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Wednesday, April 15, 2015

TTTE S11E18: Thomas in Trouble

This episode was requested by Mike Nicholson. Any episode requests you'd like to make? Leave a comment or personal message!

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


Season 11, Episode 18
Thomas in Trouble
Written by Wayne Jackman
I know that there was a season one episode with that same title, but I prefer its American title Thomas Breaks the Rules more, even though Thomas wasn't breaking any rules on purpose. However, the title is the least of my concerns with the season 11 episode. So let's talk about it.

We get a forty-five second intro with the engines doing their jobs; this could've been cut down to around ten seconds and the plot would still be the same. The episode really starts with Thomas and Emily being repaired at the fitter's yard; Thomas is eager to leave to pick up the school choir for their concert, odd since he would've been more excited about going back to the branchline, but never mind. After Emily leaves, James delivers his paint and teases Thomas for breaking down. Huh, maybe James' intro bit wasn't pointless at all... Anyway, Thomas is cross with James and he lies to the Fat Controller that he's ready and leaves to pick up Annie and Clarabel. Sound familiar? Yes, this is a similar situation to Wonky Whistle, but at least Thomas actually knows he isn't ready yet, which is somewhat understandable.

As he chuffs along the line, Thomas begins to make strange noises, and when he picks up the choir, Emily questions if Thomas had his inspection. Offended, Thomas says he's fine and leaves; later, when he stops at a signal, Toby comes by. As long as his worries are about another friend's condition, that's fine by me. After Thomas leaves Toby, the third engine he meets with is Percy at a crossing, and once again, insists that he's fine. However, he starts billowing black smoke from his funnel and he has to go to a siding to stop. If you're wondering, no, this isn't a Thomas is an Idiot episode, because honestly, wanting to go outside despite being sick is very understandable, but it doesn't excuse your behavior and actions. Believe me, I've had sicknesses and didn't want to miss out on classes a lot.

The children sing to pass the time, but Thomas feels silly for not having his inspection. James comes by, and Thomas blows his whistle to get his attention - how he did so despite breaking down, I have no idea. James laughs at first, but he decides to help Thomas anyway by taking the children to their concert. Henry takes Thomas back to the fitter's yard where he's properly repaired and inspected (it doesn't take hours to fix him, by the way).

It's a shame that this episode was ripped off by Wonky Whistle and took every wrong turn possible. In this episode, Thomas actually knew he wasn't ready, but he didn't want that to stop him from taking the children's choir and he got the appropriate punishment for it by breaking down. I can relate to this situation a lot by attending classes despite being sick, but each time, I've come out okay, although there was one time I felt dizzy in mythology class, fell out of my seat and hit my head on the forehead (I'm not sure how it happened, it just did). There may be flaws here and there, but I think it's another good episode.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Thomas and Friends Season 11 Scorecard
6. Gordon and the Engineer: 9.5
13. Don't Be Silly, Billy: 0.5
17. Thomas and the Runaway Car: 8.5
18. Thomas in Trouble: 7

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