Rose Tyler: The Dimension Cannon 3: Trapped from Big Finish Review

Rose Tyler is back with the third instalment of the Dimension Cannon series after the success of the original box set released in 2019 and then the second box set released in October 2022. Picking up after the series 2 finale TV story Doomsday in 2006 Rose is searching desperately for the Doctor travelling to alternative universes by using a dimension cannon because the darkness is coming and her universe is dying.

The last box set ended on a cliffhanger when Rose was unable to return to our Earth and was seemingly lost somewhere out in the cosmos, separated from her mum and Clive.

3.1 Sink or Swim by Lizzie Hopley

It looks like this first story for this series is the beginning of these three stories being set on the same alternative Earth and it’s a strong start introducing some bizarre concepts. It’s a world where technology doesn’t function, and the world has essentially broken down. There are massive electric eels in the sea, huge bacteria and a strange anti-life that destroys people where it touches them. Rose has landed on a nightmare cruise ship where there is a fight for survival and the people are brutalised. Rose uses her common sense to try to navigate this world and I like the relationships she makes. Gaining the respect of the man Chand who becomes captain through circumstances and sees Rose as “useful” to his plans.

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…

There is an alternate Jackie here much like in the previous boxset and she has a daughter, Danni, whom Rose vows to protect and help escape. Danni discovers her unconscious and Rose develops a protective bond. I think if they have too many different versions of Jackie in these stories the concept does lose its value as their individual distinctness blurs. However saying that I loved that Jackie is a telepathic or a pathic, an unorthodox, otherworldly character in this world. Normally Jackie is such a down-to-earth character and you take comfort in her presence and the humour she brings.

This Jackie is a victim due to the gift she has. It gives an element of tragedy to her plight and some unseen mystery to the character. I felt a sense that Jackie although she wasn’t Rose’s mum still felt a strong connection to her. It’s an interesting dynamic where Rose resists the urge to get emotionally attached to these alternative worlds It is a very Doctor-like trait to save others and yet blood knows blood in every world as Rose tries to save those “she knows”.

3.2 The Lower Road by Tim Foley

This was a really interesting story from Tim Foley. Rose and Danni are now on dry land and travelling to find somewhere where the dimension cannon can work. This alternative Earth is a wasteland and I felt for them trying to navigate through it. When Danni gets injured and is rescued by Lara I feel a sense of relief for them. I like how Rose is trying to connect and look after Danni and there is a gradual trust building between them. Em Thane as Danni creates a spiky character at times. Her gift as a telepathic makes her sense the danger from the anti-life and she reluctantly shows her vulnerability. I’m warming to Danni slowly but surely.

Trekking the wastelands, Rose and Danni discover a community that seems to have mahis was a really interesting story from Tim Foleyde peace with the Anti-Life. But all groups have their secrets, and bargains come at a price.

Taking refuge in the community where Lara has become the leader (played excellently by Heather Coombs) opens Rose’s eyes to some uncomfortable truths. I loved her outrage at the washing off of the names of the wall and the idea that the anti-life lives in the next building, the sacrifices to the anti-life. It’s such great writing from Tim Foley to show the morally grey and difficult choices that humans have been forced to by the presence of the anti-life and the threat of the hitchers.

This Earth is a tale of brutal survival. Lara’s complexity as a character was interesting, mother, leader, and woman were all quite different. I didn’t foresee her connection to Minton either. All those Familial layers as she finds her daughter Lex deceiving Rose and Danni and then loses her in the worst way as she doesn’t want anything to do with her mother was a deserved twist of the emotional knife. Curiously I wanted to feel sorry for Lara but couldn’t. An alternative world does allow the writer to push his characters to every limit but I’m glad there was an element of redemption in Lara’s sacrifice at the end.

3.2 The Good Samaritan by Helen Goldwyn

Written and directed by Helen Goldwyn the last story of the Dimension Cannon series concludes in the final moments with a path to the TV series serial “Turn Left”.It rounds off the box set and serves as the final preparation for Rose’s journey to find the Doctor. However, before she can do that Rose is still stranded on this alternate dimension version of Earth with Danni being more now than her companion. I like how it’s confirmed that they are related but I knew that Danni wouldn’t end up travelling back to Rose’s world. It’s a shame really as Rose feels protective of Danni in some ways much like the Doctor is of his companions.

Trying to repair her Dimension Cannon, Rose seeks out the last haven of technology on this Earth. But the utopia of the Dome hides a more desperate situation – and a storm of Anti-Life is closing in…

Rose and Danni are captured on their way to the Domes as Rose is desperately trying to power up her dimension cannon. I rather enjoyed this last story as it was more about how Rose would escape. I rather enjoyed the exploration of the hierarchy of the Dome and the reward system based on doing good deeds. It keeps people alive but then there is the encroaching. anti-life which is growing in size and attacks the Dome. Rose meets Rohan, one of the scientific team of the Dome and I like his character. Life has become so cheap on this alternative Earth and it was distressing to hear how humans are sacrificed to the anti-life.

Danni is separated from Rose due to her ability as a telepathic and she reluctantly initially joins all the other telepathics who are captured by the Task-Forcers who are the army of the Dome. I didn’t see the development of the power of the telepathic and the joining with the anti-life. It was an unexpected development and was sad to see the parting of Danni from Rose. Having Danni to look after was an opportunity Rose took but I can’t say I knew Danni through the three stories. It challenged Rose’s strength of character and gave her someone to talk to although I wasn’t 100% sure sometimes of the dialogue Rose was given as it gave her the air of knowledge much like the Doctor.

As a listener, you have to suspend your disbelief in a Big Finish story when you don’t have the Doctor there. I’m rather glad though that Rose finally ended up back on her version of Earth with Jackie waiting for her as this alternate Earth was such a different and wild world.

As a boxset, this was cohesive and enjoyable. All these alternative Earths that Rose has travelled have had their challenges but keeping Rose in one place was an interesting change of pace.

Rose Tyler: The Dimension Cannon 3: Trapped is available from Big Finish on CD and digital download.

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