• Shifting Trix... by Joe Ford

Shifting Trix... by Joe Ford 20/4/06

Trix was the fifth official companion of the eighth Doctor in print and had the second to least amount of books to star in (after Compassion who only turned up in twelve). Trix first appeared in Time Zero and stowed away on board the TARDIS, making brief appearances in The Domino Effect, Reckless Engineering and The Last Resort before being ousted just before Timeless and becoming an actual regular. Looking at her appearances like that she only had nine books where she was a fully fledged Doctor Who companion. Not much time to make an impact is it?

And whilst she will never knock Anji from the top spot as the best eighth Doctor companion (simply because grumpy Anji was so real) I found myself warming to her character as each book progressed.

What is immediately obvious about Trix is that there is more than meets the eye almost as though this was Justin Richards' response to the clear-cut Sam Jones, Fitz and Anji, all of whom were pretty much "what you see is what you get". Whilst I can see the merits of this approach, introducing a character with a mysterious past, it does immediately get you off to a disadvantage that knowing so little about her you have only her immediate personality to draw you to her. But Trix's other character trait is her constant identity shifts, personality on top of personality hiding who she really is underneath. This gives the authors a chance to portray her pretty much how they please but regular readers very little to get a handle. Add to which her first five books barely feature her or even inform the reader who the hell this mysterious woman is hiding in the TARDIS; I can understand why so many people were reluctant to spare any time for her. It is hardly the most inspiring introduction for a new companion and I fear this may have been a result of the behind the scenes chaos surrounding the book range's output, those first five books being of variable quality too.

Fortunately once we hit Timeless things improve greatly and Trix is fortunate to be around for one of the strongest run of books in any Doctor Who range. The Gallifrey Chronicles refuses to give all the answers about Trix but by looking back at her time on the TARDIS it is possible to develop some theories.

One of the things I like about Trix is that she doesn't necessarily want to be liked. She has some severely unpleasant traits: indifference, cold logic, sticky fingers and an insulting nature. She is almost the antithesis of Sam Jones, who was screaming out to be liked because she is bubbly and young and extremely PC but these traits ended up creating a supremely irritating know-it-all goody-two-shoes. Trix instead defies you to like her, treating Fitz and the Doctor like business partners rather than friends and generally acting as though she is hanging around because there is nothing better to do. Her thieving nature is highlighted early on, especially in Emotional Chemistry ('Beware of obsession, Trix. It isn't something you have, it's something that has hold of you!' says the Doctor), Sometime Never... ("The Doctor sighed. 'If,' he said heavily. 'If there are any crystals available at the end of this, as far as I'm concerned, they're yours.'" He uses this to convince her to help them!) and Halflife (:Her own greed for what she thought of as a camouflage device had led her into this"). It suggests she is only in the TARDIS game for what she can steal.

And yet, despite all these unattractive traits, I still found her to be a lot of fun. This is partly to do with her bitchy nature, completely different to Anji's bitchy nature (which consisted of hating everyone in the universe!) and witty put-downs she had for every occasion ('Never mind' she says in particularly tense moment to Guy in Timeless, 'You're underwear was dirty anyway right?', 'How could someone so slinky wear such awful knickers?', 'Well listen to this Mr Mind Reader, you disgusting, effluent creep. I would rather die than kiss you. I can think of nothing more revolting than you, your face and body. You sick, nasty pervert - I think I'll kick you again.'). She is also one of the Doctor's more resourceful companions, able to think quickly and help out (such as explaining their presence at the art theft in Emotional Chemistry to the police, tricking Lord Scrote in Sometime Never..., arranging Anji's adoption papers in Timeless, turning the tables on Martin in The Tomorrow Windows and figuring out how to protect herself from the Vore in The Gallifrey Chronicles). To the Slaughter sees Trix move from one danger to another and she expertly figures her own way out of each one. This is a companion who can think for herself and doesn't need the Doctor to rescue her every five minutes and he seems to like having her around for that reason.

It is fascinating to watch Trix mellow with each book, confronted with some horrific sights and dangerous situations and learning to rely on her companions as friends rather than colleagues. Whilst it is clear at the end of Timeless that Trix is continuing her travels to see what she can get out of it ('Too good an opportunity to turn down') come The Gallifrey Chronicles she has settled down into a relationship with Fitz, has come to rely on the Doctor's presence in her life and is willing to throw herself into whatever danger he is confronting.

It is worth noting that although Trix's chameleonic nature got her off on the wrong foot, it was exploited rather well in later books and ended up being a huge benefit to her character. Not only did it allow her slip into roles that aided their adventures but it soon became apparent that Trix was extremely troubled and liked becoming other people, burying something in her past that she didn't want to remember. You could slip any companion into Halflife, but none would be as interesting as Trix, forced to stand out in a planet of black people and unable to blend in or change herself. It is her desire to become invisible that sees her grasp at any device that will allow her to change and become a host for an alien influence. Ironic then that Reo starts to wipe her memory and transform her body and the only thing she wants is to be herself again. Fascinating stuff. What about The Tomorrow Windows? Any companion could be mind-read by Martin the angst-ridden student, but would it be as effective as Trix who so closely guards her secrets?

Trix's relationship with Fitz has been a subject of some debate with about 50/50 saying it is convincing/unconvincing. Trix has already spent five months pretending to be Fitz's wife (in Timeless) and over the course of their adventures comes to rely on his unchanging presence. Take a look at some of this dialogue:

• The Deadstone Memorial

  "Trix cleared her throat and said, 'Well if all else fails, you can come with me, if you want. I mean, stay at my place. For a bit. So long as you don't smoke indoors or anything...'

  Fitz stared at her. He didn't know what to say and anyway his mouth had gone completely dry. They stood and stared at each other for a long, silent second.

• To The Slaughter

  "And standing on tiptoes on her makeshift step, she coiled her free arm around Fitz's neck and gave him a surprisingly warm embrace.

  Fitz threw both arms around her and felt he had come home.

  'This is crazy, stupid time,' Trix murmured into his neck. 'I couldn't believe it when I saw you just standing there. I'm glad you're OK, Fitz. I'm glad I can depend on you.'

  He took hold of her hand. 'Trix you're hard, devious, manipulative and you're always trying it on. But at least with you I always know where I am.'

  'Gee thanks.'

  'Anyway. Truth is, I wouldn't go without you.'

  Trix smiled. 'Is that a fact?'

  'You'll see, one day.'

"Well, it kind of snuck up on me. And him, I think. We were, er, workmates. He was honest. What you see is what you get with Fitz. No matter what was happening he was... well he was Fitz. I trusted him with my life, so often it felt like the most natural thing in the world. He didn't play games, no hidden agendas or emotional baggage. Even after everything he's been through."

• Trix visits a woman in a old people's home with the name of Mrs MacAlister but doesn't go in. The Doctor does and confirms that Trix is the spitting image of Mrs MacAlister, suggesting she is her daughter. (Time Zero)
• "She could almost hear her mother 'Don't regret the things you do, only the things you don't. And if you did bad stuff you paid for it and moved on, or else you spent the whole world looking over your shoulder, waiting for the past to catch up with you. Never, she thought, climbing back into the car. The past is never gonna catch up with me. (Halflife)
• "'You keep it buried deep, don't you? What happened to your father? You do remember what happened to your father?'

  'I don't remember what happened to my father.

  'Yes you do. Daddy's little girl. Do you want me to tell you?'

  'No!'

  'I could if you like, in vivid detail. I could describe to you everything you felt that night. Every anxiety you felt on the ride to the hospital. Every word your mother told you with her eyes filled with tears. Were those tears of shame, or of anger, I wonder?'

  'I never knew my parents.'

  'No, Nat. You've just spent so long trying not to remember. On the inside, looking out. Trying to convince yourself you've forgotten, denying the truth. You don't know who you are anymore. But I do.'" (The Tomorrow Windows)

• She broke into houses. Stealing anything, videos, jewellery, anything. Until one night she found somebody home, and made a fatal mistake. I remember how I felt when I heard the wail of the police sirens. My mother was never the same again. (This could be fiction made up by Trix in The Tomorrow Windows.)
• "On impulse Trix took out her mobile phone and speed dialled a number from he memory. It connected after a few seconds and she said, 'Yes, hello. Its Tricia McAlister here, I wonder if you could tell me how my mother is, please. Yes, Mrs MacAlister, that's right. There was short wait and Trix bit her lip. The she listened to the warm voice at the other end of the line for a minute. 'Thanks very much, yes, I just wanted to make sure she was okay. No I don't know when I'll be able to visit next, but I'll try and make it soon. All right. Any message? Well... er... um... just tell that I rang, would you?'" The Deadstone Memorial.
• "'You're avoiding something nasty. Something you know you shouldn't have done.'

  The Doctor looked her right in the eye. 'Takes one to know one, Patricia.'

• There was a large man standing just in front of the entrance. He wore a dark suit and was holding up his ID. There were a couple of uniformed officers behind him.

  'Patricia Joanne Pullman?'

  'Yes I - Fitz run!'

  She turned to get away but there was already a uniform waiting for her. He grabbed her shoulder.

  'Patricia Joanne Pullman,' this new arrival was saying, I am arresting you for the murder of Anthony Charles Macmillan. You do not have to say anything but anything you do say will be taken down...'"

Unless a PDA turns up to give us all the answers or (please, please, please) a book comes out set after The Gallifrey Chronicles, we will have to have our own personal theories. Whatever happened, Trix is a killer, her father was hurt and it was enough to traumatise her mother to force her into care.

Then again with her shape-shifting identity perhaps we should never know everything about Trix. Perhaps that is the point. She is meant to be an enigma.

Whatever, I found her travels to be well worth following and after an uninspiring start she quickly developed into an interesting character.