Thomas & Friends Season 23: The Last Episodes

Digs & Discoveries and Steam Team to the Rescue! might be behind us, but that doesn't mean we can't discuss the remaining episodes out of series 23! Can we end things on a good note?

I'll admit I was a bit disappointed that Tim Bain didn't return to write for Australia this season (at least he's still voicing Aiden), but it was still kind of surprising that the lady writers wrote for more than one country. And despite having one dud thus far (Thomas Makes a Mistake), I think Camille and Rose are good writers.

There's not much to talk about with the story, which is basically Shane not filling up on coal and paying the price for it, but the character moments really shine through.

Shane, for example, seems to have gained a slightly cocky personality which, honestly, isn't too bad. It adds a bit more depth to an already likable character, and it helped that he had three other characters to bounce off of.

Although Shane's the story's lead character, Thomas is present as expected, but unlike most appearances where he's pretty vanilla, he does express concern when Shane doesn't bother refilling on coal and even offers to share his when the big engine finally runs out in the middle of the desert. It's a good character moment for him, even in the current era, and the reference to Banjo and the Bushfire was a nice touch. (It's when he mentions Tamika, for the record.)

That being said, is this Thomas' first visit to Australia or his second? Considering that from this season onwards, he's been given new details like step ladders on his tanks and rivets all around him, it's never really made clear. I mean, it's easy to figure out when episodes like Kangaroo Christmas, Tiger Trouble, Thomas and the Dragon and Batucada take place if you do a bit of research on the smaller details.

Anyway, back to the story, and the characters that I felt stood out the most were Aubrey and Aiden. Seeing them get frustrated with Shane ignoring their concerns was funny, and when they arrive at a coal hopper without coal, they call him out for his ignorance, which was awesome. They may like a good joke once in a while and find non-Australian accents funny, but they know when to speak up when something is wrong. Little moments like that add a lot of depth to the story.

I can't talk about this episode without mentioning the fantasy sequence; it's not very over-the-top, but it's still funny. It also shows what happens when you're stuck in the desert with limited supplies. A situation like that can mess with your mind.

Rating: Excellent (9/10)

It looks as though the writers are about to give Nia more prominence, and considering how much attention Rebecca got last season, as well as the previous two episodes I covered, it seems fair. Her dynamic with Paxton was really good, and it's nice to see that she doesn't fall for Diesel's prank. It could be after Thomas and Ace ditched her in the Grand Canyon that she's sort of wised up a bit.

Speaking of wising up, is it just me, or is Paxton starting to become wiser? I mean, after Diesel bumps him, Paxton calls him out for it and says that he gives diesels a bad name. Not sure if that was intentional or not, but it's a nice bit of character growth for Paxton.

But the real star, of course, was Diesel. He still wants to be appreciated by his peers, but pulling petty pranks on the other engines is a habit he just can't shake off. And of course, he gets karma for pulling a joke on Nia and Paxton by being scared by their disembodied faces (at least, that's what he thinks they were) and doing his work as a response. And Diesel's reaction at the end where he realizes he'd been had was funny.

It's a fairly simple story that relied on the characters and humor, but it worked for the characters involved. Oh yeah, and Owen spoke for the first time since Long Lost Friend in season 18, now voiced by Rob Rackstraw. After Ben Small's departure, I thought Owen would never speak again, but I guess I was wrong. Though it does make me feel sad that the Skarloey Railway barely gets any focus these days...

Rating: Good (7/10)

Well, this is most unusual. No, not a dragon boat falling off of Yong Bao's train; that I can believe, but it's the fact that all of a sudden, Thomas misses Percy during one of his international adventures. In Big World! Big Adventures!, he never once thought about Percy or anyone back on Sodor until the end of said special, and heck, throughout the international half of season 22 and those from season 23 I've seen up to this point (it was seventh to air in America), Thomas seemed just fine. So why did they have to bring this up now, of all times?

To be fair, that's pretty harsh of me, because this episode's heart is in the right place. It shows that no matter how long it's been since you've left, you're bound to miss the friends you've got either back at home or at your previous hometown. That is something I can understand and relate to.

After being given a somewhat raw deal in season 22, Hong-Mei seems to have been given more character as opposed to just being competitive over being a blue tank engine with the number one. Seeing how much Thomas misses Percy, she tries to make him feel better by inviting him to the Dragon Boat Festival and even suggests that he send his best friend a postcard. That's what I've been liking about the international half of season 23 thus far; they're giving the international characters some more personality. (That being said, Ashima's personality is still quite dry.)

The fantasy sequence was also really good too; it's simple, but it works in that it delves into Thomas' thoughts about missing Percy and how much he wants to show him the sights of China, but it does raise questions as to why he doesn't get postcards from his international friends. I mean, it's an effective way of communicating with others, but why can't they have international episodes where he doesn't appear at all? It's not as if the international characters can't hold a story on their own.

Overall, I like this episode well enough. The story is relatable to the target audience, the implementation of Chinese culture didn't feel forced, and the characters were nice.

Rating: Good (8/10)

Jeez, what have they done with Percy? You'd think by this point he would've learned A) to take care in snowy conditions and B) not to jump to conclusions. I swear, they're making him excessively paranoid and completely forgetting what he learned in Tale of the Brave and season 18. And that's not even mentioning that he's never once freaked out before about working in snowy conditions before this episode. Can we at least have consistency with character development from previous seasons? All Percy had to do was ask one of the workmen where Thomas was and that would be it.

I know that this episode had good intentions, but if you can't make the story work with the character involved, use someone else instead. This could've worked much better if we had someone like Luke or Peter Sam being involved. Also, and this is nitpicky, but why is Nia acting like this is her first winter on Sodor? We saw her working in wintry conditions in Thomas' Animal Ark and Hunt the Truck!

Rating: Terrible (-1/10)

So here we go with the last episode of season 23, featuring Emily after not getting a lead role in the previous season. And it's... fine. Nothing particularly complex or compelling, but if you're looking for something to fill seven minutes, you'll get it here.

The story is basically Emily wanting to have an adventure of her own and then getting herself stuck. Nothing more to say. The fantasy sequence parodying Big World! Big Adventures! was a nice touch with Emily in Thomas' place, but those references to The Great Race are starting to get a bit old. Emily's situation about wanting her own adventure feels very relatable, and I should know; I don't like being cooped up at home for too long and so I long to venture outside for at least a few hours.

The ending lesson was really good; adventure can take on any form. Another smaller one (through the rangers) was working the situation you're in, especially after Emily derailed trying to move the fallen tree branch, and so the Sodor Rangers set up camp and even used the heat from Emily's smokebox to make tea. That was a nice touch.

I wish I had more to say, really. It's not Davey Moore's most exciting story, but there's not really a lot to hate either. It's a nice little slice of life story, and seeing Emily and Nia share a story together was great.

Rating: Good (8/10)