THE OPINIONS, THOUGHTS AND MUSINGS IN THIS BLOG POST ARE SOLELY THOSE OF ZACK WANZER, NOT THE THOMAS FANDOM IN GENERAL
If you're going to review an episode of a TV show or a movie, having your own unique perspective on said episode or movie is important. I won't review Wonky Whistle, Up, Up and Away or Fiery Flynn because nearly every review is just about the same; they're all negative and the episodes aired during Thomas' darkest days in 2011. Trying to find a new angle on these episodes would be like trying to find someone who actually enjoys One Coarse Meal - it's not going to happen.
However, regarding Henry and the Wishing Tree, I actually DO have a new angle on the episode that I want to share.
Season 8, Episode 4
Henry and the Wishing Tree
Written by Abi Grant and Paul Larson
Alright, let's knock the elephant out of the room; yes, it was stated and shown that in episodes before and after season eight that Henry has pulled passenger trains, even if in this episode, he hadn't pulled passenger trains ever. Does that automatically make the episode bad? Frankly, no, and unlike Edward Strikes Out, it doesn't destroy the rest of the episode. Even if you changed it to say he hadn't pulled the express in years, the episode would very much be the same. I'm not going to deal with the existence of magic on Sodor either; it's frankly a dead topic to me.
That out of the way, let's talk about the episode proper. It's summer on Sodor (no surprise since a majority of the episodes in season eight take place in summer) and Gordon is busy with the express. One day, when Henry brings in logs to Knapford station, Gordon tells him that passengers and goods (he said freight, but I go by British terminology) don't mix. Afterward, Henry meets Thomas at the forest and he sees children around what Thomas says is the wishing tree. So Henry wishes to pull the express instead of Gordon, and later in the evening, the Fat Controller tells Henry that he'll pull the express tomorrow.
The next day, Henry takes the express, but he's too rough with the coaches. Meanwhile, Gordon is being fitted with a new boiler, and that is actually a good thing that they've implanted realism by having an engine needing new parts. Just a shame they didn't have the budget...
Back to Henry; the passengers complain about the bad service and the Fat Controller is not pleased. Henry sees Gordon and thought his wish caused Gordon to be sent for repairs, and the next day, he makes more mistakes by bumping the buffet car instead of buffering up gently, causing its content to spill inside. Why don't we see buffet cars more often in the show, I wonder? In the forest, Henry can't find the wishing tree, and keeping wishing that Gordon was repaired to every tree, causing even more delays.
Thomas arrives with the Fat Controller, who tells Henry that wishing trees don't run railways, and that Gordon would be back in service soon. How'd he get repaired so quick? Does the Fat Controller have miracle workers? Anyway, Gordon is back to pulling the express and Henry is back on goods trains, hoping not to pull passengers again... at least, not for a while.
On paper, based on those couple of flaws, I should hate the episode. But actually, I don't hate the episode. I actually think it's a good episode that needs a bit more love. The moral is actually the strongest portion of the episode; be careful what you wish for, as it might not be what you expected. Apart from those flaws that could easily be fixed, I feel it wouldn't be out of place in season one, and frankly, I've seen much worse.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10
Thomas and Friends Season 8 Scorecard
4. Henry and the Wishing Tree: 7.5
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