OPINIONS IN THIS BLOG ARE SOLELY MY OWN; THEY DON'T REFLECT ON THOSE BY THE THOMAS FANDOM ON WHOLE
It's Good to be Gordon
Written by Abi Grant
Let's get an issue out of the way; this is NOT the first time Henry needed special coal again. It actually happened in Thomas and the Magic Railroad when Thomas says "I'm collecting one, two, three, four, five, six trucks of special Island of Sodor coal for you" to Henry, who replies, "Oh, thank you, Thomas - special coal will make me feel much better." Got that? Good. Now, let's get on to It's Good to be Gordon...
The basic plot has the Fat Controller telling Gordon that if he's on time with the express, he will have set a new record. However, Gordon takes on Henry's special coal by mistake (I'll get to that later) and although he does well, Henry billows black smoke and shakes about. After hearing about Henry's health from Thomas, Gordon feels guilty and gives up his record for the sake of his friend. Henry forgives Gordon and they swap tenders, making Gordon late, but he still feels proud for holding the record.
Yes, Henry doesn't need special coal after his rebuild in this episode, but do I care? No, because for me, personally, the episode feels like it wouldn't be out of place in season one. If possible, Henry could be in his old shape, and the story would still be the same, taking place in between Coal and The Flying Kipper.
Plus, Gordon's characterization was brilliant; he realized he did something wrong out of guilt, and he sacrificed his record to help Henry. We definitely need more episodes like that! This episode was also the last where the driver had spoken dialogue for eight years (background voices in Day of the Diesels do not count). Considering the crap we had to watch throughout S9-16, It's Good to be Gordon is definitely a gem in the pile of coal, and I'm proud to call this episode the best of season 10.
The basic plot has the Fat Controller telling Gordon that if he's on time with the express, he will have set a new record. However, Gordon takes on Henry's special coal by mistake (I'll get to that later) and although he does well, Henry billows black smoke and shakes about. After hearing about Henry's health from Thomas, Gordon feels guilty and gives up his record for the sake of his friend. Henry forgives Gordon and they swap tenders, making Gordon late, but he still feels proud for holding the record.
Yes, Henry doesn't need special coal after his rebuild in this episode, but do I care? No, because for me, personally, the episode feels like it wouldn't be out of place in season one. If possible, Henry could be in his old shape, and the story would still be the same, taking place in between Coal and The Flying Kipper.
Plus, Gordon's characterization was brilliant; he realized he did something wrong out of guilt, and he sacrificed his record to help Henry. We definitely need more episodes like that! This episode was also the last where the driver had spoken dialogue for eight years (background voices in Day of the Diesels do not count). Considering the crap we had to watch throughout S9-16, It's Good to be Gordon is definitely a gem in the pile of coal, and I'm proud to call this episode the best of season 10.
Rating: 9 out of 10
Thomas & Friends Season 10 Scorecard (out of 10 possible points)
9. It's Good to be Gordon: 9
Honestly, it's quite a shame Awdry didn't write stories like this taking place between Coal and The flying kipper instead of jumping straight to his rebuilding his new shape after his special coal.
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