TTTE S12E6: Heave Ho Thomas!

Happy Independence Day, America! If you aren't from America... well, have a nice day. Anyway, here's a quickie review for the Fourth of July!

Season 12, Episode 6

Heave Ho Thomas!

Written by Sharon Miller

Alright, let's get this out of the way - yes, Hank, in real life, would be far too large for the British loading gauge. However, since then, we've gotten two Irish-accented streamliners, a tank engine with scaling problems, and a one-off visitor who's nothing more than a jackass... but I digress.

For the episode itself, it's rather typical - Thomas tries (and once again, fails) to prove his strength to Hank, all because the big engine said Thomas was a fine little engine. I kind of get why Thomas would be a little sensitive about his size, but there have been many times in the past (I don't know which episodes exactly, but I could be wrong) that he's never let size bother him. If that were the case, why would he be so self-conscious about it now? That's coming from the same engine who once said that "Little engines can do big things", especially if they had nice blue paint like him.

Then there's Hank. Before you comment, no, I'm not that bothered about his red, white, and blue livery, and if I was, I'd complain about the fact that Thomas is blue, even though none of his classmates were ever painted that livery in real life. For his character, I think it was fine, but they could've added more to his persona. I'm glad they didn't make Hank a 4-6-6-4 Challenger; just imagine how chaotic that'd be! But his accent? Yeah, definitely a problem; Hank was built in Pennsylvania, but to hear him with a Southern accent is utterly bizarre. Even if he might have worked in the South for a period, he should've had a Pennsylvanian accent instead - unless the narrator didn't know what accent it might have sounded like...? (Added in after a comment on DeviantArt.)

I'd like for Hank to make a return despite being too big for British rails; I'd like to see how he could play off against Gordon (the A3s were direct/indirect descendants to the K4s, after all) and Connor (the New York Central and Pennsylvania Railroad weren't the best of friends, to say the least). Even though Thomas should've learned by now that strength isn't everything, I do think the episode on the whole is good and enjoyable. Oh, and how about that ditty based on "Hail to the Chief"?

Rating: 7 out of 10

Thomas and Friends Season 12 Scorecard

5. Henry Gets it Wrong: 1
6. Heave Ho Thomas!: 7

9. The Party Surprise: 3

10. Saved You!: 3
12. James Works it Out: 7

13. Tram Trouble: 5

14. Don't Go Back: 1
15. Gordon Takes a Shortcut: 3

16. The Man in the Hills: 2
18. Percy and the Bandstand: 6

19. Push Me, Pull You: 0

20. Best Friends: 10