Thomas and Friends: Season 20 Week 1

As the week draws to a close, we finally review the first five episodes of season 20! It's hard to imagine that Thomas and Friends would actually get this far; twenty seasons across thiry-three years of television, and with over 500 episodes by this stage (yes, Pack episodes included) along with ten hour-long specials, a mini special, and a feature length movie under its belt. We shall see in due time if season 20 is actually worth celebrating, but let's kick things off with the first five episodes!

Episode 1: Sidney Sings

Written by Lee Pressman

Ah, Sidney. Ever since he got a resolution for his absence in The Missing Christmas Decorations (which this episode shows stock footage of), he's done... very little. Here, he finally has something to do, and does it play off?

Yes, it does. I like how Sidney's job is to bring Percy his new wheels (whether intentional or not, I'm not sure, but whatever) and I feel Thomas' role made sense. Sure, it was minor as all he did was make a suggestion for Sidney to remember his task, but it made a huge impact. Sidney himself does feel like Dory from the Finding Nemo franchise, as many have said, and you can actually relate to him regardless of age, unlike, say, Henry Spots Trouble.

Not much else to say, really. A pretty good start to what seems to be a very promising season, and it's how a Nitrogen episode should be done. Although, why (in the UK, at least) does Whiff sound like he's got Henry's voice? He seriously needs a recasting for both dubs.

Episode 2: Toby's New Friend

Written by Andrew Brenner

It's fair to say that during season 19, Philip has since gained a mixed reputation among the fandom. Personally, I think he's a fine character, but yeah, his persona does need some tweaking (I mean, can you shut up about the time you beat Gordon in a race, Philip?!) and his role in The Great Race leaves a lot to be desired.

Other than that, I think it's another really good episode, and how Big Belle should've gone. Once again, Toby and Henrietta have that husband/wife relationship, especially when she teases him about Philip, and the workmen's reaction to the idea of the race was genius. Also interesting that Toby, whilst annoyed by Philip initially, is more subtle about it compared to Gordon and James.

Philip appears to be heading in the right direction when it comes to character development; keep playing him off against characters that won't pander to his childlike mannerisms... just because.

There are some issues like how on earth did Philip think Toby was a diesel? Being box-shaped I can understand, but thinking a steam tram is a diesel? And that near-collision between Philip and Thomas seemed rather illogical; is there no timetable for Thomas' branchline? The moral is pretty good that not everybody has to agree on everything just to be friends, and that I can understand greatly.

Episode 3: Henry Gets the Express

Written by Helen Farrall

I'm gonna say it right now; Helen Farrall is certainly Thomas' equivalent to Meghan McCarthy. Not that I've anything against Andrew Brenner's writing, but he's got storytelling issues he needs to work out after The Great Race ("Spoiler alert!" - Twilight).

I absolutely loved this episode to bits. Everything feels like it came out of the Railway Series, and Henry gets his best episode in who knows how long (about bloody time that he isn't portrayed as an idiot or a wuss!) Well, Henry does worry when Gordon gives him a confidence knock, but he gets back on his high horse when Thomas reassures him, so... phew! And Gordon's comeuppance, much like Slow Stephen, was very much laser-guided karma for him. So far, it's season 20's best episode, and is a joy to behold.

Episode 4: Diesel and the Ducklings

Written by Lee Pressman

Whilst I might not have much to say about Henry Gets the Express, I do have a fair amount to talk about with Diesel and the Ducklings. Whilst the former was almost universally praised, the latter is a little more... mixed. What do I think of it?

On first glance, you could be forgiven for thinking, "Oh dear; it's another Run of the Miller script in this era," and to some extent, you may have a point. Does the rhyming bother me? No, because - if you put it like this - it could be like the chanting you'd hear at a football match, like "2, 4, 6, 8, who do we appreciate? [Insert town/city name here]". "Rough and tough" is the diesels' equivalent. Well, the bad ones, anyway.

Diesel was fantastic throughout; his inner conflict was pretty good alternating between good and bad, but it comes to a head at Knapford when Diesel mocks Emily, under the influence of Arry and Bert (yeah, it kinda bothers me, but it's also funny how she reacted to Diesel acting nice under Thomas' presence).

Speaking of whom, was Thomas' appearance shoehorned? The answer is no; had it been Duck, him blackmailing Diesel, even if it was for payback, wouldn't really be the Great Western Way of doing things now, would it? Blackmail does seem to fit Thomas' style a bit more if you ask me. Arry and Bert, for their first starring role since season 16, were handled quite nicely, even if they didn't add much.

So on whole, I may be in the minority, but I liked this one a lot, as I can relate to it when I first got into MLP back in November 2013; I wanted to keep it to myself, but when my mother got wind of it (and eventually, my father) and I became more open about my interest over time, even if it's waned due to lackluster writing as of late.

Episode 5: Bradford the Brake Van

Written by Lee Pressman

A new brakevan character, huh? Interesting. But how does it play off? Amazingly well, in fact!

Even though this is his first episode, I think Bradford would make an excellent addition to the cast. He does act like Toad, if the GWR brakevan was more direct than polite, and if he's to be seen with Samson more often, they could make a great dynamic with Samson with the cabless engine's silly mistakes and the brakevan's strictness. Shame it had to be Thomas in the spotlight, but the episode the way it went was just fine.

Bradford himself is fantastic; Rob Rackstraw delivers that Welsh accent perfectly, and the design of Bradford alone is simply excellent. It's also interesting to how several engines were frustrated with his overzealous attitude, but why did all of them (barring Whiff) have to be Steam Team members?

I do have a couple of other issues, both concerning the Fat Controller; one, why did the Fat Controller not realize it was Bradford causing the engines to run late? And two, why did he say that safety was more important than running on time? Shouldn't both be equally important? I get that he'd be concerned about safety, but it makes the moral feel a bit muddy.

The episode could use a bit of a rewrite, but otherwise, it's a great episode on the whole.

Thomas and Friends Season 20 Scorecard

1. Sidney Sings: 8

2. Toby's New Friend: 8

3. Henry Gets the Express: 10

4. Diesel and the Ducklings: 9

5. Bradford the Brake Van: 9

Season Rating So Far: 44/50

Thomas and Friends Specials: Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure

Wow... I should've completed this a long time ago. What kept me from writing this up was laziness, other projects, and... some other third thing. But now, with only a week before The Great Race comes out in America on DVD, I figure it's high time I finished what I set out to write in the first place. So, without further confusion or delay, let's talk about Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure.

This post contains spoilers for The Great Race; reader discretion is advised.

Written by Andrew Brenner

Produced by Ian McCue

Directed by David Stoten

Released July 17, 2015

This special is a huge landmark in Thomas history; not only was it, along with The Adventure Begins, released for Thomas' 70th anniversary, but it also contained a few A-list celebrity guest spots, a grand orchestra, and a compelling story. Does it all pay off? Without a doubt, yes it does!

One of the special's strongest aspects is the storytelling; like Tale of the Brave, Lost Treasure's story is multi-layered, and none of it felt wasted... well, maybe except for a few aspects here and there, but still. Of the subplots, Marion's is my favorite, without a doubt. I love her interactions with Rex, Bert, and Mike (a reference to Small Railway Engines, I've no doubt), and it's funny to how she confuses the two Olivers, and the way it resolved itself was very clever. I do feel bad for poor Mike when he's left high and dry by Bert and Rex at the buffers of Marion (actually, no, I don't XD).

I feel like getting the songs out of the way early cause I don't feel it's fair to leave them for last. "Never Overlook a Little Engine" is perhaps my favorite song out of the Arc era (especially considering most of season 19's songs were rubbish, anyway), and the visuals almost remind me of the Yellow Submarine film. Am I the only one to think that?

"We Make a Team Together" is also fantastic and it plays twice; once when Thomas joins Sailor John and Skiff to look for the treasure, and at the end during the opening ceremony of the Harwick branchline. It's a bit of a shame that it's overshadowed by "Never Overlook a Little Engine", probably because of the visuals, the fact that characters are singing it, a combination of both, or some other fourth reason.

Ah yes, Sailor John; many people feel he's got what P.T. Boomer never did, and who am I to argue? Seriously, that guy makes Diesel look like cute and cuddly in comparison! Well, probably not his flanderized stereotypical villain role in the Thomas Creator Collective series, but I digress. John Hurt, for his sole guest appearance on the series, sounded like he was having a blast in the recording studio, as did Jamie Campbell Bower (who should be appearing in season 20, I presume) as Skiff. You can't help but feel sorry for the poor guy when Sailor John abuses him, telling him to be quiet, and even threatening to kill him! (No, that's not an exaggeration; this is dead straight - no pun intended.) Thankfully, Skiff gets his happy ending; too bad about Sailor John being arrested... :P

(Seriously, did you ever think that a Twilight actor would star in a kid's show? I sure didn't! But then again, we had a comedian who swore a lot to narrate the show in the classic era.)

But of the newbies for this special, my favorite is, without question, Ryan. I love the basis they chose for him, and Eddie Redmayne's performance was phenomenal. I've not seen his performance as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, but I hear it's a great film. It's a shame that it's the only time Eddie will be voicing Ryan, but I guess that's what makes his performance in Lost Treasure special.

And no, I've no issues with the idea of an N2 being painted purple. Otherwise, I'd be complaining about an E2 in blue; this is Thomas and Friends, so who cares if a livery is realistic or not?

Speaking of whom, I feel this is one of Thomas' best starring roles in the Arc era, and I don't say that lightly. It's loosely similar to his development in The Adventure Begins, but here, he causes trouble by accident because of his overconfidence rather than inexperience, and that further digs him into a deeper hole - metaphorically speaking, of course - and he completely loses the Fat Controller's trust.

As an aside, when it comes to animation, I've noticed that Thomas' number being covered up by dirt is practically a metaphor for losing his position as number one, and his pride being wounded, but when the dirt is washed off, it's a metaphor for rebirth or revival. Clever, isn't it?

That brings me onto the Fat Controller; people say he was too harsh on Thomas - I completely disagree on that front. Here's the thing - the Fat Controller is a father figure to the engines as he punishes them when they are naughty (or thinks that they were) and he rewards them when they're good. Some will say he went too far in his scolding when Thomas saved Ryan from the dynamite, but if you think about it, Thomas didn't tell Ryan about the bad coal from the old hopper, and that led to Ryan spouting sparks from his funnel, and that led to the dynamite catching fire, leading to a humorous hot potato scenario and a chase between Thomas and Ryan. Plus, the Fat Controller thought (from the car) that Thomas was trying to hurt Ryan on purpose and chewed him out even when Thomas tried to explain - he did try to say it wasn't his fault, but technically, even though his role in the scenario was minor, it was Thomas' fault, whether it was directly or indirectly.

So was he too harsh? No. I feel it was justified, and handled far better than The Great Race (and this is why I put the disclaimer near the top) - there, the Fat Controller somehow became an incompetent controller during season 20. When Thomas is away from his work, the Fat Controller simply asks him calmly if he's supposed to be on his branchline, doesn't investigate in full detail the accident at Knapford involving Thomas, the diesels and the trucks, and when Gordon nearly kills himself trying to win the actual Great Race, he just shakes his head and feels like a parent who didn't care that their child got hurt in a car crash! Who still lets him run the North Western Railway, especially as he won an award for his services in Spencer's VIP?! It felt as though Andrew Brenner took that criticism way too seriously and failed to come up with a compromise between the two extremes (and considering other problems The Great Race has got, that doesn't feel far-fetched).

Okay, back to Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure. Another interesting aspect is Thomas' respective relationships with Ryan and Sailor John. At the start (well, more like near the middle, really) Thomas doesn't trust Ryan as he thinks the N2 is replacing him, but he trusts Sailor John because he (Thomas) had an indirect contribution in helping the ex-sailor. Later, Thomas briefly feels smug when Ryan takes on the bad coal, but later feels bad for doing so; Ryan didn't deserve it as he was simply doing his job as an engine. Around that time, Thomas becomes more wary of Sailor John when he suspects someone else (Marion) has found the treasure instead of him, and when they later confront one another, Thomas refuses to let Sailor John touch the treasure and vows to stop him from doing so. At this stage, Thomas and Ryan have finally made peace, and Thomas realizes he should've trusted Ryan from the start. So, a multi-layered story is really driven by the characters written for it, and the moral about trust is handled brilliantly...

...but even the best stories can have their faults. One of them being a scene where Duck interacts with Donald and Douglas. What purpose does it serve, anyway? I mean, the scene with Marion, Oliver the engine, Toad, and the Arlesdale trio had purpose; Duck and the Scottish twins' scene does not, and Duck doesn't speak for the rest of the special after that, especially since they're close to his branchline! At least they weren't forgotten about like Reg, as there are bigger problems than that moment of fanservice...

Henry's little subplot is practically the weak link in the story's chain (again, I'm using metaphors to prove my point). In his review, The Unlucky Tug says that Thomas (once repaired) should've been in Henry's place instead, and that if Thomas heard the story of Captain Calles from Salty, then he'd have more reason to follow Sailor John and Skiff. Rewatching the film, I can see that, and I can't believe no one else thought of it (if you have but hadn't the time to say so, do leave a comment!), especially as Thomas follows them because... why not? Not only that, but Henry's subplot has no closure to it; is he still scared of Skiff? Will it be answered in season 20? (More on that later.)

Speaking of lack of resolution, Rocky takes credit for Thomas' discovery, but aside from a few comments of disgust from Thomas, it's never brought up again. Did the Fat Controller learn Thomas' side of the story whilst he was being repaired again? Was it Ryan who told the Fat Controller everything? I know there's a sixty-minute limit to these specials, but you can't leave little plot threads hanging like that! (I'm looking at you, Friendship Games; you and your poor treatment of Flash Sentry!)

Then we come to the usage of human interaction. Don't get me wrong, it's nice to see a human playing a major role, but why were Thomas' crew not involved whatsoever? Actually, that reminds me - in Unlucky Tug's aforementioned review, he points out there's a closeup shot of Thomas' driver as the chase (which is amazing up to that point) comes to a close - why?! Are they implying Thomas' crew was aware they were working for a pirate and didn't say anything? They should be treated more than just the engines' "hands", you know, especially since Gordon's driver scolded him for not trying in The Adventure Begins! Either the crews exist, or they don't; choose one idea and stick with it (preferably the former)!

As many people brought this up, it'd be criminal of me to leave this out, so how did Sailor John manage to steal the pirate ship to get away from Thomas? Does he use "magic" like Marion would think?

But for me, the biggest issues with the special have nothing to do with the film itself, but rather, they're more of an annoyance when it comes to both continuity and voice actors (this will also most likely affect future seasons and specials, by the way). This special takes place after season 19, but it was seemingly produced alongside it, and likewise, The Great Race is coming out on DVD the week after season 20 begins airing (or the same week, depending on whether you're from the US or the UK). Why would you release a special before the season it supposedly takes place after hasn't even finished airing? (I mean, Best Engine Ever seemed to hint at the special.) Now, this is what the chronological timeline for the Arc era supposedly is:

-The Adventure Begins

-King of the Railway

-Season 17

-Tale of the Brave

-Season 18

-Season 19

-Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure

-Season 20

-The Great Race

-Season 21

-2017 special

The voice actors are also an issue, at least for the UK; in season 19, Percy is voiced by Nigel Pilkington, but in Lost Treasure, his voice his done by Keith Wickham (a likewise case happens in Sidney Sings, but it doesn't hurt the episode as a whole, to be truthful). I know it's only one line of dialogue, but wouldn't it have hurt to have Nigel record one additional line for that special? (Also, where was Philip when the accident happened?) Not only that, but the changes to one of the voice actors for season 20 (this time, for both US and UK) is an issue; Daisy is voiced by Teresa Gallagher for one line each in Lost Treasure and The Great Race, but in season 20, she'll be voiced by Tracy Ann-Oberman. Can we have continuity with both specials and seasons, please? Especially when it comes to voice actors?

Okay, continuity nitpicks aside, I had seen the UK dub of this, and I'm gonna say it; when it comes to voicing Thomas, John Hasler > Joseph May. When Joseph voices Thomas, he sounds a little bored stiff like he'd rather be anywhere than the recording studio, but with John, he sounds more natural and British, like he should be. Also, Joseph can't sing; have you heard him performing "Streamling" for The Great Race? Yeesh. It also reminds me to why I hate the US voices to both Edward and Henry, even back in 2010; hearing them just makes me cringe.

There are plenty of tidbits throughout the special that I feel should get their own paragraph together; there's plenty of humor and action throughout, especially when Sailor John pouts, and the Rev. W. Awdry's cameo was a nice touch for the 70th anniversary. And there's also the humorous irony that after his office is redecorated in Goodbye, Fat Controller (assuming it is the season 19 finale), it's promptly destroyed by Sailor John. Daisy's appearance near the end was quite nice, but sadly it's spoiled because a screenshot of her and the other engines was leaked by a Chinese website (I'm presuming) before the special even came out, so it doesn't even make it a surprise anymore.

Final Thoughts

For all of its flaws, they're largely overshadowed by the positives. Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure is, without doubt, the best of the hour-long specials, probably the best Thomas special of all time. It feels like a feature-length movie throughout, and if it were fifteen minutes longer, it probably would be the closest we'd get to a second theatrical Thomas film. The humor and suspense were brilliant, it's just overall a great special, and if you ask me, no Thomas DVD collection would be complete without it.

Rating: 10 out of 10