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Sunday, February 8, 2015

Season 18 Overall

Wow, I should've done this a few weeks ago - my final thoughts on season 18 of Thomas and Friends! So, without any more confusion and delay, let's get to it!

THE OPINIONS, THOUGHTS AND MUSINGS IN THIS BLOG POST ARE SOLELY THOSE OF ZACK WANZER, NOT THE THOMAS FANDOM IN GENERAL

Like I said, some ratings have changed on some episodes, but on whole, my opinions are still largely the same.

5/10
26. Samson Sent for Scrap
The episode isn't great, I admit it, but it's overall in the okay category; the transitions could've made the episode better, and some animation tweaks could've worked too. The humor was good though, especially with the Fat Controller - he really shone here.

5.5/10
25. Signals Crossed
Initially, it was the weakest of the season, but after watching it a few times, I feel that the episode can actually work, even if Toby was still the main character; maybe it was his driver that was afraid of Knapford Junction, not the engine himself, and it could allow for human interaction! Sadly, it was missed opportunity...

6/10
24. Timothy and the Rainbow Truck
It's an alright episode, but it suffers a similar problem to Trade Ya! - too much filler. Cut it down to half the length, and the story would still be the same. Still, there was some good humor from Bill and Ben as usual, especially the ending.

7/10
23. Long Lost Friend
It's not that bad of an episode, but it is the weakest of Gator's story arc - it was originally 8.5/10 before it got knocked back by stiff competition. The story is fine, but needed some tweaks.

22. Flatbeds of Fear
I think this episode is a little overhated. Granted, it isn't the best, but I still prefer it over the likes of James to the Rescue, and I actually believe Henry's behavior in this episode - we can feel scared regardless of our age, and it's a similar case to Look Before You Sleep (we all argue regardless of age).

7.5/10
21. Millie and the Volcano
The fire beside the line was dangerous and concerning, especially since Andrew also wrote Too Many Fire Engines, and they could've used more human interaction and allowed us to understand how the volcano worked. Nonetheless, I still think it's nice that Millie got a major role.

20. Marion and the Pipe
Rule of thumb - never assume someone is out of character if they made only a few appearances prior. Character derailment must occur if a character has appeared for at least a majority of the series (Edward Strikes Out) - Marion isn't a major character, so the argument is redundant.

8/10
19. Missing Gator
Disappointing that the episode doesn't get much love, but I still consider it a very good watch; those who we haven't seen for a long time can have an affect on our daily lives, and from experience, that's accurate.

18. The Perfect Gift
Same thing as Missing Gator - not enough love for The Perfect Gift. If you ask me, it was the likes of The Party Surprise, et al done properly. Plus, I do like the use of Christmas carols to try and cheer Reg up, and I understand that he doesn't want to hurt Percy's feelings.

17. Marion and the Dinosaurs
A good start to Samson's saga, but it's a shame that not all the episodes featuring him were written by the same writer. It's another shame that this is Ben Small's last performance as Toby. Still, I love Marion's reactions.

16. Duck in the Water
Now, for the moment, Duck isn't my most favorite character, and you can blame it on his out of control "fandom". Despite that, I still think this is a good episode with very funny moments, especially the bit with the swimming ducks.

15. Thomas and the Emergency Cable
The best part of the episode is the moral - two wrongs never make a right, and it's showcased brilliantly; the birdwatcher pulls the emergency cable at the wrong time, and even when he's apologized, Thomas is still cross with him and refuses to let him on board.

8.5/10
14. Disappearing Diesels
Note to animators - do not animate scenes that can put children in dangerous positions! Apart from that, the episode is very good with it's heartwarming moral on killing cruelty with kindness. Although, it would be nice if Paxton wasn't so gullible in every episode he appears in...

13. Toad's Adventure
We're at the halfway point of the list, and now we're getting to the really good ones. Not much I can say about Toad's Adventure, except for that it's a great way to reintroduce Toad and Oliver.

12. Thomas the Quarry Engine
An episode that may never have looked out of place in the Railway Series, it's amazing that Mavis had her first major role since season three, roughly twenty two years ago! As my 10th favorite character, Mavis is definitely worth the screen time, and I wonder what she'll do next - passenger trains?

11. Duck and the Slip Coaches
Or as I like to call it, The Episode That Killed Duck's Likability as a Character. I think you can tell what I mean by that; it would've worked if James was the one without a space in the sheds, and also because he was the one being an arse and not Emily. Sadly, there's "fans" who think the ending was fine as it is, and if you ask me, they don't care about anyone else's opinions and it leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

If the ending scene wasn't so mean-spirited, then no one would've ever brought it up. Had that been the case, then this would've made the Top 10, probably around #4 at most, but because of how overrated the episode is and the bad ending, I feel another episode deserves that spot a tad more...

9/10
10. Samson at Your Service
I'll admit that I like Samson's character, for he reminds me a lot of myself and I hate being wrong, but I do think it'd be nice for him to have more development - I'd love to see an episode with him and Edward! We still get some good humor with Gordon pulling Annie and Clarabel, I'm surprised too that they didn't fall apart!

9. Spencer's VIP
Why does this episode not get more love? With it's big cast of characters, I think it's a great episode, not only because of that, but the double moral - learn from your mistakes and everyone deserves another chance. Those positives are enough for me to consider this episode solid, if not under-appreciated.

8. Duncan and the Grumpy Passenger
This is what I call a Metaphor Episode - an episode that reflects on society, or a show's fandom; in this case, the latter. Seriously, does Sir Handel's "absence" bother you, huh? They have his model - they just didn't use it. This is definitely an excellent way to bring Duncan back to the series.

7. No Steam without Coal
It seems the writers can do no wrong with Bill and Ben regardless if they play major roles or not, and this episode is a prime example of that. The moral presented with Timothy is solid, and it's nice seeing Marion have a more serious, yet motherly side to her.

6. Emily Saves the World
The more I watch any episode with Emily as main character, the more I appreciate her as a character - she definitely deserved better after the Slip Coaches incident. Is it unrealistic? Yes. Do I care? No, because frankly, you're allowed to bend the rules a little to make a story work. Overall, it's my favorite of the Dinos and Discoveries episodes, and it deserves better ratings.

5. Not So Slow Coaches
For a while, this was my favorite of season 18, but when newer episodes came along, it got knocked back by a few spots. Annie and Clarabel finally got a major role for the first time in thirty years, and their dialogue is pretty funny too, all brilliantly pulled off by Teresa Gallagher.

9.5/10
4. Duncan the Humbug
So nearly perfect... except for Thomas' role being pointless. Other than that, it's probably the best narrow gauge winter episode to date, and the moral, once again, is solid - don't try forcing people to change; they'll fight back if you do.

3. Toad's Bright Idea
The first episode to be set during a special, and it's pulled off brilliantly. The continuity is a bit wonky, especially since Percy and Gator couldn't have met up with each other twice, but Gator and Toad playing off each other as well as other factors more than made up for it. I just wonder how Gator's saga will end especially since Christmas has passed on Sodor...

2. Old Reliable Edward
Kind of fitting, isn't it? My second best of season 18 features the North Western's #2 engine. Another prime example of a modern classic, and Edward's true persona has been fully restored to its former glory. However, there's one more episode we've yet to cover, and that is the...

10/10
1. Last Train for Christmas
My new favorite Christmas episode in Thomas history. Any flaws featured are either minor or they don't really matter to me; the story itself is solid, and there's so much emotion to it.

Final Thoughts
It's quite clear to say that season 18 has had... interesting moments throughout its five month run. But even without them, is it the best season of the show?

Um... no. I know there's those who'll think "Ohhh, I don't like CGI, I don't like new characters, I don't like episodes without crashes, I don't like fan service, and I don't like Thomas being shoehorned!" Well, granted, the CGI episodes won't be everyone's cup of tea, but if you think about it in the right light, CGI has advantages over model animation, and let's face it - CGI may be expensive, but at least it's cheaper than models... not that I have anything against model animation, of course.

For ratings, only three episodes were lower than 7/10, which is generally a good score - Signals Crossed, Timothy and the Rainbow Truck, and Samson Sent for Scrap, which were all 6/10 or lower. In contrast, no episodes out of season 1 received a rating lower than 7/10. (For the record, Thomas' Christmas Party is an 8/10, but I'll get to it in ten months' time.)

An issue I have is characters being shoehorned without any purpose for them being here - Duck and Oliver suffered from this a little in Spencer's VIP and Last Train for Christmas, although in the latter, Duck's role could've been for introducing the Slip Coaches to Connor, and Oliver's role replaced by Gator or Porter. Bill and Ben, I don't believe they were shoehorned in the likes of Flatbeds of Fear and Emily Saves the World - they work near Brendam, so it makes sense in my opinion. But the biggest culprit here was Thomas - in fact, I may have to do a follow up blog on that, but all I'm going to say is this; writers, please use Thomas sparingly - in other words, when he's necessary! The show is called Thomas and Friends for a reason!

Speaking of Thomas, it's a shame that it's the last season which Martin Sherman (Percy and Diesel) and Ben Small (Toby, Charlie, Stanley, Flynn, Rheneas, Owen, and the Trucks) will voice him in both the US and UK, respectively. While we know John Hasler will voice Thomas in the UK, who will voice him in the US?

To sum up - season 18 wasn't perfect; there were flaws that were heavily distracting, and there were the flaws that simply caused minor inconveniences. But even so, Thomas is still in the right hands of a team who knows what they're doing, and hopefully come season 19, any flaws that were present in seasons 17 and 18 will have disappeared completely. Maybe not season 19, but hopefully in season 20 and all future seasons.

The episode average is 8.2/10, but the season overall is 8/10.

Final Rating: 8/10

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