was quite the scary being. After all, her face was never seen, and she was dressed in black and hanging in the shadows. And that appearance, her ability to instill terror with a simple conversation and all the visuals surrounding her, really was some old school horror. The kind that blended into this story seamlessly and added tension and kept us guessing, and the show deserves a round of applause for once again making our skin crawl in an impactful manner… but as mentioned a moment ago, this was also quite the drama.
After all, Ruby’s life, one rounded by a cyclical jump into haunting herself to do better and be more… was quite wax philosophical in nature. Since it spoke to so much about life. About how ignorance can change our lives for the worst, since that started this whole mess. How the seasons of change bring people into and out of our lives, and quite frankly… how awful it is to live without purpose. For this Ruby Sunday was no one of consequence. Just a mouse, living in her tiny house, and that served as a fine reminder that such a life is unfulfilling and choosing to accept it when we should and could be taking chances is the wrong path for everyone. Since we only get one shot to enjoy our short time on this planet. All of which gave rise, to another refreshing episode of this series. In fact, season 14 of the show has been downright flawless thus far. Because each story has been original, bold, and absolutely engaging and this was no exception to that rule. Since it offered a grand mystery for the story to solve, it presented quite the challenge for Ruby Sunday, and it was also filled with some amazing acting from Millie Gibson. Who truly sold Ruby’s boring alternate future with a gravity and an honesty that allowed for all of these storytelling elements to work seamlessly. Which truly leaves us eager for more of this amazing series, and all the surprises it continues to send our way. Courtesy of a season of reinvention and experimentation. Until next time. Watch ‘Doctor Who’
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