[robink2567 @replies]

Anybody see the deleted scenes they released? RTD mentioned again that The Woman is Ruby which rubbishes my theory!

I’m currently watching Constellation (Apple+) which is all about a quantum mechanics experiment in space, where multiple realities are accessed simultaneously. They talk a lot about liminal spaces where multiple states exist and lots of stuff about the observer effect.  Although Mrs Flood exists in two states, so maybe the whole season is a Superposition of states.

[robink2567 @replies]

@dentarthurdent yeah metric for short distances, imperial for long distances! Petrol in litres and gallons. It’s bonkers!

My theory is The Woman is the Doctor. The perception filter is working in reverse, so as well as Ruby being conspicuous, things appear warped to Ruby. So the Tardis, which she sees as full of life, excitement and escape, appears lifeless. She sees the Doctor as a close friend, so he’s always depicted to Ruby as distant – at the furthest of the perception filter’s range (73 yards). He’s rendered as a spooky hag because it’s gone for something it thinks fits it with the Welsh location.

Who’s perception filters seem to be psychic rather than holograms and act both on the person at the centre of the field, and everybody within it’s range.

I’m also speculating that fairy ring isn’t mystical, or even a fairy ring. It’s a sign, written in Welsh and English warning of the danger of the cliffs. It says something like “Danger, step back from the cliff edge. Costal path closed due to erosion. Diversion, Turn Right” In Welsh the sign reads almost the same, but it’s mistranslated and says ‘Turn left’ instead. The paradox of one sign pointing in two directions confuses the perception filter so much it starts playing up.

@ps1l0v3y0u yes, there’s a nice call-back to Sound of Drums, which introduced perception filters based on tardis keys, and the ap Gwilliam sub-plot.  There’s a Dafydd ap Gwilym in Welsh history, he was a poet who recorded lots of Welsh folklore, the Triads. Triads is an anagram of Tardis, which is a nice coincidence.

[robink2567 @replies]

“73 Yards” is significant. It’s rather clever because it’s a huge clue to what’s going on in the episode. But it’s the unit rather than the distance that’s the clue, that this is all about a perception filter gone on the fritz.

Normally the tardis/ tardis key perception filter is all about blending in, making the subject less noticeable and translating local languages. But Ruby suddenly stands out – the hiker comments on her clothes being unsuitable, the friendly locals at the pub treat her with hostility because she stands out, the price of coke is expensive, the pub sign is in Welsh.

Somebody of Ruby’s age would use metric for short distances. Using yards, and using it as the title, is such a great hidden-in-plain-sight clue, very cheeky, RTD at his best.

[robink2567 @replies]

just realised that the ap Gwillion stuff is a big old pointer to The Sound of Drums/Last of the time lords, where it was established that tardis keys have an associated perception filter.

[robink2567 @replies]

Extended bonkers theory…

The Tardis lands on a cliff edge, teetering between land and sea, next to a sign in Welsh and English: Perygl! Camwch yn ôl! Llwybr yr Arfordir ar gau oherwydd erydiad. Dargyfeirio: troi i’r chwith Danger! Step back! Coastal Path closed due to erosion. Diversion: turn right

The diversion has been mistranslated – ‘turn right’ in English, ‘turn left’ in Welsh – and that unresolvable discrepancy flummoxes the Tardis translation circuits, and she renders it for her passengers as something that ‘fits’ with her locality, and knowledge of local lore – a fairy ring, a circular paradox between turning left and right.

I’ve no supporting evidence for this, it’s purely conjecture. Turn left/right obviously from the similar Doctor-lite episode that Donna experienced. There’s real-life incidences of turn left being ‘mistranslated’ on Welsh signs, something that would resonate with Welsh viewers (in line with the series dog whistles theme). Diversion from the old joke about the name of a Welsh sign-writer. Coastal erosion is both topical, and links in with the nod to  TWBTLATS. Step back! the phrase whispered as a warning in the misremembered second iteration of the loop. It all has just the right amount of silly, self-referential in jokes that RTD might just have concocted.

[robink2567 @replies]

Wasn’t this episode good? Maybe my all time favourite who.

I’ve a bonkers theory that it’s a scifi explanation rather than supernatural….

Breaking the fairy ring throws the perception filter in Ruby’s tardis key into reverse.  The Doctor is rerendered (from Ruby’s perspective) an unapproachable figure, a caricature of Welsh folklore. Ruby is suddenly very noticeable and out of place. People notice her clothing and are hostile towards her. When people stand at the edge of the filter and look back at Ruby, they perceive her as whatever is most noticeable for them – Sue Twist sees right through the 4th wall, Gwilliam sees a super powerful entity.

D15 can’t time travel back into his own timeline, and the sonic doesn’t work on rope. His only hope is for Ruby to change her memory of when she encountered the woman, distracting himself from breaking the ring, and collapsing the paradox with just an echo. All he can do is keep waiting, Ruby’s whole life. As she dies, the filter collapses and she finally understands who the woman is.

I love all the different interpretations of the ep, it makes it so special. Love to know what you think of this take.

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