Thomas and Friends Season 20: Canada, Eh?

Thomas' twentieth season is ending much sooner than we all expected! It's amazing that Thomas lasted as long as it did, even though there are shows that ran with more seasons like The Simpsons, but... meh. And sure, whilst the episodes haven't aired in the UK or been released on a UK DVD yet, I don't feel it's worth holding them back until then. Let's get these guys outta the way so we can all look forward to Extraordinary Engines in a couple of weeks!

 The following post may contain spoilers. Reader discretion is advised.

Cautious Connor

Written by Andrew Brenner

An episode where a big engine has a confidence knock after a mishap? Now that sounds like an interesting premise, but does it play off? Personally, I'd say it did so greatly... if it weren't yet another example of Thomas being shoehorned where the role doesn't fit him at all! Seriously, that is getting very annoying, and when fans are saying something like "In Salty All at Sea, Edward could've taken his role" or a variant, then you should know something is wrong with the titular character; he's become so boring and generic it doesn't make him appealing as a character anymore.

This episode very much reaches the nadir with Thomas' interchangeable roles - it was the perfect opportunity to build on Connor and Caitlin's friendship, and it could've shown there was more to them than just racing. But no, it has to be Thomas because marketing reasons for children, blah blah blah, and that came from the same person who wrote Best Engine Ever!

Of course, that isn't to say the episode sucked. Connor and Stephen were great in the episode, the latter especially. I really liked when he makes a comment about Connor's youth, very much like old people commenting on younger peoples' actions being similar to theirs in their youths, but Stephen really shone through with his pep talk near the end. Who knew that Sodor's Rocket could be so badass like that at his age? And of course, Connor's situation is completely relatable; as I've said, an incident similar to what he had can really knock one's confidence down a peg.

Other tidbits are really nice like Millie's role, the POV shot of the bolt on Connor's siderod (I know it was said as coupling rod, but still), and this line of dialogue:

"It would've been quicker by camel!"

Ah, Grumpy Passenger... I love you so much.

Whilst the episode on whole is great for the most part, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to dock a couple of points due to Thomas' disposable appearance. Had it been Caitlin taking his place, Cautious Connor would've been Brenner's best effort for season 20 - at least, for an original story - which is shocking since this season also contains three more of Brenner's worst efforts - specifically, the Hugo two-parter and Three Steam Engines Gruff, which I'll get to soon enough.

Mucking About

Written by Davey Moore

For the first time in eight seasons, we finally get to see the Pack (or at least, five of its members) appear in the actual Thomas and Friends series. Is it grand fanfare all around?

Well... yes and no. The Pack members are generally portrayed how they usually are, Oliver (the excavator, of course) in particular. I like how, at this point, he appears to be the leader of the Pack vehicles, especially when he scolds Max and Monty. Jack and Alfie were... pretty good, and despite being younger vehicles, they get on with whatever job they're given. Sure, getting characters right is a standard for any episode, but I really like it when they're written correctly.

And yeah, I do include Thomas in that since it (arguably) takes place on his branchline, and whilst he likes to have fun, there are lines he won't cross, so to speak. Max and Monty mucking about on the railway tracks is so suicidal, that Thomas' reactions are priceless. Edward, however, felt a little out of place; maybe if they had their talk at a station (maybe Knapford?), it'd probably work better. And of course, his advice to Thomas felt... off. It's almost like something you'd be told when it comes to dealing with internet trolls, not people in real life.

There's also the problems storywise; how did nobody even notice there was rubbish on the track under the bridge? Heck, you could even see the tracks from Max and Monty's point of view, though, again, it's debatable. Also, where's Miss Jenny? Did Arc/Jam Filled not have a render for her ready? That said, the policeman was pretty good and the dialogue from him felt very natural.

I know this next bit is minor, but I'm gonna comment on it anyway; Judy and Jerome. I'm so happy that they haven't been neglected, and the fact that they're given a position on the North Western Railway makes me happier. However, since this episode aired in Canada before The Missing Breakdown Train had been released on DVD at the time, their presence does feel a bit awkward as kids would be wondering where they come from or who they are (in the case of the latter, if they haven't seen The Adventure Begins yet).

Overall, whilst the episode felt awkward and disjointed at times, it was overall okay. It's nice to see the Pack officially a part of the TV series once more and I'd love to see them more often, but hopefully, they'll work on storytelling for them in the future.

All in Vain

Written by Helen Farrall

I was rather nervous about this episode before it aired. I didn't like Pouty James at all because of the red engine's narcissism being taken up to twelve, and that the humor felt like it was trying too hard to be funny. If you wish to be funny, then my advice is that you don't force it down our throats - there's a difference between humor that is genuine, and humor that comes off as annoying and repetitive.

As for the episode itself? This took Pouty James' basic elements and improved on them by... a lot! Not only is James' character more genuine, he actually shows there's more to him than thinking about how important he is. Plus, he's been given an important job, and he really wants to make a good impression for the mayor. When he gets dirty, rather than freak out like you'd expect, James does what he can to take those mishaps on the chin and when Edward offers to help, the red engine politely declines as he wants to please the Fat Controller by doing all of his jobs himself.

Speaking of which, Edward was great here. We haven't seen him and James star together for years, and to expand on their relationship after Old Iron was great. It was even funny to see Edward imitate James when he picked up the mayor and the Fat Controller. On the whole, it's a great episode with funny moments, and it managed to salvage James' character by a bit. I really do think Helen Farrall would be better as head writer than Andrew Brenner; she really does understand every character she writes for.

#HelenFarrall4HeadWriter!

Buckled Tracks and Bumpy Trucks

Written by Lee Pressman

This one's a little more... well, weird. For one thing, based on the initial description, I'd thought Whiff was gonna have a major role, and I was so disappointed that it wasn't the case. He only shows up for, like, ten seconds, and that was it. The only thing he contributed was that one of the glass bottles from one of his trucks falls off and sets fire to a field, making Whiff feel a bit like a plot device.

There's also a subplot about the Fat Controller, which, to be honest, is actually kind of funny, even if it takes his butt monkey status up to eleven. Of course, there's funny moments like the Magic Railroad reference, doing his best Oddjob impression in the car and failing, and then there's the goat. Just... the goat. I don't think words need to be said about how funny the goat is. And then there's this:

The Fat Controller: "Oh, the indignity!"Gordon: "That's my line!"

Amidst the humor, there's the scientific aspect of the episode - white reflects heat, and black absorbs it. Though if that were the case, why is the Fat Controller still wearing his black jacket? Did Dowager not think of telling him to take it off? And despite what many would think, rails being painted white, actually, does happen on the railways. Check out this article for reference.

The other characters were really good in the roles they have; I certainly like how Belle reminds Flynn that there's a fire nearby, and it took priority over her derailment. Toby was great at the end too. It's nice to see a more cheeky side to him as opposed to the coward he was in Three Steam Engines Gruff, and his snarky side is something I feel Toby should display more often - see Dirty Objects for context.

On the whole, whilst slightly disjointed at points, Buckled Tracks and Bumpy Trucks is a good watch, but it could use some tweaking.

Tit for Tat, Mike's Whistle, and Useful Railway

Originally written by The Rev. W. Awdry

Adapted by Andrew Brenner

So why am I reviewing all three together? Well, it should be obvious! All come from the same book, Small Railway Engines, which I reviewed a couple of years back. My views are very much the same as they were back then. And regarding the story Ballast, no, I'm not put off by the fact that they didn't adapt it. Well, they sort of did in Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure, and the original story is very dialogue heavy.

Anyway, the episodes themselves! Instead of talking about each individually, I'm gonna be talking about their general similarities. First off, there's Thomas' presence. In Tit for Tat, it makes a lot of sense since it occurs on his branchline, and the jibes against him for Toby actually felt very funny. In Mike's Whistle, at first it bothered me that he was taking ballast for his branchline himself, but now that I think about, Thomas is actually well written and cheeky like he's meant to be. Maybe if it had been Donald and/or Douglas, it may not have been as comedic as it is. But as for Useful Railway? Thomas felt useless there. It could've been Duck, and the intro would be the same.

(On a side note, I really liked Duck's role in Mike's Whistle; he does feel embarrassed about his mishap, and at the end, he does sympathize with Mike, but probably couldn't resist a small chuckle himself.)

Okay, getting that outta the way, let's talk about the Arlesdale trio themselves. In Lost Treasure, we got small glimpses of their personalities, but in the trilogy? They're there for all to see - Bert is rather sensitive and tends to get things mixed up like moving pictures and wool traffic; Mike is hot-tempered, tends to act before he thinks, and dislikes passenger trains; Rex is cheeky, occasionally over-confident, and even comes up with a few rhymes of his own. They shine through in their respective episodes and it makes for great humor.

Speaking of which, the humor is seriously nailed there and it feels very natural. Whether they be little things like the old guy losing his false teeth, the cow licking Mike's face, the "toy engines" remarks, the teasings being given to Duck and (later) Mike, whatever, there are laughs all around. Probably the best of them is in Tit for Tat at the end where Bert references not only the Railway Series, but the TV series itself as well! Mike and Rex laugh it off, thinking it's never gonna happen, but the real icing on the cake comes from the narrator when he tells the audience...

"But it did happen, didn't it?"

...followed by Bert winking at us. That was presently perfectly. Perhaps now, I should bring this up.

YES.

THEY MADE THE THIN AND FAT CLERGYMEN IN CGI.

In all seriousness, it's a damn good thing they did, and they're voiced brilliantly too by Rob Rackstraw and Tom Stourton, respectively. Before the episodes aired, many were worried that they would be replaced - I don't know why they'd be substituted, really - but thankfully, that was not the case, and now Awdry and Boston have a place in Thomas' CGI world.

As long as I'm discussing the human characters, the drivers, happily, also got a great role, and it's something we need more of. Probably my favorite moment was when Bert's driver cleans up his engine's face, and goes into parent mode trying to get Bert to cheer up. That was very sweet and funny at the same time. The passengers also get a mention in Mike's Whistle, and their roles were done down to a tee.

But, for me, the best human character was Mr. Fergus Duncan, a.k.a. The Small Controller. I love how they mention his real name, something never done in the books, and his personality is spot-on. I swear, his strictness really puts the Fat Controller to shame; he should take notes from the Small one about how to deal with his own engines!

I know many of you would kill me if I didn't mention this, so I'm going to; Rex's accident is probably one of the most dramatic the show has ever had, right up there with James' from The Adventure Begins. The slow motion works in the episode and you really get to see all the detail put into making it look good. And the end result comes off looking serious in the end with his derailment. Visualizing an accident yourself is tricky, but to see the actual thing? That could put one's imagination to shame!

So yeah, overall, they are among season 20's best and they're an absolute joy to sit through from start to finish. There's not much else I can say, really, though I do think Brenner is simply better off adapting RWS stories as his originals, as of late, have been very hit or miss. And on that bombshell, I'll just leave you with this...

Thomas and Friends Season 20 Scorecard

1. Sidney Sings: 8

2. Toby's New Friend: 8

3. Henry Gets the Express: 10

4. Diesel and the Ducklings: 9

5. Bradford the Brake Van: 9
6. Saving Time: 3
7. Ryan and Daisy: 10
8. Pouty James: 1
9. Blown Away: 10
10. The Way She Does It: 8
11. Letters to Santa: 9
12. Love Me Tender: 10
13: The Railcar and the Coaches: 10
The Christmas Coffeepot: 8
Over the Hill: 10
Cautious Connor: 7
Mucking About: 6
All in Vain: 9
Buckled Tracks and Bumpy Trucks: 7
Tit for Tat: 10
Mike's Whistle: 10
Useful Railway: 10

Season Rating So Far: 182/220