Thomas and Friends: Season 17 Poll Winners - Part 2

Here's the next batch of poll winners for season 17!

Episode 3: Wayward Winston

Written by Lee Pressman

It's fair to say that in Happy Birthday, Sir! and Blue Mountain Mystery, Winston received very little character development, being overshadowed by Paxton and the other newbies (yes, even Merrick). Would this episode fix that?

Well... sort of. Whilst he gets more screentime than the aforementioned Nitrogen productions, there are significant problems. For one, how did Winston move by himself if the Fat Controller didn't but the brakes on? Even if the throttle was at zero, it's still very illogical. And how would the gates just randomly open and close like that? It feels like they just make Bertie a butt monkey because... why not.

That said, I do like the Fat Controller's portrayal; he takes initiative when he sees the damaged track, but even he is prone to making mistakes when it comes to driving Winston, and he learns to take care in the end. The vibes of season two were quite nice, and they fit nicely with the moral - be careful what you wish for. (Take the hint, MLP fandom - take... the hint!)

Episode 5: Calm Down Caitlin

Written by Davey Moore

Now, this (and a few other episodes) aired before King of the Railway was released on DVD. Is that a problem? That sort of depends on the situation. In said special, Connor and Caitlin didn't do anything that impacted the plot so for me, at least with this episode, that doesn't matter, even though Ulfstead Castle is shown to be restored, but I digress.

As for the episode itself, I quite like it. A damaged bridge can lead to trouble for a railway, and it can have effects on passenger and goods trains. It was a nice touch to see Percy show some maturity when he asks Caitlin to show some consideration for everyone and their sleep. It was also mature of her to admit what she'd done wrong and realized that staying up late was probably not a the smartest decision she'd made (and I know what that's like). Oh, and did I ever mention how beautiful Sodor looks at night? Especially in CGI.

I like how the engines have reactions to Caitlin's antics such as the other engines silently urging Percy to let him give Caitlin his mail duties (I think) and Gordon's reaction to Henry giving the Kipper to Caitlin. ("Giving the Flying Kipper to Caitlin, Henry? That's suicide! It's a genius suggestion!" - Probably not what he was thinking; just a funny observation.)

Episode 9: The Switch

Written by Davey Moore

Considering how much people like the dynamic between Millie and Luke, I'm surprised this didn't get more votes, but I don't make the votes on my own polls now, do I?

The best thing that's got nothing to do with this episode itself is the lack of standard gauge engines, much less Thomas and the Steam Team. Why do they need to turn up all the time? There's other characters, you know. The plot feels a lot like The Prince and the Pauper (I haven't read the story, but I have seen other TV shows and/or films that reference the idea - i.e. Blackadder the Third) - however, the two engines are of totally different shapes and liveries. And yes, I'm mentioning the stare-off because you'll probably chew me out if I didn't.

One thing that was off-putting was Rheneas' attitude towards Millie. If this was Sir Handel (who'd only had one line of dialogue in Luke's New Friend), then I'd understand. But why Rheneas? Surely it wouldn't have hurt if he'd offered to be Millie's back engine? (That's for when Millie first struggles to pull her trucks, for the record.)

Thomas and Friends Season 17 Scorecard

1. Kevin's Cranky Friend: 7
3. Wayward Winston: 7
4. Gordon Runs Dry: 8
5. Calm Down Caitlin: 9
7. Henry's Hero: 6
8. Luke's New Friend: 8
9. The Switch: 8
10. Not Now, Charlie!: 6
12. The Thomas Way: 7
13. The Phantom Express: 7
14. Percy's Lucky Day: 9
15. Bill or Ben?: 10
16. Too Many Fire Engines: 9
17. No Snow for Thomas: 7
18. Santa's Little Engine: 9
19. The Missing Christmas Decorations: 10
20. The Frozen Turntable: 3
21. Away From the Sea: 9
22. Gone Fishing: 9

23. The Afternoon Tea Express: 8

24. The Smelly Kipper: 8
25. No More Mr. Nice Engine: 8