Doctor Who Showrunner Addresses Season 14’s Most Confusing Episode: “You’re Literally Asking The Wrong Question”
Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies dives into the mystery of season 14’s “73 Yards”, addressing its uncanny and unstoppable monster, and what he feels audiences miss most about the story. Davies’ first full season since returning to showrunning, the season is led by Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor, who adventures in the Time Vortex alongside Millie Gibson’s companion Ruby Sunday. In “73 Yards”, Ruby finds herself abandoned by the Doctor on Earth, and pursued by a mysterious woman who can seemingly make all who love her abandon her with a mere sentence.
While Doctor Who season 14 left many unanswered questions that the showrunner had set in place since returning during the show’s 60th anniversary, Davies sat down with Doctor Who Magazine (later reported via Bleeding Cool) about lingering audience questions surrounding the most recent eight adventures. Stating he may never disclose all the answers about the episode’s mystery, he instead explained that viewers should instead focus on the effect that moments have rather than seeking out any definitive hints, using what the woman says as an example.
What does the woman say to her? You’re literally asking the wrong question because there’s nothing a woman could say to you in 10 seconds that would make you run away from your own daughter. That sentence doesn’t exist. So, therefore, what is happening with the woman is far deeper and graver and malevolent and dangerous than a simple sentence.
Davies elaborated by further debunking how the tale of Mad Jack fits within the narrative of not only the story but the season, suggesting that due to the drastically reshaped and more fantastical universe, the myth of Mad Jack is ultimately just a story.
I say I don’t explain things, but you are then suddenly given that clue in episode eight that it’s connected to the TARDIS perception filter, and suddenly that starts to make sense. But I’m not gonna go into any more detail. What everyone leaves out of the equation is that, actually, we’re now in a universe in which fairy circles are real and have power. I will tell you that Mad Jack was just a dog. There is no Mad Jack. I love people making up theories about Mad Jack.
What Russell T Davies’ New Interview Tells Us About “73 Yards'” Mysteries
Is There A Greater Power Behind Mad Jack Or Is It A Greater Coincidence?
Within “73 Yards”, Mad Jack is described by the Y Prn Marw regulars as a vengeful spirit bound by the disturbed fairy circle that was unleashed by the Doctor and Ruby crossing the boundary, with Ruby believing the strange woman is its herald. Even within the story itself, however, Mad Jack is a tale spun by the regulars to mock Ruby and her misconceptions about the Welsh. It does become an unlikely flag for a true danger to the world, one mortal and human but nevertheless deadly.
When Roger Ap Gwilliam (Aneurin Barnard) and Albion begin to campaign to assemble the next government in 2046, Ruby recognizes both the name from the Doctor’s brief discussion about Britain’s worst Prime Ministers and how similar his nickname is to the figure in the Welsh myth. Coincidence or a fantastical act of fate, these moments spur Ruby into action. Furthermore, echoes of this alternate timeline with Gwilliam would point Ruby and the Doctor to the key to defeat Sutekh later in Doctor Who season 14.
Screen Rant’s Thoughts On Russell T Davies’ New “73 Yards” Reveals
Davies’ New Era Prioritizes Character Over Lore
Throughout Doctor Who‘s new era, Davies has taken a noticeably lax attitude to adherence to canon. Whether it be how the main series interacts with expanded media, as seen with the surprise canonization of Richard E Grant’s animated Ninth Doctor, or the powers that rule the universe, the series lore has become more flexible. This more malleable canon has been embraced by some, but has also been difficult for others to adjust. As the showrunner states in the most recent interview, his current priorities when writing are focused on the characters above lore.
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8 Big Unanswered Questions From Doctor Who’s “73 Yards” Episode
The recent Doctor Who season 14 episode, “73 Yards,” left several unanswered questions about the Doctor and Ruby’s fates across multiple timelines.
As seen with Ruby’s parentage mystery being about a journey of personal discovery rather than her having a greater power, Davies wishes to tell tales that impact the viewer by how they affect the cast, with the universe’s new fantastical powers giving him the freedom to do so. As such, it is unsurprising that Davies isn’t keen on revealing any new information following the episodes airing, wanting to redirect focus to the impact that the woman’s words and Mad Jack have on the story. While Davies enjoys the theorizing, viewers may be better off looking into the deeper ideas behind Doctor Who going forward above world-building lore.
