THE OPINIONS, THOUGHTS AND MUSINGS IN THIS BLOG POST ARE SOLELY THOSE OF ZACK WANZER, AND NO ONE ELSE'S
A heatwave has struck Bigg City Port - any tramp steamer that come into port have to be inspected in case they contain any diseases that may be contagious. If so, then they're in quarantine for forty days. I like how Captain Star explains why such procedures are important; such diseases could risk health and safety of people. Meanwhile, O.J.'s engine has been acting up, and Burke and Blair try to get Captain Star to sell O.J. to them, but he refuses, although he does threaten to sell Ten Cents and Sunshine for scrap when they turn up late for briefing - I'm sure he was saying that out of annoyance. Ten Cents is sent to help O.J. with a fire barge while Sunshine is to bring in Nantucket the tramp steamer.
O.J., meanwhile, has a near miss with a motorboat but the barge he's towing hits the Fultan Ferry, causing it to sink. Nice filmwork with the underwater shot, although it wasn't mentioned if people were killed or not, but I digress. Interesting fact; it makes a small cameo in the Thomas episode Gordon and the Gremlin:
Back to Quarantine, as the Fultan Ferry is rescued, Zorran and Zug accuse O.J. for causing the accident, even though it (partially) wasn't the old paddle steamer's fault. Along with Top Hat, the five tugs are informed by the Coast Guard that the schooners are quarantined, suspected of being diseased with Microbonic Plague (I don't know what it is either, don't ask me). Sunshine comes across Nantucket, and the tramper lowers his flag, demanding for a tow which Sunshine refuses, afraid of being infected. That's strong morality there; don't talk to strangers if they look suspicious. When Zorran confronts Sunshine, Ten Cents and O.J. show up, and Sunshine tells them, prompting Zorran to think Nantucket's been cleared. Ten Cents chases after him, but O.J. stops him, causing his engine to conk out, but the old paddle steamer doesn't care - he's glad that the two Star switchers are safe.
At the Star Pier, Ten Cents and Sunshine explain to Captain Star about O.J.'s plight when Burke and Blair make yet another offer to buy O.J. Luckily, Ten Cents convinces his captain that O.J. saved him from being quarantined, and so the captain sends Burke and Blair packing whilst O.J. goes for a new engine. As for Zorran? He's caught towing Nantucket and is forced to stay in quarantine for forty days, much to his dismay.
A rather interesting episode here. Once again, Zorran's overconfidence is his downfall, and he's rightly punished for it, plus his annoyance with Nantucket is really funny too - "You're a real villain, Dirt Bucket, you know that?!" What's also nice is that in gratitude for O.J. saving him from being infected, Ten Cents stands up for O.J. when his life is on the line, a bit like in Paint Pots and Queens when Gordon asks if Thomas can have his branchline back and the latter asks for the former to pull coaches again.
Quarantine
Written by Tarquin Cardona
Directed by Chris Tulloch
A heatwave has struck Bigg City Port - any tramp steamer that come into port have to be inspected in case they contain any diseases that may be contagious. If so, then they're in quarantine for forty days. I like how Captain Star explains why such procedures are important; such diseases could risk health and safety of people. Meanwhile, O.J.'s engine has been acting up, and Burke and Blair try to get Captain Star to sell O.J. to them, but he refuses, although he does threaten to sell Ten Cents and Sunshine for scrap when they turn up late for briefing - I'm sure he was saying that out of annoyance. Ten Cents is sent to help O.J. with a fire barge while Sunshine is to bring in Nantucket the tramp steamer.
O.J., meanwhile, has a near miss with a motorboat but the barge he's towing hits the Fultan Ferry, causing it to sink. Nice filmwork with the underwater shot, although it wasn't mentioned if people were killed or not, but I digress. Interesting fact; it makes a small cameo in the Thomas episode Gordon and the Gremlin:
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| The Fultan Ferry in Season 5 |
At the Star Pier, Ten Cents and Sunshine explain to Captain Star about O.J.'s plight when Burke and Blair make yet another offer to buy O.J. Luckily, Ten Cents convinces his captain that O.J. saved him from being quarantined, and so the captain sends Burke and Blair packing whilst O.J. goes for a new engine. As for Zorran? He's caught towing Nantucket and is forced to stay in quarantine for forty days, much to his dismay.
A rather interesting episode here. Once again, Zorran's overconfidence is his downfall, and he's rightly punished for it, plus his annoyance with Nantucket is really funny too - "You're a real villain, Dirt Bucket, you know that?!" What's also nice is that in gratitude for O.J. saving him from being infected, Ten Cents stands up for O.J. when his life is on the line, a bit like in Paint Pots and Queens when Gordon asks if Thomas can have his branchline back and the latter asks for the former to pull coaches again.
Rating: 9.5 out of 10
TUGS Episode Scorecard
1. Sunshine: 9
5. Quarantine: 9.5
12. Regatta: 9.5
5. Quarantine: 9.5
12. Regatta: 9.5
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