REVIEW – THE EYE OF THE SCORPION

The Doctor and Peri land in egypt. Expect to find sand in places you didn't even know you had!

A bit of history for all you audio loves/future audio lovers, this was my first full cast audio drama from Big Finish. I can still remember the first time I heard the Fifth Doctor and Peri brown on audio. I was the car, driving at night. I’d gotten this audio off of a Youtube channel and a bit skeptic at first, I took a chance in 2009 and look where I am now. So obviously expect a lot of good things from me.

First off, let’s start with the setting – Egypt! My god what an idea for a Doctor Who story. Visiting ancient Egypt and meeting pharaohs, curses, having chariot rides...on audio?

Yup! If all this sounded fantastic on radio, imagine what New Who can do on screen. A story which takes the Doctor and his companion to ancient Egypt would leave me speechless. It’s one of the settings I’m anticipating most for a future episode.

But back to this story which introduces us to Pharaoh Erimem, played by Caroline Morris and who would go on to become one of the most interesting Big Finish exclusive companions, joining the ranks of Evelyn Smythe, Charley Pollard and Lucie Miller; Erimem has the distinct pleasure of having one of the best companion opening stories of any companion in any story. Her more serious scenes with Peter Davison’s Doctor mixes well with the pseudo-sister vibes we get from her and Peri. As the trio venture through these audio stories, it starts to feel like two mischievous sisters spending their holiday at their uncle. Take a moment to imagine that.

At first, I was a little put off by Peter Davison’s gruffer voice, but even that wore off once that first chariot race came to an end. This is still the fifth Doctor. Just close my eyes and there he is in all his cricket coat, celery wearing glory.

Peri has always been one of my favorite companions so even if I tried, I couldn’t really complain about her. In fact, as I would find out in later stories, Big Finish went to great lengths to “fix” this companion who was not well-received on TV, though let’s admit, Peri’s departure was one of the most shocking and horrific things in Doctor Who. 

Nicola Bryant’s Peri on radio embodies what the character was promised to be when we were first introduced to her: An American college student on vacation, interested in partying and having fun. The Eye of the Scorpion and her Big Finish stories in general, returns the character to this model. I mean Peri has the Great Sphinx pyramid repaired to look like Elvis Presley. You don’t get more American than that!

The supporting characters such as Antranak and Yanis help make Ermimen a more believable and well-rounded individual, someone who is not only a woman (given this is ancient Egypt), but expected to lead a nation. Indeed, Erimem’s journey involves her learning to make difficult choices which help the greater good at expense of herself and become a person worthy to lead a nation.

Rating this story: 5/5 stars. I can’t recommend this story enough.

Note: If you liked this review, please like and share it. If you’re interested in getting into Big Finish or want suggestions on which stories are great, check out my ranking of them HERE