Last time, we talked about the mini-specials of Digs & Discoveries. This times, we're talking about the five episodes of Digs & Discoveries; two based in Italy, and three back on home territory.
According to the DVD release, this episode and Too Loud, Thomas! are an extension of All Tracks Lead to Rome and Mines of Mystery, becoming one feature length special broken up into four (or six, depending on your mileage) episodes. That's pretty different, to say the least.
Even more so is how Thomas is barely present in the episode. He appears in the first minute at most, but that's literally it. Heck, he doesn't even turn up at the end of the episode. This allows for the other characters to stand up on their own, and it pays off.
Carrying over from the two mini-specials, the characters once again shine through. Whether it be Lorenzo's enthusiasm and overconfidence about wanting to perform with Dame Bella, Gina snarking about their similar personalities, and heck, even the human characters like Dame Bella's musicians and the station porter struggling with her baggage get to shine through. This episode is never short of fun character moments.
Lorenzo and Dame Bella also shine through when they realize how much they took their companions for granted; you never know what you're missing until you realize it too late. And them singing together was a great moment for both of them.
Admittedly, I did focus more on the character moments than the actual story itself, but the former really lifted up the latter in my eyes to help see it through. I don't know whether or not it's sad or ironic that the two best international episodes thus far (Crowning Around being the other) didn't feature Thomas playing a big role, but if future international episodes are like them, then that should be good enough for me. I just hope they keep that in mind for season 24 onwards...!
We go from amazing to average. I mean, Thomas' attempts at trying to sing opera just come off as hard to listen to, not to mention how jarring it is since Thomas has sung really well in the past. Then again, it could've been because they were musical sequences conveying how he felt in The Great Race, Journey Beyond Sodor and Big World! Big Adventures!. Either way, it's still jarring.
That being said, there are funny moments to be found like - in a kind of dark way - the little girl's balloon popping after Thomas sings badly again, and Thomas trying to convey a message to Stefano despite his sore voice. That's a nice little message being conveyed here; work around a problem you've brought upon yourself to get a message across.
Overall, it's a very average episode and a kind of anti-climactic way to end the Italy adventures. The message is a good one for kids to learn, but only if they can tolerate Thomas' awful singing.
According to the DVD release, this episode and Too Loud, Thomas! are an extension of All Tracks Lead to Rome and Mines of Mystery, becoming one feature length special broken up into four (or six, depending on your mileage) episodes. That's pretty different, to say the least.
Even more so is how Thomas is barely present in the episode. He appears in the first minute at most, but that's literally it. Heck, he doesn't even turn up at the end of the episode. This allows for the other characters to stand up on their own, and it pays off.
Carrying over from the two mini-specials, the characters once again shine through. Whether it be Lorenzo's enthusiasm and overconfidence about wanting to perform with Dame Bella, Gina snarking about their similar personalities, and heck, even the human characters like Dame Bella's musicians and the station porter struggling with her baggage get to shine through. This episode is never short of fun character moments.
Lorenzo and Dame Bella also shine through when they realize how much they took their companions for granted; you never know what you're missing until you realize it too late. And them singing together was a great moment for both of them.
Admittedly, I did focus more on the character moments than the actual story itself, but the former really lifted up the latter in my eyes to help see it through. I don't know whether or not it's sad or ironic that the two best international episodes thus far (Crowning Around being the other) didn't feature Thomas playing a big role, but if future international episodes are like them, then that should be good enough for me. I just hope they keep that in mind for season 24 onwards...!
Rating: Excellent (10/10)
We go from amazing to average. I mean, Thomas' attempts at trying to sing opera just come off as hard to listen to, not to mention how jarring it is since Thomas has sung really well in the past. Then again, it could've been because they were musical sequences conveying how he felt in The Great Race, Journey Beyond Sodor and Big World! Big Adventures!. Either way, it's still jarring.
That being said, there are funny moments to be found like - in a kind of dark way - the little girl's balloon popping after Thomas sings badly again, and Thomas trying to convey a message to Stefano despite his sore voice. That's a nice little message being conveyed here; work around a problem you've brought upon yourself to get a message across.
Overall, it's a very average episode and a kind of anti-climactic way to end the Italy adventures. The message is a good one for kids to learn, but only if they can tolerate Thomas' awful singing.
Rating: Okay (5/10)
So now we're officially introduced to Brenda the bulldozer after her premature debut in Mines of Mystery. And honestly, from day one, I thought it was a missed opportunity to bring back Byron into CGI. Maybe it was because he didn't have much to work with in the original Pack episodes of 2003? (Yes, I know they were released in 2006, but they were produced in 2003, so that's what I'm sticking with.) Would've been nice to see more depth to his character, but alas, we can only dream...
This other issue I have has nothing to do with the episode, but more to do with the fact that Tom Stourton is now voicing Alfie. He was voiced by Nathan Clarke in 2015 and 2016, but Tom Stourton has been part of the show since 2014! So why didn't Stourton voice Alfie from the get go? Perhaps they couldn't afford to keep Clarke in the voice cast? Given Mattel's track record with financial problems, it seems likely, which could explain why Bill and Ben are no longer voiced by Jonathan Broadbent.
Nitpicking aside, it's a nice enough story about misunderstandings and learning to work with your team (a pair of themes that should've been put to bed by now, but I digress). It was nice seeing Miss Jenny finally return to the show (why she didn't return with the Pack in Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure or season 20, I'll never know), and there were lots of funny moments like Max and Monty being stuck in the muddy field and Brenda commanding "None shall pass!" Not what she said, but the delivery reminded me of the Black Knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Rating: Excellent (9/10)
Does anyone remember that Trackmaster toy of Darcy when Digs & Discoveries was first announced to the public? Well, thank goodness that her actual render looked nothing like the toy, but there's something about her design that strikes a visual image that I don't even want to think about...!
That being said, Darcy is quite reckless when it comes to her surroundings. I mean, she nearly caused harm to Cranky (whilst she was being lowered onto her flatbed), James (whilst she was on her flatbed) and Max, and even nearly took out Miss Jenny at the end! For the last one, it's shrugged off like you accidentally bumped into someone! So many alarm bells are ringing to this nonchalance of personal safety and awareness.
However, there are still some good moments to be found; Nia relating to Darcy being a newbie to the team was great as they're maintaining their sense of continuity, and her sympathizing with Darcy after nearly causing an accident at the site was just sweet. Oh, and that fantasy with the Roadinator; so ridiculous it's funny.
Overall, it's one of the weaker episodes of this season. I wouldn't go so far as to calling it the worst as there are some genuinely good moments, but the concerns over personal safety and the unoriginal plot really dragged things down as a whole.
Rating: Bad (3/10)
The third Pack episode of the season, and it's the only one where Thomas actually interacts with any members of them. In the model episodes, he seemed to be kind of there half of the time, but in this episode, Thomas' appearance makes perfect sense. He's taking Jack and Alfie to the lead mines on the branchline and he even remembered the time he went past the danger sign. That was a nice touch.
There's... not really much to talk about in terms of story. It teaches the target audience about listening to instructions and staying safe in dangerous places, and it works for Max and Monty, especially when the latter gets trapped and ends up being rescued by Darcy, whom he and Max teased at the start. Now that's good karma right there. And what's even nicer is that the lesson stuck for both of them, unlike in Mucking About where they revert to where they once were at the start of said episode.
Oh, and that fantasy sequence where Monty ends up in Australia; that was so ridiculous and funny.
Rating: Excellent (9/10)
I actually love First Day on Sodor but that's my opinion.
ReplyDelete