Series 21: Emily in the Middle

Is there a hidden rule saying Donald and Douglas can a) only have one episode and b) only star in a wintery episode? I hope not; I feel there's potential for them year round, together or separate. Anyway, they've now thrown Emily into the mix. But how does Emily in the Middle fare?

I don't think it's as good as Love Me Tender. However, I do think that it's about on par with it. And it's definitely one of the best episodes this series.

I believe that this has one of the strongest (not the best) stories so far. Granted, it is like the episode I mentioned, and could probably be compared to Twin Trouble far more than the series 20 episode could. But adding Emily into the mix was a really good idea. She would definitely have been one of the only main characters (besides Edward) that could handle them at their worst. And throughout, she proved why.

Her patience was really tested here. And she knew that, after the accident, she had no other choice but to yell at them and put them firmly in their place. I know I said that it was great that Donald and Douglas learned their lesson without help last series. But when arguments become this bad and disruptive, there's no other alternative than to do what Emily did.

Besides which, they both ended up realising (on their own) that they were both to blame for what had happened. After they'd simmered down and Emily's words had sunk in.

On a side note, completely unrelated to the main story, I loved the little gags that they came up with for Toby. It's a great little development for his character, and it feels like he was in series 2. You know, when he was up for having a laugh from time to time.

Other than that though, there's not much I can say here that I didn't last year. I like that they took a slightly different angle with their bickering; involving the whole island in their squabble and how it would affect other engines. But that's about it really.

Final Thoughts

While I really like this episode, and think it's one of the best of this series so far, can we have the Scottish Twins in more varied episodes from now on? There's only so far they can take these types of episodes before they become familiar. Familiarity breeds contempt. And I'd hate for two classic fan favourites to be hated solely because the writers only had one idea for them (with a few extra characters sprinkled in) every time they showed up.

Episode Ratings

Springtime for Diesel: 10/10
A Most Singular Engine: 10/10
Dowager Hatt's Busy Day: 10/10
Stuck in Gear: 8/10
Runaway Engine: 9/10
P.A. Problems: 8/10
Hasty Hannah: 9/10
Cranky at the End of the Line: 4/10
New Crane on the Dock: 5/10
Unscheduled Stops: 4/10
Philip's Number: 10/10
The Fastest Red Engine on Sodor: 10/10
A Shed for Edward: 10/10
Terence Breaks the Ice: 9/10
Emily in the Middle: 10/10

Cumulative Total (So Far)

126/150