okay i love the john simm master but the way he's defeated by the doctor literally textually being empowered by prayer and then A-posing around the room while glowing is.... it's a lot...
ngl I was all about that Jesus Christ imagery following the Doctor throughout this season (Gridlock being a not-even-subtle religious allegory and him crucifixion-posing after his sacrifice in Daleks in Manhattan) so this ending sorta metaphorically didn’t come out of the blue?
hang on in what way was gridlock a religious allegory? i watched it just the other day and didn't catch that
thx for asking @demilypyro ! There's a lot of religious metaphors in this particular ep, probably the most religious-themed ep in Ten's era alongside The Satan Pit. First off, there's the Christian hymn "The Old Rugged Cross," which comforts the travelers in their long endless Drive. We see people from many walks of life on the Highway (old, young, queer, etc), because it's supposed to represent Life.
But the travelers' hope is somewhat misguided, because there isn't any City alive out there beyond the Highway, and the population relies a lot on drugs to stay happy. (Religion was called the "opiate of the masses" by Karl Marx). In the end, the sky opens up (a very religiously-coded image) to free the travelers. Even if the city leaders are dead, there was something out there who saved them: a dying god (the Face of Boe) and a lonely god (the Doctor).
(Above transcript from New Earth)
What I love about Gridlock is how religion is both treated as dangerous (preventing the people from acting and trying to challenge the injustices of the system) and comforting (providing hope and community to people).
What's really fun is that Russell T Davies, an atheist, wrote this story to "to show how good faith can be, regardless of the existence of God." And it was David Tennant, from a Christian family, who argued more strongly that the Doctor should remain unconvinced by the travelers' faith. Ten's reaction to the hymn is not happy like Martha, who is very moved by the singing. Ten's agnostic/atheist doubt here is David Tennant's direct contribution. (All quotes & info from here.)
So in the end, it's a layered episode because it's a story about an atheist's compassionate view of religion (RTD) and a person of faith's honest appraisal of religion's shortcomings (DT). The travelers are misguided, but they are also rewarded for their faith.
The Christian hymn closes out the episode, the soundtrack to the Doctor confessing to Martha his sins (lying to her, being dishonest about his past). And yet that confession relieves him, for a time, of that guilt and pain, and he can smile remembering his people.
Ultimately, the episode is about the good things in faith, despite rightly-placed unbelief and skepticism.
