What happens when the Doctor isn’t around to save the universe? In the newest Doctor Who episode, “73 Yards,” we’re told the answer to that question is “confidential,” but longtime fans know that a Who episode in which the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) barely appears can sometimes be not only unique but also hugely formative to a larger story arc. In a sense, the twisty “73 Yards,” feels like an updated version of 2008’s “Turn Left,” in which Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) found herself in an alternate timeline in which she had never met the 10th Doctor (David Tennant). “73 Yards” employs incumbent companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) in a similar way: putting her on a mind-bending journey far trippier and deeper than super-intelligent babies or bizzaro versions of the Beatles.
