Gridlock is a story about people. The Doctor jumps through the motorway, meeting ordinary people like Brannigan (who, incidentally, is played by Father Dougal McGuire from Father Ted), a simple cat-person who cares deeply for his wife. There's also two elderly married women, who have been trapped on the motorway for around 20 years, and a couple who want to escape the lower levels of the city to get the best for their unborn child. But these people are trapped, blocked out from the upper levels due to some unknown force. Watching this story, you get the impression that it will just end with the Doctor freeing them and then disappearing off with Martha. But then it gets just a little bit different.
We discover that the people on the motorway were trapped away to protect them from a deadly virus that wiped out the upper city. Suddenly, the story gains just a bit more poignancy, as we see that there are no real villains, instead it's a story about humans surviving. One of the last acts of the Senate of New New York was to save people, to keep life going, even if it meant that they had to suffer hardship on the way. The story has changed tack, going from an angry Doctor, fighting to free people, to an energetic and almost joyous Doctor, fighting to finish the work that has already been started, and to free the people from their torment.
And this moment is perfectly shown as we see the heavens of the motorway, previously dark and foggy, open up revealing beautiful light. All of the people, many of whom have never seen natural light in their lifetimes, finally see their freedom. And it's beautiful to see these people survive, to see these people be freed from their sorrows. It's honestly one of the most beautiful scenes in Doctor Who, because of how it represents the continuing survival of life, against all odds. And that is, perhaps, what Doctor Who is all about.
No comments:
Post a Comment