Ep 16. Nigel Knows Best

Nigel Knows Best is the sixteenth episode of the first season of The Wild Thornberrys. The show follows the adventurous Thornberry family, who travel the world in a motorhome while filming their wildlife television show. The family consists of Eliza, a young girl gifted with the ability to talk to animals, her parents, Nigel and Marianne, her sister, Debbie, and their adopted brother, Donnie, who was raised by orangutans.

In this episode, the family finds themselves in India, where Nigel, a renowned wildlife expert, decides to give Eliza and Debbie a lesson on how to properly track tigers. Despite Eliza's protests that her ability to talk to animals would make tracking them unnecessary, Nigel insists on showing them his method, believing it to be the superior way to locate the big cats.

Nigel's method involves using bait to lure the tigers out of hiding, an approach that Eliza is uncomfortable with due to the potential danger it poses to both the tigers and their prey. However, Nigel is set in his ways, and so the Thornberry girls reluctantly accompany him on his expedition.

As they set off into the jungle, Eliza begins to have misgivings about Nigel's techniques, especially when they come across a group of monkeys eating the bait that Nigel had set out. Eliza tries to convince Nigel to abandon his methods and rely on her ability to communicate with the nearby animals, but Nigel remains stubborn.

The group eventually comes across a tiger, and Nigel takes the lead in trying to observe and track it. As they follow the tiger deeper into the jungle, things take a turn for the worse when Eliza and Debbie find themselves separated from Nigel and the rest of their group. To make matters worse, the tiger they were following is now stalking them.

While trying to outsmart the tiger, Eliza finally convinces Nigel to trust her instincts, and with the help of a mischievous monkey she befriended, they are able to reunite with the rest of their group and capture the tiger's photos on camera. Nigel is forced to admit that Eliza's methods work better than his own, and the episode ends with the family celebrating their successful expedition.

Overall, Nigel Knows Best is an exciting episode that showcases the natural world and the importance of trusting one's instincts. The dynamic between Nigel and Eliza highlights the generational differences and how different perspectives can lead to varied approaches in problem-solving. With its engaging story and stunning visuals of the Indian jungle, this episode is sure to entertain audiences of all ages.