THE OPINIONS, THOUGHTS AND MUSINGS IN THIS BLOG POST ARE SOLELY THOSE OF ZACK WANZER, NOT THE THOMAS FANDOM IN GENERAL
THIS BLOG CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS; READ AT YOUR OWN RISK
I'll be doing a Season 18 overall in the next blog post as some ratings for the episodes have changed since the initial reviews.
Written by Andrew Brenner
Wow, episodes that pick up from each other! Other than season 15, when was the last time that happened? Anyway, it was great that Marion got a second lead role this season, and her reactions to the fake dinosaurs actually make me laugh. The callbacks to Tale of the Brave were nice, as was Samson's reveal, and yes, Stephen appeared again. Glad he and Millie weren't forgotten about. Another pretty good episode, and a humorous one as well.
Rating: 8 out of 10
Written by Andrew Brenner
Last season, Millie had her only starring role alongside Luke; this season, she gets an episode all to herself, and it plays off very brilliantly. Other than Millie and the Earl, it was great seeing Samson and Harvey in this episode. Another thing to admire is the use of human interaction between Millie and the groundsman. Please, can we have the crews interact with their engines more? I won't do into detail about the fire beside the line as it may take up a whole blogpost, but long story short; please consider the implications? Oh yes; I can't leave out Dowager Hatt and the Earl interacting - pure humor.
Rating: 7 out of 10
Written by Davey Moore
Any episode featuring Bill and Ben as major players is always amusing to see, even Bill, Ben and Fergus to a certain degree. I know Timothy is meant to be gullible, but I don't believe he's that stupid. And again, Thomas' role could've gone to anyone like, oh I don't know, Edward, since it's HIS branchline? The trucks with different hues did surprise me; I never knew Sodor had yellow or purple (they said violet, but it's the same thing) trucks? Is it me, or does the Duchess of Boxford have a poor sense of fashion? She ought to see Rarity about this! The episode is a bit boring in places, but it's not the worst of the season; it could've been better.
Rating: 6 out of 10
Written by Davey Moore
I really like how the first minute and fifteen seconds took place during Marion and the Dinosaurs, just like how Toad's Bright Idea took place during Tale of the Brave. Skarloey and Rheneas should've been more helpful to Samson, although compared to S9-12, I'm not bothered by that since they had little bearing on the plot. The story on whole was great; Samson thinks he knows best but he makes a mistake, and it shows how it affects some of the railway network.I'm not gonna bother with a small tank engine pulling the express or a big tender engine pulling smaller coaches; I'll get to that later. It was great hearing Stanley speak again; he's worth the screen-time. Usually, new characters we get are friendly and helpful, but Samson being stubborn and gruff is a nice breath of fresh air, just like Reg and his sarcasm; we do need more characters like him, methinks. In fact, I can actually relate to Samson; I can be stubborn at times by overestimating myself and my abilites, any mistakes I make do have consequences, and I learn from them.
I didn't have any major issues with the episode at all; it's practically one of my favorites from this season, and I think it may be a metaphor for something.
Rating: 9 out of 10
Written by Paul Larson and Laura Beaumont
And now we come to the most talked about episode of the lot, and the most controversial. People have compared it to Rusty and the Boulder and thought it'd be bad. Me? I disagreed, and I didn't care as long as the story was good, and guess what? It was! The nods to past episodes was fine; I'm surprised they mentioned Rheneas and the Dinosaur, (no coincidence that Paul Larson wrote said episode) which I thought was a bad episode, but never mind. As for Emily Saves the World, it was Up, Up and Away done right.I did feel for Emily in this episode having not done a special delivery, although it is odd they didn't mention her tasks in episodes like Emily and the Special Coaches, but then, it probably wouldn't have changed the episode that much. Same with Bill and Ben's role; no, I don't believe they were shoehorned in. They work near Brendam, so their role... kind of works, I suppose. As for the globe being transported on a flatbed, at least it wasn't a helium balloon which, again, makes it better than Up, Up and Away. The action scenes were pretty funny, especially with the reactions from James, Clarabel, and the signalman, and the Fat Controller's obliviousness. I'm still not sold on Captain, but at least he played something of a role.
Overall, I think it's a very funny and underrated episode. Yes, it's unrealistic, but I don't care from a narrative standpoint. If a space-themed episode featuring Stanley is produced, I would personally care less as long as the story's good.
Rating: 9 out of 10
Written by Mark Huckerby and Nick Ostler
What's this? A standard gauge episode without ANY member of the Steam Team?! When was the last time that happened? A new achievement if that's the case! Interesting to see Harvey partnered with Samson. Hmm, Samson is to Harvey as Porter is to Salty? I think there's something going on here... It was great to see Bertie again, and I was surprised by Scruff's role. Initially, I didn't like him as his debut episode in season 14 was really pathetic, and he didn't speak at all in seasons 15 and 16. However, Scruff's Makeover did raise my opinion on him a little, and this episode did the same thing. If they keep this up, I may actually start to like Scruff!As for the plot on whole, it's another slice of life affair on Sodor. Then again, it's been the same case for most other episodes of the season, hasn't it? I did like the climax with Scruff racing to the scrapyards to save the Fat Controller's car from being crunched up. It was also funny seeing the Fat Controller show affection to his car, only for the mirror to fall off. Yep, our favorite railway director really stole the show in this episode. The general story is alright, although the lack of transitions is quite jarring and it affects the episode as a whole.
Rating: 5.5 out of 10
The direct-to-DVD episodes, on whole, were somewhat of a downer; they were not perfect, but then, I don't always expect 100% perfection since you're allowed to bend the rules a bit just to make the story fit, although S13-16 took that way too far and out of proportion. If an episode has 100% perfection, then I'm a happy guy. Yes, I am aware of the unrealistic moments, but do I care? No, it actually makes the humor work, and the other important thing here is to tell a story, and that's what all six episodes did for the most part, right? Expect my season 18 overall next week.
Dinos and Discoveries Episode Average: 7.7 out of 10
Thomas & Friends Season 18 Scorecard (out of 10 possible points)
1. Old Reliable Edward: 9.5
2. Not So Slow Coaches: 9
3. Flatbeds of Fear: 7
4. Disappearing Diesels: 8.5
5. Signals Crossed: 5.5
6. Toad's Adventure: 8.5
7. Duck in the Water: 8
8. Duck and the Slip Coaches: 9
9. Thomas the Quarry Engine: 8.5
10. Thomas and the Emergency Cable: 8
11. Duncan and the Grumpy Passenger: 9
12. Marion and the Pipe: 7.5
13. Missing Gator: 8
14. No Steam without Coal: 9
15. Spencer's VIP: 9
16. Toad's Bright Idea: 9.5
17. Long Lost Friend: 7.5
18. Last Train for Christmas: 10
19. Duncan the Humbug: 9.5
20. The Perfect Gift: 8
D&D1. Marion and the Dinosaurs: 8
D&D2. Millie and the Volcano: 7
D&D3. Timothy and the Rainbow Truck: 6
D&D4. Samson at Your Service: 9
D&D5. Emily Saves the World: 9
D&D6. Samson Sent for Scrap: 5.5
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