Thomas and Friends: The Rest of Season 6

Last time, we've finished up season five, now we're finishing up season six, the start of a new millennium for Thomas and Friends!

Those marked with an asterisk (*) have the story credited to David Mitton.

Episode 1: Salty's Secret

Written by Robin Kingsland

As the first episode of the post-Allcroft era (even though she was technically consultant for this season and the seventh, but never mind), this one was really good. Salty himself is a good character, but I feel he appears a little too frequently, leaving over characters to the sidelines *coughcough* Porter *cough*

Bill, Ben, and Mavis also had very good roles, the latter especially; from that point onwards, she became a more mature, motherly figure, and one of the few characters Hit totally didn't screw up (and I mean that genuinely). I have to say, Alec Baldwin really hit a slump as far as narration is concerned; to be fair, his Salty voice is fine, but what about most of the other characters? His performance really comes off as flat, and it makes the episode uninteresting to watch.

Episode 2: Harvey to the Rescue

Written by Jonathan Trueman

Let's knock the elephant out of the room; yes, Edward was out of character for saying Harvey doesn't even look like an engine, but does a moment like that destroy the episode as a whole? Like I've said, that'd be a huge understatement, especially if the rest of the episode is actually really good (see Filli Vanilli for context).

By contrast to Salty, Harvey hasn't been used as often, but he's still a very good character in his own right; him being an unusual type of engine probably helps, and I like those kinds of locomotives; they're so unconventional and yet really useful like any ordinary engine. For the episode itself, it's quite good, and the crash... is a bit disappointing. I mean, in the music video for "Troublesome Trucks" (not the episode, of course), it looks a bit more real despite the brakevan blocking the view. Why was the crash refilmed? Anyone got a guess as to why?

Other than that, it's a good episode; same about Edward's portrayal, though compared to Edward Strikes Out, that's a nitpick.

Episode 3: No Sleep for Cranky

Written by Paul Larson

Ever hear of the term "so stupid, it's funny"? That can apply to the mess Cranky caused. Although, there are a couple of issues with it:

1. How exactly were Salty, Bill and Ben trapped? There's open track right behind them! Apparently, the script and model sets didn't agree with one another.
2. Why would Salty and the twins have to wait a whole day to wait for Harvey? Surely the accident would have occurred when it was evening?

Speaking of the second issue, it's a wonder how the engines could stay up all night and not suffer insomnia from it. But Cranky does - go figure. This might've been the episode where the Larson Effect was spawned from.

Episode 4: A Bad Day for Harold the Helicopter*

Written by Simon Nicholson

You don't see too many episodes featuring Percy and Harold anymore, do you? Most of the time, Harold's up at the Search and Rescue Center and Percy seems to do odd jobs around Thomas' branchline and the mainline. It's nice to see their friendly-rivalry incorporated as far as delivering the mail is concerned, and it shows how Percy is devoted to his job. And the signal being broken does actually bring out some railway realism especially as engines can't run without signals. Although was there an episode in which Harold took the mail after Percy was stuck at a signal? I can't remember. But it is quite strange how all that mail would overload Harold.

Episode 5: Elizabeth the Vintage Lorry

Written by Paul Larson

Out of season six's new characters (barring the remaining yet-to-be rendered Pack members and human characters), Elizabeth has not yet been shown in the CGI series. Sure, some could see her as a bit of a crab, and to some extent, you'd be right. But think about how cheerful the off-rail vehicles seem to be, barring Cranky - Elizabeth making a return (along with George) could really shake things up and add some diversity.

Kind of interesting how the episode begins straight away with an accident, but it is odd as to how Thomas' siderods broke the way they did. And even stranger as to how Elizabeth got to the docks without a driver. And yes, I'm gonna mention the usage of "railroad" in the British narration; must've been a cock-up when the narrator was handed the script.

Episode 6: The Fogman*

Written by Jonathan Trueman

Well, isn't this a rarity - a post-Awdry episode that's actually railway smart! If you've read my review on Spice Up Your Life, then you can pretty much draw a conclusion as to how I can view this episode as a metaphor.

Episode 13: Percy and the Haunted Mine*

Written by Robyn Charteris

You can tell how much I hated Scaredy Engines for making Thomas look like a hypocrite, but how can they treat Percy worse?

Well, to start, Donald and Douglas were particularly childish when it came to teasing Percy about the naughty gnomes. I know they like jokes (well, Donald more so), but surely that'd be left to Bill and Ben - did someone get their sets of twins mixed up? And why would they be picked up near an abandoned mine? Surely they'd have been picked up at, oh, I don't know, a warehouse?

If this was intended to be a sequel to Baa! from last season, then it's a pretty poor one at that, and it's done to Percy what Scare Master did to Fluttershy. However, it gets worse...

Episode 14: Middle Engine*

Written by Brian Trueman

I'd been given a few requests to do this episode as a few people have said it's one of season six's worst. But is it that bad? Well, now I'm gonna find out and see if that claim holds true!

Let's start off with the fact that none of the engines like being in the middle of their trains - what about push-pull services like Oliver could be doing? If there were trucks and/or coaches in your way, you'd still do your job, just at a slower speed. Next, we have Percy being scolded for being on the tipper's loading ramp... where do I begin?

Firstly, Henry bumps Percy onto the ramp by accident, and he gets no consequences for it, so therefore he was a plot device. Next, Percy calls out for help, but no one hears him or even thinks of stopping the loading ramp, and then, all the blame is dumped onto him. Yeah, I can definitely see where the criticisms are coming from.

And to top it all off, Arry and Bert get no consequences for their actions, which, again, might be why they're disliked heavily. I'm not sure at this point if this episode should be one of the worst, but yeah, it's definitely bad and season six's worst for sure. Yeah, worse than Rusty Saves the Day - at least I can understand where that was trying to teach kids! What did Middle Engine teach kids anyway?!

Episode 19: Buffer Bother

Written by Ross Hastings

Bill and Ben really bring out the worst in each other, am I right?

A shame Ben's buffers returned to black after this, as they look brilliant. Then again, it's just like the twins being painted blue as punishment. And once again, Mavis' role was brilliant, even though they don't work in the same quarry (at least, from season 17 onward). A funny episode, and its humor is handled way better than Middle Engine.

Episode 21: Thomas, Percy and the Squeak*

Written by Jenny McDade

Why is it that Thomas and Percy have small arguments over the smallest of things? I mean, sure, Thomas did get an important job, but it didn't give him the bright to bring his best friend down. That said, he did at least get a satisfying comeuppance. It is strange, however, that nobody noticed the mouse in Clarabel. Of course, Gordon's "definitely a coloratura" line was very funny - how could I not mention it in my review?

Season 6 Overall

I really enjoyed this season when I was younger, and to this day, I still do. Yeah, a few episodes here and there don't hold up like they used to, but I guess what makes this season good was its simplicity in the storytelling compared to how action-packed season five was. Sometimes, you gotta slow down, right? Right.

Surprisingly enough, this is on par with season three, but I'll rank six slightly higher.

Episodes Ranked from Worst to Best

26. Middle Engine (1/10)
25. Rusty Saves the Day (2/10)
24. Scaredy Engines (3/10)
23. Percy and the Haunted Mine
22. The World's Strongest Engine (6/10)
21. Jack Frost (7/10)
20. No Sleep for Cranky
19. Elizabeth the Quarry Truck
18. Twin Trouble
17. Thomas, Percy and the Squeak (8/10)
16. Harvey to the Rescue
15. Edward the Very Useful Engine
14. A Bad Day for Harold the Helicopter
13. Thomas the Jet Engine
12. Dunkin Duncan
11. Toby Had a Little Lamb
10. Salty's Secret (9/10)
9. Gordon Takes a Tumble
8. It's Only Snow
7. Buffer Bother
6. Faulty Whistles
5. Percy's Chocolate Crunch
4. Jack Jumps In (10/10)
3. The Fogman
2. A Friend in Need
1. James and the Red Balloon

Season 6 Final Ranking: 8/10

Thomas and Friends: The Rest of Season 5 Part 2

Here's the second half of the remaining episodes of season five! Surprisingly enough, they're all consecutive. I didn't even intend for that to happen!

All episodes written by Britt Allcroft and David Mitton. Those marked with an asterisk (*) are written with David Maidment.

Episode 19: Happy Ever After

Hmm... this is gonna be interesting.

Yes, I know, the plot seems a little too mature for a Thomas episode. That said, at least Percy's driver asked for permission to borrow the new set of buffers, and it was good seeing Old Slow Coach make a second appearance - shame it was her last one. Although it might've been nice to explain if she was still a workman's coach or not. As for the kiss? Well... maybe Percy wasn't in steam when the wedding took place? A strange one, I'll admit.

Episode 20: Sir Topham Hatt's Holiday

Now this is a great episode. I love the focus on Sir Topham and his family, and we got a lot of funny moments out of this episode. Harold's role was also quite good, and it was nice to see Annie and Clarabel get a refurbish, although it's odd that they kept changing appearance before and after this episode, even with the use of stock footage. And how can I resist mentioning Percy pushing the river boat on the flatbed? Pure visual hilarity.

Episode 21: A Surprise for Percy

Ehh... I'm not sure what to make of this one. The story is a bit too simplistic for my liking. All we got is Percy feeling frustrated over taking coal trucks, and then a runaway takes place... and ends when two planks of wood stopping the trucks... because no one heard of brakes on a brakevan. Not terrible, it's just... there.

Episode 22: Make Someone Happy

This however, is yet another fantastic episode from season five. I feel this episode fits James perfectly considering how he's been portrayed recently, and I like how they expand on Mrs. Kyndley's character a bit. The moral on making others happy is a good one, and the fairground setting was fantastic. Not much else to say here; it's just brilliant.

Episode 23: Busy Going Backwards*

This'll be fun!

I'll admit that when I was younger, this was one of my favorites from season five. Sure, the chase was rather unrealistic and Toad couldn't have traveled such a distance in reality, but I suppose that was what made it fun to me. Did you know a clip from this made an appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien when he criticized Alec Baldwin for making James sound gay? I don't recall where the clip was on YouTube, but if anyone can find it, let me know.

And yes, that's the scene where Toad nearly crashes into James in an unrealistic manner. Don't ask.

I suppose I better talk about Oliver's lack of starring roles in the recent episodes. Yes, he features because he's Toad's engine (at least on TV), but remember that in the classic era, even with this episode, Toad had much less character development than he did in his three CGI starring roles. Meanwhile, Oliver himself received a fair amount of development during seasons 3-7. Keep that in mind.

Episode 24: Duncan Gets Spooked*

I know it's four months too early for Halloween... but who gives a damn?

I do like the dark atmosphere they put into the sets, but much like characterization in episodes, it should be considered default setting. It was most unusual that the trucks derailed off the bridge they way they did and I feel Peter Sam got scolded unfairly solely because of an insecure coupling. It does feel like this episode was trying to mix Britt and Mitton's vision of dark storytelling as well as Maidment's vision of railway realism, and making a right crock of it.

As for paying Duncan back at the end, it's rather strange that his crew would have fireflies as part of the plan; a rock, I'd understand, but why fireflies? Nice animated effects though.

I do have a theory about why the episode runtime was expanded to nine minutes; in a four minute thirty episode, storytelling is a bit restricted. In an episode double the length, there's more room for creativity. I think that with season five, they had a lot of ideas for each episode, but due to time constraints, they have to be reduced to four minutes and thirty seconds. Had Duncan Gets Spooked and other season five episodes been produced today, I bet they could've fared better on a storytelling level.

A fine episode on the whole, but there are noticeable faults.

Oh, and as a nitpick; why is it that in the UK, when the coupling snaps, it's a spring sound effect, but in America, we get an actual coupling snap? Was consistency in the classic era a huge deal, especially when it comes to sound?

Season 5 Overall

Saying season five was the weakest of the classic era could be a bit of an understatement. I actually find it surprisingly good for the first season without Awdry material. Yeah, it had problems, but then, so do the Arc seasons as well as the first four.

Is it underrated? Overrated? Well, that depends on who you are. Underrated, because whilst a number of episodes lacked the Awdry charm the first four seasons did, they did provide a fair amount of entertainment. Overrated, because whilst it tried to up the age demographic, it was plagued by unrealistic moments and the excessive amounts of crashes. I think that's the best way to sum up the fandom's opinions on this season. That said, it had less bad episodes than My Little Pony's fifth season did... but that's a topic for another day.

Episodes Ranked from Worst to Best

26. Snow (1/10)

25. Toby and the Flood (3/10)

24. A Surprise for Percy (5/10)

23. Rusty and the Boulder

22. Toby's Discovery

21. Stepney Gets Lost (6/10)

20. Happy Ever After

19. Baa!

18. Gordon and the Gremlin (7/10)

17. Bye George!

16. Duncan Gets Spooked

15. Oliver's Find

14. Cranky Bugs

13. Horrid Lorry (8/10)

12. Busy Going Backwards

11. James and the Trouble with Trees

10. Thomas and the Rumors

9. Double Teething Troubles (9/10)

8. Lady Hatt's Birthday Party

7. Something in the Air

6. Haunted Henry

5. Put Upon Percy

4. Make Someone Happy (10/10)

3. Sir Topham Hatt's Holiday

2. A Better View for Gordon

1. Thomas, Percy and Old Slow Coach

Season 5 Final Rating: 7.5/10

Thomas and Friends: The Rest of Season 5 Part 1

Now that we've gotten the Nitrogen era out of the way (thank goodness), it's time to head back to the classic era as there's some unfinished business with it (and yes, I'll get to the Pack episodes when I can get to them.

For the remaining seasons, I'll be splitting them into two halves... possibly except for season eight, which'll be one whole part. That way, I've got a steady stream of episodes.

All episodes written by Britt Allcroft and David Mitton, except Thomas and the Rumors, based upon magazine stories An Important Visitor and Rumors and Speculation by Andrew Brenner. Those marked with an asterisk (*) are written with David Maidment.

Episode 1: Cranky Bugs

Ah, Cranky. One of the few season five characters (other than Arry, Bert and Butch) that actually became well-loved in seasons to come. (Although, Arry and Bert are practically characters we'd love to hate... but whatever.)

I have to say, for this season, the models and filming techniques were fantastic; the models look glossy and I'm glad that it was used for CGI productions from The Adventure Begins onward. Makes them look real. For the episode itself, I quite liked this one, and the scene with the tramper's accident was just awesome to look at. Yeah, it was kind of dumb that Cranky would fall in front of Thomas and Percy and not on them, but it was very funny to look at.

And yes, there's Alec Baldwin's narration; it's not as good as I remembered it (probably bad if we consider how much effort he put into season six), but he did provide good voices for the likes of Oliver, Toad (which influenced my voice for him in Sodor: The Modern Years) and Sir Topham Hatt.

Episode 4: Lady Hatt's Birthday Party*

...oh dear. Even here, I cannot take the Fat Controller seriously. I like how there was focus upon the humans and road vehicles of Sodor, a rarity even in the classic era. Glad that there was more focus upon both in Two Wheels Good, as well as in The Beast of Sodor. Of course, I seriously doubt that the Fat Controller wouldn't bother to change his tire; if he can run a railway, he can darn well change a wheel for his car!

A bit of a three-striker here, but then, The Sad Story of Henry featured that formula. Honestly, I feel there was missed opportunity for the Wilhelm scream with George's accident, but oh well. Also, how did Thomas get to the water tower without his fireman?

Episode 7: Bye George!

George is another character we haven't seen in recent years, his last major appearance/role being in Calling All Engines well over a decade ago. With all the happy road vehicles we got, having a grump like George (and maybe a strict old lady like Elizabeth) could really shake things up. Oh, and how about a dynamic with George and Buster?

As for this episode, how did the workmen not notice that tarmacking over the rails improperly would have an accident? If George spilled some on purpose and no one noticed, that'd probably make better sense. And yes, Gordon's accident with Duck was unrealistic. I guess it's one of those "so stupid, it's hilarious" moments, am I right? Interesting to see that George got his comeuppance at the end, and the narrator's snarky comment was rather amusing.

Episode 8: Baa!*

Hmm. It's quite strange that a wild animal like a ram would actually take cabbage leaves from a human like that rather than attack. Also, it's odd that Percy would kind of snap at Toby after a bit of harmless teasing from the tram engine. And didn't Toby say Maithwaite was his favorite station? Of course, we did have funny moments like the Fat Controller losing his top hat due to Harold's propellers; I'm sure he didn't mean "eat his hat" literally!

Episode 9: Put Upon Percy

Percy is a great character in the classic era, and he's still great in the newer episodes. Here, he's given a more urgent side to his character, especially when he remembered the canvas barrier to keep himself safe from the rocksldie. It's miles ahead of the Nitrogen episodes where he's portrayed as a childish idiot trying to befriend animals or hunt for monsters. I also like the little things like the length of Percy's train - ten trucks, including a brakevan - and the interior of the mine-shaft. Some children might find this scary, which I can understand, but older fans will enjoy this.

Episode 17: Thomas and the Rumors

Oh, this was a long time coming, I feel. It's one I wanted to review ever since I started this blog, and finally, I get the chance to do so.

Yes, there's a subplot where Thomas wants to help children, but actually, it plays a nice role in the episode as a whole. Remember my review on Sunshine from TUGS? Well, the moral on jumping to conclusions applies nicely to this. The engines think Harold is going to replace them, but he's actually looking for suitable ground for the children's playground. Sidenote: Percy doesn't have a branchline, he runs on Thomas'. Another issue is Gordon's driver siding with his engine; surely he could've been a voice of reason? That said, the accident was nicely filmed, as was every accident in season five. Another really good episode.

Thomas and Friends Season 5 Scorecard

1. Cranky Bugs: 7
2. Horrid Lorry: 8
3. A Better View for Gordon: 10
4. Lady Hatt's Birthday Party: 9
5. James and the Trouble with Trees: 8
6. Gordon and the Gremlin: 7
7. Bye George!: 7
8. Baa!: 6
9. Put Upon Percy: 9
10. Toby and the Flood: 3
11. Haunted Henry: 9
12. Double Teething Troubles: 9

13. Stepney Gets Lost: 6

14. Toby's Discovery: 5

15. Something in the Air: 9
16. Thomas, Percy and Old Slowcoach: 10
17. Thomas and the Rumors: 8

18. Oliver's Find: 7

25. Rusty and the Boulder: 5
26. Snow: 1

Thomas and Friends Season 16: The Remaining Episodes and Overall

Well, last week's batch was quite unpleasant to sit through. Thankfully, as this is the last batch of Nitrogen episodes, we can make a return to the classic era soon enough. Would any of these episodes salvage season 16, or was it scrapped on arrival?

All episodes written by Sharon Miller, except as noted.

Episode 1: Race to the Rescue

Truth time: I reviewed the remaining eight episodes in reverse chronological order. I chose to review this one last because... well, let's find out.

I should state, for the record, that this episode came directly after Fiery Flynn, one of the show's worst ever episodes. That episode was so bad that real life firefighters would put it to shame, as would Fireman Sam - why it had to share its stable with Thomas' worst era, I'll never know. Onto this episode, Flynn is once portrayed as being self-conscious, but this time, it's about traveling on the road. Why? Couldn't he have had a minor accident, giving him a confidence knock? I would buy that over Charlie calling him a big red wobble on wheels!

I've not seen any Fireman Sam episode lately, but I know for a fact that you'd never see them deciding whether or not they should travel on the road or rails; they were focused on getting the task done and saving lives! Actually, in this episode, Flynn once again wastes his time getting to the Fat Controller's shed (by the way, why does he need one?), potentially putting people's lives at risk! Also, if he could spray water onto Gordon's coaches from where he was, surely he'd have had no problem putting the fire out from the rails?

Terrible episode with dangerous morals, the worst season premiere to date, and just as awful as Fiery Flynn. Stay away.

Episode 3: Express Coming Through

And on the opposite end of the spectrum...!

Let's make it clear, people; yes, Thomas has pulled express coaches before, but it was never stated that it was the express itself. I mean, The Adventure Begins confirms that it was a stopping passenger train with red branchline coaches - why they didn't have red express coaches, I'll never know, but whatever.

Remember in Slow Stephen when I said that Gordon's attitude needed toning back? That also applies to this era; we know Gordon pulls the express, and we don't need him repeating it over and over again! To be fair, his attitude makes some degree of sense as Thomas was determined to prove his strength, something he probably should've outgrown at this point, but I digress. It might have worked better if Thomas was substituted in for Rosie or Stanley, but then again, there may not have been an Awdry-esque feeling.

However, if Thomas struggles in pulling the express coaches, then how is he able to shunt them without trouble? But even then, there's funny moments like Dowager Hatt and the cake (I'm surprised she didn't get a gut ache after that!) and her line "Thomas! Do something!" Every time she appears, Dowager Hatt is just outright funny (except maybe in Fiery Flynn). Good episode, but it has problems as usual.

Episode 4: Percy and the Monster of Brendam

You wait sixty-four episodes, and we finally get one where Thomas doesn't have a speaking role... and it turns out to be bad anyway. If it was called the "Monster of Brendam", then why is Percy looking across Sodor just to find it? Salty's story was rather stupid; it's pretty obvious that it was Cranky, and I'm sure Salty was talking out of his engine block. On a sidenote, Cranky's reaction at the end pretty much sums up how I feel about many episodes from this era.

Also, why did they have to make Edward, Henry, and Toby total cowards? (To be fair, at this point, I wouldn't put it past Henry.) And how could they have mistaken Rocky, Butch, and Diesel for the Monster? Although I'll admit Diesel's response is rather funny - "Who's calling me a monster?!" I'll admit the fog was very nicely done, much better than last season, but it doesn't save the episode from being a bad one. Unfortunately, it's canon to the show as of season 19, and I pretty much wish that the stupidity of the characters was toned back so Edward and Toby were the voices of reason.

Episode 6: Flash Bang Wallop!

Written by Jessica Sandys Clarke

So, this episode is another given a fair amount of praise by the fandom. Is it really deserved? To some extent, it is. It's interesting that they featured a Garratt and City of Truro in the book, although with the latter, I feel it would've been interesting if Duck was featured - I mean, seeing his idol in the book would've given him plenty of reason to want to be featured in the book, and it could've made for an interesting storyline.

If the photographer left his second camera behind, why couldn't he bring it with him? Oh, it was for plot convenience; I understand. Also how did Thomas' selfish photobombing case the engines to crash? That makes no sense whatsoever. There's the typical three strikes, and Thomas, as mentioned earlier, is selfish as usual. We did get some interesting classic series references, but it takes more than that to make an episode actually good.

Episode 7: Thomas and the Rubbish Train

Written by Andrew Viner

Why were Scruff and Stanley brought up solely to be forgotten about afterward? I feel that, had Scruff been in Thomas' place, it would've been a nice expansion on their friendship. Or, if they chose Stanley, it would've added a new dynamic, and given him some screentime, which he'll be receiving in season 20 (hopefully!)

But seriously; Thomas should at least know not to let teasing get to him! He'd been on Sodor for at least ninety years, so he should know that by now! At least Diesel seemed in character, but it was only for the sake of the plot. Not helping is that he was rather selfish leaving Whiff high and dry three times (not for the first time) just to smell good for the Duchess of Boxford. The plot itself felt like a remake of Thomas and the Stinky Cheese, crash and all. Of course, the crash was very brilliantly done, but much like James to the Rescue, it doesn't automatically make an episode great, especially if discriminatory messages are involved!

Episode 16: Whiff's Wish

Written by Andy Bernhardt

Wait, what's that I heard? The Flying Kipper actually being mentioned by name? A nice touch, but it doesn't have anything to do with anything now, does it? Then again, nor do any of these introductions in this era, but I digress.

I have to say; I like Whiff as a character, but I don't like his voices in either dub, especially not his US voice (it also sounds similar to Edward, which doesn't help matters) - what is up with that? Couldn't they have recast him to make him sound somewhat like Eric Idle? And who would leave rubbish trucks on the mainline like that? It's also kind of strange that, since Whiff doesn't care for what others think, he would be concerned with what others like Spencer thought of him. That said, I did like the subtle callback to Emily and the Garbage (yes, I'm referring to it as such as the UK title sounds offensive).

On whole, it's another dull episode, and the moral's pretty much been done better before and since. If only Whiff was given another chance at a starring role...

Episode 17: Welcome Stafford

This one's rather interesting. I like Stafford as a character, and I enjoy listening to his dialect; it's very funny to listen to at times ("My battery's running out! ...oh dear..." "Oh dear; here we go again..."). Thomas' role, of course, was redundant and could've been cut altogether. Not too sure about why Spencer is giving Stafford a tour of Sodor rather than James, but... you get what you get. It's a total showcase of Hit's characters and it was funny how Stafford pretty much lampshades the big problem with the writing at the time.

Episode 19: Happy Birthday Sir!

Hmm... this one's alright, but it's hardly what you'd call an epic finale. It was the typical three-strikes plot, and Winston didn't get much characterization. I have to say, the render of the open-topped carriage looks fantastic, but how'd it take a day to restore? And why is Salty telling Edward's story if the blue engine is right next to him? It was a nice flashback, however, and it was clever seeing a younger Topham Hatt (I doubt he'd be called "sir" back then). It's also laughable that Thomas scolded Winston for looking for things when he's done so himself - much like Philip to the Rescue, of course, it doesn't make Thomas any less hypocritical. Also, how did Winston's driver not get whiplash when Thomas bumped into him? A decent episode on the whole.

Season 16 Final Thoughts

So... was it better than season 15? A tiny bit, but Race to the Rescue, The Christmas Tree Express, and (especially) Sodor Surprise Day really ruined this season. If it wasn't for those failures, I'd say yes; it is an improvement over season 15, but it's still a terrible season with creatively bankrupt storylines and the discriminatory messages were worse than ever. Sure, Nitrogen made some improvements as far as visuals go, but it was too little, too late for them. With Arc, they constantly improve with every season and special (just take a look at season 19 and compare it to King of the Railway) and try new things.

Well, that's the worst era out of the way (and good riddance too!) It's time to forget about the bad times and head back to the classic era!

Episodes from Worst to Least Bad

20. Sodor Surprise Day (-10/10)
19. Race to the Rescue (-8/10)
18. The Christmas Tree Express (-5/10)
17. Thomas Toots the Crows (1/10)
16. Bust My Buffers!
15. Ol' Wheezy Wobbles
14. Ho Ho Snowman
13. Thomas and the Sounds of Sodor
12. Don't Bother Victor! (2/10)
11. Percy and the Monster of Brendam
10. Thomas and the Rubbish Train (3/10)
9. Salty's Surprise
8. Emily's Winter Party Special (4/10)
7. Whiff's Wish
6. Muddy Matters (5/10)
5. Flash Bang Wallop!
4. Happy Birthday Sir! (6/10)
3. Welcome Stafford
2. Express Coming Through (7/10)
1. Percy and the Calliope (8/10)

Season 16 Overall Rating: 2/10