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.
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
12. The Thomas Way: 5.5
23. The Afternoon Tea Express: 8
24. The Smelly Kipper: 8
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