So I thought I’d review another episode that Australia aired first: Thomas & the Dragon!
And... it’s much better than a lot of the international episodes. Although, considering the quality of the others, that’s not saying much. The big thing it did right was mix all the cultural aspects with an actual story. Granted, this shouldn’t be praiseworthy. But the other world based episodes have failed more often than not in that department, so...
Also, that fantasy sequence was possibly one of the best ones so far. I’ll always prefer the one in What Rebecca Does because of how wonderfully bizarre it is. But in terms of tension and atmosphere, this is on another level.
Unfortunately, this suffers from a problem that, actually, has been prevalent for a series that’s trying to up the pace: the plot is so thin that it exposes the slow pace of the storytelling. Granted, there were funny moments scattered throughout this episode to try and distract from this - like Yong Bao and the chicken. But had these been more consistent, this issue wouldn’t be as noticeable. It’s how SpongeBob made its way, and that’s been on air for nearly 20 years.
Then there’s the whole thing with the dragon and, seemingly, how Thomas had forgotten what one is. First off, we don’t know what sort of “carnival” that dragon was going to (come to think of it, that was a plot point they never completed; it was only ever seen in front of Thomas). Although that could be due for being too scared to be cultural back then. It’d also explain why the bank holiday was changed in Bulgy since America wouldn’t know what one was.
Second... yeah, it is kind of silly that they didn’t mention that dragon. But I’ll go one further and say their idea of continuity is ridiculous. I’ve said it before and it bears repeating: they really need to stop using continuity for fandom points and use it more for good storytelling. But then, if they used it here, it would break it a bit since Thomas would know that they might use a paper dragon to begin with. Ergo, the minimal plot they had would be pointless.
One thing I really loved though was Thomas’ connection with Yong Bao. It’s like his friendship with Edward, which I’m perfectly fine with. I think it could be a bit better if Thomas was given more character, but it’s still one of the few high points of the whole worldwide half of the season so far.
And the “it’s OK to feel scared, just talk to someone” theme was OK. Although it’s one of those lessons you learn in hindsight rather than as it happens, hence it was mentioned after the main episode had ended. It’s a unique way to utilise that segment, since every other episode has used it to emphasise the lesson the bulk of an episode tried to teach.
At least it’s not as bad as the last two episodes. It’s not saying much, but I’ll take any positivity I can get from the show at this point..!
Rating: Good (7/10)
Also, that fantasy sequence was possibly one of the best ones so far. I’ll always prefer the one in What Rebecca Does because of how wonderfully bizarre it is. But in terms of tension and atmosphere, this is on another level.
Unfortunately, this suffers from a problem that, actually, has been prevalent for a series that’s trying to up the pace: the plot is so thin that it exposes the slow pace of the storytelling. Granted, there were funny moments scattered throughout this episode to try and distract from this - like Yong Bao and the chicken. But had these been more consistent, this issue wouldn’t be as noticeable. It’s how SpongeBob made its way, and that’s been on air for nearly 20 years.
Then there’s the whole thing with the dragon and, seemingly, how Thomas had forgotten what one is. First off, we don’t know what sort of “carnival” that dragon was going to (come to think of it, that was a plot point they never completed; it was only ever seen in front of Thomas). Although that could be due for being too scared to be cultural back then. It’d also explain why the bank holiday was changed in Bulgy since America wouldn’t know what one was.
Second... yeah, it is kind of silly that they didn’t mention that dragon. But I’ll go one further and say their idea of continuity is ridiculous. I’ve said it before and it bears repeating: they really need to stop using continuity for fandom points and use it more for good storytelling. But then, if they used it here, it would break it a bit since Thomas would know that they might use a paper dragon to begin with. Ergo, the minimal plot they had would be pointless.
One thing I really loved though was Thomas’ connection with Yong Bao. It’s like his friendship with Edward, which I’m perfectly fine with. I think it could be a bit better if Thomas was given more character, but it’s still one of the few high points of the whole worldwide half of the season so far.
And the “it’s OK to feel scared, just talk to someone” theme was OK. Although it’s one of those lessons you learn in hindsight rather than as it happens, hence it was mentioned after the main episode had ended. It’s a unique way to utilise that segment, since every other episode has used it to emphasise the lesson the bulk of an episode tried to teach.
Final Thoughts
I’m still not sold on this whole worldwide idea (mostly because the episodes themselves haven’t exactly endeared me to it), but this episode is still definitely one of the decent ones. Not one that you have to go out of your way to see, but it’s pleasant enough. The character dynamic was actually really fun and the fantasy sequence was excellent. But it does have the same issue that other episodes like this have: all style, little substance and not enough humour to hide that.At least it’s not as bad as the last two episodes. It’s not saying much, but I’ll take any positivity I can get from the show at this point..!
Rating: Good (7/10)
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