If An Engine of Many Colours was a surprise, this was an absolute bombshell.
This episode had what so many international episodes have lacked. There was a focused plot that was fairly well paced and there was some actual entertainment value throughout. Out of all the international characters this season has focused on, Shane, Aubrey and Aiden have such a sense of fun about them, and they clash with Thomas’ inquisitive nature well.
It’s also one of the few episodes where I felt that going global was necessary for a plot to happen. Thomas truly felt out of his depth (in other episodes, he took over and just... appeared to fit in as though he was on Sodor) and he actually suffered some sort of consequence for his actions.
That’s not to say it’s perfect. First off, the theme has been done before to a similar quality. What doesn’t help is that the ending segment put a spotlight on the episode the lesson was taken from. It was also learned by the exact same character as well, so it makes the lesson feel even more redundant. This is another example of why using Thomas for every international episode was a bad idea. They should have used a character that can a) bounce off Shane well and b) actually needed to learn not to lie.
Also, Thomas taking Shane’s train was really contrived, only happening because the plot demanded it. We even saw Shane rescue Thomas and it’s never explained where he’d been. At least when Thomas took Henry’s train back in the day, they played off his illness. Here? Nada. It’s poor storytelling.
I think it helped that they actually hired an Australian born writer to script it, whereas other episodes have been written by British writers. Basically, this should be shown as proof as to why a more diverse writing team is essential. Had they hired an Indian and Chinese writer for those episodes, I can guarantee they’d they’d be much better.
Side note: Tim Bain is rather handsome..!
Rating: Good (7/10)
This episode had what so many international episodes have lacked. There was a focused plot that was fairly well paced and there was some actual entertainment value throughout. Out of all the international characters this season has focused on, Shane, Aubrey and Aiden have such a sense of fun about them, and they clash with Thomas’ inquisitive nature well.
It’s also one of the few episodes where I felt that going global was necessary for a plot to happen. Thomas truly felt out of his depth (in other episodes, he took over and just... appeared to fit in as though he was on Sodor) and he actually suffered some sort of consequence for his actions.
That’s not to say it’s perfect. First off, the theme has been done before to a similar quality. What doesn’t help is that the ending segment put a spotlight on the episode the lesson was taken from. It was also learned by the exact same character as well, so it makes the lesson feel even more redundant. This is another example of why using Thomas for every international episode was a bad idea. They should have used a character that can a) bounce off Shane well and b) actually needed to learn not to lie.
Also, Thomas taking Shane’s train was really contrived, only happening because the plot demanded it. We even saw Shane rescue Thomas and it’s never explained where he’d been. At least when Thomas took Henry’s train back in the day, they played off his illness. Here? Nada. It’s poor storytelling.
Final Thoughts
This was a really enjoyable episode. It had its storytelling issues and the theme was nothing new (even for Thomas’ character), but it had strong characters and genuinely felt it was well paced. The time flew by watching it.I think it helped that they actually hired an Australian born writer to script it, whereas other episodes have been written by British writers. Basically, this should be shown as proof as to why a more diverse writing team is essential. Had they hired an Indian and Chinese writer for those episodes, I can guarantee they’d they’d be much better.
Side note: Tim Bain is rather handsome..!
Rating: Good (7/10)
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