Gridlock

Something that fans of Doctor Who need to remember is that the show is first and foremost a family show. It's possible that sometimes RTD and the gang get away with so much (cheeky humor, violence, etc) that people forget that. When you watch this episode there are a few things that require a HUGE suspension of disbelief. The most important item, obviously, is that people would actually get stuck in a traffic jam for anywhere from six months to 20+ years and not go insane. If you get that out of the way, 'Gridlock' is an extremely entertaining episode.

No one could argue that there are some excellent moments in this episode. I don't usually recap episodes in these reviews but if you haven't seen the episode yet...

The talk of Gallifrey in the episode is excellent. Being a long time Doctor Who fan, I always hope for more discussion of past adventures or companions but Tennant is such a good actor in his description it is done very well. The doctor and Martha's relationship is growing along at just the right pace as well. He is still putting up barriers at the beginning of the episode, acting like Gallifrey is alive and well and at the end giving her the truth.

In the past three years, there have been some excellent moments in the show for longtime fans of the series, the major ones being the return of the Daleks and the "return" of the Cybermen. The Face of Boe now gives us something even more exciting to look forward to. In a very touching moment he tells The Doctor he is not alone! I never understood The Doctor's stubborn, absolute belief that every single Timelord perished in the Time War. It is almost insulting as a longtime fan because we know there are Timelords out there such as The Rani, The Meddling Monk and of course The Master who wouldn't help someone change a tire, much less help save their race against the Daleks. Still, I hope it it someone else entirely The Face of Boe refers to.

Once again, in my honest opinion, this episode was a home run. If you are able to get past the premise of happily living many years in gridlock traffic, the effects were absolutely top notch. No episode of Doctor Who has had this much CGI and it looked exactly the way it should. The acting from all of the extras, Brannigan, Martha's kidnappers and of course Doc and Martha themselves were all excellent. The only real complaint I have is the throwaway use of a previous enemy. I have no idea what made RTD decide that the Macra were a good monster to use again, but they aren't really used here at all. In fact, they are really quite useless! There is a huge drug epidemic on the surface of New Earth that kills everyone. The people in traffic below the surface are all saved thanks to The Face of Boe. So why (besides, of course, the added action) do the Macra even need to be in the episode? Where did they come from? Why did they de-evolve and how did they get down there in the first place? Once again, I am a longtime fan so any tie to previous episodes (especially one of the best Troughton era stories) is cause for happiness. Yet, I can't help but think RTD might have well just put a mechanical menace down there instead. It would have saved quite a bit of questions. Still, they do live on gas and they did look awesome so I guess I can just accept it.

Oh and the couple that dies at the beginning supposedly 'lied' about having three passengers to get to the fastlane but later The Doctor finds out the controls are locked. Plus, Brannigan seems to drive the vehicle when the traffic moves 20 yards.

That's nitpicking however. Kids don't ask these type of questions and if you watch this episode with an open mind, I believe this season continues to be the best season of the new series yet. Plus, next week, DALEKS!