The Emerald Tiger

This is part of a series of reviews of Doctor Who in chronological timeline order.

Previous Story: Rat Trap

Well that's probably my favourite story in this 'Older Nyssa' arc so far and I find it difficult to see how it could be topped. This story starts off with so much energy. As soon as the TARDIS crew step foot in Calcutta, they rush to save a man with (presumably) rabies. In this situation they both lose the TARDIS (which had the medical supplies necessary to cure rabies) and get Nyssa bit. This forms the main tension of the story as due to Nyssa's Trakenite biology the virus is acting fast on her.

What follows is a story that honestly felt like a blockbuster movie more than a simple Doctor Who audio drama. Perhaps it helps that the setting is exotic (atleast compared to the quiet English villages that the Doctor and Co tend to frequent). There's also a great deal of action, with my favourite stunt being when the Doctor jumps out of a hot-air balloon and onto a moving train to stop it from going off a cliff.

This leads to a horrifying moment where Tegan "dies". You know Tegan isn't actually dead but Peter Davison and Sarah Sutton act their hearts out, possibly the best acting I've seen from them in these audios thus far (specifically from the latter). Tegan's fake-out death leads to a cliffhanger I knew was coming but I still couldn't help grinning as hard as I did.

I rarely speak on the sound-design and soundtrack of Big Finish stories. They're such a crucial element of every story but tend to sort of fade into the background and slip my mind. This is one story where the sound-design is impeccable. I wish I could comment specific areas where the sound-design was best but it was all genuinely phenomenal. There's a similar situation with the soundtrack which just brings this story up so much.

The supporting cast steal the show here, from the stoic tiger Dawon (played by Vineeta Rishi) to the frustratingly villainous Major Haggard (played by Neil Stacy). And who could forget the brother of the tigers Professor Narayan, later Ayyappan (played by Sam Dastor). There's a plethora of other characters that all make this story feel like the larger-than-life adventure that it is.

I can't praise this story enough. Everything is so great about it and it leaves us on an interesting moment, Nyssa has been de-aged.

Next Story: The Jupiter Conjunction

Doctor Who – The Monthly Adventures

#159. The Emerald Tiger ~ 10/10

◆ An Introduction

India. One of the most vibrant and culturally diverse nations on the planet, with an absolutely massive population and many a scenic view. It also happens to have an incredibly intricate and interesting history, such as the mass displacement caused by the Partition of India, and the country as it was under the rule of the British Raj.

It was only a matter of time before a BigFinish writer would send the Doctor and his friends to such a fascinating nation, and who better than Barnaby Edwards to make it happen? I have really been looking forward to talking about this one.

Enough chit-chat, let us dive straight into my favourite adventure with the Fifth Doctor!

◆ Publisher’s Summary

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 incognita, something is stirring. Something with emerald eyes, diamond-sharp claws and a heart of darkness.

◆ The Fifth Doctor

If you ever wanted to listen to a story where the writer understands the TARDIS team perfectly, and where everyone is delivering their absolute best, then look no further. Peter Davison goes above and beyond in ‘The Emerald Tiger’, and I genuinely don’t think he’ll ever beat his performance here. It’s just magnificent.

The Doctor thinks that shooting Kimball was entirely unnecessary, and he was just about to administer an antidote. He seems extremely excited to drive the Professor’s Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, believing it to be a work of art. He believes himself to be an excellent driver (which is the biggest lie I’ve heard today). The Doctor blames himself for Tegan’s apparent death, and is saddened at the fact she seemingly died for nothing. He has a really heartfelt conversation with Lady Adela about how nobody can bury their past, because every decision we make, every thrill we experience, and every mistake we face make up who we are. If you lose the past then you lose yourself, and forgetting something doesn't stop it hurting, it just makes it worse.

◆ Tegan Jovanka

‘The Emerald Tiger’ is where Janet Fielding really hits her stride with the audio medium, and proves to us what a powerhouse companion she really is. I’m just blown away by her in this adventure.

Tegan claims to love cricket, and genuinely seems excited about the upcoming match. Dawon accurately describes her as a “screeching she-cat”.

◆ Vislor Turlough

‘The Emerald Tiger’ only serves to reassure me that Mark Strickson is one of my absolute favourite companion actors, and that BigFinish have a much better handle on his character than anybody JNT employed! Strickson does a smashing job with the material in this adventure.

Turlough has ditched his sombre school uniform for a three-piece suit (and I can only imagine how uncomfortable that will be in the humid climate of Calcutta). He believes that stubbornness is one of Australia’s greatest exports.

◆ “Older” Nyssa

‘The Emerald Tiger’ is a pretty pivotal release for the character of Nyssa, especially in the confines of this fifteen-part story arc, so I am glad to inform you all that Sarah Sutton delivers her absolute a-game here.

Nyssa finds the rules of cricket rather baffling. She ends up being bitten by a man who appears to have rabies, but the infection takes hold surprisingly quickly (the Doctor theorises that it could be down to her Trakenite metabolism). When she believes that Tegan has perished aboard the train, she just starts sobbing at the loss of her best friend, and it really broke my heart to hear. The Homogenite has rejuvenated Nyssa back to how she was on Terminus – Tegan thinks her husband will be delighted (as she’s just saved him a fortune in plastic surgery)!

◆ Story Recap

The Doctor has materialised the TARDIS in Calcutta on New Year’s Eve 1926, with the intention of taking his companions to the second unofficial test match between All India and Marylebone Cricket Club, though it’s not long before these plans are in tatters.

Nyssa is attacked by a man supposedly suffering from rabies, and the infection is developing extremely quickly, but is it something more than just hydrophobia? If that wasn’t enough to worry about, the TARDIS has been stolen by the widow of a zoologist… and her train appears to have been hijacked by a British officer-turned-thief!

All roads lead to the hidden valley located beyond the Karabar Caves, where an exceedingly rare alien crystal has blossomed into the mythical “Emerald Tiger”. It has special powers, a fact which Nyssa is being made painfully aware of.

◆ Beautiful India!

I think I’ve made it clear on many occasions that I absolutely adore any form of historical story, simply because they tend to be miles more interesting than a straight up science-fiction plot, and Barnaby Edwards seems to agree with me on that.

India is one of the most vibrant places on the planet, and somewhere I would love to go one day, but I am more than content with hearing this wonderful depiction for now. The set-pieces of steam trains heading through the Indian countryside, hunters using hot air balloons and the overall hustle and bustle of Calcutta… the detail in this script alone is just amazing. I know a lot of people are used to me complaining and whining in my reviews, but you’ve probably already guessed that I genuinely have nothing but praise for this adventure.

◆ Very Tiberium Coded

I’d like to move onto the MacGuffin of ‘The Emerald Tiger’, that being the green crystal you can see on the cover art. Homogenite was a very rare, almost mythical element forged in the heart of dying stars and ejected at the point of collapse. Anything it came into contact with would undergo a “metamorphic metamorphosis” and be turned to precious and semi-precious gemstones (something similar happened to Lord Alfred in the second ‘Lady Christina’ box set).

What makes Homogenite really interesting is that it actually has some rather unique medical applications, given that it can combine and reconstitute organic material at the molecular level – Terminus Inc. even tried to obtain some of the element at one point. It’s transformative, and almost like a magic-bullet for any condition… including ageing, it would seem.

This adventure concludes with Nyssa’s appearance (and possibly her age) both being reverted to the state they were in when she first departed the TARDIS. This is something that will come back to cause issues in a later story, so stay tuned listeners.

Hang on a minute… an extremely rare crystalline element with a green hue, one which has transformative properties and can rapidly spread. I know I mention this game franchise a lot, but isn’t this just Tiberium from the Command & Conquer series?

◆ Walking Colonialism & The Zoologist’s Widow

Another aspect where ‘The Emerald Tiger’ succeeds is with its characters. They are brought to life amazingly by Edwards’ terrific writing and direction, and an incredibly skilled cast.

Major Haggard (Neil Stacy) is a really great antagonist for this adventure, and best described by the Doctor as “a walking embodiment of everything that is going to bring down the British Raj”. He’s an arrogant colonialist who wholeheartedly believes he is right, and will happily put you in your place if you cross him. Right from the minute he kills a man who could’ve been saved from Homogenite influence, you just despise the character in the best way possible (he’s a perfect villain).

Then you have Dawon (Vineeta Rishi), who was once a normal human being, before falling under the influence of the Homogenite. It transformed her into a giant tigress armed with diamond claws and burning emerald eyes. The crystal also gave her a form of telepathy, and she very clearly grows close to Nyssa throughout this adventure.

The last character I want to mention is the aforementioned zoologist’s widow, Lady Adela Forster (Cherie Lunghi). Her husband was brutally mauled to death by a tiger during an expedition to the Karabar Caves, and her son was seemingly lost during the escape. She was the only person to get out alive, and she sealed the caves with dynamite. Eighteen years have passed, and she is intent on finishing the expedition her husband started. All the characters in this play are just brilliantly written and performed.

◆ Sound Design

From the bustling crowds of Calcutta, to the vibrant hidden valley beyond the Karabar Caves, this adventure features some of the most gorgeous sound design of any BigFinish release!

Energy pulses out of the titular Emerald Tiger gemstone. A wave of gunfire as the expeditionary party attempt to fend off a wild tiger, which soon begins tearing literal chunks out of Lord Forster. Bustling crowds congregate at a busy railway station in Calcutta, with steam locomotives chugging along in the background. Major Haggard fires his pistol, executing the rabid Kimball from twenty-paces away. Adela’s private train rumbles across the tracks… as Dawon, the fearsome tigress, growls away in the rear carriage! The train hits the barrier with some force at Karabar and goes flying off the cliff, down into the hidden valley below. Trickling water from the ceiling of the Karabar Caves. The hidden valley beyond the caves is a vibrant landscape; birds and insects chirping away in the verdant jungle. Fizzing dynamite explodes inside the caves, bringing wet rocks down around the Doctor, Turlough, Adela and Dawon. The Homogenite infection begins to transform Nyssa; her voice deepens, and her body begins creaking as it turns crystalline. Wolf servants of Khan bark as they attempt to hunt the Doctor… but he is saved by Tegan riding a giant trumpeting elephant!

◆ Music

Howard Carter is also handling the score for ‘The Emerald Tiger’, and it is absolutely beautiful. Infused with a great deal of Indian flavour, the music here sounds so wonderfully authentic to the story’s location.

◆ Conclusion

“Like Pilgrims to the appointed place we tend. The world’s a train and death the journey’s end…”

A mythical element forged in the heart of a dying star crash landed outside of Calcutta hundreds of thousands of years in the past, its impact crater forming an exotic valley beyond the Karabar Caves. Many have already succumbed to the molecular synthesis of Homogenite, with a local woman being transformed into a larger than average tigress with diamond claws and burning emerald eyes… and it appears that Nyssa is the next to feel the influence of this rare crystalline element.

‘The Emerald Tiger’ is genuinely my favourite Fifth Doctor adventure of all time, and this is coming from someone who has heard every story in this range at least twice. It’s unlike anything else BigFinish has ever put out, feeling more like a beautiful fusion of Jules Verne and The Jungle Book!

Howard Carter’s post-production work helps breathe so much life into a script that is positively dripping with detail, and the music is just a triumph. If that wasn’t enough to make you buy this release, the cast all deliver some of their best performances (Davison and crew really blew me away this time).

‘The Emerald Tiger’ is an immaculate experience from start to finish, and anybody wanting to write for this incarnation should take note of the exemplary job Barnaby Edwards has done here.

Part 1, I enjoyed a lot more than I expected to. Unfortunately, Doctor Who doesn't have the greatest track record with its portrayals of Asian cultures, so seeing a story that was set in Colonial India that seemed to be about a mystical tiger... well, you can see why I went into it with suspicion. However, all four of the TARDIS team managed to have something to do all through this episode, which is something that is so often lacking in stories with three companions. I was also relieved to see that the Indian characters were relatively inoffensive, if somewhat unmemorable (I am writing this up a few weeks after listening, so it is probably telling of how much impact this story had on me that I can't remember much of it).

And then parts 2 - 4 went downhill. Part 1 seemed to offer us a story of a tiger with psychic abilities who both seemed to be the enemy and yet the victim at the same time, which is interesting enough, but then the rest of the episode dragged out into something that seemed to want to riff off The Jungle Book while also still being about aliens, while also becoming an Indiana Jones style chase while also still being about aliens, and for some reason most of it seemed to take place on a train.

By part 4, I was confused. What started out being about a tiger turned into a story about the Power of the Divine Motherly Instinct, which left a pretty bad taste in my mouth. Because, of course, as we all know, the only point of a woman is for her to be gentle and loving and have such a wonderful desire to have children... It is a deeply annoying trope to me and didn't do anything to endear me to a story I was finding average to begin with, and the pastiche of The Jungle Book did nothing to make me any happier about the fact that the lady tiger adopted a human child and loved it while her brothers were big mean men.

But hey, at least it wasn't too drastically racist, right?