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Tuesday, July 28, 2015

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

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