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Friday, December 25, 2015

Railfan Brony Advent Calendar Day #25: Diesel's Ghostly Christmas

Ho ho ho! Happy Christmas to everyone out there! If you don't celebrate said holiday, well, have a nice day... unless you're a Scrooge like Diesel, well... suit yourself!

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

Season 19, Episode X
Diesel's Ghostly Christmas
Written by Becky Overton
Yeah, I've no idea as to why this episode was held off until next year (I'm guessing) when A Cranky Christmas, The Beast of Sodor, and Snow Place Like Home get to air within the next two weeks. Viacom, there is no excuse for this level of incompetence! (I'll bet they got coal in their stockings this year :P)

Anyway, with that aside, let's get to the episode; it's an adaptation of Charles Dickens' famous story A Christmas Carol. It's been adapted so many times that even The Muppets did their own version in 1992 with Michael Caine. So how did Thomas handle his remake?

The Earl is holding a Christmas lunch at Ulfstead Castle; Thomas is to take some carolers to their rehearsal, and then he has to take trucks up to the castle. The Fat Controller has twisted his ankle so he can't take his car to Brendam docks (I guess he's the Tiny Tim of the story, or in his case, Giant Tim). Thomas would love to help, but he's got too much work to do, so he asks Diesel if he'll help the Fat Controller. Diesel refuses to help, saying he's busy, so Thomas asks Emily to help.

At the docks, Cranky is having trouble with a Christmas tree as the wind is blowing hard, and Salty is unable to shunt a flatbed because his fuel line is frozen (no references, please!) Once again, Diesel refuses to help, and the tree falls on top of Salty. I quite laughed at his look of defeat as the tree lands on him. Eventually, the tree is loaded onto a flatbed so Paxton can take it to Ulfstead Castle. Diesel still refuses to help, which makes Thomas upset.

The huge tree gives Paxton trouble out on the mainline, and it tips over, causing him to derail. Thomas is cross with Diesel's selfishness and decides to teach him a lesson about being helpful. Later that evening, when Diesel returns to the Dieselworks, he finds it mysteriously quiet, and inside, he sees the ghost of Marley (spoilers, it's Emily) who warns him that he'll be visited by three ghosts before Christmas, and he heads off to the docks, under the "ghost's" command. Oh, and on a sidenote, even on first viewing, I noticed that Diesel often slips into having Henry's voice, since they're both voiced by Kerry Shale (at least in the US dub; he also voices Diesel in the UK dub), and it's a bit distracting at times.

At the docks, Diesel encounters the Ghost of Christmas Past (Salty) who tells him about the times he'd been unhelpful - a CGI recreation of Diesel Does It Again, No More Mr. Nice Engine, and this episode. Diesel freaks out and runs away. At this point, I should point out this is a double-length episode - the very first in the show. And yes, both parts are one episode.

Part two begins with Diesel believing that he was simply hearing things, but then he hears who he thinks is the Ghost of Christmas Present (Paxton). And we got this fourth-wall break:

"Then I must be good at pretending."

Paxton, you are a genius!

Anyway, he tells Diesel to think about the joy of Christmas and about how happy people will be. Once again, Diesel runs away screaming, and he comes off where Paxton derailed - so karma comes back to bite him in the engine. Thomas hasn't got time to help him, which makes it double cathartic for Diesel. In the morning, Thomas is at Whiff's Waste Dump (high time Whiff was utilized) and gets himself covered in garbage. Oh, and nice touch with the crows - they add to the sinister look.

Thomas returns to Diesel, pretending to be the Ghost of Christmas Future, and tells him that he could be alone forever with graying eyebrows and a weak voice.

At the Castle, the Earl is getting ready for his party, wondering where the guests are. Thomas, meanwhile, returns with Rocky to help Diesel back on the rails, and the diesel shunter is now willing to help anyone out. Oh, and Rocky's fourth-wall break is him looking at us in confusion; that's kinda easy to miss. Diesel offers to take Rocky back to the Search and Rescue Center for Thomas whilst the tank engine takes guests to the Christmas lunch. However, there's one person he's forgotten - the Fat Controller!

Diesel spots the Fat Controller and offers to bring him to Ulfstead Castle and he joins in on the festivities. All we're missing his the "God bless us, every one" line and we've got the full package.

And that was Diesel's Ghostly Christmas. It was definitely good to see Diesel show more shades of his personality other than just being arrogant; he can show his good side as long as he wants to. I don't see him as a villain, but rather, an anti-hero.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Thomas and Friends Season 19 Scorecard:
1. Who's Geoffrey?: 8
2. The Truth About Toby: 8
3. Lost Property: 9.5
4. Henry Spots Trouble: 4
X. Diesel's Ghostly Christmas: 9.5

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