TTTE S5E6 - Gordon and the Gremlin

In my Quarantine review, I mentioned that the Fultan Ferry made a cameo in Thomas and Friends during season five. Since Mike Nicholson suggested I review Gordon and the Gremlin next, how could I say no?

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

Gordon and the Gremlin

Season 5, Episode 6

Written by Britt Allcroft, David Mitton, and David Maidment

When Gordon's fire is unable to light, the topic of gremlins comes up and James dismisses them as an excuse when things go wrong. The Fat Controller then assigns Gordon to take a very important passenger as she's heard the Fat Controller's engines are really useful, and he reminds Gordon not to go at high speeds as she won't like it. Later, the turntable isn't working with the special coach on it, and Gordon remarks that there's gremlins in the turntable, to which Percy adds they must be everywhere. Why is Gordon taking two coaches when it was said he was pulling one? Was it oversight on the filmmakers' part?

Meanwhile, at Kirk Ronan, the Fat Controller is worried about Thomas running late - turns out some cows strayed onto his line and he had to wait for the farmer. Also, Percy has no reason to be here. The visitor has arrived safely, and she's brought a dog along, specifically, a Dalmatian in case you didn't know. And what party is being held and where? Gordon leaves with the visitor and hurries to make up for lost time, although it causes trouble for the visitor when the bathwater splashes everywhere, which is actually pretty funny. He makes it to Wellsworth where Thomas is... Wait, what? How'd Thomas get there so fast? Is he using some kinda teleportation power I should know about? Why not use another engine for this scene?

Anyway, Gordon's whistle startles the dog, who runs into a bull, and then back to the station where he jumps into Thomas' cab. Nice use of stop-motion animation, by the way! The dog rides in the cab all the way to the docks. When the fireman inquires about the dog's name, the visitor decides to rename him "Gremlin", and the Fat Controller jokes about having met a gremlin for himself, and reveals that the visitor is his mother Dowager Hatt.

The story is fine, but it's plagued by a gaping plot hole about Thomas meeting with Gordon twice with the visitor. Like I said, why could they not have used someone like Edward or one of the Scottish twins? Had they done so, the plot would've been the same. I like this episode, but the plot hole is so obvious it can't be ignored - a shame as the rest of the episode was well put together.

Rating: 7 out of 10
(would've been around 8/10 if not for the plot hole)

Thomas and Friends Season 5 Scorecard

3. A Better View for Gordon: 9.5
5. James and the Trouble with Trees: 8.5
6. Gordon and the Gremlin: 7

13. Stepney Gets Lost: 5.5

14. Toby's Discovery: 5

15. Something in the Air: 9
16. Thomas, Percy and Old Slowcoach: 10

18. Oliver's Find: 7

25. Rusty and the Boulder: 5
26. Snow: 1

Why Do We Hate Each Other?

First off, I want to talk about something personal - the other day on DeviantArt, someone (for the record, I am not giving out names) accused me for being bigoted, just because I labeled ten episodes (thirteen if you count dishonorable mentions) of My Little Pony as overrated (that post long since removed). Okay, I have absolutely no clue why this guy even bothered leaving a comment on my DeviantArt page just because I have a differing opinion. Not everybody is entitled to the same opinion, you know!

Let's talk about the word "bigot" - it refers to someone who has no tolerance for those with a differing opinion. Other words that are similar to "bigot" are sectarian, racist, sexist, homophobe, etc. And let's talk about myself. Firstly, I absolutely loathe discrimination - it's wrong and abhorrent. Secondly, I have friends in real life that aren't Caucasian, and some of them are actually girls! One of them, Deborah, is Mexican, and yet she and I get on alright. Thirdly, I know of a lesbian married couple named Raven and Liz and we get on fine. If you're calling be bigoted, you're essentially saying I should not be friends with them - am I hearing you correctly?

I never consider myself a bigot - I consider myself opinionated, yet honest about my views, and always have been since I started this blog. "Opinionated" means that someone sticks to their own opinion. Now, you might be saying "isn't that the same thing as bigoted"? Yeah, but I'd never view myself being pompous or arrogant - I never fear giving my own personal opinion regardless if I agree or not. Is that a bad thing? Well, that depends on who you are.

Now, I want to talk about the hatred Ken Friedel received over his review on The Adventure Begins. Okay, I've read the comments and some of them say that his review is poorly edited, and some people even went as far to mocking his review and even telling him to kill himself. Seriously?! Attacking someone just because of one video? That's like giving Amy Keating Rogers death threats just because of one flaw in Filli Vanilli! Not only is it extremely immature, it's also very insensitive. Even if you don't like the person, you cannot attack them over one small thing.

Also, why do we attack people just because they like what we don't? That I find unfair - if you agree with them, great. If you don't, what's the point in attacking them? It just makes you look petty and mean-spirited. Is it our place to mock people who do something different? Have you ever been through what they're going through and now you're laughing at them? If so, then that makes you a hypocrite.

For the most part, nobody asks people to do reviews or share their thoughts on something - we write reviews because we want to get our thoughts out there and get people to understand where we're coming from. And we don't ask people to see our reviews unless there's a reason to do so. Granted, there's people out there who have done bad things in their lives, some of them so severe that we never, ever let them forget it for a long time.

Take a look at Jeremy Clarkson, former co-host of Top Gear. A few months ago, he punched a producer in the face and the BBC suspended him, putting Top Gear on hold. Even though what he did was wrong, people have been begging for him to come back. Prior to his suspension, that wasn't the only time Clarkson had stirred up trouble - he's mocked a few cultures (in the case of Argentina, he claimed he'd done nothing wrong), asked Richard Hammond if he was now mentally ill after Hamster's crash, was accused of running over a cow, joked about lorry drivers killing prostitutes, and even used the N-word in an outtake (that was his final warning). In that time, people have protested to the BBC to give Clarkson the sack because of his behavior, and I don't blame them.

I'm not speaking in defense for Clarkson's actions - what he did a few months ago was wrong, but keep in mind that we can't call him out for being a jerk if you've done similar stuff in the past. Has anyone heard of forgive and forget? Are the outcries really all that fair? Well, that can depend on how big it is.

Speaking of which, there's John Lennon's comments about the Beatles being bigger than Jesus Christ way back in 1966. In the United Kingdom, nobody really cared, but in America? People were outraged, even going as far to burning Beatles records and memorabilia. (Matters aren't helped by the fact that the American album Yesterday and Today had a controversial butcher cover, but that's another matter.) Of course, what Lennon said had been taken completely out of context, and yet fifty years later, people are still bitter about a mere misquote.

Ah yes, religion. Don't even get me started on the Westboro Baptist Church. If you want a prime example as to what's wrong with America and the prime example of bigoted fools wasting their time, there you go. I have never followed religion throughout my life, and therefore, I consider myself an atheist. Again, I don't discriminate those who are religious.

And now I can talk about both the Thomas and My Little Pony fandoms. Where do I begin? I could seriously ramble on about how messed up both can be, but long story short. many of them are excessively ungrateful and bigoted and hate anything that's positive. Whether it's Twilight being an alicorn, Thomas going CGI, the Equestria Girls spinoff in general, little stuff that isn't really important... And then we come to certain characters - Derpy loving muffins? Fair. Lyra and Bon Bon more than friends? Sure. Doctor Who-inspired pony? Why not? An episode with background ponies and a nonsensical plot? Oh yeah! Twilight with Flash Sentry? NO!! KILL HIM OFF!!

You get my point, right? Also, whose bright idea was it to ship her with Thomas? Not even TwiComet, my most hated MLP shipping, is that stupid! For those who actually ship them, at least they have the common sense to see that they're from the same universe. Thomas and Twilight are not - why is it one rule for Thomas and yet another rule for Flash? The sooner those certain groups of people realize they are the ones who are messed up, the better.

I ask you this - did I make myself clear in this rant? I wish to start a discussion and ask for your thoughts on the recent amount of hatred spewed across the internet. Is mocking people for doing something you don't like even the right thing to do? Should we be more sensitive to how people might react? I'd love to see what you might add, but if things go out of control - you know, if people become extremely disrespectful - I'll block comments on this blog. Here's hoping things become more controlled in the future!

TUGS: Quarantine

We're back with another TUGS episode - this time, O.J.'s in trouble and there's more trouble afoot when some ships are in Quarantine! Also, it's appropriate I'm reviewing it since it's boiling in California!

THE OPINIONS, THOUGHTS AND MUSINGS IN THIS BLOG POST ARE SOLELY THOSE OF ZACK WANZER, AND NO ONE ELSE'S

Quarantine

Written by Tarquin Cardona

Directed by Chris Tulloch

A heatwave has struck Bigg City Port - any tramp steamer that come into port have to be inspected in case they contain any diseases that may be contagious. If so, then they're in quarantine for forty days. I like how Captain Star explains why such procedures are important; such diseases could risk health and safety of people. Meanwhile, O.J.'s engine has been acting up, and Burke and Blair try to get Captain Star to sell O.J. to them, but he refuses, although he does threaten to sell Ten Cents and Sunshine for scrap when they turn up late for briefing - I'm sure he was saying that out of annoyance. Ten Cents is sent to help O.J. with a fire barge while Sunshine is to bring in Nantucket the tramp steamer.

O.J., meanwhile, has a near miss with a motorboat but the barge he's towing hits the Fultan Ferry, causing it to sink. Nice filmwork with the underwater shot, although it wasn't mentioned if people were killed or not, but I digress. Interesting fact; it makes a small cameo in the Thomas episode Gordon and the Gremlin:

The Fultan Ferry in Season 5

Back to Quarantine, as the Fultan Ferry is rescued, Zorran and Zug accuse O.J. for causing the accident, even though it (partially) wasn't the old paddle steamer's fault. Along with Top Hat, the five tugs are informed by the Coast Guard that the schooners are quarantined, suspected of being diseased with Microbonic Plague (I don't know what it is either, don't ask me). Sunshine comes across Nantucket, and the tramper lowers his flag, demanding for a tow which Sunshine refuses, afraid of being infected. That's strong morality there; don't talk to strangers if they look suspicious. When Zorran confronts Sunshine, Ten Cents and O.J. show up, and Sunshine tells them, prompting Zorran to think Nantucket's been cleared. Ten Cents chases after him, but O.J. stops him, causing his engine to conk out, but the old paddle steamer doesn't care - he's glad that the two Star switchers are safe.

At the Star Pier, Ten Cents and Sunshine explain to Captain Star about O.J.'s plight when Burke and Blair make yet another offer to buy O.J. Luckily, Ten Cents convinces his captain that O.J. saved him from being quarantined, and so the captain sends Burke and Blair packing whilst O.J. goes for a new engine. As for Zorran? He's caught towing Nantucket and is forced to stay in quarantine for forty days, much to his dismay.

A rather interesting episode here. Once again, Zorran's overconfidence is his downfall, and he's rightly punished for it, plus his annoyance with Nantucket is really funny too - "You're a real villain, Dirt Bucket, you know that?!" What's also nice is that in gratitude for O.J. saving him from being infected, Ten Cents stands up for O.J. when his life is on the line, a bit like in Paint Pots and Queens when Gordon asks if Thomas can have his branchline back and the latter asks for the former to pull coaches again.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

TUGS Episode Scorecard

1. Sunshine: 9
5. Quarantine: 9.5
12. Regatta: 9.5

TUGS: Regatta

Happy 4th of July, viewers! Hope your Independence Day went well (I know mine did), unless you're from the United Kingdom or some other country... well then, I hope you had a nice day.

THE OPINIONS, THOUGHTS AND MUSINGS IN THIS BLOG POST ARE SOLELY THOSE OF ZACK WANZER, AND NO ONE ELSE'S

Regatta/4th of July

Written and Directed by David Mitton

Yep, Regatta is the only episode of TUGS to receive an alternate title. I believe the name change to 4th of July was to sell for American audiences, and possibly the fact that there are American hints in Bigg City, but I digress.

Anyway, Captain Star gives us a bit of insight to Lillie Lightship's importance, and how Ten Cents and Sunshine have the duty of giving her fuel to keep her light bright. Lillie is sad that she never gets to see the regatta, but the Star switchers promise to tell her about it. However, later that night, a thick fog rolls in. A wayward tramp steamer runs out of control, and despite Lillie blowing her horn to tell it to take caution, it runs into her and crashes into the rocks, leaving Lillie in danger of sinking as her lights short circuit. Luckily, the next morning, Grampus the midget sumbarine shows up and uses himself to plug the hole in Lillie's hull so she won't sink further. Lucky for them that a fishing boat has seen everything.

Meanwhile, at the Star Dock, Top Hat is delighted to lead the parade, but his joy is cut short with the emergency that Lillie is damaged, and so Captain Star sends Ten Cents and O.J. to rescue Lillie as soon as possible. Ten Cents collects a barge - against the Z-Stacks' threats - whilst O.J. collects Mighty Moe. Grampus is pulled free from Lillie's hull, and she's taken to Lucky's Yard for repairs - Ten Cents quips that she might be able to see the regatta, much to her delight.

Whilst the rescue is going on, Warrior has taken Lord Stinker the garbage barge to be filled up, but Jack the Grappler and the Garbage Master tell him that there's no garbage today - they're going to fill Lord Stinker with colorful garbage for the parade. Yeah, I don't get it either, but it's still quite funny. Anyway, Ten Cents meets up with Big Mac when both are confronted by Bluenose - he's looking for Grampus because he's going to be blown up for target practice. Despite Ten Cents' protests that Grampus deserves better for saving Lillie, Bluenose says for the Navy that Grampus is old and out of date. As they leave, Big Mac tells Ten Cents to find O.J. whilst the big harbor tug handles the barges.

O.J. tells Ten Cents and Top Hat that they have to act quickly with bravery, much to the railway tug's annoyance - Lillie's rescue was a distraction as much as saving Grampus from destruction is! Ten Cents picks up another barge ignoring the Z-Stacks' threats again, because O.J. thinks it could be substituted for Grampus. Meanwhile, the midget submarine awaits his doom, but the Star Fleet intervene at the last moment, and the barge is destroyed when shot at, but Grampus is still in one piece and safe. However, Zorran thinks the Star Fleet are stealing government property, but luckily, Hercules butts in and scares Zorran off.

Later, the parade begins, led by Top Hat, and is a huge success. Bit of a shame Zebedee was left out; nice to see Sally Seaplane, though. That night, Lillie is repaired and is pleased to see the regatta. In other news, Grampus has been saved by Captain Starr, and is now part of the Star Fleet.

I know some are going to comment that the Star Fleet shouldn't have taken Grampus from military ground, but here's the key thing - Grampus' life, in their view, was in danger, and they had to take a risk by saving him, and that ties into the moral that there's nothing more valuable than friends. Another moral centered around him is that age doesn't matter, especially when he rescued Lillie from sinking, and his false reward was being blown up (I think that's a metaphor for something), but his true reward was joining the Star Fleet. And that's probably the episode's overall message - nothing is more rewarding than being part of the team.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

TUGS Episode Scorecard

1. Sunshine: 9
12. Regatta: 9.5

TTTE S17E7 - Henry's Hero

Well, I'm back in reviewing Thomas episodes once again! To start off, we've got a doozy from season 17! I'll explain why as I review it.

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

Season 17, Episode 7

Henry's Hero

Written by Paul Larson and Laura Beaumont

Okay, let's get the elephant out of the room; Duck makes a comeback for twenty seconds that adds nothing to the episode, gets a starring role in The Thomas Way, and disappears for the rest of the season before returning in the following season. I'm not gonna bother with that because that's the least of my concerns with Henry's Hero!

After taking on some coal and picking up trucks from the quarry (how they got there when it's on Thomas' branchline, I don't know), Henry and Hiro begin emitting black smoke from their respective funnels (don't take that the wrong way) and they're informed by Duck that they must've taken on bad coal. Henry wants to return to the sheds to wait for fresh coal, but Hiro insists on getting the job done. I really don't like that Henry... well, I'll get to that after reviewing the actual episode. By the way, how can coal be clean? It's supposed to be dirty!

Meanwhile, Hiro leaves half of the trucks behind on a loop line and carries on to Brendam Docks, his smoke dirtier than ever and his firebox begins to make strange noises - surely he'd had at least stopped to be inspected? Hiro then picks up the other half of his train and delivers it safely to the docks. Then the Fat Controller assigns him to pick up iron girders from the smelters with Henry as his back engine. Hiro later meets up with Henry and tells him that he's managed okay with bad coal, so Henry leaves the sheds.

Out on the line, Henry's firebox starts to make clanking noises, and when he tells Hiro, the Japanese engine insists on keep going. That's another problem with the episode - and a bigger one than the Duck speaking cameo; the moral on not giving up is shoved down our throats! We've seen it before in lots of episodes and stories, and it was never that forced like it is here, and in the ending scene as well! Anyway, Hiro finally breaks down, leaving Henry to carry on pushing the train and Hiro by himself, and they make it to the docks on time. Later, they're repaired at the Steamworks, and the moral is shoved down our throats once more. Hooray...

And now I can bring up my biggest issue with the episode - Henry's character. I hated his portrayal in the Barlow era, and I hate that it was carried over onto this era! It's a painful reminder to how awful seasons 13-16 had been! Yeah, I know - if it was Percy, it would've sounded cliched, but Henry's supposed to be one of the bigger engines. Granted, he could be cynical at times in the classic era, but there were times when his good side actually showed up. His character is perhaps the biggest sticking point with many fans in The Adventure Begins, but I digress.

I read in a review about Henry Spots Trouble that if James was in Henry's place in The Sad Story of Henry, the plot would've been the same. Well, granted, the story MIGHT be the same, but what about the circumstances and implications? Prior to being bricked up in the tunnel, Henry was already a poor steamer, matters not helped by his similarities to Gordon, but after he was let free, Henry's problems got worse over time until his crash. James, meanwhile, is a modified form of a pre-existing locomotive, and I believe it functioned quite well in service. Had James and Henry swapped places... well, I'll leave it up to you to determine what happens.

As for Henry's Hero? Is that the episode people would find good? For me, no. I find it utterly boring and the most overrated in season 17! Not the worst, mind you (I'll get to that soon enough) - just the most overrated. Thankfully, it has nothing to do with Duck. Will I review Henry Spots Trouble when season 19 finally airs? No, due to the amount of hate it's gotten, I'm not gonna bother. I might watch the UK dub of The Adventure Begins however - if I can find one that doesn't look like it was filmed in front of a TV. And yes, I'm aware that not all of his Arc appearances are bad - Signals Crossed and Bill or Ben? are two excellent examples when he told off the character (Toby and Connor, respectively) for almost crashing into him.

Rating: 5 out of 10

Thomas and Friends Season 17 Scorecard

7. Henry's Hero: 5
12. The Thomas Way: 5.5

23. The Afternoon Tea Express: 8

24. The Smelly Kipper: 8