Friday 29 August 2014

Series 18: Signals Crossed

The first week of series 18 episodes ends with Signals Crossed!

So we started the week with an Edward episode that gave him a brilliant portrayal that proved that, just because you're old, it doesn't mean you should be a walkover, which practically negated his character derailment from series 6-16. To end the week, we have an episode starring Toby, but will his persona be restored as well?


Well... no. Not really. He's still a coward, but it actually makes a bit more sense here, since Toby hasn't been seen since Knapford Junction was implemented. But that is actually my main problem here: since it's stated that "everyone knows that Toby dislikes Knapford Junction" they're implying that it has been a permanent fixture of the railway, when in actual fact it was only just finished for Tale of the Brave. If they said that this was Toby's first time going there, after its restoration, it would've made a bit more sense, and it would've made the episode better.

But my problem with Toby is three fold: they treat him like a coward (which can be excused) and an idiot (which can't). The gantry explanation I can understand, but why does anyone need to tell him what colour signal light means what action? Toby's been on the island for years, and has loads of experience with signals (there are plenty between the quarry and Knapford), so why are they saying otherwise?

And then there's the fact that the Fat Controller (and James) are insinuating that Toby is a liar near the end. Toby is an old engine, and should be trustworthy, but he isn't here! James just can't be bothered to believe him because he'll run late (which I can get), but why would the Fat Controller not believe him? That said, it does give one of his bodyguards something to do.

I also have a real nitpick when it comes to the praise that Toby gets. Don't get me wrong, I love that it's pointed out how dangerous going past red signals is, but did the Fat Controller have to call him a "really useful steam tram"? It's like calling Paxton or Salty a "really useful diesel engine". It just ostracises him from the rest of the group, in my opinion. There's nothing wrong with calling him a "really useful engine".

One final thing I have to bring up is Toby's voice. Yes, I know that Ben Small voices Thomas and Toby, but it never felt obvious... until this episode. Toby's voice feels a lot more "soft spoken" and has less of an "old man" hint to it. It just feels really distracting at points.

It's a real shame, too, as everything else in this episode I really liked. I like the fact that they mention that Toby's main job is to take the workmen to and from the quarry every day, and I absolutely loved Henrietta's performance!

I must admit that I was one of the sceptical fans who didn't think giving her a face would work out. But it does. Brilliantly! There's a lot more life to her now, and she's actually being portrayed extremely well. She's like a calming influence to Toby, which I actually really like. Oh yeah, and her voice actress is amazing as well.

I also really like the conflict here. It feels like Percy and the Signal but on a much grander scale. What makes it better is that Knapford actually feels as busy as it was described, unlike in Kevin's Cranky Friend where it looked more like a normal day at Brendam.

And the end shot of engines being flagged through while the signal was being repaired was brilliant, and another fine example of railway realism in full force.

Now we get to the animation, which is fantastic as usual. There are a few errors (engines coming and going far too quickly), but everything else was superb. I especially love the shot I've featured. It encapsulates Toby's fear far more than words could. And the facial expressions (especially Henrietta's) were fantastic.

The voice acting was... hit and miss. It was great for the most part, but as I say, Toby's needs work. I really don't know why they felt the need to change it when it was perfect as it was.

Fan Reaction







And, since he's really funny, more insight from the Mad Controller:


Final Thoughts


This episode could have been great. The plot was great, the conflict was great and having a piece of railway equipment as a plot point was a breath of fresh air. The problems were the choices of main character and the dialogue. Percy and the Signal worked back in series 2 because he was naive and he'd never seen a signal arm raise to signal "line clear" before - and it was explicitly stated that this was the case. Using Toby could have worked if they went down that route, but as it is, it just feels like more character derailment for him. 

Episode Ratings
Old Reliable Edward: 9/10
Not So Slow Coaches: 7/10
Flatbeds of Fear: 6/10
Disappearing Diesels: 9/10
Signals Crossed: 5/10

Series Rating (so far)
36/50

Thursday 28 August 2014

Series 18: Disappearing Diesels

The fourth episode has arrived in the UK, so here are my thoughts on Disappearing Diesels!

Oh, Andrew Brenner, you deliver yet again!


Yes, I adore watching this episode. I personally believe that Paxton has never had a bad speaking role in the series. And pairing him with Diesel was a a recipe for delight. It's really amusing to see Diesel's grouchy nature clash with Paxton's naivety and happy-go-lucky nature.

I also really enjoyed the humour here. There were quite a few funny moments, especially when Thomas and Reg got involved. That said, I do think that Reg needs a bit more screen time. With a combined total of a minute on screen and very few lines, it's just not enough. And it's a shame, too, as he has a really strong personality. His sarcasm is something that's fresh and interesting.

I also think the story had a lot of heart in it which (spoilers) I love about a recent movie that I'll be reviewing when it comes out on DVD next week. Paxton's persistence shows how much he cares about Diesel, no matter how he's treated in return, which could actually be a great moral (kill cruelty with kindness).

I also thought it was rather interesting how the other diesels reacted after Paxton left to try and find them. Diesel's response was fine, but it could have been better had more been done with it. Well, maybe more "intriguing" to see what could have been done. But I'm still pretty happy with what we got on that front.

But there are, again, some issues. Some parts feel really... convoluted. For example, during the scrapyard scene, everyone knows each others' names, despite the fact this the first time they've spoken to each other. There was also the scene where Salty knew that Paxton needed fuel. This could have been the perfect scenario to actually have the driver tell Paxton that they need fuel, but nope.

And then... this. I'm not going to go on another rant about this as I've already discussed it in another blog post. All I'll say here is this: please stop it, Arc! Shots like this tarnish your excellent work, and really don't send kids the right messages. I hope this is sorted by series 19.

It's a real shame they did that, as the rest of the animation is fantastic. The music is great too, while the voice acting is pretty spot on again. I must admit, Diesel's voice when he tried to imitate Reg was much more convincing here than in the American version.

Fan Reaction




And, for a laugh, an appearance from SteamTeam's Mad Controller:

Final Thoughts


Despite... that shot, I love this episode. It's full of heart and the character interactions are brilliant. One thing I would say though is that there needs to be a bit more development to Paxton. Yes, he's an endearing, relatable character, but continuing to use his naivete for every episode he stars in could run the risk of getting boring at best and annoying at worst.

Episode Ratings
Old Reliable Edward: 9/10
Not So Slow Coaches: 7/10
Flatbeds of Fear: 6/10
Disappearing Diesels: 9/10

Series Rating (so far)
31/40

Wednesday 27 August 2014

Series 18: Flatbeds of Fear

Episode 3 has come careering down the tracks, so here are my thoughts on Flatbeds of Fear!

I've read a lot of negative comments about this episode, and while I can understand some of them, I personally don't think this episode is that bad.


The main complaint I've seen is that it's an adaptation of sorts of Percy and the Monster of Brendam. And while I do agree, I don't see much of a problem with that. If they're re-using a concept that failed before and trying to improve it, wouldn't that be a good thing?

The second issue that some fans have had is with the repetitive, rhyming dialogue. Personally, I don't see the problem with it. Don't get me wrong, I can understand why it would annoy some people, but I'm not that bothered by it. Repetitive dialogue in situations such as this is meant to reassure those that may feel frightened, and rhyming is an excellent learning tool to make things more memorable. So as long as this is just a rarity this series, I have no qualms with it.

And then there's Henry's performance, which I understand is another issue that fans have with this episode. I don't get the issue here, either. Yeah, the role would have better suited Percy, but I personally think that could have been too predictable as well. Say what you want, but whatever age you are, an unusual sound will often make you feel uneasy. Fair enough, some of the sounds should have been recognisable, but with the fog and the weird sound, paranoia will start to kick in, meaning that anything you hear will sound creepy. That said, Henry automatically believing Thomas did feel... distracting.

But I'm not going to deny that this episode has its problems. First off, I highly doubt it would be so foggy for two days straight. If the whole episode had taken place throughout one day (act one in the morning, act two in the afternoon, act three in the evening and a fog free day), this would have worked a lot better.

Second, I find it highly unlikely that this would be the first time that anyone had delivered pipes on a windy, foggy day. I'm not saying that it wouldn't happen before now, but I do think that, considering how old Sodor is, it's rather unlikely. This makes the episode feel rather contrived.

Third is... well, a nitpick really. I can understand they rendered this shot to emphasise how fast Emily was going here, but still... unrealistic.

And the fourth one isn't really an issue, but more a point of confusion. This is going to sound really odd since I like the engine so much, but Stanley's a... strange choice to pull the "Flatbeds of Fear" in my opinion. He isn't really that old. That said, I can understand it in a way as well; had it been any other engine, like a member of the Steam Team, the scenario would've felt more contrived than it already is.

All that said, the animation here is top notch as usual. That fog effect was absolutely stunning; I'd go as far to say they were better than Nitrogen's. The angles were great and the facial expressions were really good, especially Salty's

The voice acting was really good, too. Henry's voice made his fear seem more believable than it would have been normally and Emily's was spot on, too. The stand out performer though was definitely Salty. His line delivery was fantastic! I really liked the music as well. The remix of Emily's series 8-12 theme was a nice little touch. It felt on par with the old version. And finally, the sound effect used for the wind blowing through the pipes was brilliant. It did actually make them feel spookier than the American version did.

Fan Reaction






Final Thoughts


As you can see, this episode was very mixed amongst the fanbase. I thought this episode was OK myself. The conflict was more believable than Percy and the Monster of Brendam, but it still wasn't perfect. The character interactions were still fun to watch while the animation and sound design were top notch. With a few tweaks to the story, it would have been the perfect way to fix the episode it adapted, but sadly, Paul and Laura's topsy-turvy record continues...

Episode Ratings
Old Reliable Edward: 9/10
Not So Slow Coaches: 7/10
Flatbeds of Fear: 6/10

Series Rating (so far)
22/30

Tuesday 26 August 2014

Series 18: Not So Slow Coaches

A new day, a new episode! Here are my thoughts on Not So Slow Coaches!

I have to be honest, I'm a bit conflicted about this episode. There are quite a few things I liked, but there are also a few things I didn't.


For example, I really like the fact that the writers seemed to adapt this episode from the magazine story First Class Carriage, replacing Henrietta with Annie and Clarabel and Gordon with Caitlin. I like the idea, and if they'd adapted that story fully, this episode probably would have been better.

I also really like that they've made Charlie a shunter. It seems to suit him really well, and his jokey nature would make sense in a yard as he'd be able to liven the place up a bit while he works. Speaking of his jokes, they are getting better. They still feel like they came out of a really cheap joke book, but at least they're not as cringeworthy as earlier series, and his joking wasn't as overbearing as it was in Not Now, Charlie!.

And then there's Thomas pushing Annie and Clarabel into the yard. While it was great, it really did highlight how the dip at the front of Thomas' running board really affects how "off centre" his buffers are. It's a shame too, as they could probably fix that by altering his model, which they won't do as they probably don't want to make the main cast look too different now so as not to change things too much for the kids which is understandable, I suppose.

But the main thing I really like is that they gave rolling stock a starring role, which is a breath of fresh air. And to give it to Annie and Clarabel (the females) was a bonus. They had some great line, and it was a fantastic performance by Teresa Gallagher. Hopefully that will keep the "journalists" who cry "sexist" quiet for a bit.

Speaking of that, out of the 8 characters that appeared, the male/female head count was 50/50. A real step in the right direction to proving the critics wrong!

The animation was brilliant as usual as well. There were still a few "wrong roading" issues, but considering the signalling layout at the Vicarstown Bridge, that's not really too surprising. It still looked beautiful and the angles were fantastic. The music also fit the scenes extremely well. I loved it.

On the whole, the voice acting was great as well. However, it felt really noticeable that Mavis' "trucks" was dubbed in. I've also watched the American version of this episode, and Teresa Gallagher now voices her there as well. I mention the US dub as her "cars" delivery feels more natural. Had the whole line ("Empty trucks") been redubbed for the UK broadcast, it may not have been that noticeable.

Unfortunately, there are a few more negatives. I'll start with the smaller ones (nitpicks) first, then the bigger ones. Firstly, if Caitlin's loosened some bolts, wouldn't it be better if someone took her to the Works rather than taking herself? If one of those loose bolts came off, there'd be severe delays while they were cleared up and she was taken away.

Another nitpick: how did the whole of Caitlin's train turn around? I can just put this down to "TV series logic" but it still really bugs me, especially since Caitlin would probably have seen Annie and Clarabel long before the end and possibly cutting the episode short.

Which actually leads on to my biggest problem: the second half feels really stupid. Why couldn't they have done the ending at Ulfstead Castle with Thomas actually catching Caitlin and telling her about Annie and Clarabel? Or maybe do a First Class Carriage and have Annie's coupling snap on the way up to the castle, meaning Thomas would have to catch them. Caitlin could then see how tired Thomas was and try and explain the situation. The way it was written, no one is brought to account for what happened, and no one apologises to Thomas for sending him on a wild goose chase solely to get his own coaches back. Yes, Thomas, Annie and Clarabel learn the lesson they needed to, but it could have been handled a lot better.

Fan Reaction






Final Thoughts


Paul Larson has always been a topsy-turvy writer for Thomas, and it seems Laura Beaumont is struggling to help him control that. This episode is definitely one of their better efforts. It's not the best they've done, but it's not the worst either. There's a lot a good stuff here, especially when it comes to character interactions, and with the right climax, it would have been great. But as it is, it's rather good.

Episode Ratings
Old Reliable Edward: 9/10
Not So Slow Coaches: 7/10

Series Rating (so far)
16/20

Monday 25 August 2014

Series 18: Old Reliable Edward

As Tale of the Brave plays in selected Vue Cinemas across the country, series 18 has finally made its début here in the UK as well! And to kick off, we have a brand new, never-before-seen episode!

Out of all the Steam Team members, only Edward and Toby didn't have a starring role in series 17. Personally, I didn't mind as I'd rather see an episode tailor made to them rather than give them a role that could have suited other engines. Like this one, for example.


This is probably the best Edward episode since Edward, the Very Useful Engine, and definitely my favourite series opener up to this point. It actually feels like a more... complete re-telling of Edward and Gordon; rather than leaving us to guess what happens after Edward's polished. We're shown that Edward gets his own back, and Gordon's inconsiderate nature comes back to bite him.

When I originally saw that Gordon would mistake red trousers for a danger flag, I wasn't too keen on the idea; Gordon's may be arrogant, but he's not stupid enough to believe that red trousers could be a danger flag. But the animators disguised them so well, that it actually is believable. And it's also really funny.

That's another thing this episode nails: the humour. It's not laugh out loud funny throughout, but there are a few jokes scattered around that got a chuckle out of me, especially the conversation at the end. I don't think that even was a joke, it's just acted out so well that it's quite funny. Kudos to Keith Wickham for another fine performance!

And then we come to Thomas' appearance. I love it. It didn't feel shoehorned in and I could understand it. Plus, it's always nice to see the two oldest Sodor residents (yeah, there are older engines, but Thomas and Edward were the first two engines on the railway) work together to get payback on Gordon. Why doesn't it feel shoehorned? Because Thomas has had issues with Gordon before.

I really like the trick as well. Yes, it breaks railway regulations, and that's my only real issue with it. But from a narrative standpoint, I don't care. It gives a legitimate reason for Gordon to need Edward's help again and it resolves the conflict extremely well. And I love the early morning ambience. Arc must really like that time of day, as they rendered a lot of shots at dusk and dawn during series 17. Not that I'm complaining; anything to make scenes look more beautiful is fine by me! And it feels like the passage of time flows more naturally.

Oh yeah, and the length of Gordon's express makes his situation more believable, and the train more realistic as well. Yeah, real life expresses have between 8 and 12 coaches, but a 6 coach express is better than one with 2 or 3.  This is what the CGI series is capable of, and I'm glad that Arc's animators and the producers have realised this a lot sooner than the previous team did. Although the "wrong roading" is still a slight issue (nitpick).

As for the animation itself, it's fantastic. The angles are brilliant, the facial expressions are really funny at times and the new Knapford is looking so much better! The addition of points and an overhead signal gantry makes the station look more realistic and feel like.... well, a proper main station. For his directorial début, David Stoten (who, I must add, is British!) did a cracking job, and I'm looking forward to how he does in the future!

The voice actors did a bang up job, too. Say what you want about Sharon Miller as a writer, but she's a fantastic voice director. Couple that with the music and you have, overall, a brilliant episode.

Fan Reaction






Final Thoughts

I used this term for Thomas' Shortcut and I'm using it for this episode too: it's a modern classic. The conflict was great, the resolution was really funny and the characters all played off each other brilliantly. Also, I love the reference to Edward's Branch Line and the fact he's a mixed traffic engine and a banker. I never thought I'd hear that term on the show! If the other episodes are as good as this one, I'm really looking forward to what series 18 can offer!

Episode Ratings
Old Reliable Edward: 9/10

Series Rating (so far)
9/10