Doctor Who 2007, Episode 3: Gridlock (Spoiler Alert!)

Doctor Who episode 3/3

Was bit confused at first
Nice return of a monster from 1967 epsiode

I think overall was an average episode. BUT
the reveals were good and set things up nicely for rest of the series

plus the peek at episode 4 really wet the appetite

John

OK, so it wasn't "Please scratch my nose..."



Cool episode though. Nice development of Martha and the Doctor's relationship. And can't wait for next week!

Episode wasn't great, and The Master foreshadowing was completely expected. It was a "meh" in my book.

Next week: Daleks in 1930s New York. Double episode. Should be fun, although Daleks were only 3 episodes ago (Season 2 finale, this will be Season 3, Ep 3).

"Aeryn is with child" - oops wrong show...

(starts again...)

Started off crap, then became wonderful. Definitely worth a rewatch.

Plot hole:

After the excellence of the last couple of weeks, this one was a bit disappointing. They had some really nice concepts at work there, but the whole didn't really gel.

I found it very curious that the Face of Boe said to the Doctor that , and then told him . Was that contradiction a mistake, do you think, or is there something we've not been told yet?

I thought David Tennant's character work right at the end of the episode, where he told Martha about the Time War, was brilliant.

Next week: Dalek! With a lot of luck, they'll find some way to bring them back properly, so there's not just one. Oh, and it would be really good if they didn't kill off all the Daleks this time... it's rather easier to find non-cheesy ways to bring them back if you don't wipe them out every time.

I am torn on this episode.

On the one hand, I think things with the Doctor and Martha were handled well. She knew him well enough to know he cares, given what she has seen him do. But she didn't know anything personal. And I liked how she "forced" him to talk. Not something that they could have done in the "older" series.

At the same time, the show itself wasn't good but I think that's because it needed more explanation. We got only the quick snippets, without really seeming to get the whole picture. The next part, what the people do, or the last part, how the senate, et al, died, would have been just as interesting. Maybe.

I still liked it, don't get me wrong! Been LOVING the new shows. I think it was just skewed a bit.

Funny how people got the Face of Boe's last words right. I agree that it was strange that he said "we are both the last of our kind" and then says those. It was probably for drama, but for the show not the Face of Boe. Unless, even he didn't know them until he uttered them?

Looking forward to the next one!

edg

Wow, I'm surprised that folks didn't enjoy the plot. I thought it really hit the spot, as it had sort of a Harlan Ellison/Roger Zelazny/Fritz Leiberish surreal science fiction premise. All the different little characters with their customized vans was pretty cool.

At the end there, I was waiting for Martha to ask why the doctor can't simply use time travel to return to Gallafrey, or just revisit some time lord buddies. Must be that they were erased from all existence. Maybe she'll have time to ask next episode.

And those last four words...well, that was disappointing as it was exactly what everyone expected.

evildmguy said:

At the same time, the show itself wasn't good but I think that's because it needed more explanation. We got only the quick snippets, without really seeming to get the whole picture.

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Well, the premise is such that once you start asking questions--what happens when a car breaks down, what happens when people get seriously ill or die on the road, why is it prohibitively expensive to get three people in your vehicle--it starts leading you to another question. By the time you got the whole picture, you'd probably have stopped caring.

And they really missed out on the perfect title for this episode:

"Carpool Tunnel Syndrome".

Well, count me among those who found this a very good (and incredibly moving) episode. I agree though that the way it started left much to be desired, but as it went along and the drama ratcheted up a notch, it grabbed you in a way that only the best Doctor Who stories can. The main problem I think was that this plot might have been better off as a two parter. Everything here felt a bit rushed, as if they tried to cram in all the important bits in. I think building up the events slowly to their inevitable climax would have better serviced the story in general.

However, I can't complain about the acting. Freema continues to impress me greatly. I liked how she expressed her displeasure at the Doctor's reluctance to open up, or at being nothing more than a "rebound" for him after losing Rose. But my hat's off to Tennant, for giving the Doctor that sense of loss a believable gravitas. The haunted look on his face as he recounts how Gallifrey fell to the Daleks was such an emotional moment that I nearly bawled my eyes out.

All in all, I'd rate this episode as one of the best of the new series, just for how well the drama was handled. The passing of the Face of Boe was very well done especially. And on the subject of his last words, well, maybe the contradiction in his last words were just for dramatic effect as evildmguy suggested. We'll just have to wait and see won't we?

In closing though, could anyone make out what the lyrics were in that song they played? I sure couldn't. :\

evildmguy said:

Funny how people got the Face of Boe's last words right.

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Well, the "You are not alone" message appeared in a Doctor Who annual a year or two ago (there was a picture of it engraved into a monument to the Time War with a solitary figure walking away) so it wasn't that much of a surprise if you already knew about that bit of foreshadowing.

horacethegrey said:

In closing though, could anyone make out what the lyrics were in that song they played? I sure couldn't.

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The one that everyone sings in their cars is "The Old Rugged Cross" (which I last heard at my grandad's funeral, so I found that quite moving...) The one at the end was "Abide With Me". You can find the lyrics for both online.