Railfan Brony Advent Calendar Day #1: Thomas' Christmas Party + Season 1 Overall

Ho ho ho! It's that time of year again. For 25 days, there will be an episode review daily right up to Christmas. What better place to start than finishing up Thomas' first season with its Christmas-themed finale?

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

One thing I should note is that unlike the previous season one reviews, I shall review the episode by itself without comparing it to the book version.

Season 1, Episode 26

Thomas' Christmas Party

It's close to Christmas on Sodor, and Thomas wants to hold a party for Mrs. Kyndley as thanks for saving him from a landslide. The Fat Controller agrees to it, but when the weather changes for the worse, he assigns Thomas and Toby to rescue Mrs. Kyndley with Terence's help. Afterwards, they make it back to the party, and it's a great success.

Since Mrs. Kyndley's Christmas was never adapted for TV, it does feel like the episode expects you to read the story first. While people think that should've been the finale, I don't agree. I would've had Paint Pots and Queens be the finale, and the two Christmas-themed stories could've been a ten-minute special. As for the story itself, it's still nice of Thomas to return a favor to Mrs. Kyndley after she saved him from crashing into a landslide. It's a bit off-putting that the weather could change so suddenly within a day, a severe lack of a transition right there.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Season 1 Overall

This is my most favorite season of the entire show. It isn't perfect, but the structure of the season is close to it, it's just missing a few stories: Henry and the Elephant, Leaves, Paint Pots and Queens, and Mrs. Kyndley's Christmas. Of course, the first three did eventually make it onto TV in the 1990s whilst Mrs. Kyndley's Christmas remained firmly in the books - rather sad, really. I think the idea of combining two stories into one episode - like in Edward and Gordon, James and the Coaches and Whistles and Sneezes - was a good one, as the stories did drag on for a bit.

For the models, I actually like Annie and Clarabel as four-wheeled coaches; it makes them stand out from the mainline express coaches as in the RWS, they looked slightly... generic. But I do agree that Henry's model (at least, his rebuilt form) looks rather half-assed. Ah well; early days, I suppose.

If Thomas is ever brought up, the first person that springs to mind is Beatles drummer Ringo Starr. He did quite well, I thought, but he made a big improvement in the next season. I like listening to his music, as a Beatle and a solo artist in some cases. I guess he must've been well loved due to Beatlemania back in the 1960s, and by the 1980s, Ringo was a household name. David Mitton deserves credit as well - he might not have been Martin Scorsese, but he knew to visualize a story brilliantly. Thanks, David - you're one of the best!

Episodes From Least Favorite to Most Favorite

7.5/10

26. Tenders and Turntables

8/10

25. Thomas' Christmas Party

24. Trouble in the Shed

23. Percy Runs Away

22. The Sad Story of Henry

8.5/10

21. James and the Coaches

20. James and the Express

19. Thomas' Train

18. Thomas in Trouble

17. Off the Rails

16. Edward and Gordon

9/10

15. Thomas and the Trucks

14. Troublesome Trucks

13. Edward, Gordon and Henry

12. Toby and the Stout Gentleman

11. Thomas and the Guard

10. Down the Mine

9. Thomas and the Breakdown Train

8. Coal

9.5/10

7. Thomas, Terence and the Snow

6. Whistles and Sneezes

5. Thomas and Gordon

4. Thomas Goes Fishing

3. Dirty Objects

10/10

2. The Flying Kipper

1. Thomas and Bertie

Season one's official episode average is 8.9/10.

Final Season Rating: 9/10