Season 22: Apology Impossible

Episodes like this should be a reminder that quality isn’t guaranteed just because an episode is set on Sodor.

I know what the intention of this episode was. It was meant to show that James is too proud to apologise... even though this theme has been done frequently in the franchise. Fact is, however, intent means nothing. The execution of the story matters. And in that regard, this episode is atrocious.

It started well; hammering in that James still sees Philip as beneath him and Philip getting frustrated about that. I was hoping that it would lead to a scene where Philip finally stood up for himself against a bully.

But... nope.

Once again, Philip backed down. And the worst thing is he had THREE ENGINES AS BACK UP! They could’ve easily pushed James out of the way and that could’ve led to a scene where everything could be ironed out.

But we couldn’t have that. We just had to have James get his own way and inconvenience everyone else. Again.

“But he looked guilty and apologised in the end. That makes it alright, doesn’t it?”

Well, no. Because the apology felt incredibly hollow and was only accepted by Philip because he’s a naive child (not a knock on him, just describing his character). Not only that, but I’ve watched the show long enough to realise that James will learn nothing from this. He’ll still be incredibly arrogant and think the world owes him everything.

Yes, that little segment at the end says that “you should never be too proud to apologise and own up to your mistakes”. But all I can take from it is “you should never stand up to your bullies”. That is a horrible, toxic lesson to teach, especially to the preschoolers watching this.

Final Thoughts

Philip gets a rough deal with so many episodes he’s in. And this is the nadir of his mistreatment. It’s the same problem he had in The Great Race, only magnified (it was the main plot point here) and made worse (in the former, Vinnie got some comeuppance and Thomas and Ashima were actually there to help him).

The writing team should be ashamed of themselves for letting the episode come out in this state, and it’s earned the title of worst episode ever.

Rating: Atrocious (-10/10)

Season 22: School of Duck

I’m no Duck fanboy or anything. Heck, I wasn’t even bothered if he’d appeared after season 12. But after this, I honestly think he deserves more.

This was Thomas, Percy and Old Slow Coach done right. The plot was more focused, the characters were better and at least Dexter has more of a chance to have more screen time than Slow Coach (who deserved so much more than she got).

The theme was great also. I’m very impressed that they managed to weave one of the UN’s goals into the show in a natural, logical way. I also like that a seemingly random conversation between Reg and Duck actually led to the plot’s resolution. Even the trumpet wasn’t forgotten about, being used as a makeshift flower pot.

Dexter is also a really nice character. It’s a bit of a shame that he’s not a GWR-based coach, but I can understand that budget and time constraints would prevent that. It also makes more sense to use an NWR style coach rather than a Furness Railway or GWR Clerestory randomly appearing. But he’s a character that would make children want to go to school, and that’s lovely. Plus, Mark Moraghan provided an excellent voice for him. I’m glad he’s been given a new role now the narration is done by Thomas.

The episode was also rather funny. Reg playing the trumpet and Duck’s interaction with Gordon being particular highlights.

It’s a bit of a shame that Ryan was nowhere to be seen since he works on the Harwick extension as well as Daisy, but I can understand if he had no reason to be in it.

Also, and this is less an issue with the episode, but it’s an issue that it brought up. Why can’t Toby just have two coaches? Why does Henrietta have to be excused out of a story for Hannah to be used? The first time I can understand: it was the main focus of the episode. But this time?

Better yet, why were the Slip Coaches with Edward? Why are characters in really random locations these days? It completely devalues the locations they’re supposed to be at. Philip, for example, works at Knapford yet stays at Wellsworth. Why doesn’t he just work at Wellsworth? Thomas working everywhere makes sense (sort of) since he’s the character the show now revolves around.

Final Thoughts

This was a really good episode. Duck is at his most endearing, and shows that he cares despite his no nonsense Great Western attitude. The theme is important since these kids will have to be responsible for the messes that the idiotic older generations have left behind.

It basically does everything a good episode needs to do.

Rating: Great (9/10)

Season 22: Outback Thomas

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.

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)

Season 22: An Engine of Many Colours

Well, this was a nice surprise!

Let’s be blunt here: as good as the Sodor episodes are, especially compared to the international ones, let’s not pretend that there haven’t been bad ones. I’ll freely admit that I judged the episode harshly when I first saw the description.

But then I saw it... and genuinely loved it! Although there are two real sticking points for me.

James’ fear of being painted blue primarily comes from a quote that was made 34 years ago. Yep, it’s another instance of fan service jarring a story completely. Why? Because James has had so many different accidents and incidents over the years, and not once has this ever been brought up again. Hell, it didn’t even need to be brought up here. They could’ve just said there wasn’t enough red paint, only for some to be delivered just as James is repaired.

The other jarring part is that this episode airs halfway through season 22. I can understand why it wasn’t aired during last season since Mattel cut it short. But why didn’t they air it at the start of this one? We’ve seen James many times this season, so there’s no tension or doubt that he’d be painted red again. That’s not a fault on the writing team as they’ve no control over what airs when and in which season. But couldn’t Mattel have...

No, wait, this is a company that just canned two ranges to try and recoup losses rather than look at what they have created, realised they fucked up and take things back to the state where consumers would buy their stuff. Especially since tablets and mobile games are a thing. They’re also thought that taking Thomas worldwide - with the personality of a deck chair - and dominate everything while he’s in those countries was a brilliant idea that would bring viewers in...

Anyway, the episode itself was a lot of fun to watch. It was the best way to showcase what the fantasy sequences are capable of, and they made things much more entertaining to watch. It hid the fact that the story was fairly thin really well, and that’s all they really need to do. Also, James acting like the new paint was a placebo was hilarious.

Another thing I liked was that Stanley actually said something! The character himself has really lost his lustre since The Great Discovery (which is 10 years old now!), and became completely irrelevant as soon as Ryan arrived and had more character than the silver engine could dream of. But I still like him, I like his design and always appreciate when the writers do something with him.

I also really like how the writers handled the theme of “looks aren’t everything, it’s the personality that counts”. As a gay man who sees a lot of arrogant, vain, close minded guys who think only muscles and abs matter, it’s a theme that resonated with me a lot. It made me feel a bit more confident in my own skin and made me feel I was doing something right by trying to showcase my personality more. And anyone who doesn’t appreciate that isn’t worth my time. It’s a theme that kids really need, and the fact they managed to teach that through these characters is fantastic.

Final Thoughts

It’s rather interesting that some of the best, most entertaining episodes in the last two years have starred a main character that I disliked. But it seems like the writers and Rob Rackstraw are really hamming up James’ vanity and it’s working wonders. He’s honestly one of the most entertaining characters in the main fleet now, and this is a brilliant showcase as to why.

It definitely could’ve done without the fan service and it should’ve aired much sooner so the outcome was less predictable than it was. But the journey to the destination was entertaining enough throughout, and that theme is an incredibly important one.

Rating: Great (9/10)

Season 22: Thomas and the Monkey Palace

So bored...

I’ll be fair with this one: while it does still have a minimal story, at least there is a story being told. The problem is that it’s all over the place.

The title says that the focus will be on the monkey palace, yet it’s only seen in one shot. Instead, the focus is on the coconuts with the monkeys getting in the way (by the way, the “coconuts falling out of the truck” thing felt so contrived. Ignoring the fact they used a truck that is normally used to transport animals, that bash felt far too overblown for what it was. But then, this is Thomas & Friends in 2018, so I guess that’s to be expected).

And then there’s the thing that always plagues these worldwide stories: not much happens in them. Sure, it jumps from plot point to plot point, but the stuff between them - even the plot points themselves - just aren’t interesting. There’s simply nothing at stake to be invested in. And that’s because all of the focus is on Thomas and the monkeys and none is put on the impact the lack of coconut water is having on the people.

I don’t even think the fantasy sequence was that interesting either, and they’re usually the best bits of these episodes. It has little to do with the story and it’s just not as bombastic or flat out weird as ones we’ve seen before.

The theme of “paying attention” kinda works, but it’s been done before and done better. That’s... all I can really say about it.

Final Thoughts

I read a tweet saying that these episodes are “solely for the younger audience”. Ignoring the fact that every episode of the franchise has been aimed at a younger audience (except maybe season 5), that’s no excuse to not put any effort into the story. The last two episodes (that aired in the UK) have felt like they’re using animals as a crutch to carry them through, which is lazy storytelling regardless of the target audience.

Other than that, there’s little to talk about. It’s just a boring story with an abrupt ending, barely any character (or even character interaction), and a theme that’s been done better before. It’s like I said when I reviewed Thomas in the Wild: it’s all style, no substance.

Rating: Atrocious (-9/10)

Season 22: Thomas & the Dragon

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.

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)

Season 22: Thomas in the Wild

Can this little international experiment just... end after this season? Or, at least, hire writers that’ll actually give episodes like this more of a plot?

I read a quote a while ago. It was from Ian McCue’s press tour, and that quote was highlighted in a tweet.

Also oof pic.twitter.com/HxNKC7hL6S

— Jerome (@jerome_spitza) July 19, 2018

Basically, the team is sick of fans complaining about “realism” and all other non-criticisms of the show. He then goes on to say that fans should watch railway documentaries if they’re that bothered about the issue. And you know what? I agree. This show lost the realism argument when the machines gained sentience. And, as much as I love The Railway Series, some of the stories could have done with a bit more entertainment value.

Also, this argument is coming from fans who think season 5 - the most ridiculous, over the top, destructive season - is the best one. Basically, they only pull out the “realism” argument when it suits them. In the same way that misogynistic, bigoted gamers complain about the realism in the latest Spider-Man game. A game that includes Pride flags and rainbow painted buildings. This despite the fact that New York, the state the game takes place in, looks exactly like that. And they’re alao using the “realism” argument for a game about a teenager (well, young adult now) that’s been bitten by a radioactive spider!

Back to Ian’s point, turning a show about talking locomotives/machines into a fucking nature documentary completely undermines it. Surely if fans wanted to watch one of those, they’d seek out something by David Attenborough?

No, wait, that’s not fair. Attenborough documentaries are actually interesting, insightful and worth tuning in to. This... isn’t. At all. Frankly, it’s the most boring episode I’ve ever had to sit through, and this is from a franchise that shat out Thomas’ Frosty Friend and Topped Off Thomas! Genuinely, the reason it took so long for me to talk about this after I’d seen it for the first time (for context, I’m writing this at 1pm BST. I saw the episode at 10:45 BST as I’d recorded it) is because I couldn’t be bothered.

There is so little to enjoy, or even remember, here. The animals are adorable and the scenery is wonderful, but commending Jam Filled for great animation is a moot point: that’s their default setting at this point.

The only thing I really enjoyed was the fantasy sequence. I genuinely laughed at it because it was just so weird and fun. Something the rest of the episode lacked.

Also, that environmental theme that Thomas tried to feed to kids in the Vicarstown segment felt incredibly forced and had no correlation to the actual story. Also, like that Bollywood episode, this completely goes against the show’s design! Surely steam locomotives have a huge impact on the environment as well?

I don’t want to blame the UN for what the show is becoming. It is, after all, the writers’ responsibility to work with what they’re given and try and make something entertaining. But putting messages like this in a show that isn’t designed for them shows they don’t understand the franchise all that well. Although, I’ll swing it back on the writers since they were the ones who made a story that had nothing to do with that message.

The only thing I could take from it was “never give up hope”, but... well, other episodes have focused on this theme and produced a much more satisfying end product.

Final Thoughts

I said it on Twitter, and I’ll say it here. These international episodes can be described like this: all style, no substance, the fantasy sequence is the best bit. This is the epitome of that. The animals are adorable, the scenery beautiful and the fantasy sequence is so wonderfully bizarre. But the story is full of nothing.

If you couldn’t tell, I’m angry. This is supposed to be entertaining, and it’s failing. But I’m also disappointed. They had so much to work with taking the show global. They could have told some really fun, interesting stories. But they give us none of it, preferring to make a boring as piss documentary with no character and a theme that’s pulled out of their arse.
Rating: Atrocious (-10/10)

Season 22: Samson & the Fireworks

Australia is airing season 22 as well, but they’re airing different episodes than the UK (we got the God awful Bollywood episode). So rather than leave your Monday empty, I’m going to review the episode Australia aired today since it’s also been uploaded to YouTube: Samson & the Fireworks!

I’ve not been the biggest fan of Samson’s episodes in the past. The writers have always seemed to laser focus on his stubbornness and how many shenanigans that could cause. But the last two episodes he starred in have been frustrating and boring to watch since the former made him look stupid and nothing happened in the latter.

Thankfully, this changed that. Instead, they focused on Samson’s fear: sudden loud noises. And it made his best episode to date (granted, the bar wasn’t that high, but still).

The story played out really well. The pacing was tight and the characters were entertaining throughout. Plus, they focused on a fear that a lot of children can really understand and identify with. And that makes the conflict worth investing in.

Adding the fog detonators was a great touch. It really hammered home how flustered Samson gets when he’s scared (Bradford’s hilarious, deadpan reaction to the situation really helped).

The theme was well handled as well. Facing fears and battling on is a great theme for kids to learn, and out of all the episodes to teach it (Wharf and Peace, The Old Bridge among a few others), this was definitely one of the better ones.

The only real downside isn’t with the episode, but it is one the episode highlighted. It seems like Rebecca is getting a lot more focus in episodes than Nia so far. Sure, Nia co-starred in the latest film, but... what has she done since? One minor role in Forever and Ever and a couple of meaningless cameos. Meanwhile, Rebecca has had two starring roles and a few cameos here, even being one of the engines at the fireworks display.

I don’t know whether it’s because they’re scared of screwing Nia up or, worse, they have no ideas for her. If it’s the former, maybe hiring a female of colour as a writer could help? The writing team could do with being more diverse (only one woman has written an episode so far, and Helen Farrell left after last season). If it’s the latter... what was the point of including her in the first place?

Final Thoughts

It’s tough to talk about an episode that does pretty much everything well. But this was a really fun one with great characters and a fantastic message. It is a shame about Nia, and it’s disappointing that we didn’t go to the Blue Mountain Quarry. But it’s easy to focus on what the episode doesn’t have. What it does have is fine storytelling, and that’s all that matters.

Rating: Great (9/10)

Season 22: Thomas Goes to Bollywood

When will the writers actually provide an entertaining story to go with the international setting?

I’m not going to question whether kids will be interested in the Bollywood industry or not (nor will I question why Ashima refers to her own railway as “the Indian railway”. Or why any of the railways around the world are only called the “insert country’s name here” railway). But to make a “story” that’s so thin with “characters” that are barely entertaining. That is when I begin to question: is this really worth it?

Frankly, this is the nadir of giving Thomas all of these roles. Because the writers would rather him be just an inquisitive character over anything else, he has no opportunity to display any other traits. He was cheeky here for two seconds, and he displayed his competitive nature in Number One Engine, but that’s about it.

You want to know how to make this better? Give James the title role and have him and Rajiv square off. Having two massive egos fight over a movie role would’ve been hilarious, and would probably have kept kids engaged better than seeing loads of nothing happening until they actually start filming at the end.

Also, the theme is completely undermined because... well, the actor was in no danger to begin with. They only wrote the ending the way they did to make Thomas feel special. It’s a plot contrivance to teach a lesson that also feels contrived because “we have to end this somehow!”

But this episode’s worst failing is that it completely negates the need for this to be an episode that revolves around locomotives. At least when Chuggington had scenes on movie sets, a) they had the sense to make the episodes ntertaining throughout, b) they fit in the world the writers had created since the show isn’t completely grounded and c) they created a character that was a believable action star. Replace all the locomotives in this with humans and the plot remains exactly the same.

Final Thoughts

I wrote a DeviantART journal when the Italian dub was first uploaded and said it was awful. Having watched an English dub, I find it to be just as bad, if not worse. The story is completely non-existent, the theme is OK, but completely undermined and contrived, and the characters are... well, bland! The promotional image I used for this review makes the episode look better than it is.

The only saving graces are Rajiv and knowing there’s a female railway manager in this world. But the former is completely wasted and the other has nothing to do with the story itself.

Frankly, this is the worst episode since Rocky Rescue. There’s so little redeemable about the final product that it can only get one rating.

Rating: Atrocious (-10/10)

Season 22: What Rebecca Does

Rebecca returns! And all is right with the world.

Sure, it’s another alternative of the “be who you are” message (which isn’t exactly calming my fears that the show is creatively stagnant), but it does feel different enough in its application since Rebecca feels like she should be more than she is. It’s a situation that kids these days can easily identify with. Peer pressure, and having all of the latest things, is an issue they’ll end up dealing with unfortunately. So it’s nice to see that the show is sitting them down and saying “you don’t need that stuff. You bring something amazing in your own way”.

Other than that, though, there’s not much to talk about in terms of the story. It follows similar beats that other episodes that have similar lessons followed: character is in a situation that makes them feel bad, they try a quick fix, the quick fix fails, it falls on her friends to help see the best in her. On the plus side, at least they showed a benefit of having good friends around: they help to pick you up when you feel down.

Also, that fantasy sequence was wonderfully bizarre. How she knew what Diesel 10’s claw looked like, despite them never being seen on screen together, was a bit odd. As were the faces from the engines behind her; they looked more like creepy stalkers than admirers. Or a majority of Thomas fans whenever they see that a female likes the same show they do.

Final Thoughts

I wish this post would be longer than it is, but as much as. I like it, it gives me very little to talk about. It succeeds in similar ways that other “be who you are” themed episodes succeeds, it has fun character moments, it has charming ones, and it includes Rebecca and Daisy - two of the best characters on the show.

Oh, and Bill and Ben have new voices. They’re fine, but like Ryan’s, they’ll take a bit of getting used to. At least now that they’re being voiced by cast regulars, they may end up appearing more often than they did.

Rating: Great (10/10)