Gridlock is the third story of the series which sees the Doctor return to New Earth. The opening story of the previous series saw the story focused in a nice white clean hospital but this time the story is in a grimy and less glamorous side to New Earth. There was a bit of thing about when the story was aired due to a FA Cup match between Manchester United and Watford. Had the match gone into extra time then the show would have been postponed, thankfully United won 4-1 and Doctor Who transmitted just forty minutes late. The story sees the Doctor and Martha travel to New Earth where they encounter people who are in a long term traffic jam. Martha is kidnapped by a young couple who only want Martha so that they can get in a new lane and get out of the jam hell that they are in.
The story has a classic Doctor Who element which harks back to story number one and that is the companion gets kidnapped. This means that the Doctor does what he does best and that is save the damsel in distress. This leads to some fun moments when the Doctor moves from cart to cart with a whole range of aliens which range from 1960 Civil servants with bowler hats to nudists to an old couple. But it’s the first alien creature that the Doctor meets that stands out and that’s because he is played by Ardal O’Hanlon who appeared in Father Ted. In this he plays Brannigan who is a cat that is very polite.
The story features the return of the Macra. I was quite surprised that they appeared as there was no mention of it in any magazines or on the internet. Whilst on one hand I was happy they returned I was curious as to the reason for their appearance. They only appeared in one story back in 1967 in a story that no longer exists on video. Their appearance was brief and no doubt it will have had some fans making a high pitched tone but for me it was a mixed return. This story also marks the final appearance of the Face of Boe. Despite essentially being a massive face in a jar, its death was quite sad. However his final words were quite important.
“You are not alone”
Whereas I liked Tennant’s performance I was slightly down on Freema Agyeman’s performance. I found it slightly grating which is a shame because I have liked her so far. There is a different relationship between the Doctor and Martha and what the relationship was like between the Doctor and Rose. The story sees the return of Novice Hame who appeared in New Earth. Played by Anna Hope (who would go on to appear in Big Finish plays since 2009), the character was better in this story because the character didn’t have to share the screen with other cat people. She is continuing her care of Boe which is a nice continuation from the previous story.
Gridlock is a fun story that manages to get a lot of action out of a small space. It does a lot of set up to the series finale and it’s a story that benefits from a simple yet effective story and benefits greatly from some visually stunning scenes. Oh and Father Dougal Maguire with a Cat face is a little highlight. The final scene between the Doctor and Martha is a lovely moment and it reminds me how fantastic this show can be.
The story has a classic Doctor Who element which harks back to story number one and that is the companion gets kidnapped. This means that the Doctor does what he does best and that is save the damsel in distress. This leads to some fun moments when the Doctor moves from cart to cart with a whole range of aliens which range from 1960 Civil servants with bowler hats to nudists to an old couple. But it’s the first alien creature that the Doctor meets that stands out and that’s because he is played by Ardal O’Hanlon who appeared in Father Ted. In this he plays Brannigan who is a cat that is very polite.
The story features the return of the Macra. I was quite surprised that they appeared as there was no mention of it in any magazines or on the internet. Whilst on one hand I was happy they returned I was curious as to the reason for their appearance. They only appeared in one story back in 1967 in a story that no longer exists on video. Their appearance was brief and no doubt it will have had some fans making a high pitched tone but for me it was a mixed return. This story also marks the final appearance of the Face of Boe. Despite essentially being a massive face in a jar, its death was quite sad. However his final words were quite important.
“You are not alone”
Whereas I liked Tennant’s performance I was slightly down on Freema Agyeman’s performance. I found it slightly grating which is a shame because I have liked her so far. There is a different relationship between the Doctor and Martha and what the relationship was like between the Doctor and Rose. The story sees the return of Novice Hame who appeared in New Earth. Played by Anna Hope (who would go on to appear in Big Finish plays since 2009), the character was better in this story because the character didn’t have to share the screen with other cat people. She is continuing her care of Boe which is a nice continuation from the previous story.
Gridlock is a fun story that manages to get a lot of action out of a small space. It does a lot of set up to the series finale and it’s a story that benefits from a simple yet effective story and benefits greatly from some visually stunning scenes. Oh and Father Dougal Maguire with a Cat face is a little highlight. The final scene between the Doctor and Martha is a lovely moment and it reminds me how fantastic this show can be.
No comments:
Post a Comment