Series 19: Philip to the Rescue

And the marathon of reviews comes to a close with my thoughts on the final episode from Start Your Engines!, and the final one for some time, Philip to the Rescue!

Well, Philip, we meet again. Considering your last episode was a failure, I was not looking forward to your next outing. But I was also hoping that my concerns would be misplaced.

They weren't. In fact, they were right on the money. This is literally The Little Engine Who Raced Ahead all over again. Or, at least, the first part is. The only difference is that no one is in the right here. James should have known not to let Philip get to him, and Philip should have known (had he actually been taught) not to be so overbearing. And guess what? Philip comes out on top. Again. And that's despite the fact that he caused the conflict in the first place!

While the flashback scene is nice, it just shows viewers that the half of Philip's previous episode before the race is (like I said in that review) pointless. Also, was this really necessary either? These are direct to DVD episodes (for now), and they're literally 10 minutes apart. Unless they tried to make Philip's introduction a half baked two parter..?

One thing I did like though was the accident. The fact they had James fall (as soon as Philip got there, of course) was very surprising and the detail thrown into it was fantastic. I also liked that they showed the phone call between the guard and the Fat Controller; it felt rather natural. Although, it's really tarnished by the fact that, had Philip not gotten to James, the thing wouldn't have happened in the first place! So the whole thing, in the grand scheme of the episode, is pointless.

That said, the throwback to Thomas' story was great. It again shows how genuine Thomas and Edward's friendship is and Thomas' face was priceless.

As well as that, the story feels a lot better paced here. It feels as though they had a much clearer vision as to how it would go and, even though I don't think it was great, none of it really felt wasted.

Fan Reaction

#S19Philip He may be annoying, but the episodes around him are written quite well! Can't wait to see if they develop Philip farther!

— Dylan (@SodorR3D) March 24, 2016

#S19Philip It's a good. It's a very good. :P

— Jamie (@TrainiacJ) March 24, 2016

#S19Philip A decent episode. Philip is portrayed much better here than his previous episode, and it's all around enjoyable.

— Sam (@SamTheTrainFan) March 24, 2016

#S19Philip Great episode with an awesome crash. I also love James being a hypocrite. Suits his character.

— Alex (@SodorSteamworks) March 23, 2016

#S19Philip My favorite of Philip's two episodes, both are good though. This one however is wonderful. Philip is less of the focus, and-

— Chris (@SunilFan48) March 23, 2016

#S19Philip -Edward in the end, so it could lead to some growth for him. Overall, a wonderful episode and feels well put together! :)

— Chris (@SunilFan48) March 23, 2016

Final Thoughts

This episode is terrible. The two main characters aren't in the right, so I can't really root for either of them to succeed. Philip still isn't reprimanded for his behaviour, which is worse here as he actually causes an accident, and when Edward tries, he just brushes it off and everyone else laughs about it.

It's lucky that this episode has a better flowing story, some good drama and a couple of heart-warming moments, otherwise the score could've been far, far worse than it is.

Episode Ratings

Who's Geoffrey?: 8/10
The Truth About Toby: 7/10
Lost Property: 9/10
Henry Spots Trouble: 8/10
A Cranky Christmas: 4/10
Snow Place Like Home: 8/10
The Beast of Sodor: 5/10
Diesel's Ghostly Christmas: 6/10
Wild Water Rescue: 8/10
Toad & the Whale: 10/10
Very Important Sheep: 8/10
Salty All at Sea: 2/10
Den & Dart: 9/10
Helping Hiro: 1/10
Two Wheels Good: 7/10
Reds vs Blues: 7/10
Slow Stephen: 10/10
The Little Engine Who Raced Ahead: 0/10
Best Engine Ever: 9/10
Philip to the Rescue: -1/10

Series Rating (so far)

125/200