Augh, I can't take this SIP (stupid, idiotic, pointless) hiatus any longer! No thanks to Viacom, the UK is still waiting on new Thomas episodes and it's only two weeks to a month until the episodes for Start Your Engines are released on DVD. To vent some frustration, I'll just review the remaining season 19 episodes in batches regardless as to whether or not they finally air in the UK.
Toad and the Whale
Written by Helen Farrall
Oliver is annoyed by Toad's singing - Duck remarks that you'd never hear such a noise on the Great Western - and when Toad notices a beached whale, Oliver simply dismisses it as a joke. Kind of mean of Duck to call Toad out for singing, isn't it? If singing makes him happy, then so be it. However, when Oliver passes by Bluff's Cove again, he spots the whale and realizes that Toad was being serious - the whale is in trouble, and so they alert the Search and Rescue Center.
Oliver and Toad bring water in tankers to help keep the whale hydrated, and Butch can't tow the whale out to the tide... oh, and did I just hear a worker say it wouldn't survive? That means it could die! And it was said on a kid's show! Toad suggests bringing the whale to Brendam to deeper waters, but Oliver isn't sure of it. Then he comes up with a brilliant - if somewhat implausible - idea; putting the whale on a flatbed with Rocky and on the journey, Belle sprays water to keep the whale alive, with a water tanker in tow. Plus, Toad sings to the whale to comfort it.
Cranky lifts the whale back into the water, and it happily swims away, waving its tail goodbye to Toad, who always sings about the whale with revised lyrics for "I Do Like to be Beside the Seaside." Pretty much everyone's talked about what makes the episode good - it's about awareness for animal safety and how they should be looked after - so I don't have much else to say. Just give it a watch, and you'll see why people like it. Is it the best of season 19? Well, it's up there.
Rating: 9 out of 10
Season 19, Episode 9
Very Important Sheep
Very Important Sheep
Written by Helen Farrall
Speaking of episodes getting praise...!
Yeah, this is definitely Wonky Whistle done right. Why is it better? Well, here's the thing - Percy was in a rush, and he was being careless by bumping into the livestock van and it hit a rail on a flatbed, creating a hole that was later enlarged by the sheep. The way they run away makes sense because Percy didn't stop... just because. He stopped when he needed to take on water, at a level crossing or signal, or because a piglet was on the tracks. Thomas was in no rush; he just lost the animals because he was an idiot.
Ah yes, speaking of whom, Thomas' role makes perfect sense because one - the story takes place on his branchline (I believe), and two - he has Annie and Clarabel. Had it been Toby, it wouldn't have worked since Victoria isn't in CGI (well, not yet at least). And we get humorous dialogue and moments from Annie and Clarabel to boot. Bonus points. Oh, and Annie, please don't tempt fate next time, okay?
The music? Fantastic, and so is the fact that they actually got child actors (I believe) for the children. However, I do wish that Gordon could show different shades of his character every once in a while.
Rating: 9 out of 10
Season 19, Episode 10
Salty All At Sea
Salty All At Sea
Written by Lee Pressman
This one's rather... interesting. I wouldn't say this is flat out bad, but rather, more... confused, let's say. Basically, Salty is to help out at the mainland, but because the bridge to the mainland is under maintenance, he has to travel by ship, but he's afraid of doing so.
One of the big issues with this episode is Thomas - why is he even here in the first place? Like I said with Very Important Sheep, his role made sense, as does Den and Dart, which I'll get to in a bit. In this episode, Thomas is just here because the script demands it. And it doesn't stop there; Porter does absolutely nothing. Ever since Away from the Sea, he's done so little he's practically a background engine, and he's got one of the strongest personalities of Brenner's characters! Why couldn't they have used him in Thomas' place, or better yet, use both Porter and Edward (y'know, since it takes place on his branchline)? That'd make more sense, and Porter would get some character development!
However, dismissing it completely based on choice of characters would be kind of dumb. The story - at least, the first half - is relatively strong. Salty wants to avoid traveling by sea, and so he takes on Edward's job to take trucks to Wellsworth and passengers for Thomas. Kind of like the employee who doesn't want to face the boss and does his coworkers' jobs for them, right?
Although, there is a catch - why would Salty believe in his own stories? He knows they're false, and you can tell based on his expressions. Plus, why did they not explain his fears? Is he afraid of getting seasick, or what about afraid of sinking? Anything would've been fine, even if his excuse was stupid. Also, can I hear about the Phantom Brakevan? I'm sure that sounds more interesting. If they'd actually used Porter and given Salty a reasonable fear for traveling on ship, it might've been stronger.
Oh, and I can't forget Timothy's cameo - I'll get to that episode when I get to it. Overall, a pretty average episode.
Rating: 5.5 out of 10
Season 19, Episode 11
Den and Dart
Den and Dart
Written by Davey Moore
You know, I don't mind this episode having a vague title; it tells us who the main characters are, and leaves you wondering what it's about. Den and Dart are used to working together, but when Mavis has an accident at the quarry, Den goes to work in her place, leaving Dart to help repair Mavis on his own. Both struggle, but with help from Toby and Mavis, they manage just fine without the other.
Does the episode deserve the praise it gets? Without question. The titular main characters went from being bland, two-dimensional merchandising diesels to a pair of three-dimensional duo who can't imagine life without the other. The less said about Ol' Wheezy Wobbles, the better. There's pretty little I can say about Den and Dart - it's absolutely fantastic throughout. My only gripe? I wish they used Dart more, but oh well.
Rating: 9.5 out of 10
Season 19, Episode 12
Helping Hiro
Helping Hiro
Written by Mark Huckerby and Nick Ostler
Oh, this isn't going to be a fun one...!
Not even a minute in, there's already a problem - Thomas has reverted to what he was during The Adventure Begins. And in case you're wondering, no, this isn't Sodor Surprise Day levels of annoyance, but it's still extremely jarring for many reasons. Actually, a lot of the episode is jarring. Like, why does Hiro not know why he's called Master of the Railway?
On a side note, I'm gonna say it right now - Hiro is overrated. That doesn't mean he's one of the worst characters of the show, but here's my sticking point with him; the only reason he made a comeback in The Biggest Surprise of All in season 13 was to appeal to the Japanese audience, pretty much like Rosie being there to appeal to the female audience... because she's pink. Seriously, the Japanese audience, the female audience, and the Japanese female audience were fans of the show regardless to whether or not Hiro or Rosie existed! (I'm not trying to sound racist or sexist, I'm just pointing that out.)
Anyway, why did they use stock footage from Hero of the Rails (the most overrated special, I should note) rather than make new animation? The animation from the aforementioned special is also extremely dull and grayish compared to Arc's sharp, crisp, colorful animation. Plus, the location of Hiro's hideout changed in the newer animation! Why is that?
Then there's the crash - it was nicely animated and the damage on Hiro looked great, but why did the Fat Controller think he could get there by himself? At least it made more sense than in James to the Rescue where James got away without damage... because reasons. Also, the Fat Controller seems far too lenient on Thomas, especially since Thomas caused Hiro's accident and shirked his duties just to find Hiro's spare parts. Yeah, why would Thomas think Hiro's spare parts were hidden on his hideout? Surely he would at least know that you can't find them there!
And after Thomas is rescued, he sees that Hiro has been repaired and he only just realized it?! Why didn't he notice that the moment he entered the Steamworks? And also, how did Hiro get repaired so quickly, even with his spare parts the Fat Controller bought?
Seriously, on whole, I really feel they could've simply given Thomas' role to someone else - why not Charlie, Rosie, Stanley, or heck, even Samson? It would've made more sense, and we'd have a new, interesting dynamic like we saw in the likes of Toad's Adventure or Samson Sent for Scrap! This is one of those times Thomas acts like he was in the Barlow era, and I hope that they don't keep doing this for future episodes.
If there were any positives, other than the crash, I did like the music and the voice acting - John Hasler's Thomas is growing on me a bit - but that's all. The rest of the episode was a mess, and one of season 19's weakest episodes. Yeah, Henry Spots Trouble didn't have the best portrayal of the green engine, but at least the story was a lot stronger in many areas (even though his worrysome persona is a bit cringeworthy at times, but I digress). So yeah, Helping Hiro is just weak. Not a terrible episode, it's just... meh.
Rating: 3 out of 10
For the scorecard, I'm simply ranking the episodes both based on when I reviewed them (from Ghostly Christmas onwards) and their UK airdate order (at least, for the first seven). I'll be reviewing the Start Your Engines episodes when they come out, and I'll review the final six at a later date.
Thomas and Friends Season 19 Scorecard:
1. Who's Geoffrey?: 8.5
2. The Truth About Toby: 7.5
3. Lost Property: 9.5
4. Henry Spots Trouble: 4.5
5. A Cranky Christmas: 4
6. Snow Place Like Home: 7.5
7. The Beast of Sodor: 8
8. Toad and the Whale: 9
9. Very Important Sheep: 9
10. Salty All at Sea: 5.5
11. Den and Dart: 9.5
12. Helping Hiro: 3
Diesel's Ghostly Christmas: 9.5
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