The next episode of Doctor Who on Disney Plus is being hailed as the best and scariest entry in years
Doctor who season 14 is largely being hailed as a return to form for the legendary sci-fi series, and it sounds like the next episode could be the best yet.
Many fans and critics have labeled last Saturday’s (May 18) episode, the Steven Moffat-penned ‘Boom’, as the season’s most exciting entry yet. Now critics are calling the fourth episode of Doctor who‘s debut season on Disney Plus is an instant classic, and like 2007’s “Blink” episode (one of the best Doctor who episodes since it was revived in 2005), it doesn’t even feature The Doctor for much of its running time.
The relevant period? “73 Yards,” a Ruby Sunday-focused episode that, according to critics who have already seen it, is a brilliantly suspenseful and creepy entry that deserves a place in the pantheon of Nu-Who episodes. Showrunner Russell T. Davies has already promised us (via SFX Magazine, as reported by Total movie) that ’73 Yards’ would be ‘the most different than any episode before’ Doctor who ever before, and unlike any other television program. “And based on those early reviews, it sounds like he wasn’t kidding.
‘A disturbing horror story that will stay with you’
According to an official plot synopsis, courtesy of the BBC, ’73 Yards’ sees The Doctor and companion Ruby’ embark on the strangest journey of their lives. In a rain-lashed pub, locals sit in fear as old legends come to life. But as mentioned, Ncuti Gatwa’s Time Lord, for reasons we won’t reveal, is largely missing from this Welsh folk horror story; a creative decision that puts Ruby at the center of a Wicker man-like story full of twists and turns.
It looks like ’73 Yards’ will try to scare the audience in the same way ‘Blink’, ‘The Empty Child’ and ‘Midnight’ did before. Indeed, Gamesradar/Total film‘s reviewer labeled this episode as “a disturbing, doctor-less horror story that will stay with you long after the iconic credits music begins”.
The Radio times was similarly effusive in its praise, saying that ’73 Yards’ is “a surprisingly dark folk tale… a chilling mystery… a claustrophobic yet sweeping, ambitious, haunting and downright weird tale.” Millie Gibson also absolutely shines as Ruby Sunday, with the reviewer saying that Gibson shows off “Ruby’s intelligence, humor and resilience” with aplomb.
Digital spy suggested it is a “nearly flawless” entry; one that “gives Millie Gibson’s Ruby her Donna Noble ‘Turn Left’ moment, with breathing room from Ncuti Gatwa’s often scene-stealing charisma, so she can try to save the day herself.” The outlet notes that ’73 Yards’ loses some ground towards the end, but manages to “find its groove with an excellent final reveal… it’s accompanied by a dose of cinematic horror and, while the reasoning behind the whole thing doesn’t make sense” It’s not quite right, it’s enough fun to recover from the stumble in the third act.’
Elsewhere, Dexerto calling it “the best episode yet… This has all the potential to stand next to it The empty child And Blink as one of the creepiest Doctor who episodes of modern times”. Finally, Bleeding cool opined that it is one of the weirdest and most emotional, adding: “Just when you start to think it’s going to be a straight-up horror story, things take a turn, and from then on it becomes wonderfully unpredictable. And sad. This is the part of the season where things slow down to focus on one character and take stock of what the show is really about once The Doctor is gone.
We’ll find out if ’73 Yards’ is as good as critics say when it debuts on Disney Plus, aka one of the best streaming services, on Friday, May 24 (in the US) and Saturday, May 25. (Australia). The film will also be available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK on May 25. In the meantime, read our exclusive chat with Davies about Doctor who season 14 and the latest regeneration of the iconic sci-fi series.