73 yards is, in my opinion, the best episode of Series 14. It succeeds at practically everything it sets out to do, which I can’t really say about the rest of the season.

I think RTD’s writing strengths lie in these kinds of limited, mysterious stories, where a lot is left up to the viewer. You see this also in Midnight which I think is another highlight of RTD’s. In this way, our imagination can fill a lot of the possible holes that might exist, which is beneficial to a story that might not be able to be fully explained by science. Take that as you will about RTD’s writing as a whole.

73 Yards serves the fantastical vibe of the season quite well, where I think the rest of the season’s episodes fail quite a bit. There isn’t a practical explanation for existence of the Woman, and yet this really isn’t an issue. The simple explanation of the Doctor breaking the fairy circle is explanation enough, and serves the roundabout nature of the story as a whole.

Millie Gibson is obviously an absolute standout. As a young actor, she handles the weight of an entire episode incredibly well. Her acting is nuanced and emotional, and brings depth to her character which is otherwise somewhat lacking in the rest of the season. I recently had the privilege of talking about the episode *very* briefly with her and in her words she was ‘just winging it’. Well, if that was ‘just winging it’, I cannot wait to see what her acting is like when she’s giving it a proper go! (this is a joke btw)

I do really wish Ruby had more time to explore the frustration of being abandoned by her birth mother, even taking the time to talk this over with the Doctor a bit more as a fellow adoptee, although 73 Yards is quite a good allegory for her abandonment issues as a whole.

Additionally, while usually I’m not a huge fan of Doctor-lite episodes (I mean, the Doctor is my favourite character after all), I feel like 73 Yards benefits by not having the Doctor around. At times, I feel that Ncuti’s Doctor is generally a bit over the top, a bit childish, and a bit unserious. While it can be endearing, it gets to a point, and it would’ve been out of place in this episode. When he’s given the chance, Ncuti shines in his more sincere moments. I really hope that, in the future, he has more of these opportunities. But, I digress, this is a 73 Yards review after all.

One criticism I saw of 73 Yards when it first aired was that Ruby did nothing to help Marty when there was some sort of clear abuse going on from Roger ap Gwilliam. I think this is explained just fine in the episode with Ruby explaining that she thought she only had one shot at stopping Roger and didn’t want to jeopardise this before the time was right. Whether or not this is objectively correct thinking on Ruby’s end is irrelevant. It’s just what she thought was right to do. Characters - even protagonists - can make the wrong choices. They can do things that hurt others. This doesn’t mean they are bad people, or that the actors or writers themselves condone these actions, which should go without saying.

Ultimately, 73 Yards is the stand-out episode of the season. I have my issues with RTD’s writing in this new era so far, but this episode gives me hope that Doctor Who can continue to have its shining moments like this.