Thomas and Friends Season 9: Poll Winners

After setting up my polls, I can announce that there are three winners for each; first up, let's bring out season nine's winners, shall we?

Episode 3: Molly's Special Special

Written by Paul Larson

A long time ago, this was one of my all-time favorite episodes of the show. Does it hold up today?

Unlike a majority of the episodes throughout the Barlow era, this doesn't utilize the three-strikes formula in a painful way. With the decorations, there were only tarpaulins and lanterns - that's two strikes, not three. And yes, I will bring this up; why would an engine be laughed at just for pulling empty trucks? Other engines have done so and nobody blinked. If we were to connect this to the story's moral - every job is important, no matter what - I feel it may have well served its purpose.

Another point of contention is Thomas; unlike Thomas and the New Engine (more on that in a bit), he genuinely feels helpful as he wants Molly to feel special. Speaking of whom, it's kind of sad that it's the only episode she had a major role in, as in merchandise ranges, she's said to be very sensitive about what others say about her, as this episode displayed... kind of.

Even to this day, I still love the basis they chose for Molly. The Claud Hamilton is a fantastic locomotive, but it's a shame that none were preserved. Happily, there's a group called the Claud Hamilton Locomotive Group that wants to rebuild No. 8783 and name it Phoenix. I also love her yellow livery, and it's never really bothered me; if I did, I'd be moaning about Thomas, a Brighton tank engine, being painted blue when the real E2s were painted in brown, green, and/or black. It's fiction, for goodness' sake, so you have to bend the rules a bit, even if it's a simple thing as a locomotive livery - but I digress.

For the story itself, it's quite simple, but it's one that, even to this day, I'm sure many could relate to it. Has it aged well for me? Eh... not as well as I'd like to have thought, but I still feel it's a good episode in it's own right.

Episode 11: Thomas and the New Engine

Written by Marc Seal

Oh man, this isn't gonna be a fun one. Why do I say this? To put it in perspective, this is effectively season nine's equivalent to Scaredy Engines. Allow me to explain.

Thomas spots Neville being mocked by Arry and Bert, and thinks that he would rather be friends with the diesels. However, this escalates into the engines thinking that Neville wants to bump the steam engines... Figured it out yet? Never mind the fact there's racism involved, or the fact that Edward is out of character, but this completely undercuts the moral of Thomas and the Rumors! Oh, and Thomas was the one who spreads the rumor - yep, a typical Thomas is an Idiot episode... fan-bloody-tastic...(!)

And then there's Neville. Don't get me wrong, his basis is wonderful, and there's a vast history behind it. Actually, that's the biggest problem with Neville; he's only got three bits of dialogue, none of which showcase any aspect of his persona, except for the fact that he's friendly. Hell, even Starlight Glimmer's done more than him, and she's creatively bankrupt! What makes it worse about Neville is that he's treated as a plot device throughout and the fact that his potential as a character was wasted!

It's rather telling that Mighty Mac, whilst the episode was hugely contrived, at least actually gave the titular character(s) development. If this episode had given Neville more screentime and some personality, it might've fared better. But no, they had to shoehorn Thomas solely because... why not. It's another bad episode out of season nine with a slap to the face ending. Considering that this and Scaredy Engines both featured Thomas acting like a jerk and contradicted past episodes, why should anyone be surprised they're as bad as each other?

Episode 19: Thomas' New Trucks

Written by Paul Larson

I like the looks of Thomas' and James' new trucks; they're quite colorful, although I'm not too sure as to why Thomas has green trucks and James blue - wouldn't having trucks with matching colors make sense? Maybe if I did complain about that, then Annie and Clarabel would be painted blue, the mail trucks would be green like Percy, Henrietta would be a different shade of brown, and the express coaches would the blue like Gordon... but I'm rambling on.

It is rather strange, however, that the engines would want to keep their own trucks clean, as nobody seems fussed about keeping them tidy. The ending where James' trucks misbehave and then melons falling on him seemed kind of... random, but I guess they wanted to bring some karma onto him for being cocky. The moral's a good one, though, and unlike Thomas and the New Engines, it doesn't feel backhanded.

Thomas and Friends Season 9 Scorecard

1. Percy and the Oil Painting: 7
2. Thomas and the Rainbow: 1
3. Molly's Special Special: 8
5. Mighty Mac: 2

7. Respect for Gordon: 8

10. Rheneas and the Dinosaur: 1
11. Thomas and the New Engine: 3
12. Toby Feels Left Out: 1
13. Thomas Tries His Best: 9

16. Henry and the Flagpole: 3
17. Emily Knows Best: 7
18. Thomas' Day Off: 8
19. Thomas' New Trucks: 7

22. Skarloey the Brave: 1
23. Saving Edward: 2

24. Thomas and the Golden Eagle: 1
25. Keeping Up with James: 8