THE OPINIONS, THOUGHTS AND MUSINGS IN THIS BLOG POST ARE SOLELY THOSE OF ZACK WANZER, AND NO ONE ELSE'S
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Ten Cents' protests that Grampus deserves better for saving Lillie, Bluenose says for the Navy that Grampus is old and out of date.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.
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
12. Regatta: 9.5
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