TTTE S5E15 - Something in the Air

Here we go with Henry's next episode to be reviewed!

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

Season 5, Episode 15

Something in the Air
Written by Britt Allcroft and David Mitton

A crate of fish falls on top of Thomas while his vans are being loaded with crates for Henry to take on the Flying Kipper. Thomas isn't happy about smelling like fish, and considering Thomas Goes Fishing, I can see why. He then runs along the coastal track and is flagged down because high tides are damaging the track, so his guard puts up an oil lamp to warn engines. Later in the evening, Henry berates Thomas for being late and ignores his warning about the coastal track being dangerous. Yeah, I go with what I said earlier, only this time, it's a callback to Thomas and the Guard. One minor nitpick though; how'd it take Thomas all day to get to the docks? Maybe if it was early in the evening, it'd make better sense.

Meanwhile, Thomas' crew tells the yardmaster that Henry shouldn't take the coastal track, and when he phones the signalman, the noise from Henry passing by the signalbox prevents him from hearing the yardmaster properly; when he finally gets the message, however, it's already too late. When Henry arrives at the coastal track, the fog rolls in and he is unable to see, but when he can, it's too late to stop in time and he takes a dunking into the sea (how he went that far, I'll never know).

The following morning, Henry is rescued and placed on a barge (by tugboats formerly known as the Z Stacks), and the Fat Controller scolds him by telling him he's meant to deliver fish, not swim with them. (I'm surprised the signalman didn't get told off as well.) Henry feels even worse when some boys think he's a monster among the fish, but when Thomas brings him to the works for a washdown, Henry feels better and apologizes for being rude to Thomas, who then has a poke at him by asking about the smell... it's fresh air.

Nearly every time the Flying Kipper appears, it always gets into an accident in some way, shape or form. It never reappeared until season 17's The Smelly Kipper (apart from a fleeting mention in Whiff's Wish) possibly because the stories involving the Kipper would've gone stale. This story definitely wouldn't feel out of place in the books (possibly except for Thomas' role) and it's one of season five's best.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Thomas and Friends Season 5 Scorecard

15. Something in the Air: 9