With very rare exceptions, Doctor Who is often absolutely terrifying to children and anything but to adults. And yet, last week's episode '73 Yards' unsettled me in a way that this show hasn't done for many years. The episode has been a hit with fans and critics, winning predominantly five star reviews in the press (oh hey, here's ours) and 8, 9, and 10 ratings on the main Who forum, Gallifrey Base - a far rarer occurrence than you might expect given the show's hyper-critical fanbase.
And yet, for some, '73 Yards' steadfast refusal to explain itself has proven infuriating, maddening, even a bit offensive. Some are angry that we never find out what the mysterious woman stalking Ruby Sunday is saying, while others are frustrated by the episode's opaque ending. And that's fine - you can't please everyone all of the time. Instalments like this are, by their very nature, going to be more divisive than, say, an episode where the Doctor cracks a few jokes and foils a Dalek invasion.
