Trapped: Sink or Swim

"I must live with it and I must die with it."

Writer: Lizzie Hopley

Format: Audio

Released: September 2023

Series: Rose Tyler: The Dimension Canon 3.01

Featuring: Rose

Synopsis

Rose is trapped and alone, at sea in an unfamiliar world, where a strange entropy eats away at those struggling to survive. But she finds family, and hope, as she starts her quest to escape...

Verdict

Sink or Swim was a great story to kick off the Trapped third series of The Dimension Canon! We’re really getting into the thick of things now with the Rose Tyler spin-off and I’m all for it. This version of Rose is much more mature than the one who was companion to the Ninth and Tenth Doctors which I’m a big fan of because whilst I have no issue with her time as a companion, I do think she’s severely overrated. We see her more grown up here as she tries to get back to the Doctor through the walls of dimensions but as of yet she hasn’t been able to locate the correct universe. After the brilliant cliffhanger at the end of the Other Worlds boxset, I was surprised that Rose wasn’t more desperate. She’d lost her mum back to their own universe and she didn’t even have her dimension canon here. She knew she needed it located, but she went about things in an assured way which was good signs of her maturity. This universe was an intriguing one and I think the direction of the series to come is a good one with her building a relationship with Danni. It’s nice that it looks like Rose will essentially be getting her own companion for the rest of the series, but for me it was the alternate version of Jackie that stole the show in this episode. I thought Camille Coduri was tremendous as the empathic Jackie. The concept of empaths is really strong and I loved hearing this Jackie was in a bad way. Her abilities to see the future had been exploited and it was having a big impact on her. The way she had protected Danni from her own empathic abilities being discovered was really good, and Danni herself only realised the potential she had by the episode’s conclusion. I wonder how that will play into Rose’s efforts in the future of the series. I think they make quite the pairing! Jackie having almost instant trust in Rose was nice to see and whilst we’re used by now to different universes still having that familial connection, it was a nice touch. Rose obviously couldn’t help herself in referring to this Jackie as mum and it must be difficult for her to be seeing several different versions of her mother. Jackie here was in a bad way and Rose wanted to help. She was immediately granted a position of authority which caused some conflict and tension that added nicely to the atmosphere of the episode. The naval theme was good and felt quite dark which suits the feel of the series as the walls between universes are breaking down. I always imagine these stories taking place at night with the stars going out. I thought the concept behind the anti-life was very good and it’s such a good name too! It doesn’t leave a lot to the imagination and also provides the mission statement quite emphatically. The fate befallen on Jackie was emotional stuff and Danni being almost angered at Rose for coming out of the darkness and interfering in what her mother could see was a little harsh, but she knew it wasn’t all Rose’s fault. I was a little surprised that she was the one who had taken her dimension canon though! Kaitlin was a decent character to help compliment the cast and I’m always impressed with the contained kind of feel. That also helps with the feel and atmosphere of the episode. Overall, I thought this was a strong opener and it’s nice to see that a mini arc seems to be forming!

Rating: 8/10