Series 21: Philip's Number

Never has a series had such a great start and faltered so quickly With this stretch of episodes quickly reaching its conclusion, can Philip's Number claw things back?

It’s fair to say this episode was going to be divisive regardless of the content since Philip is a Marmite character. At first, I didn’t like him that much as he was an annoying one trick pony; constantly bugging characters for a race, causing trouble (directly or indirectly) and getting away with it. But series 20 developed him really well, and this continues that development really well.

Another character that got some fantastic development was Gordon. Him belittling Philip at the start set up the conflict really well. But him praising Philip and willingly apologising was wonderful. This era has focused so much on his arrogant, stubborn side that it forgot (until now) that he can be humble and supportive when he wants to be. Percy Runs Away and James & the Express being prime examples of this.

The story is great. I do have an issue with it (and I'll get to that in a bit), but it suit Philip's childlike wonder really well. It's nice that they'd move him away from what he once was and on to where he fits in.

Also, the theme is absolutely wonderful. The theme of "carving your own path" and "only you can define who you are" is a take on the "be who you are" thread that the show hasn't really gone down before. While it has been known to reuse themes, I love that some episodes are taking said reused themes and making them more nuanced.

And I also want to heap praise on the animation and editing. I don't really do this in episode reviews any more as a) you can only say "the animation's great" in so many ways before sounding like a broken record, and b) good animation should be the standard by this point. However, because this episode went above and beyond, and it produced a huge talking point, it feels right to discuss the weirdness of some of the scenes.

In most media, they make dream and thought sequences so obvious. Editors add so many filters and effects that it's obvious that there's a dream or thought sequence. This episode doesn't do that. It respects its audience enough to think that it's an insight into Philip's thoughts. The thoughts are ridiculous and over the top while the rest of the episode is grounded. They didn't bother adding filters. They didn't add effects. They just showed you Philip's thoughts and expected you to fill in the gaps. That is some excellent film making, and something I respect Dianna Basso and her team immensely for.

The only real issue I have is with the story's pacing. It does take a while to get going since there's so much fluff about the main characters and their numbers, and even the middle meanders a bit as Philip travels around looking for why he was given the number he has.

Final Thoughts

I've written this conclusion three times before publication. I've watched the episode three times and I saw a fantastic thread on Twitter. At first, I was really torn on this episode, but now I think it's my favourite episode this series has offered so far. The pacing is a bit wonky, but the story is great despite that. The characters are fantastic and the theme is one of the strongest of this series, and possibly the show as a whole.

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

Cumulative Total (So Far)

87/110