My memory of this episode was that it was very mid. In fact all I remember was that it was set on the New New York motorway, Ardal O’Hanlon plays a cat, The Macra are here and the Face of Boe says “You Are Not Alone”. Mostly I thought it was just sitting around in stationary cars talking. Now there is a lot of that to be fair, but unlike the cars, this episode moves. It’s a really good episode and I’m not sure why I used to think otherwise.

The Doctor and Martha arrive on the lower levels of New New York (not the upper levels he visited with Rose). Here they find a society in decay, vendors are selling moods like ‘Happy’ or ‘Forget’ (established as a drug analogy). The streets are mostly deserted because most citizens here have taken to the motorway, in order to move away to a better life. The issue is that the motorways are in Gridlock, and has been for the past 24 years. Martha gets kidnapped by a couple who are expecting their first child and want to give it a better life. With Martha on board they can access the fast lane (you need at least 3 adults to gain access to the fast lane, hence why they needed Martha), which makes them think their motorway journey should only last the relatively short 6 years. The Doctor chases Martha, realises this is all wrong and investigates (discovering the fast lane is infested with deadly Macra). His investigations lead to the Senate on the upper levels. Here he discovers that everyone up top has died and the motorway has been shut off, meaning all the cars on the motorway have nowhere to go ultimately, they just ride the motorway indefinitely. The citizens up top were all killed by a virus which mutated in a new mood drug called Bliss, which most of the people on the upper levels had gotten addicted to. The people below weren’t abandoned but were saved, as this deadly virus had become airborne. Now that it is safe up top, the Doctor with the help of the Face of Boe, reopen the motorway and gives everyone on it access to the upper levels, saving the inhabitants of New New York, who can now rebuild their society.

The idea of an entire episode being mostly set in cars, stuck in a sci-fi traffic jam riding the motorway indefinitely is such a fun and fresh idea. It’s the sort of premise that a show like Doctor Who is uniquely suited to do. I love how fully this episode commits to this premise as well. Yes, there is a lot of sitting and chatting in stationary car, but I liked it on this watch, because it allows us to get to know the people and the rules of this unique motorway setting. Plus it doesn’t take long for the Doctor to go into rescue mode, giving the episode some momentum as he tries to rescue Martha, then discover what happened & save everyone in the upper senate. I found the opening of the motorway and all the cars rising out into the sun filled overworld to be a genuinely triumphant moment.

Martha gets to show her empathetic side by understanding and even befriending her kidnappers. They aren’t bad people, just desperate people who see an opportunity for a better life for themselves and their expected child. She also gets to show some smarts by working out how to stop the Macra from attacking them in the fast lane. Her best scene though is at the very end. Before returning to the TARDIS Martha has enough of the Doctor keeping secrets, so she refuses to get back on the TARDIS, defiantly sitting in a chair until the Doctor will talk to her. Martha stands up to the Doctor and he relents, sitting with her and telling her all about being the last of his kind. The episode ends with our 2 heroes finally connecting as equals.

This is a really fun episode that with a unique premise. The motorway is such a limited setting, but the episode finds ways to explore what it is and what it means to its inhabitants. The Doctor and Martha both get moments to shine, the supporting cast are distinct & likable, and we get some foreshadowing from the Face of Boe at the end. A jam-packed story with good ideas that I’d definitely been underappreciating prior to this rewatch.

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

I really like this episode

We return to New Earth and revisit the same city as in Season 2, though this time a different part of the city and with a new threat in the motorway. The idea of being stuck in traffic forever is pretty terrifying on its own, and we get to see how different people handle it.

The Macra make their return in this episode. Though not as good as their original story, they do provide a neat action setpiece.

Martha stands up for herself at the end and demands that the Doctor explain himself properly which is nice

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.

Gridlock is a good story with an interesting and nicely paced plot. The worldbuilding is excellent, and all of the sets and costumes look good. I also really like quite a lot of the music from this episode.

Jumping through different lil mini house-spaceships was a real fun idea.

This episode has never stood out to me before but on rewatching it I really enjoyed it. Very effective and emotional.