Thomas and Friends: The Rest of Season 7 Part 2

Here's the second half of the rest of season seven! Will it end on a high note or a whimper? Let's see!

Episode 19: Bulgy Rides Again

Written by Brain Trueman

Isn't that a coincidence; Bulgy's last major appearance was a hundred episodes before this! Well, that's only if you're basing season seven on the Wikia's listings.

Anyway, I quite liked the idea of Bulgy getting restored, but kind of odd that he'd change his ways so suddenly and would actually be friendly with the railways. Even stranger that he'd return to the hen field and not the bus shed - unless he'd been used to living there for years, I don't know? That said, the stop motion of the hens climbing into Bulgy was brilliant, and it was very amusing as to how he swerved out of control and was fuming after his embarrassment.

Sadly, I feel it was missed opportunity to feature Duck and Oliver as they were familiar with Bulgy - unless they'd mentioned this to Thomas and/or Emily some time before this? I think Bulgy looks quite nice in his green livery; just a shame it was never seen again after this...

Episode 20: Harold and the Flying Horse

Written by Robin Kingsland

Why would Percy think that a horse could fly after he said that they couldn't? (Even if he was taken by surprise, there's no excuse for inconsistency with characterization.) It's one of those things that foreshadows what was to come in later episodes. Other than that, the episode is fine and simple. It was nice to see Harold get some focus, and it'd be nice to see him get more screentime to himself.

Episode 21: The Grand Opening

Written by James Mason

Now, I know what you're thinking; isn't Skarloey out of character for being impatient? Before I can answer that, let's put this in perspective; a gentleman in his 60s had slept in, and he's in a hurry to get to work, but traffic slows him down considerably. So, getting back to the question, no. I do believe that you can get impatient no matter your age.

Anyway, I love the interaction between Sir Topham and Lady Hatt; they're actually acting like husband and wife and not casual acquaintances. I'm not sure why the guard's van is referred to as a box van; there's a difference in terminology! (I'm bringing this up so you don't have to.) I quite like this episode, and I feel it's quite underrated.

Episode 22: Best Dressed Engine

Written by Polly Churchill

Hey, I've got a bit of a theory for The Great Race; this episode served as inspiration for the Best Decorated Engine Parade, only it didn't use decorations that could easily be burned. But for how the original handled it, I do find it off-putting that Gordon's driver wouldn't bother stopping his engine just to remove the banner from his smokebox (yes, I refer to it as such, as referring to it as a firebox was quite dumb). I know that the express is an important train, but surely it wouldn't have hurt to stop at a station, even for a few minutes? Still a nice episode though, don't get me wrong.

Episode 25: Trusty Rusty

Written by James Mason

Hoo boy, is this gonna be interesting... You'd think that after all those years, Duncan would at least show a bit more common sense when it comes to listening to Rusty. So should Duncan's driver - even if you can argue that it's a driver with inexperience, even one with inexperience would actually know better than to ignore warnings! Sure, the moral about listening is good, but the lack of common sense is baffling. It's an average episode at best.

Season 7 Overall

This is something which has bothered me about this season - why on earth are the episodes aired randomly? Think about it; Arthur made a cameo in Bill, Ben and Fergus despite his debut being The Spotless Record, and on the DVD, Emily's New Coaches came in after most other episodes where she played a small role! Then there's the amount of stock footage; there's a lot used in nearly every episode, probably cause the Pack episodes were being filmed around the same time.

Only just recently did YouTuber Nicholas Goodrich (a.k.a The Unlucky Tug) post his thoughts on the seventh season (I've linked the video partially cause it made me realize I should finish up this blog post). As a child, I never saw too much of season seven - except the VHS New Friends for Thomas, with Michael Angelis as narrator (who I didn't mind, really) - but when I got older did I recognize this season. It doesn't have the nostalgic charm of the first two seasons, but season seven, as well as six, both have a charm that makes them appealing to the audience, regardless of age. I could be wrong, but they could very well be volume one and volume two in their own right the same way Rubber Soul and Revolver could be considered as a double album.

Interestingly, this season has never aired in countries like Norway, and I have to wonder - why? Why did they skip season seven when the audiences won't know about how the likes of Emily and Spencer came to Sodor? (I know Spencer's a visitor, but much like Emily, he's appeared in the majority of seasons since the eighth, barring the ninth and twelfth.) They only way they'll understand how they came to Sodor is on YouTube, and even then, they might not understand English very well (apologies to those who may be offended).

Overall, season seven is quite good. It might be the dark horse of the classic era, especially as the stories feel... safer, to say the least, but compared to the shift in MLP's writing, it's not as jarring. Like The Unlucky Tug said, it does feel like a transition season as far as writing is concerned. At least it wasn't a sudden shift in gears. :P

Episodes Ranked from Worst to Best

26. Rheneas and the Roller Coaster (0/10)
25. Fergus Breaks the Rules (2/10)
24. Trusty Rusty (4/10)
23. The Old Bridge (5/10)
22. Bill, Ben and Fergus (6/10)
21. Not So Hasty Puddings
20. Edward's Brass Band
19. Snow Engine
18. Toby's Windmill
17. Harold and the Flying Horse (7/10)
16. Salty's Stormy Tale
15. The Runaway Elephant
14. Bad Day at Castle Loch
13. James and the Queen of Sodor
12. Best Dressed Engine (8/10)
11. What's the Matter with Henry?
10. Bulgy Rides Again
9. Something Fishy
8. Percy Gets It Right
7. The Grand Opening (9/10)
6. The Refreshment Lady's Tea Shop
5. The Spotless Record
4. Three Cheers for Thomas
3. Peace and Quiet (10/10)
2. Gordon and Spencer
1. Emily's New Coaches

Season 7 Final Ranking: 7/10