Thomas & Friends Season 23: Week 2

Here's the second week of new episodes! This time, we're going back to Brazil, and making some brief stops to India and Sodor along the way.

This episode was enjoyable, although slightly dull in places. The music that Thomas' cargo made during his travels was pretty fun to listen to (why the engine parts were on a flatbed, I'll let it slide), and it was nice that the band used it as a beat for inspiration. I almost thought that someone in the episode was going to sing along to the soundtrack. Also, was it just me, or did they show the Brazilian Carnival without actually saying the name? Yeah, it was simply called a carnival, but it did feel like it to me.

The only real issue is that the foreman would simply let Thomas take the tanker to the carnival when it was obviously in poor condition, but it was funny seeing his crew wince at the noise. Other than that, it's pretty enjoyable. Nothing spectacular, but kids will probably enjoy it.

Rating: Good (8/10)

Well, well. We meet again, Miss Overton. Last season, her scripts were mostly misses, especially the infamously hated Apology Impossible to the point that many even called it the worst episode of the show's history. But does Overton's first episode of the season turn things around in her favor?

Well, a lot of people, from what I can tell, dislike the episode, but I don't think it's as awful as many make it out to be. If anything, I think of it as a step in the right direction.

In a lot of the Brenner era, Gordon has usually been depicted as being grumpy and/or boastful, and often condescending to the smaller engines. But lately, they seem to be giving more depth to his character. In The Great Race, he has a sibling rivalry with Flying Scotsman, Forever and Ever showed him being paranoid over the changes before learning they weren't all bad, and a Meet the Steam Team video implied there's something going on between him and Rebecca...

Here, we get to see Gordon show his more comedic side when he sees Rebecca covered in honey and vegetables (which she looked adorable covered in) and tries to contain his laughter over it. It was also nice to see him show concern when Rebecca almost ran Thomas off the rails. Oh, and Gordon calling himself Big G was just funny; is that a nickname he gives himself or does someone else?

The passengers must've been incredibly tolerant of their engine stopping randomly until he turned up at the Steamworks at the end; that one passenger deserves his own mention, seriously. And I wonder why they didn't bother complaining to Sir Topham Hatt when he turned up? Then again, it wouldn't be the first time that people on Sodor have had skewed priorities...

There's... not much else to talk about here. I'll bet Keith Wickham and Kerry Shale both had a blast in the recording studio when it came to recording Gordon's lines in their respective dubs; they really hammed up his character there. It's also incredible how one writer went from writing one of the most infamously hateful episodes of the show to one of the funniest. Rebecca seems to bring out the best in Gordon.

Rating: Excellent (9/10)

Here we go again with another infamous episode episode in this season. Heck, the generic title alone is enough of a sign as to how hated it is. Actually, I don't think it even qualifies as a title; just the most generic premise you could come up with.

However, the title is the least of this episode's problems. It's basically a three-strikes script except based in India - if it was on Sodor, it'd be exactly the same result. Not only that, it's a lesson that Thomas should've learned by this point. If you gave Ashima the lead role and have her panic over maintaining a spotless record, it could've been more interesting and taught kids that nobody's perfect. I mean, they gave Rajiv a lead role this season, so why not give Ashima one too? Or did Mattel think that The Great Race was enough?

Also, that fantasy sequence was completely random and added absolutely nothing to the episode. It's just an excuse for Thomas to get distracted from his job. And this is nitpicking, but why did they put goats in box vans instead of cattle wagons?

There are some good little moments, albeit minor. The interactions between the farmer and the grumpy stationmaster were funny, and the usage of having monkeys help to recover the silk was a nice touch in getting everyone involved. Plus, we got to see Noor Jehan show a bit of wisdom in her character. Not entirely original but... eh, it's at least something.

All in all, I wouldn't call it the worst episode ever made, but it's definitely bad. It's got a storyline that they should've consigned to the scrap heap by 2013, it's repetitive, and Thomas comes off as an idiot. At least this episode didn't outright state that you shouldn't stand up to bullies, nor did it try placing culture before story.

Rating: Bad (2/10)

Davey Moore seems to have lots of fun whenever he writes for Diesel and Rebecca, doesn't he? Their dynamic in this episode was just loads of fun with her naivety and his trickster persona, all because he doesn't want to be blamed for causing trouble. Diesel nearly succeeds, only for Rebecca to spill the beans and the episode ends with him about to be chewed out again. Interesting book end for the episode; it begins with Diesel being called out for something we never see (we're only told about what he did), and it ends with him being called out for causing trouble today despite doing a good job with his duties today.

Something that was surprising was that Norman actually spoke and had something to do... very late into the Brenner era. If they weren't going to do much with him at all, then why was he introduced in the first place? Wouldn't it have been simpler to bring back Dennis?

That aside, it's a really funny episode that fitted Diesel's character, and the fantasy sequence parodying the new intro was a highlight in my books. It does almost make me wonder if they're planning a Diesel spinoff based off of that sequence alone, but I doubt that would happen. Would be nice to see, though.

Rating: Excellent (10/10)

Yes, I know; the sequence with the engines playing with the ball was a bit dumb, but then again, the show's done stupider things. If I complained about that too much, I'd be questioning why the engines have faces at all. You've heard that before, I'm sure.

That being said, the little ball game does tie nicely into Raul's competitive nature; after losing to Thomas in the Shunting Challenge, he's desperate to try and beat him before deciding that winning isn't always everything. Nothing the show hasn't done before, I know, but it was definitely a lesson he needed to learn. I also find it ironic how Thomas nearly fell into the sea after being bumped by an international engine (Ashima) in The Great Race, and yet here, he rescues another (Raul) from falling into the sea.

Speaking of said special, the stock footage of the Shunting Challenge sticks out a lot like a dented buffer in terms of lighting and with Thomas' physical appearance. Just compare him from both the special and this episode and you'll see what I mean.

Also, this is sadly the only episode in Brazil thus far where we see Raul. Given that he was Brazil's representative in The Great Race, you'd think the writers would give him more to work with. Instead, it's Gabriela turning up in every episode. And if that's the case, then why wasn't it Gabriela taking part in the Shunting Challenge instead? That doesn't make any sense at all if you ask me.

Overall, I give this episode the same rating as The Other Big Engine. It's fairly enjoyable for the target audience. But if you're not a fan of the unrealistic moments, you'll probably hate this episode because of them.

Rating: Good (7/10)