This is a fun adventure for Martha’s first interstellar trip. It treads familiar ground, returning to New Earth, but digs into the dystopian future aspect even further. With Martha kidnapped by some desperate citizens and Ten trying to find her, we get some good character interactions. As a concept, an unending traffic jam works quite well and tying it in with the Face of Boe helps it stick the landing.

A neat idea. People locked on a motorway for 25 years. You could make analogies with refugees, or those in long term isolation. It makes for a visually interesting story too - mostly moving from one claustrophobic box to another.

Coming back to the same point in history a third time gives the show a pleasing anchor. There is a genuine sense of sadness when the Face of Boe dies, which is astonishing considering that he is a giant head. Russell can give any character humanity. Brannigan, played by Ardal O’Hanlon steals the show though, with literal kittens as children.

If the story was not dark enough you have kidnap and drugs and Macra… wait? Macra! The return surely no one could have anticipated, and probably the most bizarrely realised enemy return since the show’s inception. Very much appreciated by me.

Another almost wishy-washy ending with The Doctor opening up the motorway by initially “being good with computers”, before saying “oh no, it’s not going to work”, until the Face of Boe gives The Doctor his dying breath. It’s a bit tenuous but I’ll allow it as the overall episode is very well realised.

We have more pining and going on about Rose but this is forgiven due to the detailed mentions of The Doctor’s home planet and Tennant’s excellent portrayal of loss. We even get a hint that there are more Time Lords out there…!

I'm glad to see Gridlock getting some love in the reviews. I think it definitely deserves it. Though technically a sequel of sorts to New Earth, I appreciate how nicely Gridlock stands on its own. I also like how the story both captures the frustration of being stuck in traffic but also takes it beyond realism into a bunch of gags and science fiction ideas. The Doctor's performance, along with Martha who is pretty great here, both elevate what could be pretty standard Doctor Who material, but they aren't alone. Most of the performers are also really strong here, there's some decent world building with that larger narrative that doesn't feel overplayed, it's just a good, strong, and somewhat underrated episode overall.

The special effects can be a little inconsistent with stuff like the giant crabs, and that's where the story loses me a bit, but the overall narrative on the whole works, especially the detail of how fundamentally pointless the traffic was to begin with. Gridlock is written fairly well overall but the cast and crew turn it into something special. I would recommend.

It may sound so simple in it's premise, but it's executed so perfectly, and so delicately layered within the script, that this becomes a true gem of the show!

This develops the character and relationship between the Doctor and Martha so well, really lending to the setting and tension that is built between the pair. The character work for the Doctor, giving him a chance to discuss Gallifrey is so poignant, and sets his role as last of the Time Lords with brilliant groundwork for the rest of the season too.

Throughout the script, layers are added to consider drugs and their effects, as well as the importance of faith, which are handled so well too.

Simply stunning.

New Who Review #31

Gridlock

This episode was emotional. It did a good job at making me care for the people of New Earth and how they've been stuck in the Motorway for decades. The fact everyone died on the surface of new earth and it got everyone trapped in the lower levels is actually very scary because imagine if you was stuck in a vehicle travelling the motorway for 20-30 years its really scary. Having the macra back was fun especially since this is the first time we see them since Classic who. Heavily enjoyed this one. 8/10