Other Worlds: Now is the New Dark

"Only the angry kill."

Writer: AK Benedict

Format: Audio

Released: October 2022

Series: Rose Tyler: The Dimension Canon 2.02

Featuring: Rose, Jackie, Clive

Synopsis 

On an Earth where science never advanced from the Dark Ages, Rose and Clive find themselves under suspicion. 

Someone is killing the Melancholics, but apparently, there's a Doctor here who can help...

Verdict

Now is the New Dark was another great audio to continue my way through the Other Worlds second volume of The Dimension Canon for Rose! Despite the fact that the universe, all of them, are literally falling apart and Rose is on the hunt to find the Doctor, this series feels a bit chilled as we already know that Rose finds the Doctor in The Stolen Earth after a long series of events in Turn Left. This allows for some strong exploration of other worlds whilst adding to the depth of Rose's struggles to actually get to the Doctor and the universe from which she came and was cut off from in Doomsday. I think that's really interesting to explore, as was the world in which Rose and Clive visited here. The concept of an Earth that hadn't evolved from the Dark Ages was very exciting as it did still have some modern quirks, but the population seemed to be very much aware that they had been stagnant in their development for half a millennium! That was a staggering concept and it was really fun to hear Clive argue with the Assessor about their beliefs. This version of Earth had not yet accepted germ theory which is quite incredible to actually comprehend, and having him assessed as a Melancholic was a lot of fun. With a murder having occurred, Clive was in the wrong place at the wrong time and his passionate personality meant he was soon deemed the murderer! The logic in which that was deduced was far from sound, but it was really amusing as he struggled with this planet's lack of understanding scientifically. The humours being a strong belief here took me back to my university studies of the Tudor and Georgian eras which was delightful, and I liked the suggestion of Rose having a balanced make up. She was genuinely concerned for Clive which was lovely to hear, but she was also able to utilise her position as Jackie's daughter with the alternate version of Jacqueline here. She was still a Prentis in this reality which was fun and the interaction with her alternate daughter was really well done. I was a big fan of hers and it was nice for Camille Coduri to get more to do in this episode after a quiet opener. I loved how Clive really stole the show when it came to working out who the murderer was, as it was not actually a mysterious Shadow. The myth that had been built up about the Shadow was great but Clive was having none of it as he presented the evidence required to show that the Assessor looked much more guilty than he did! It was very nicely done and some strong comedy as the tables turned on the Assessor, especially after she informed that the truth be told and then it very much went against her. She wanted to punish the Melancholics and her being the link between all of the victims was a nice catch from Clive. This was probably his strongest episode so far which was wonderful, and after initially I was a bit sceptical of him having a prominent role in the series, he more than warrants his place. There's still some work to be done on the chemistry with Rose, but it's shaping up to be quite a fun pairing! Overall, another great little audio and an intriguing world to explore. Rose didn't get the doctor she wanted which was hilarious when Jacqueline didn't even say his name, but the search goes on. 

Rating: 8/10