Season 22: Hunt the Truck

Edward, you magnificent bastard!

I’m pulling no punches here: I love this episode. And after all the nonsense that the writers have produced this season, this is evidence of what they can do when they really try.

Seeing Edward, Bill and Ben interact again - and be better than they’ve ever been - was fantastic, and something we probably never would’ve had if Edward was still in the position he was last season.

It’s also quite sweet that he interacted with Nia a bit. It won’t exactly calm the manchildren because they’ll still claim he should still be a star... even with all the evidence proving why that’s a terrible idea. But to see a bit of camaraderie between them was a really nice touch.

But the whole thing revolves around the theme. And the theme is excellent. Games are no fun (and jokes not funny) if only one or two people are in on it. So anyone bitching about “oversensitive” people “not getting” your joke, it’s either because only you know the context or your joke/game is just shit.

Also, I imagine fans with get pissy over no BoCo in the episode. First off, that’s on you for hyping yourself up about the idea... again. Second, what purpose would he have served that Edward couldn’t? Sure, it would be nice if he returned. But not for the sake of making you happy. He’d need to make sense for the story.

Final Thoughts

Since the news was announced that Edward would be removed from the main cast, I said it would benefit him more as he could showcase more character in a supporting role. Along comes this episode and proves my point magnificently. He’s the best he’s ever been, as are Bill and Ben. The theme is also brilliant and it’s also one of the best paced episodes this season.

Although I don’t know whether it’s amazing or sad that two of the best episodes of the season have been written by a fan..! But congratulations to Michael White (Whitehousefilms on Twitter) for living your dream and congratulations for writing two knockout episodes in a row!

Rating: Great (10/10)

Season 22: Seeing is Believing

Remember the Apology Impossible review where I laser focused on the theme since the episode itself had little else to talk about?

Ding ding. Round two.

The theme they’re going for here is that “playing make believe is fun”. Fine, that’s their intention. And if the episode ended that way, it would be alright... even if that’s all Merlin’s character amounts to.

The message I got, however, is that it’s OK to believe something exists, and insist that’s the case, and not be challenged about it. And that is incredibly harmful to a child, as far as I’m concerned.

I’m not saying that kids shouldn’t be imaginative, have imaginary friends or believe in fairy tales, unicorns or something like the Easter Bunny. But what do parents do when their child comes up against a tactless arsehole who crushes their dreams by telling them those things don’t exist?

This episode should have gone down that route. Make it a two parter, make James the antagonist again and have him show Percy that Merlin is a real engine. Because he is. This whole thing falls apart because we’re talking about an engine that’s pretending to be invisible. It must be why the ending segment tried to highlight the episode it did, because they knew they messed up after the episode was finished.

Also, consider all the damage that people have done over the years in the name of fictional deities. All the innocent people (mostly black people and women) they’ve killed and abused. All the children they’ve raped. All the children they’ve refused to vaccinate because they’d rather believe bullshit conspiracies over health professionals. All the LGBT people they’ve killed/thrown out of home/refuted service to/whipped and brutalised. Excuse me while I don’t treat lessons like this with utter, utter contempt.

Stubborn people with backwards lessons in the name of these fictional deities need a smack or ten with reality. And the thought of lessons like these emboldening them makes me sick. Absolutely, it should be a nice, charming lesson. But when applied to real life by real people..!

Remember Ghost Train where Percy was bragging about a story his driver told him and his driver laughed and put him in his place? That was the way to handle it. Quickly and efficiently. Sure, Percy felt disappointed. But he dusted himself off because he (and kids in general) are resilient when dealt with in the right way. It also helped that he ended up using the story to get his own back on the bully that I imagined earlier.

Back to this, and the story is poorly paced. It takes so long to set up the conflict that they only have two minutes to work with after that. It’s telling that an episode that was 4:30 in length had better pacing than this. Sure, you could put it down to them being used to the 8:45 time length, but... well, these are supposed to be paid professionals. Working to a time frame is an important writing skill.

Final Thoughts

Honestly, that whole lesson and how it was dealt with leaves an awful taste in my mouth. I know there are good people who believe in imaginary things and people. But knowing this could embolden the bad ones (especially since they’re gaining so much attention in the media recently) is horrifying to me.

Other than that, the poor pacing really detracts from what should be a fun episode. I just feel bad that Trevor is always being dragged into the bad ones. He (and Merlin, for that matter) deserve better...

At least Hugh Bonneville is still voicing Merlin.

Rating: Atrocious (-10/10)

Season 22: The Water Wheel

I don’t give out “You Tried” medals. But if I did, this would be the first recipient of one.

Honestly, there’s really nothing to talk about in terms of the story. They just use an overused trope of Thomas taking a shortcut and things going wrong. This time, however, there’s literally no need for him to do so, other than to contrive a conflict.

Speaking of contrivance, that ending. Of course the water wheel would end up travelling through the water to save Thomas from trouble. It’s just lazy storytelling.

And... then there’s the theme. How does “don’t waste water” correlate to anything that was in the episode itself? Absolutely, it’s important to not waste resources. But if you’re gonna teach these messages (like the show itself did in School of Duck), at least tie them in to the story! And no, just showing water doesn’t count...

Final Thoughts

I can’t wait for the season to be over so I can be done with the franchise for good. I’m doing what I can to get these reviews done, but the fact is it’s wearing me down fast. If it’s shown me anything, it’s that the writing team has zero investment in this little experiment. And if they don’t... well, why should anyone else?

This episode was scrambling to reach mediocrity and it couldn’t even get there. It’s so nakedly contrived and weak that I had zero investment from the get go. They tried to make it entertaining, but with how far they travelled, it feels ludicrous more than it does entertaining.

Rating: Bad (2/10)

Season 22: Tiger Trouble

A story that’s let down by the first half, really.

I like the message and theme this is trying to convey. We really should do more to protect animals and punish the evil bastards wanting to hunt and kill them for fun. But that aspect got only half of the story’s focus.

The other was all about Thomas and Rajiv wanting to take the safari train... that’s never seen or mentioned after the story leaves the station. Heck, Rajiv even starts the episode with one train and ends it as a hired engine for the poachers. And there’s very little transition between the two, either. It feels like filler in order to get to the main meat of the episode, when they could’ve just gotten to that had more focus been on the latter plot line.

Maybe the story has Rajiv hired out from the start and, because of his high and mighty attitude, he doesn’t realise what he’s a part of until it’s too late. Maybe the poachers actually catch the tigers and Thomas and Shankar have to track them down. Then, Rajiv has to reflect on his actions so that he’s brought down a peg or two.

Also, that fantasy sequence was really random... but not in the right ways. Like the one in The Other Side of the Mountain, it adds nothing to the story and feels more like they’re wanting to sell a toy. It’s the only one this season I can say that I don’t like.

Also, Thomas’ tiger design looks off. If you’re going to make him look like a tiger, make sure the design also covers the running board as well. As it was, it just stood out like a sore thumb.

The poachers were also complete idiots. Which makes sense since real life poachers are also idiots (and evil). But... why did they run over the railway lines where everyone could easily have caught them? Why not turn around and run through the reserve where the trees would’ve hidden them better?

Final Thoughts

Nitpicks aside, I thought this was alright. The theme is incredibly important, and one that kids can easily grasp. But it would have been better had that been the entire focus rather than half of it. Since the other half was pointless, my rating can only be one that goes straight down the middle.

Rating: Average (5/10)

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)