73 Yards was a very compelling episode with a great mystery, which ultimately completely failed to answer half the questions it raised.
I mean, unless there's something big that I missed, I feel like this has to be followed up on in a future episode, I guess once we find out what Ruby's deal is.
Riiiiight, this was the best episode since Heaven Sent or so, until the final 2 minutes when you realize the episode is ending and there is not going to be a payoff.
Gotta agree, a good episode that kinda falls flat at the end but will probably make more sense once we find out who or what Ruby is.
Something I've seen pointed out elsewhere, this makes 3 episodes out of 4 where accidentally standing on something had huge consequences, that feels like more than coincidence.
I thought that episode was astoundingly good. I can see the few questions that weren't answered at the end, but I can wait till the end of this season (or the next) for them to be explained and even if they aren't, it was still really good. The only question that really demands an answer that won't be is
It's interesting to see how much chatter 73 Yards has created online. Nothing out of the norm for Doctor Who, anyway haha. Every episode seems to have it's lovers and haters, but this one even more so.
I see all of its flaws and yet the episode was still very compelling to me, and I've been trying to mull it over. The directing was great, and Millie Gibson was awesome (if I read right, this was one of the first episodes she shot? Can you imagine getting cast in Doctor Who, and then turn around to do your first episode, but the Doctor isn't with you and you're expected to carry the story?), and the creepy suspense and supernatural element was done well.
I also read that RTD saw that 73 Yards is the optimal distance where you can see a person, yet not recognize who they are.
I'm pretty much okay with
@Robby said in Doctor Who:
You know, it had been long enough that I'd kind of forgotten how much I didn't like the original Davies era because after 15 or 20 years I mostly just remembered the highlights aside from the fact that I loathe Rose, but Donna was great and Tennant was good in the role and there were some real bangers, but after the Devils Chord just wtf was that.
I understand the show wants to keep topping itself but we've now gone from Omega being a one time sort of god, to facing down two different gods in the space of three episodes and all inclinations there will be at least one more. Toymaker as a one off is okay cause classic villain, new rendition, trick to win but... The higher budget means they're going for even more absurd special effects and just way over the top and hyper cartoonish.
I'm fine with A show ending in a random fourth wall breaking dance number, but Doctor Who?
Just hurry up and reveal the big bad is his granddaughter Susan, as being played by the actress "Susan Twist" (that can't be her real name) and be done with it.
I've long been a staunch defender of the fact the show needs to change to stay fresh and that if its not your personal taste just wait a couple seasons... and that retcons to the continuity happen all the time in a long runner, so timeless child or regeneration are no more outlandish than regeneration being created in the first place, but... I think they're going too far in the kiddie direction for me right now.
Gonna watch the Mofatt episode but then I think I'm done for a while. I didn't like the last era, and I'm not liking this one for entirely different reasons.
Overall I'm a bit mixed on this series 14/season 1. Holiday special was good, space babies was okay (didn't need yet another fart joke but that's on me for thinking RTD would've changed by now). And I think you've hit it on the head as to why this season's felt a bit off, Space Babies and Devil's Chord felt more kid-centric than I'd want in this series. I'm aware that's a personal preference though.
And then these episodes are followed up with Boom and 73 Yards, the latter of which had such a drastically different tone of gritty and bleak (it didn't even play the opening theme sequence, which worked in favor of it), it's hard to believe they were the same show almost. I've no idea what to expect for the latter half of this season.
Holy heck, I was not ready for that twist and then I thought about the episode and some thought I had on it throughout and it made perfect sense. That's 4 bangers in a row.
Dot and Bubble.
90% of the episode was a blunt, if not fairly entertaining commentary on social media, but...yeah, that twist at the end kinda does recontextualize everything. May have to give it a second watch some time.
I caught one hint of the ending beforehand but just assumed it was something the crew overlooked, thinking back after seeing the ending there were a few other hints too. Enjoyed the episode a lot.
Ricky September is the mvp of this season .
such a bleak ending though
There's definitely a commentary on social media but I don't think it's straightforward "Social Media Is Bad". Ricky September used it but he wasn't obsessed with it. Like with most things, it depends on how and how long you do it. I also liked that he was established as someone who loves learning about the world. It's a big contrast to Lindy who's empathic only to herself, her family, and her friends (her social bubble). Even where Lindy lived was a bubble built for rich young people who mostly think and act alike. There's no room for debate or other ideas. It's the perfect place to harbor ideologies based on ignorance.
I dismissed the character at first, but I'm really interested in Ricky. I think one reason he got that ending was because he most likely would've had no problem with The Doctor and would've campaigned to follow him. The combination of the twist paired with Lindy wanting to please her new bubble of friends was her downfall. I think the gears were turning in her head but she didn't have the empathy to let someone she didn't consider a friend to help her if there was another option. Even if that option was awful.
Overall, it wasn't just the twist that was good, but, through Ricky and Lindy's interactions, the twist is just one of the results of a classist society built on ignorance and self-gratification.
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2024/jun/04/william-russell-obituary
William Russell, who played Ian Chesterton, one of the original companions, has died at 99.
He lived a long life, so it's not exactly unexpected, but it's still a bummer to hear. It's pretty cool that he continued to contribute to the franchise so long after his initial departure, performing in several Big Finish audios and making a guest appearance in Power of the Doctor.
And with that, Carole Ann Ford is the only surviving member of the original cast.
Rogue (the episode) was nice enough.
Rogue (the character) was okay, but he kind of felt like Jark Harkness lite. And the romance between him and the Doctor felt really forced and rushed. The rest of the episode is fairly standard Doctor Who fare, but the climax was pretty great and emotional.
And the lamb lies down on Broadway
This was a fun episode. A nice calm before the storm. The Owls had a classic villain type style but with a bit of oomph (the actors did a great job with their roles). I can see the species appearing again one day.
Ruby continues to impress me by how smart, resourceful, and sympathetic she is. Just a great character.
I was getting Jack Harkness vibes too. But, the romance didn't feel all that forced to me. Probably because I was onboard with the two's connection with loss and how well their personalities fit each other.
But, yeah, it's hard to have a main character fall in love and lose them in one episode and not make it seem rushed. For what it's worth, I think they did the best they could within the time allowed.
I've been enjoying the new season so far. Hopefully the next episode sticks the landing.
Also, I'm much further along with the show than I was before - for modern Who, I'm up to the start of the 13th Doctor (so far, 12 might be my second-favourite Doctor, possibly even my overall favourite), and for classic Who, I've jumped around in no particular order, but I've seen three seasons of Tom Baker (his first, third, and sixth), two seasons of Jon Pertwee (his second and fourth), and Sylvester McCoy's last season.
So I heard about the big twist and went "Okay, I need to see how that plays out..." and figured I would catch up, even though I'd stopped after Boom.
I just don't like Davies as showrunner. I largely didn't like his original four seasons, I don't like it now. I get that he has that wide range mass appeal but it's just generally too silly, too flippant, too childish for me.I hate constantly be negative, I WANT to love it but...
Also, what the is with Gatwas's schedule? Two different doctor light episodes in a row?
73 Yards- this one was pretty good at ratcheting up tension but after they built it up in the lodge, and then deflated it as everyone there having a laugh, the whole episode lost me and never really got me back. Unit being made into such a joke especially. Once we started seeing the time jumps last more than one year I knew it was going to be reset somehow to never have happened with no development being remembered.
Dot and Bubble- some okay ideas in this one but the satire/message was a little too on the nose, and I keyed in on the racist WASP angle in about the first 10 seconds so the ending didn't really surprise me. I was annoyed by the lead character the entire episode. It was hard to care when I just wanted her to get eaten and be done with it and she was on screen the ENTIRE time.
Rogue- This one was actually pretty fun. Rogue had more chemistry and energy and intrigue to him in 10 minutes than Ruby has gotten in the entire season. Screw it, lets have a run where the Doctor is running around with his gay companion having a relationship. Jodie's run was inching towards that but they were too scared to do anything at all. (I preferred it when the Doctor was asexual and never romanced his companions but that ship has long since sailed. And I liked River and how that all went so I can't complain too much.) But they really could have said "It's just like Bridgerton" once and gotten the joke out, instead of saying it over and over and over like it was the entire thesis.
Legend of Ruby Sunday- Well, like I said, I heard about the villain return so I tuned in for that but it was already spoiled so all the red herrings that filled the episode were pretty wasted on me. It was kind of just setup, have to wait and see how they really handle it.
I thought Empire of Death was a pretty solid ending to the season, though I'm sure it'll leave a lot of people disappointed.
The season overall wasn't especially strong, but still better than any of Chibnall's seasons. I think part of it may have been due to RTD pulling most of the writing duty and I wonder if it may have fared better if there had been a healthier mix of writers like in previous seasons.
Here's hoping we see an improvement in Season 15.
Was not a fan of the finale.
Overall, I think it was a decent season, but the first and last episodes were pretty lousy.
Well, looks like Jodie Whitaker's going to be doing Doctor Who audios.
https://www.bigfinish.com/news/v/jodie-whittaker-returns-to-doctor-who
Who knows. Maybe Big Finish can do for her what they did for Colin Baker.
Okay, so not Doctor Who related, but I just watched Douglas is Cancelled, since its written by Steven Moffatt.
The first two episodes are just light whatever fluff, its a comedy that isn't really hitting.
And then in the third episode it becomes something else entirely and goes from being meh to amazing. I don't want to talk about it because anything I can say would be too much just... don't judge it based on the first half. Fantastic acting all around, it's almost certainly the best work of Karen Gillan's career, and I've been a fan of hers and seen a lot of her stuff.
Not really a recommend to Doctor Who fans, it has basically nothing in common with it thematically, other than the writer, as well as Amy Pond and River Song being in it playing VERY different characters.
