Ncuti Gatwa was almost entirely absent from "73 Yards" but it didn't matter, said Ed Power in The Independent. The latest instalment of the iconic British sci-fi show passed the "litmus test" of any great "Doctor Who" episode: would it still work without the doctor? "The answer is stonkingly in the affirmative."
Despite the BBC's flash deal with Disney+, the fourth episode of season 14 had a "back-to-basics vibe", with the drama unfolding from a windswept cliff in Wales. The doctor mentions a dangerous politician before stepping on a fairy circle and vanishing, leaving Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) to fend for herself. Things take a dark turn as Ruby spies a mysterious woman following her from a distance (never allowing her to get closer than 73 yards), "making weird hand signals and cackling out of earshot". What more could an avid Whovian ask for?
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The ending doesn't completely make sense. ("You'll probably need a flowchart, a cork board and lots of string to work it out", conceded Power.) Regardless, "73 Yards" is a "moving, provocative" episode that has the "gumption" to break with the weekly format and temporarily relegate the doctor to the sidelines. "It's a five-star knockout all day long."
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