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)

Season 22: Trusty Trunky

And back to mediocrity we go..!

This episode was the point that made me truly realise where the problem with these world-based episodes truly lie. It’s not just that they’d have to try and make different customs and cultures work within this world (which, to be fair, this did fairly well), but they have to make Thomas an interesting character since he’s going to be the character we spend time with the most. And here... he’s not. He’s inquisitive, but... that’s it.

Here’s the thing that the writers don’t seem to get: protagonists don’t have to be morally pure to be a) protagonists and b) interesting. Characters sometimes have to be in the wrong to get their comeuppance and properly learn their lesson. All Thomas learns here is... focus on the task at hand and things can be done differently. But wouldn’t he have learned that rescues can be handled differently in Rocky Rescue, as bad as that episode was?

This episode would’ve been so much better had Thomas been a cheeky, arrogant sod. And I’m not saying that because I’m nostalgia blind, I’m saying that because the episode’s lesson would’ve had much more of an impact if that had been the case. Instead, it feels like they’re condemning their own storytelling device, when most people know that these fantasy sequences aren’t going anywhere.

Because of that, the episode is boring. It’s an absolute slog to sit through because no one plays off of anyone. The only characters who seem to have any sort of chemistry is Rajiv and Jehan, and they only share a couple of seconds together. Ashima is still as boring as a slice of bread with no character to speak of, and as fun as Rajiv seems to be, he still feels like an Indian version of James.

Also, as cute as the scene with the cow was, it begs the question: how many trains in India are severely delayed by sleeping cows? Why didn’t Ashima just try and find a crossover rather than just stare at it? It doesn’t add too much to the story, so it’s not a huge deal.

The themes were... fine. As much as I criticised the writers for seemingly condemning their own storytelling device, it was nice that they showed the impact of daydreaming when doing something really important. And the main theme of “different ways of doing things” was relatively well handled.

Final Thoughts

I haven’t seen a 7 minute episode drag so much since season 10. It had its entertaining moments (the fantasy sequence was wonderfully bizarre and the elephant rescue was rather funny), but the characters were just so dull and uninteresting that it’s really easy to zone out.

Rating: Average (4/10)

Season 22: Confusion Without Delay

It’s fair to say that yesterday’s review was a bit of a shambles. Constantly changing throughout the day because I was so indecisive about whether it was a good episode or not. I was finally satisfied after the third edit, and decided to not release a review until I was confident in my opinion from now on. I can only apologise for the amount of edits you kept seeing of it.

With that out of the way, Confusion Without Delay!

This is the first episode that I can truly say was great this season. While was one was an uninspired story propped up by a good theme, and the other was a good story with a half baked theme, this was where they got it right on both counts.

First off, the story is really fun. The beginning conflict kicks in a couple of minutes in, which is its only real drawback, but considering they had to introduce Rebecca and give her a story as well, the pacing was bound to suffer somehow.

From there, though, the story really shines. Well, more the characters within the story. Ironically, this does fix the issue I had with yesterday’s episode that there were no positives offered to the changes made to the show (this doesn’t mean yesterday’s episode was better because of this, by the way. It still should have been dealt with in that story). Gordon was angry that he was getting help, but warms to it when the new engine helps fend off his brother. It’s a nice touch.

Also, Rebecca is just the most precious cinnamon roll in the show. Don’t get me wrong, I like Nia’s optimism and willingness to lend a hand, but I feel I gravitate to Rebecca more. Struggling to fit in, wanting to impress and making mistakes doing so are all things that kids can relate to. I know I worry about being late to meetings I have quite often, then getting impatient when I’m waiting. Plus, I have my own insecurities due to many factors that can be boiled down to “the world can be cruel sometimes”.

There were a couple of really funny moments. Rebecca and Diesel at Brendam (seriously, those two need an episode together) and the Fat Controller being in a situation where he couldn’t use his catchphrase.

The fantasy sequence really hit home for me as well, to be honest. I often think my friends are amazing, and I often feel like I’m left behind or in their shadow. So I can empathise a lot with why Rebecca would want to try and impress as much as possible.

The theme is... OK. The one they went with was “it’s OK to make mistakes so long as you learn from them”, which is fairly basic but still one that’s important for children. There were a couple of others that the episode didn’t focus on. There was the “change can be good” lesson which, while being an episode overdue, was well done. There was “patience is a virtue” and there’s one that, I feel, is rather important.

It’s a really subtle one: you don’t need to try so hard to impress, just let your personality shine through. That’s a lesson I can really appreciate, since I feel I’m trying way too hard to make friends (and searching for a boyfriend) by buying new clothes and thinking about changing my hairstyle. I just need to be more confident and show them who I am.

Final Thoughts

Davey Moore can write some real stinkers. But when he’s good, he knocks it out of the park. Confusion Without Delay is one of his absolute best. Is it perfect? No. The pacing at the start isn’t that great (understandably so, but still), and the constant glossing over why Henry moved is really starting to annoy me.

But the main story is good, the characters are great and the themes are varied and easy to digest for kids. Oh, and Gordon and Rebecca seems like it could be a really interesting, yet sweet, dynamic. What more could you ask for?

Rating: Great (10/10)

Season 22: Forever and Ever

Well, this is gonna be fun..!

I had my reservations about this one, to be honest. Not because I’m insulted or annoyed by the changes, but because I know how bad episodes that seemingly attack the critics can be. Fame and Misfortune from MLP is a prime example on how to do it wrong. The episode was three years too late, it addresses criticisms that have already been addressed, it uses their purple mouthpiece (Starlight Glimmer) to pin the blame on the town (and, by extension, the fans) for their own mistakes as a writing team and the song was basically them sticking their fingers in their ears and saying “I’m not listening!”. And to top it all off, it supposedly bored its target audience.

This episode has none of those problems. Sure, you could argue that Nia is a mouthpiece for Mattel, but I disagree. Because they’re playing off what Nia is actually going through in her own mind, it feels much more natural to the story rather than having a character with no character spouting nonsense because the writers are incredibly petty.

But let’s be honest here, Gordon was absolutely amazing here. His reactions are the perfect caricature of conservatives (conservative Thomas fans especially), and anything that upsets them is perfectly fine in my book. They even had him imagine that the track was going to turn rainbow. I genuinely want that so much now!

The story itself is... fairly thin. It’s another plot about an engine learning to accept changes in their lives. Daisy had to go through the same in Daisy’s Perfect Christmas last year (which I’ve since found that fans have forgotten about, which is a shame). But, I feel this episode can be forgiven of that since they tweak it enough to make it feel fresher.

And... then we come to the theme. I’ve been going back and forth in my head before and after the review originally went up, thinking whether it was a good lesson to teach to children. I’ve now reached the conclusion that yes, it is a great lesson for kids. In fact, it’s an important one. Friendship never dies no matter how far away you are and how often, or little, you see of each of each other. My best friend and I haven’t been in touch that much since he started his new job last year. But every time we catch up, it’s like we were never apart from each other.

There are a few issues though. When Gordon realises there could be a new addition to the sheds, he acts the same way he did at the start of the episode. It makes his whole arc feel pointless and reinforces my idea that his behaviour needed to be dealt with in a more direct, less coddly way.

This also could’ve been fixed by them acknowledging the benefits of these changes as well. It’s all well and good saying “change happens, it’s OK to feel bad about it”, but when you’re not told what the plus sides of these changes are, and something else happens to change things further, the cycle will begin again. The episode does a good job of understanding change and its effects, but it doesn’t go into the acceptance of change and why that’s a good thing.

Also, Henry’s leaving is completely glossed over. After A Shed for Edward, I was thinking they’d do something similar for Henry. Heck, maybe that was the original plan before they decided to cut 8 episodes out of the last season. But to treat it as an afterthought for another character’s story is... well, kinda sad. I know Henry never really had a fair shake in the leading roles, but he deserved a far better send off than this.

It’s never explained why he wants to stay at Vicarstown, he just... does. It’s basically what fans thought A Shed for Edward’s ending was; something pulled from the writers’ backsides in order to accommodate a new character in the shed.

I was also a tad disappointed that they didn’t tackle the theme of toxic masculinity either. A lot of anger from people comes (apart from taking a book as gospel and using it as an excuse to be a terrible person, ignorance, stupidity or a combination of the three) from the terrible gender roles that society has arbitrarily placed on itself. But it’s a 7 minute episode that was focused enough as it is, so it was silly to assume they’d add something else to the mix, in hindsight. Although, considering the ending leads on to the next episode, there’s still a (slim) chance..!

Final Thoughts

After a lot of thought and rewatches, I think this one is... alright. It’s a good way to ease kids into the meta changes by making a story that they can relate to. But it simply doesn’t go far enough in saying why change will be beneficial.

I honestly still prefer Daisy’s Perfect Christmas in certain areas, especially in terms of the theme’s execution. But this is more entertaining, makes Nia more loveable and Gordon entertaining as hell. Seriously, writers, make fun of conservatives more! That’s the sugar daddy likes. Oh, and a rainbow railway would be lovely as well..!
Rating: Average (5/10)

Season 22: Number One Engine

Well, the time has come. After nearly a year of childish tantrums, racist, sexist meltdowns and cynical blog posts, Big World! Big Adventures! the series is upon us. With the movie not impressing me all that much, this season has a lot to prove. And starting with a world-based episode was a bold decision. But was it one that paid off?

In the biggest area, no. Not really. At least not this one.

Here’s the problem: they’ve made so many changes to the format (which I’ll talk about in a separate post), yet they’ve failed to fix the biggest problem the show had. It wasn’t that “Thomas never went anywhere”, it’s that the stories began to feel so similar to ones that have been told before. And this one feels incredibly similar to Thomas’ Shortcut.

However, in other areas, the new episode format helped significantly.

First of all, the main story clocks in at 7 minutes, like it did in series 8-12. So when they said “the stories would be faster paced”, what they meant is that they’d be shorter. That said, it works to their advantage. Since they have to be more focused with their storytelling, there doesn’t feel like there are any scenes that are wasted, nor do any feel that they drag. That is a big plus.

Second, I liked that the fantasy sequences actually showed us an insight into Thomas’ imagination, so we could enjoy his delusions as much as everyone else (and it was pretty funny that AnAn and Ling Yong were having none of it). It’s perfect “show, don’t tell” storytelling. Well, they do tell us as well, but that’s beside the point.

Third, Thomas as the narrator. I love Mark Moraghan’s work as narrator to death. He’s the best the show has had. But I completely get why they’d have Thomas take over. If this is his story, it’s only right that he tells it. The only problem with this is he could, potentially, be forced into situations where he doesn’t fit solely so his role as narrator fits. Maybe if the other characters narrate their stories as well (especially the Sodor based ones), this would work even better.

You’ll notice I’ve spent a lot of time focusing on the storytelling changes. That’s because... well, the story itself doesn’t give me much to talk about. It’s like I said before, it’s just Thomas’ Shortcut, only in China. The different setting just means that Thomas is overcome by his new surroundings.

The characters were... fine. But I don’t think that Thomas and Hong Mei click as well as Thomas and Bertie do. I feel that the tank engine and bus is more interesting since Bertie knows how to push Thomas’ buttons. Whereas Thomas only wants to race Hong Mei... because she’s number one on the railway he visits. He’s annoyed at a convenience in the visual character design rather than something she says or does.

That said, I do like Hong Mei as a character. She’s energetic, she’s fun, but she’s also a bit reckless. That’s all that can be said about her, but that’s also all that needs to be said. She suits her role well, and that’s great.

Also, An An and Lin Yong were brilliant. They’re like the opposite of Annie and Clarabel, encouraging Thomas to be careless so that he can get into trouble, like Ace only they’re constantly there to drive the story along.

And, as much as I dislike how much the story takes from a previous one, the theme of fair play and “friendship is better than competition” is fantastic. If this is how the UN ended up contributing to the show, I’m all in favour of them doing so for as long as the show continues. It’s just on the writers to not botch the themes completely..!

Final Thoughts

Overall, this episode is a mixed bag. The story itself blatantly unoriginal, but I feel that the characters and overall theme stop it from being truly bad. It’s just... weak, really.
Rating: Average (6/10)