History Recap / EighthDoctorAdventuresTheScarletEmpress

The Doctor and Sam arrive on the planet of Hyspero, a MysticalIndia sort of place where stories have power and magic is real. Sam decides to do some wandering in a graveyard inexplicably placed in the middle of the city and stumbles across something very unusual indeed: a red double-decker bus, just like the ones at home in London, specifically the number 22 to Putney Common. Like any good companion, she lets curiosity get in the way of common sense, and climbs aboard to check things out. She's greeted by a bound and gagged alligator man named Gila who insists he's been abducted by a madwoman. A woman called [[Characters/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse Iris]] [[Characters/IrisWildthyme Wildthyme]]. Sam gets the Doctor and the two of them free Gila and set off to find Iris, who's been set upon by Gila's attack dogs in an attempt to prevent his abduction. The Doctor rescues Iris and gets Gila to call off his dogs, then prompts Iris to explain just what exactly is going on. It turns out she is on a mission for the mysterious Scarlet Empress, ruler of all of Hyspero, to bring four assassins, one of whom is Gila, The Albino Alligator Man, back together for unexplained reasons.

-->'I hate being derailed like this,' the Doctor said.

The Doctor and Sam arrive on the planet of Hyspero, a SimSimSalabim sort of place where stories have power and magic is real. Sam decides to do some wandering in a graveyard inexplicably placed in the middle of the city and stumbles across something very unusual indeed: a red double-decker bus, just like the ones at home in London, specifically the number 22 to Putney Common. Like any good companion, she lets curiosity get in the way of common sense, and climbs aboard to check things out. She's greeted by a bound and gagged alligator man named Gila who insists he's been abducted by a madwoman. A woman called [[Characters/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse Iris]] [[Characters/IrisWildthyme Wildthyme]]. Sam gets the Doctor and the two of them free Gila and set off to find Iris, who's been set upon by Gila's attack dogs in an attempt to prevent his abduction. The Doctor rescues Iris and gets Gila to call off his dogs, then prompts Iris to explain just what exactly is going on. It turns out she is on a mission for the mysterious Scarlet Empress, ruler of all of Hyspero, to bring four assassins, one of whom is Gila, The Albino Alligator Man, back together for unexplained reasons.

* PirateGirl: Julia, captain of a pirate ship, who wears a leather outfit and also [[EverythingIsBetterWithPrincesses happens to be a princess]].

-->'''Gila''': Is Film/StarWars another of your offworld references?

* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Iris is Sanguine, unrelentlessly optimistic. Sam, who just goes along with the weird stuff, is Phlegmatic. The Doctor takes on the role of planner and carer, as befits a responsible Melancholic, and Gila is Choleric.

* PettingZooPeople: In several varieties. The shaved golden bears of the Forest of Kesteven, the Birds of Paradise, Gila and his people... Hyspero has an extremely diverse population.

--> ''"I hate being derailed like this," the Doctor said.''

* ContemplateOurNavels: The Mock Turtle inside the whale. Some strange fish try to divert Sam into a spot of this as well.

* MixAndMatchCritters: The Mock Turtle, which is part calf.
* MagicalRealism: A whimsy, dreamy, surreal romp through a whimsy, dreamy, surreal world, generously peppered with littlebits of modern philosophy. In a book by Paul Magrs, this is to be expected.

* OracularHead

* WackyWaysideTribe: Most of the action comes from the many times when the group gets diverted off their intended course. Needless to say, the book would be a great deal shorter if Iris's quest ran more smoothly.

-->'''Gila''': Is [[Film/StarWars]] another of your offworld references?

* MagicalRealism: In a book by Paul Magrs, this is to be expected.

* PirateGirl: Julia, captain of a pirate ship, who wears a leather outfit and also happens to be a princess.

* HandicappedBadass: Major Angela, a blind ex-mercenary, and Iris, who’s [[spoiler: eventually stuck in a wheelchair due to the effects of having eaten a poisonous Kaled mutant]].

* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: The titular Scarlet Empress
* HandicappedBadass: Major Angela, a blind ex-mercenary, and Iris, who’s eventually stuck in a wheelchair due to the effects of having eaten a poisonous Kaled mutant.

* PettingZooPeople: In several varieties. The shaved golden bears of the Forest of Kesteven, the Birds of Paradise, Gila and his people...Hyspero has an extremely diverse population.

-->--'''The Doctor'''

* HilariousInHindsight: The description of the headless viziers sounds awfully like the Headless Monks' storage.
--> ''[[{{Recap/DoctorWhoS31E06TheVampiresOfVenice}} "You remember that adventure in Venice, with all the fish people running about?"]]''

The Doctor and Sam arrive on the planet of Hyspero, a SimSimSalabim sort of place where stories have power and magic is real. Sam decides to do some wandering in a graveyard inexplicably placed in the middle of the city and stumbles across something very unusual indeed: a red double-decker bus, just like the ones at home in London, specifically the number 22 to Putney Common. Like any good companion, she lets curiosity get in the way of common sense, and climbs aboard to check things out. She's greeted by a bound and gagged alligator man named Gila who insists he's been abducted by a madwoman. A woman called [[Characters/IrisWildthyme Iris Wildthyme]]. Sam gets the Doctor and the two of them free Gila and set off to find Iris, who's been set upon by Gila's attack dogs in an attempt to prevent his abduction. The Doctor rescues Iris and gets Gila to call off his dogs, then prompts Iris to explain just what exactly is going on. It turns out she is on a mission for the mysterious Scarlet Empress, ruler of all of Hyspero, to bring four assassins, one of whom is Gila, The Albino Alligator Man, back together for unexplained reasons.

The Doctor and Sam arrive on the planet of Hyspero, a SimSimSalabim sort of place where stories have power and magic is real. Sam decides to do some wandering in a graveyard inexplicably placed in the middle of the city and stumbles across something very unusual indeed: a red double-decker bus, just like the ones at home in London, specifically the number 22 to Putney Common. Like any good companion, she lets curiosity get in the way of common sense, and climbs aboard to check things out. She's greeted by a bound and gagged alligator man named Gila who insists he's been abducted by a madwoman. A woman called [[Characters/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse Iris Wildthyme]]. Sam gets the Doctor and the two of them free Gila and set off to find Iris, who's been set upon by Gila's attack dogs in an attempt to prevent his abduction. The Doctor rescues Iris and gets Gila to call off his dogs, then prompts Iris to explain just what exactly is going on. It turns out she is on a mission for the mysterious Scarlet Empress, ruler of all of Hyspero, to bring four assassins, one of whom is Gila, The Albino Alligator Man, back together for unexplained reasons.

The Doctor and Sam arrive on the planet of Hyspero, a SimSimSalabim sort of place where stories have power and magic is real. Sam decided to do some wandering in a graveyard inexplicably placed in the middle of the city and stumbles across something very unusual indeed: a red double-decker bus, just like the ones at home in London, specifically the number 22 to Putney Common. Like any good companion, she lets curiosity get in the way of common sense, and climbs aboard to check things out. She's greeted by a bound and gagged alligator man named Gila who insists he's been abducted by a madwoman. A woman called [[Characters/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse Iris Wildethyme]]. Sam gets the Doctor and the two of them free Gila and set off to find Iris, who's been set upon by Gila's attack dogs in an attempt to prevent his abduction. The Doctor rescues Iris and gets Gila to call off his dogs, then prompts Iris to explain just what exactly is going on. It turns out she is on a mission for the mysterious Scarlet Empress, ruler of all of Hyspero, to bring four assassins, one of whom is Gila, The Albino Alligator Man, back together for unexplained reasons.

Tropes present in ''The Scarlet Empress'' include:

*

--> ''"

* WackyWaysideTribe: Most of the action comes from the many times when the group gets diverted off their intended course. Needless to say, the book would be a great deal shorter if Iris quest ran more smoothly.