The Emerald Tiger

"The jungle does not belong to man."

Writer: Barnaby Edwards

Format: Audio

Released: April 2012

Series: Monthly Adventures 159

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan, Turlough

Synopsis 

Tiger, tiger, burning bright 

In the forests of the night 

Calcutta, 1926. The Doctor and his companions join an expedition to locate the fabled emerald tiger – a legendary marvel shrouded in myth and mystery. They must journey to an unexplored lost world filled with wonder and wickedness. 

But at the centre of this terra incognito, something is stirring. Something with emerald eyes, diamond-sharp claws and a heart of darkness.

Verdict 

The Emerald Tiger was an excellent story to kick off a new trilogy of Monthly Adventures for the Fifth Doctor, Tegan, Turlough and the elderly Nyssa! I think this is such a fun dynamic for a TARDIS team and whilst it can be testy, it’s nice for Nyssa and Turlough to be getting some time together as companions as there was very little of that on screen. They work really well together here and that’s not much of a surprise as we are well into their journeying together. I thought the story started well and in humorous style with the Doctor hoping to attend a famous cricket match! That was perfectly in line with the fifth incarnation and the reaction of Turlough in particular was pretty amusing as he was far from a fan of the English game. The 1926 setting of Calcutta was intriguing and refreshing as being different from the norm. It was good to visit the country and its history. Some of the characters were pretty good with Naryan an early standout. His position as thinking the jungle was his former home accompanying a claim that he’d ruled the valley for the last 10,000 years! That was quite a surprise but I liked how that tied in with the spiritual theme of the jungle. As if the Calcutta setting wasn’t enough, delving into the unfamiliar depths of a jungle world was fantastic. I really liked that and things certainly felt more dangerous when the threat is a natural one. To me, it wouldn’t come much scarier than encountering a large tiger in the wild as I just don’t see any way out from being eaten! That is frightening, so having Nyssa almost at one with the emerald tiger and seeing through it was really good. She was bitten and the threat of rabies was quite a shock as that is also a very real one. I’m sure given her medical knowledge and experience, alongside the Doctor’s, and her being Trakenite that she would be fine, but just having that used as a potential threat was brilliant. Again, it felt very real and there weren’t a lot of remedies in 1926. Lady Adela Forster was a very strong character and the way she oozed upper class was superb. It was a far cry from the pre-titles sequence we got of her in the jungle losing her husband and son. Major Haggard acted as a fine villain and he was a very unlikeable character which was exactly what the intention was. The cliffhanger at the end of part two was outstanding with him taking over the train that was apparently Adela’s, and with Tegan and the TARDIS on board in the front carriage the crash seemed like it would be deadly. The urgency of the Doctor in pulling the carriage free that he, Nyssa and Turlough were within was good but the realisation that Tegan was in the front carriage sparked an incredibly powerful reaction. The Doctor was very angry, Nyssa had lost her best friend and Turlough was stunned. So the fact that, within an hour of Tegan’s reemergence at the end of part three, Turlough was at odds with her was hilarious! They have quite a relationship where clashing is just a constant. It’s fun stuff and presents a refreshing dynamic full of realism. The revelation that Djahn was actually Jonathan all grown up was excellent and a really touching moment for Adela as she was reunited with her little boy now all grown up. Playing with the idea of her losing him so soon after the reunion was really done well and credit must go to the actress as she sold that really well. Jonathan having been raised by Dawon was good and logical, and then having that guardian and the professor fighting Khan for control of the emerald tiger was superb. The pair dying at his hands was brutal and really solidified him as a strong villain. The concept of the homogenite and DNA synthesis was pretty decent and I liked how Nyssa was really interested in its capabilities. Her time on Terminus was really coming into play which is what should happen. The conclusion with the dynamite being let off and Nyssa sacrificing herself to see out Khan was very good as the tiger within almost willed her back to life! The moment at the end where Nyssa was rejuvenated and reverted back to her appearance pre-departure in Terminus was quite comical! Had they ran out of artwork for the older Sarah Sutton? It’s fun though! Overall, a terrific listen.

Rating: 9/10