THE OPINIONS, THOUGHTS AND MUSINGS IN THIS BLOG POST ARE SOLELY THOSE OF ZACK WANZER, NOT THE THOMAS FANDOM IN GENERAL
Out of all the characters who suffered from character derailment in the Miller/Barlow era, Skarloey and Rheneas were possibly among the worst - it started with a few, erm, missteps in seasons six and seven, but when they came back in season nine with Peter Sam, Rusty, and Duncan (Sir Handel would come back the following season) their characters had been completely wrecked.
So why am I tackling Rheneas and the Dinosaur and Skarloey the Brave head on together? Well, let's knock some similarities out of the way:
- Both aired during season nine, which, in my opinion, was the TRUE point where Thomas and Friends slowly went backwards before redemption in season 17.
- Both were also written by Paul Larson. Seriously, how on earth is he able to write good episodes like Gordon and the Engineer and Emily Saves the World - to be fair, it was a team effort with Laura Beaumont on the latter - and yet he can also write episodes like both piles of garbage?!
Alright, now let's tear them apart, shall we?
One word goes into my mind - why?! Why would they choose Skarloey and Rheneas for such roles? Why would they be treated as such? Why do the writers have to destroy some of the best characters beyond recognition?! Since they've been on Sodor for over a century, they should know better!
Later, when Rheneas takes the dinosaur, he pulls it without trouble, but when it comes to climbing a hill, he isn't strong enough and ends up back at the bottom of the hill because he was a selfish idiot for not letting Skarloey help him! And by the way, considering Gallant Old Engine, I doubt he'd struggle with the dinosaur by himself! So Skarloey comes by and initially refuses, but when Rheneas apologizes, Skarloey changes his mind and helps his friend to the Transfer Yards. If you're asking, no, this is not reminiscent to Up, Up and Away, especially since a skeleton is heavier than a balloon.
I hate the personalities of Skarloey and Rheneas in S9-12; while season seven was the point they went backwards, season nine marked the point of no return for them, at least until Blue Mountain Mystery. And you know what makes it worse? Paul seemingly hadn't learned from that mistake twelve episodes later!
The next day, Skarloey vows to prove his bravery by being dragged up the incline, and considering his accident in Dunkin Duncan, why the hell is the yellow engine praising Skarloey's actions? Anyway, the winch breaks and Skarloey enjoys his little slide down the slope until he crashes into a snowbank.
...why?! Such behaviors are dangerous, and displaying it on television in front of children could encourage them to do such reckless things in real life! And then Wonky Whistle would come along... If I were a parent, I would not let my children watch the likes of these episodes; I would tell them why such behavior is unacceptable in real life, and do the right thing for my children, unlike certain groups of parents I could mention...
Because of Skarloey's out of character childishness, the winch is broken, and the villagers may not get their coal. To make up for his behavior, Skarloey gets the coal himself, refuses to have more fun, and the villagers are happy for him. Yay(!)
Both of these episodes are ludicrously awful, plain and simple. Such behaviors are not how Skarloey and Rheneas should be acting! If they were in flashback or their roles were taken by other engines, then they might not have been so bad. They also prove, like I said, how much of a flip-flop writer Paul Larson is, and I hope he gets his writing under control by season 20. Keep making mistakes that tarnish your work, and it makes you a bad writer. Do something so abhorrent, then you become a bad person.
These episodes also paved the way for episodes like Wharf and Peace, Skarloey Storms Through, Thomas and the Big Bang, and Push Me, Pull You - the season twelve episode possibly being their absolute worst role, although The Christmas Tree Express comes very close...! Thank goodness that they'll never act childish again...
Episode 10: Rheneas and the Dinosaur
So one day, some archaeologists find some dinosaur bones, and Thomas is sent to pick up the photographer and take him to the Transfer Yards to photograph the dinosaur skeleton. Doesn't he have his branchline to run? Oh wait; he's the only large scale model they had, I understand. Mr. Percival needs two careful engines to take dinosaur skeleton to the Transfer Yards (why was it transported whole and not in pieces?) so it can be taken to the Sodor Museum. Rheneas shunts some trucks carefully, but Skarloey is reckless and smashes into the trucks, spilling coal. Yep, definitely the point where Skarloey went backwards. As for Rheneas? Well, he wants to try again, does so, and is allowed to take the dinosaur himself... without the help of Skarloey.One word goes into my mind - why?! Why would they choose Skarloey and Rheneas for such roles? Why would they be treated as such? Why do the writers have to destroy some of the best characters beyond recognition?! Since they've been on Sodor for over a century, they should know better!
Later, when Rheneas takes the dinosaur, he pulls it without trouble, but when it comes to climbing a hill, he isn't strong enough and ends up back at the bottom of the hill because he was a selfish idiot for not letting Skarloey help him! And by the way, considering Gallant Old Engine, I doubt he'd struggle with the dinosaur by himself! So Skarloey comes by and initially refuses, but when Rheneas apologizes, Skarloey changes his mind and helps his friend to the Transfer Yards. If you're asking, no, this is not reminiscent to Up, Up and Away, especially since a skeleton is heavier than a balloon.
I hate the personalities of Skarloey and Rheneas in S9-12; while season seven was the point they went backwards, season nine marked the point of no return for them, at least until Blue Mountain Mystery. And you know what makes it worse? Paul seemingly hadn't learned from that mistake twelve episodes later!
Episode 22: Skarloey the Brave
To be fair, the episode explained that when the weather got cold, the village would need coal to keep warm. That's the only positive I can draw from this pathetic excuse of an episode. And speaking of coal, why would the incline be used for coal? It's used for slate! I guess they forgotten that just for the sake of the story, which makes it contrived. Also, why is Rheneas scared of the incline? He should know that there's nothing scary about it! And Skarloey is also a hypocrite; he thinks he's a brave engine, but runs away when the coal trucks race towards him! He feels embarrassed about this runaway, something he shouldn't be, and even more so when Rusty is praised for tooting his horn to alert the signalman about the runaway trucks! Oh, and Thomas is there, because... Thomas.The next day, Skarloey vows to prove his bravery by being dragged up the incline, and considering his accident in Dunkin Duncan, why the hell is the yellow engine praising Skarloey's actions? Anyway, the winch breaks and Skarloey enjoys his little slide down the slope until he crashes into a snowbank.
...why?! Such behaviors are dangerous, and displaying it on television in front of children could encourage them to do such reckless things in real life! And then Wonky Whistle would come along... If I were a parent, I would not let my children watch the likes of these episodes; I would tell them why such behavior is unacceptable in real life, and do the right thing for my children, unlike certain groups of parents I could mention...
Because of Skarloey's out of character childishness, the winch is broken, and the villagers may not get their coal. To make up for his behavior, Skarloey gets the coal himself, refuses to have more fun, and the villagers are happy for him. Yay(!)
Both of these episodes are ludicrously awful, plain and simple. Such behaviors are not how Skarloey and Rheneas should be acting! If they were in flashback or their roles were taken by other engines, then they might not have been so bad. They also prove, like I said, how much of a flip-flop writer Paul Larson is, and I hope he gets his writing under control by season 20. Keep making mistakes that tarnish your work, and it makes you a bad writer. Do something so abhorrent, then you become a bad person.
These episodes also paved the way for episodes like Wharf and Peace, Skarloey Storms Through, Thomas and the Big Bang, and Push Me, Pull You - the season twelve episode possibly being their absolute worst role, although The Christmas Tree Express comes very close...! Thank goodness that they'll never act childish again...
Rating: 1 out of 10
(both of these episodes get the same rating; they're just that terrible)
(both of these episodes get the same rating; they're just that terrible)
The next review, I hope, should be much more positive!
Thomas & Friends Season 9 Scorecard (out of 10 possible points)
7. Respect for Gordon: 8
10. Rheneas and the Dinosaur: 1
22: Skarloey the Brave: 1
10. Rheneas and the Dinosaur: 1
22: Skarloey the Brave: 1
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