OPINIONS IN THIS BLOG ARE SOLELY MY OWN; THEY DON'T REFLECT ON THOSE BY THE THOMAS FANDOM ON WHOLE
THIS BLOG CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS; READ AT YOUR OWN RISK
Last year, fans were having doubts over whether or not season 17 and King of the Railway would be any good due to an American trailer for the movie released in March. In April, we got a glimpse of five episodes from season 17 in Railway Mischief, with new narrator Mark Moraghan, replacing Michaels Angelis and Brandon for the UK and US, respectively. The new episodes were well-received, as was Moraghan's narration. Come June, those five episodes aired with five other new episodes, and right up to July 2014 (barring No More Mr. Nice Engine and Thomas' Shortcut), all of season 17 has aired in the UK, fans praising the writing of Andrew Brenner's team and King of the Railway as well. Now we come to season 18 and the soon-to-be-released on DVD special Tale of the Brave, for Thomas' 30th anniversary of his television series. Five episodes were released on DVD in April with Trouble on the Tracks, three of them airing with two new episodes this week. How do they fare? Let's find out!
Old Reliable Edward
Written by Andrew Brenner
In the past, Edward has been depicted as being weak, pitiful, and occasionally rude, his worst moment being Edward Strikes Out from season 10. Here, Andrew has brought the character who started it all back to form, and to a certain degree, started off the season with what feels like a rehash of Edward's first episode way back in season one. Gordon mistaking the trousers for a flag was very amusing to watch, as was his cry of "Noooo!" when Thomas stalls him. Plus, the facial expressions like Clarabel smirking at Gordon are really funny to watch. Thomas' plan to teach Gordon a lesson wasn't that much realistic, but who cares? It actually kind of works as it gave off a moral to always say thank you to those who help. On a side note, it reminds me of an episode of Top Gear where Jeremy Clarkson and his TGV 12 "sports train" is stuck behind James May's and Richard Hammond's "train" with four caravans.At least Gordon didn't have to see a man on the bog at the rear of the train. :P A fantastic start to what's going to be a great season, I can tell already!
Rating: 9 out of 10
Not So Slow Coaches
Written by Paul Larson and Laura Beaumont
Throughout their 30-year span on the TV show, Annie and Clarabel had mostly played secondary roles alongside Thomas. This time, they get their own starring role and it played off in a very amusing way. Pretty much everything the two coaches say in this episode makes me laugh. ("I've got my eyes closed!" "Does that help?!" "No, not really!") In all honesty, I've not heard Charlie's "school buzz" joke before, and again, it kind of works as his joking around leads to trouble. Of course, there's the occasional flaw, but then, what do you expect from Paul and Laura? This is so far my favorite of the season, but we'll wait and see if it can be topped.
Rating: 9.5 out of 10
Flatbeds of Fear
Written by Paul Larson and Laura Beaumont
Paul Larson's track record has been mixed throughout the show. He's written good episodes like Gordon and the Engineer, Percy Gets it Right, and Molly's Special Special, but he's also written stinkers like Skarloey the Brave, Too Hot for Thomas, and Rusty Saves the Day. Flatbeds of Fear, however, was pretty decent in my opinion. Yes, Henry did rhyme when he said "I don't want to hear the Flatbeds of Fear", but it wasn't as annoying as S13-16. It was odd to see Stanley as the old engine in Salty's story, but at least he's being used, right? I mean, personally, if there's stories of old being narrated, I'd have Lady as the engine since she's been confirmed as a "fake engine". Not a bad episode, but not the best thus far; it could use tweaks here and there.
Rating: 7 out of 10
Disappearing Diesels
Written by Andrew Brenner
When it comes to Paxton, the writers can do no wrong for him. He's so lovable and dopey, it's easy to relate to him. His Laurel and Hardy-style partnership with Diesel is always amusing to see; the grouchy black Gronk and the naive green Gronk - what a double-act! I'm not gonna go into detail about the children on the crossing gates, but I will say that the animators need advice from Sam Wilkinson. That's what a railway consultant is for! We don't get much of Reg, but his sarcastic wit makes up for his lack of screen-time, and Diesel saying that he's a truckload of sausages had me laughing. Good episode, but it's that one scene which needs to be edited.
Rating: 8 out of 10
Signals Crossed
Written by Mark Huckerby and Nick Ostler
If you don't know these writers, they've worked on Peter Rabbit, Octonauts, and Tree Fu Tom, and are working on revivals for Thunderbirds and Dangermouse. I've not watched these shows and I can't tell if they're good. As for this episode? It was... average. I'm glad that Toby got a lead role, but he's still wimpish and should know how signals work! I'll admit that the new Knapford Station looks fantastic; the new points and signal gantry really make a big difference. I also like that Henrietta is finally able to speak again, provided by Maggie Ollerenshaw. There's positives to come from the episode, but Toby's character needs a lot of work if he's going to have good episodes.
Rating: 6 out of 10
So far, season 18's had a great start. There was the occasional hit and miss, but the quality of writing is improving on season 17. I really like how they're going for variety in terms of voice actors in both the US and UK. I don't normally discuss the sets in my reviews, but like I said for Signals Crossed, Knapford Station's new look is just fantastic, I can't describe how I feel about it. It's incredible! I'm already looking forward to the next week of episodes and the week after that.
Overall Season Rating So Far: 7.9 out of 10
Next Week's Episodes
Toad's Adventure
Duck in the Water
Duck and the Slip Coaches
Thomas the Quarry Engine
Thomas and the Emergency Cable