Thomas and Friends Season 20: The Best and Worst

Wow, has it really been ages since I last posted here? Well, to be honest, there weren't too many subjects I felt like talking about, but since I've published my video review on the Extraordinary Engines episodes with Mike Nicholson on YouTube, I've decided to give season 20 one last lookover before we can move on to Journey Beyond Sodor and season 21.

Oh, and I'll get to The Great Race when I can.

Unlike season 19, I'll be doing two lists for season 20 - one with my Bottom 5 and another with my Top 10 (for episodes each, of course). Why a Bottom 5 and Top 10? Well, there are far more gems than stinkers, I felt, and because season 20 had so many good episodes, I didn't want to leave any of them out. Let's get to it, shall we?

Season 20's Bottom Five

Dishonorable Mention: Mucking About

At first, I rated this episode favorably - about 8/10 - but as time went by, I didn't feel so generous as the story suffers from lack of consistent focus as well as some contrivance. If the bridge was over railway lines, why didn't either Max or Monty see the tracks in front of them? Not taking notice of that just makes them look stupid, and the ending very much shows that they'll probably never learn from their mistakes, making it feel pointless. A weak effort from Davey Moore, I feel.

5. Saving Time

Kicking off the bottom five is the kind of episode that makes you resent that a character exists. Given that Samson was (mostly) absent for season 19, you'd expect for him to mature a little, especially since he was partnered up with Bradford.

But sadly, Bradford was nowhere to be seen, and Samson continued to be an overconfident idiot. Maybe if Diesel had played a trick on Samson rather than just being a background character, this episode would've worked a lot better. It's also telling that Samson is very much overshadowed by the side characters in his story as they're portrayed a lot better, but it makes me sad that the Skarloey engines don't get too much attention these days. Hopefully season 21 will work on that.

4. Pouty James

Speaking of working on certain problems...!

In retrospect, James did get better with All in Vain (which we'll get to later), but I still can't forgive this episode for making James more big-headed than he usually is.

And don't give me that "oh, it's in style of the Railway Series" crap, because that actually makes the episode worse than it is. James and the Top Hat and James and the Bootlace (or James and the Coaches if you prefer the TV version) work much better because A) the red engine was recovering from his crash in Thomas and the Breakdown Train/The Adventure Begins and B) he was younger back then and didn't know better! At the time Pouty James came around, James should at least be mature enough not to let his paint get to his smokebox. The same could apply to Philip to the Rescue about him showing off where he learned the same lesson, but I digress.

I honestly believed this would be the worst episode of the season (and not to mention the most overrated), and for at least two months, I was right...

3. Hugo and the Airship

2. Engine of the Future

Both Hugo-centric episodes are downright awful. Not only are they unoriginal and boring, the main character introduced in them is one of the worst in Thomas history! Sure, the Logging Locos are annoying, but then again, do you expect them to be? Hugo is unintentionally annoying and unsympathetic.

You see, whenever he shows up on screen, all Hugo does is constantly feel down just for being different from everyone else (he'd give Sci-Twi a run for her money), and he learns the same lessons that kids should know by this point. I don't know about everyone else, but I've no time to moan about the things I can't do. I try and live my life to the fullest and be happy with what I've got, and give my condolences to those less fortunate.

If both episodes are ranked together, why is Engine of the Future slightly worse? Well, Hugo and the Airship is just boring, and Future just retreads another older story - Thomas and the New Engine - by doing it worse with wonky pacing and a forced ending (in Neville's episode, it was never implied as to whether or not the engines accepted him at the end).

Do I want to see Hugo return? No. I wouldn't be bothered if he never returned, much like Ashima. He has no point except for toys, and his design? Don't get me wrong; I generally appreciate German engineering, but the Schienenzeppelin was simply crap. Its propeller was a danger to the passengers, especially if it went backwards which it never did, it was useless at pulling wagons, and it couldn't climb hills.

So yeah - Hugo's got no potential whatsoever and should be consigned to the scrap pile.

1. Three Steam Engines Gruff

Yes, I hate this episode more than The Other Side of the Mountain and Rocky Rescue. Why? To put it simply, it's character destructive for both Percy and Toby.

Let's look back on Percy's New Friends and The Christmas Tree Express, shall we? Do you really expect those episodes to be anything more than boring and stupid? In Toby's case, him being a cowardly wuss was to be expected after a while. Same thing with Percy being a braindead idiot - actually, the same thing could apply to most characters on the show by this point. On top of that, you should've expected terrible writing from those episodes by now, as well as the awful rhyming, alliteration, and unnecessary exposition from the narrator.

Since then, the writers have done much better with Percy and Toby, the former especially. His greatest achievement came in the form of Tale of the Brave, and it continued into seasons 18 and 19. Meanwhile, Toby had to get a bit of a head start in Signals Crossed, where his fears did make sense (somewhat), and he became stronger as a character in The Truth About Toby and Toby's New Friend, the latter of which aired in the same season as Three Steam Engines Gruff!

Also - and this is minor, but I'll call it out anyway - why is Trevor working near Thomas' branchline when he's commonly seen on Edward's? Wouldn't Terence had made a better fit?

Back to legit issues; in the video review, one of my viewers, Chris Bouchard (shout-out to him), didn't fully understand my complaints with this episode, so I'll clarify in case the video review did a poor job explaining my frustration. I said in the initial review that Toby should've taken Thomas' place; you see, in the original story, the third billy goat was the one who actually stood up to the troll and told him to go away. In the episode, it's Thomas. I get that he's the main character that kids should look up to, but... well, let me go on a tangent for a bit here.

Remember my complains about To Where and Back Again? It's the same problem shown here as well as in The Great Race. Percy (in addition to Toby in Engines Gruff) is made to look pathetic to make Thomas look good. Not only does that special continue to hurt his character development from season 18, it also wants you to think that Thomas is the good guy despite behaving like a brat in the first half. Needless to say, I find that most insulting.

In the classic era, Thomas was a bit of a brat, but he was effective in that role because whenever he was cheeky, he was almost always knocked down a peg or two - Thomas and Gordon being a prime example of this. If Thomas was cheeky to Percy after he got scared and then ended up being scared himself, it might've worked better. Which brings me back to the issue Chris had, as well as to how the episode could've been fixed with the characters involved. (Not saying that Mike's idea of different characters is bad, of course, don't get me wrong.)

After Percy gets scared, Thomas makes fun of him for it. Toby calls out Thomas for his rudeness and believes there's an explanation behind it. Then Thomas is convinced there's a troll, but Toby is skeptical. Percy goes first, followed by Thomas, and Toby last. And it's Toby who realizes it's actually a cow, and he and Percy (and maybe the coaches as well) have a laugh at Thomas' expense. Sure, it contains a few vibes from Cows and Ghost Train of season two, but I'd personally rather that than what we got. The story would've still been predictable, but at least the trio would've been in character and you may end up with an Awdry-esque story.

But as it stands, this episode is just a mess. It (and the bottom five overall, in fact) very much summarizes how Andrew Brenner lost some of his mojo as a writer. Sure, he's written some good episodes here and there, The Adventure Begins is a grand retelling of the first stories, and Tale of the Brave and Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure are amazing, but a problem with Brenner's writing now is that it feels like he only focuses on one character trait and uses it solely to make the story happen - that, and his narrative tends to be forceful about the episode's message, as if it makes the audience look stupid. I don't think that's necessary; you can always build on the foundations left behind by previous episodes rather than just tearing them down because why not.

Until Brenner gets his act together, he'll be my least favorite writer of the current staff, and Three Steam Engines Gruff can basically be considered the Legend of Everfree of Thomas episodes. That being said, the nine-minute episode is not as tedious to sit through as that pathetic excuse of a film, but still...

Now that we've seen my personal worst of season 20, what are my personal best?

Season 20's Top Ten

Honorable Mention: All in Vain

This got right what Pouty James got wrong; it developed James' character. Rather than brag about his paintwork, he actually gets on with his work and does what he can to make the Fat Controller and the Mayor proud. It also helped that his dynamic with Edward was good, and seeing him imitate James was very funny and it shows that whilst Edward is wise, he's not above teasing other engines' quirks... as long as they're harmless.

10. Bradford the Brake Van

I still liked this episode for what it did. Bradford himself was a fun character, especially as he had a personality that nobody was expecting! There's pretty much little else to add what been's already said, really, and that can apply to just about every entry in the top ten.

9. Blown Away

Sure, this episode does have vibes of Toad and the Whale and Slow Stephen - all Helen Farrall scripts, which is kind of why this didn't rank higher - but there's enough in Blown Away to make it stand out against the season 19 episodes. And if a story is well-structured and has some great character moments, then it's good enough for me.

8. Henry Gets the Express

I (and many others) initially believed this would be season 20's best, but then, many other episodes, as we'll see, came by and blew this out of the water. It's still significant as it treated Henry with the respect that had evaded him during seasons 18 and 19, despite using his fear for a "joke" in Three Steam Engines Gruff, but again, I digress.

7. The Missing Breakdown Train

One thing I forgot to mention in the video review for Extraordinary Engines was that the episode... tends to be a bit slow in places. That's not necessarily a bad thing; I mean, considering that about a quarter of the episode consisted of Judy and Jerome reacting to everything they see, I suppose I can understand some of those complaints. And if there's enough humor involved, then a bit of slow pacing is a flaw I can live with.

6. The Railcar and the Coaches

Like Henry Gets the Express, I did initially think that this would be my favorite of season 20, and it was all down to Daisy's performance. I honestly cannot think of any better voice actress than Tracy-Ann Oberman to voice her (except maybe Tabitha St. Germain). For the episode itself, again, there's little else to say that I haven't.

5. Skiff and the Mermaid

Many of my recent favorites tend to be written by either Davey Moore or Helen Farrall, and this one for her (as well as three of the following) are of no exception.

4. Over the Hill

The more I look back on this episode, the more I appreciate what Helen did for bringing Glynn back to the fray, and with style. His interactions with Stephen are fantastic, and their dynamic is one of the funniest of the show. It also helps since they're old engines making fun of the younger generation and their behaviors.

3. Ryan and Daisy

Once again, enough people including myself have given it high praise, so let's move on.

2. The Arlesdale Trilogy

I know, I know, I'm kind of cheating there, but I honestly could not choose between all three of them. As the first adaptations since season four (and this is excluding The Adventure Begins for a moment), the Railway Series came back with a real bang. If there's anything all combined taught me, it's that you should never overlook a little engine - big surprises may come in a small package. But why aren't they at the number one spot?

1. Love Me Tender

It's believed that Duck in the Water and Duck and the Slip Coaches have the Great Western pannier as the lead character, but he was only secondary to James. Likewise in Toad's Adventure and Toad and the Whale, Oliver was a secondary lead role to the brakevan.

With this episode? Donald and Douglas are the lead characters, and they proved how effective they could be when in the forefront. Sure, their bickering could be akin to Bill and Ben, but siblings fight a lot, and Donald and Douglas are of no exception, yet they still love each other by the end of the day. My point is further proven in the third act when Donald realized his brother was in trouble and put his annoyances aside to look for Douglas, especially as he was the engine Donald was saving from being scrapped all those years ago.

And yes, whilst the episode has some similarities to Twin Trouble, the story in Love Me Tender flows a lot more naturally, and the ending felt more beautiful, making it better on every front.

Season 20 Overall

What can I say about this season that hasn't been? I absolutely loved this season! Oh, sure, it had five episodes I wasn't too keen on, but the best of season 20 was just as good as, if some are not better than, the best of seasons 17-19 previous. The animation gets better with each season, but it's a shame it was Arc's last before they went bankrupt; thankfully, they've been taken over by Jam Filled, so all is not lost. The music is fantastic, and Chris Renshaw definitely started off with a bang, especially when you hear themes featured in Diesel and the Ducklings, Bradford the Brake Van, Ryan and Daisy (for Daisy herself, at least), and even in Engine of the Future.

If there was a problem with season 20, it was related to the distribution of episodes. As I stated in my review for it, Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure takes place after season 19, and yet it aired first, resulting in said season being distributed very sporadically on UK television during 2015-17. Meanwhile, The Great Race takes place after season 20, and yet it was released the same day that Sidney Sings aired. Not only that, but because Lost Treasure and season 20 were a year apart, kids would probably forget who the likes of Ryan, Daisy, Donald and Douglas were, and the parents even complain about it on Amazon. At first, I thought the complaints were stupid, but The Unlucky Tug's season 20 analysis very much explains the issue better than I could.

Perhaps if The Adventure Begins - with about 15 minutes of extra content - had been the main 2015 special, and Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure had been held back for 2016, this distribution thing might've worked way better as really, The Great Race pretty much added nothing for future seasons... except for Flying Scotsman and Vicarstown, who and which I hope turn up more often in season 21.

But overall, despite that distribution problem, season 20 was a season we all needed, especially after that marketing stunt known as The Great Race. Since Journey Beyond Sodor will be occurring immediately after The Great Race, and that it's coming before season 21 (hopefully), maybe then the distribution crisis can finally come to an end and we can look forward to all future specials and seasons without worrying about distribution errors. And there's even a rumor that Super Rescue will be made for CGI; that should be fun if it will be!

Final Rating: 9.5/10