It's finally here. After months' worth of strife, worry, arguing, and overall fandom controversy in general, we finally begin the twenty-second season of Thomas and Friends. Was it really worth the controversy, or were the fans being petty about nothing?
As a note before we begin, every episode of season 22 is going to have these, so I'll get that out of the way so as not to bog down every other review; the opening bit of Thomas talking to the audience is redundant. I'm sort of indifferent to the bit where Thomas talks about the episode's message to the audience - nice to reference older episodes, by the way! - but you could easily remove those bits, leaving a seven-minute episode and therefore lose nothing. I mean, isn't one of the goals to have a faster pacing? Why not have a segment about the workings of international railways or a retelling of a classic Railway Series story? (Yes, I've heard Mark Moraghan is staying on as Mr. Evans to replace the late Ben Forster; I bet Mark will do a great job in his own miniseries.) Along with the music videos, they might work better to fill out eleven minutes.
Now then, onto the episodes themselves!
Number One Engine
Written by Davey Moore
Isn't that fitting; the first episode of the season is appropriately called Number One Engine. Something I'll get out of the way is that for the overseas episodes, there will be five episodes based in China, and four episodes each in Australia and India. The other half of the season is based on Sodor. Now let's talk about the episode itself.
It's kind of a coincidence that the last season ended with a racing episode, and this season began with one as well. I'll admit this is nothing new for the series, but this time around, Thomas has a different reason to race Hong-Mei - he wants to prove he's the number one engine, and is encouraged by An An and Yin-Long (the green Chinese coaches) to take a shortcut with disastrous consequences.
Speaking of whom, I thought Hong-Mei made a positive first impression as a character. She looks like someone the writers could have fun writing for, and I would love to see how she and Yong Bao (who's suddenly gained more personality and charisma than Ashima ever had) interact when Thomas isn't visiting. Heck, Hong-Mei even apologizes for causing Thomas' accident when a stone flies out of her trucks.
But the characters who stood out to me the most were An An and Yin-Long. When Thomas boasts about flying over the moon (in a reference to The Great Race and E.T.), the coaches laugh and call him out for exaggerating. And when he derails, they apologize for encouraging him to take the shortcut.
An An and Yin-Long are quite a contrast to Annie and Clarabel, who prevent Thomas from doing stupid things and landing in trouble... most of the time. An An and Yin-Long, however, encourage Thomas to try and beat Hong-Mei using the shortcut, but it doesn't work and they end up derailing. It's also nice that Hong-Mei stopped to help Thomas and the coaches out of their situation; helping others is more important than winning, and sometimes, two number ones is better than just one.
I'll admit the episode is rather character-driven, but I still think it's a good start to what looks to be an interesting season. Although Thomas is our narrator, they don't overshadow the story and let the visuals tell the story for us. Though I do think the narrator should be phased out altogether...
Rating: Good
Forever and Ever
Written by Andrew Brenner
How about that? After being absent from season 21, Andrew Brenner is back on the writing team! During seasons 19 and 20, his writing felt very inconsistent at times; not that it was bad (unless we're talking about The Other Side of the Mountain and Three Steam Engines Gruff), but he seemed to lose his way at times. So how does Forever and Ever, after being absent a season, stack up?
Put simply, it's controversial, to say the least. Not the sort of fandom controversy like we got in The Other Side of the Mountain or Rocky Rescue. I mean, this is legitimate controversy. It's been interpreted by many fans as an "attack the critics" episode we get from Teen Titans Go! or My Little Pony's Fame and Misfortune. I don't really see it as one, frankly, but I get why it would rub some people the wrong way; keep in mind that the episode was written long before the fandom outcry blew up online. The intention behind Forever and Ever is to address those on the autism spectrum who've had to deal with changes in their lives. Parents being divorced, one of them dying, friends moving away, etc. And they did that brilliantly... for the most part.
Having moved state last year, I can tell you that the episode's theme (as well as Nia's position) is very personal for me. In California, house rentals are more expensive than they are in Oregon, and given that my father is now in his early fifties, he was rather desperate to move up north, as was my mother. I went along with it mostly cause the weather would be cooler, though it did mean leaving a lot of my close friends from California behind. I've accepted that I'll still have close contact with them online and have made new friends in Oregon; I haven't looked back since.
Onto the episode itself; I personally think Gordon was in character here; he's an engine who isn't fond of change and isn't shy about making his stance clear in the likes of Henry Gets the Express and, as much as it's terrible, Edward Strikes Out. His overreaction to Henry moving to Vicarstown (at least we know where he's going to sleep now) is over the top and fun to watch, especially when others like Annie, Clarabel and Paxton react to his tantrum. And of course, Sir Topham will have none of Gordon's pettiness; I love it when he does his job as a railway controller and not acting like an over the top buffoon. That is something we need to see more often.
As mentioned earlier, Nia's position is relatable. She's adjusted to life on Sodor in a surprisingly quick time, and even though she misses her friends back in Africa, Nia knows they're with her in spirit. The twist at the end where she teases Gordon alongside Thomas was very unexpected and funny; again, some will be rubbed the wrong way about this, but Thomas has had issues with Gordon in the past, though he could've been a little more sensitive about his situation.
Another surprising thing was that besides the episode title, there was no narration throughout the episode. It had to rely on character dialogue throughout the seven minutes, again, proving my point that a narrator these days isn't really needed. But as for the new engine at the end? As a certain drummer for the Beatles once said, "that's another story." Overall, it's a controversial episode in the series, but I personally didn't have any major gripes besides Henry moving to Vicarstown feeling like an afterthought. I think some fans need to chill out once in a while.
Put simply, it's controversial, to say the least. Not the sort of fandom controversy like we got in The Other Side of the Mountain or Rocky Rescue. I mean, this is legitimate controversy. It's been interpreted by many fans as an "attack the critics" episode we get from Teen Titans Go! or My Little Pony's Fame and Misfortune. I don't really see it as one, frankly, but I get why it would rub some people the wrong way; keep in mind that the episode was written long before the fandom outcry blew up online. The intention behind Forever and Ever is to address those on the autism spectrum who've had to deal with changes in their lives. Parents being divorced, one of them dying, friends moving away, etc. And they did that brilliantly... for the most part.
Having moved state last year, I can tell you that the episode's theme (as well as Nia's position) is very personal for me. In California, house rentals are more expensive than they are in Oregon, and given that my father is now in his early fifties, he was rather desperate to move up north, as was my mother. I went along with it mostly cause the weather would be cooler, though it did mean leaving a lot of my close friends from California behind. I've accepted that I'll still have close contact with them online and have made new friends in Oregon; I haven't looked back since.
Onto the episode itself; I personally think Gordon was in character here; he's an engine who isn't fond of change and isn't shy about making his stance clear in the likes of Henry Gets the Express and, as much as it's terrible, Edward Strikes Out. His overreaction to Henry moving to Vicarstown (at least we know where he's going to sleep now) is over the top and fun to watch, especially when others like Annie, Clarabel and Paxton react to his tantrum. And of course, Sir Topham will have none of Gordon's pettiness; I love it when he does his job as a railway controller and not acting like an over the top buffoon. That is something we need to see more often.
As mentioned earlier, Nia's position is relatable. She's adjusted to life on Sodor in a surprisingly quick time, and even though she misses her friends back in Africa, Nia knows they're with her in spirit. The twist at the end where she teases Gordon alongside Thomas was very unexpected and funny; again, some will be rubbed the wrong way about this, but Thomas has had issues with Gordon in the past, though he could've been a little more sensitive about his situation.
Another surprising thing was that besides the episode title, there was no narration throughout the episode. It had to rely on character dialogue throughout the seven minutes, again, proving my point that a narrator these days isn't really needed. But as for the new engine at the end? As a certain drummer for the Beatles once said, "that's another story." Overall, it's a controversial episode in the series, but I personally didn't have any major gripes besides Henry moving to Vicarstown feeling like an afterthought. I think some fans need to chill out once in a while.
Rating: Excellent
Confusion Without Delay
Written by Davey Moore
Well, what do you know; I guess we might have one of the best episodes of the entire show! Confusion Without Delay is a fantastic episode from start to finish. I could end my review right there and leave it at that, but that would sound unprofessional.
First off the list is Rebecca the Bulleid engine; it's only her debut story, but already I love her. Her livery is very Sunset Shimmer-esque, but personality wise, she reminds me of Minuette from My Little Pony's Amending Fences. She's eager to please her peers and fit in, especially after hearing how great they are. My friend Mike (Rarityfan1992) suspected she might be voiced by Lucy Montgomery, but as it turns out, it's Rachael Miller (who voiced one of the rally cars in Big World! Big Adventures!) voicing Rebecca instead. And she does a fantastic job of it.
It's really funny how whenever Rebecca unintentionally gets in the way, she has a lot of characters to play off against like Diesel; both he and Rebecca come off as Literal Minded by calling each other "Diesel I Think You'll Find" and "Rebecca By The Way", respectively (though it could be sarcasm from both ends). And yes, it was great to see Flying Scotsman again, especially when Rebecca stands up for Gordon and leaves the famous engine in shock.
And although Gordon's role is minor compared to the previous episode, he still served his role quite nicely. He's still trying to get used to changes (he's wary of Rebecca from the start) and gets annoyed by Scotsman's teasing. But when she stands up for him and knocks Scotsman's ego down a peg, Gordon changes his tune and thinks having Rebecca as an express partner might not be so bad after all.
The moral itself shines as well by emphasizing how important timetables are on a railway and how they must be followed. Rebecca was worried about running late, and so she arrives early so as not to upset Sir Topham - ironically, she does just that and even flusters him when trying to say "confusion and delay". Again, it's moments like these which make you like him. It's also another personal theme for me; when I head to college, there's an hourly bus service and I want to arrive as early as I can to avoid running late. It's most frustrating if you have to wait for an hour just to get where you want to go, believe me!
All in all, it's a contender for season 22's best (I wonder how they'll top it?) and I want more of Rebecca. Shame that they keep glossing over Henry's departure to Vicarstown with Rosie; that could be a great story for the future! Oh yeah, and James being cut off from using the turntable deserves its own mention; what is it with him and turntables anyway?
First off the list is Rebecca the Bulleid engine; it's only her debut story, but already I love her. Her livery is very Sunset Shimmer-esque, but personality wise, she reminds me of Minuette from My Little Pony's Amending Fences. She's eager to please her peers and fit in, especially after hearing how great they are. My friend Mike (Rarityfan1992) suspected she might be voiced by Lucy Montgomery, but as it turns out, it's Rachael Miller (who voiced one of the rally cars in Big World! Big Adventures!) voicing Rebecca instead. And she does a fantastic job of it.
It's really funny how whenever Rebecca unintentionally gets in the way, she has a lot of characters to play off against like Diesel; both he and Rebecca come off as Literal Minded by calling each other "Diesel I Think You'll Find" and "Rebecca By The Way", respectively (though it could be sarcasm from both ends). And yes, it was great to see Flying Scotsman again, especially when Rebecca stands up for Gordon and leaves the famous engine in shock.
And although Gordon's role is minor compared to the previous episode, he still served his role quite nicely. He's still trying to get used to changes (he's wary of Rebecca from the start) and gets annoyed by Scotsman's teasing. But when she stands up for him and knocks Scotsman's ego down a peg, Gordon changes his tune and thinks having Rebecca as an express partner might not be so bad after all.
The moral itself shines as well by emphasizing how important timetables are on a railway and how they must be followed. Rebecca was worried about running late, and so she arrives early so as not to upset Sir Topham - ironically, she does just that and even flusters him when trying to say "confusion and delay". Again, it's moments like these which make you like him. It's also another personal theme for me; when I head to college, there's an hourly bus service and I want to arrive as early as I can to avoid running late. It's most frustrating if you have to wait for an hour just to get where you want to go, believe me!
All in all, it's a contender for season 22's best (I wonder how they'll top it?) and I want more of Rebecca. Shame that they keep glossing over Henry's departure to Vicarstown with Rosie; that could be a great story for the future! Oh yeah, and James being cut off from using the turntable deserves its own mention; what is it with him and turntables anyway?
Rating: Excellent
Trusty Trunky
Written by Becky Overton
As much as I liked the previous three episodes, this one seemed rather... eh. There was a bit of awkward pacing in the last three episodes, but here, it seemed a lot more obvious. I'm not kidding; it takes around forty seconds before Narrator Thomas speaks up and the plot begins.
Not only that, Ashima's still just as bland as she was in The Great Race. You could swap her out with any of the other Indian engines and nothing would change; she's style over substance. It's rather hilarious how Rajiv (the one who didn't speak in TGR) has suddenly gained more personality in this episode than Ashima ever had in two years. Not an original personality, I admit, but the "crown" on his funny does give a reason for his arrogance, plus it's funny when he gets fussy about almost being splashed, and when earlier, Thomas says his crown will get an extra polish for helping him.
Then there's the rescue performed by Trusty Trunky the elephant. Many fans took it out of context to something I don't want to delve into, but it does show that animals are smarter than humans give credit for, and plus, she was using her body to help Thomas out of the jam he was in and gives him a washdown.
Overall, there isn't really much to say. It's so far one of season 22's weakest episodes, and the slower pacing turns me off slightly.
Not only that, Ashima's still just as bland as she was in The Great Race. You could swap her out with any of the other Indian engines and nothing would change; she's style over substance. It's rather hilarious how Rajiv (the one who didn't speak in TGR) has suddenly gained more personality in this episode than Ashima ever had in two years. Not an original personality, I admit, but the "crown" on his funny does give a reason for his arrogance, plus it's funny when he gets fussy about almost being splashed, and when earlier, Thomas says his crown will get an extra polish for helping him.
Then there's the rescue performed by Trusty Trunky the elephant. Many fans took it out of context to something I don't want to delve into, but it does show that animals are smarter than humans give credit for, and plus, she was using her body to help Thomas out of the jam he was in and gives him a washdown.
Overall, there isn't really much to say. It's so far one of season 22's weakest episodes, and the slower pacing turns me off slightly.
Rating: Okay
What Rebecca Does
Written by Davey Moore
Well, there's an episode that sparked some mild controversy online! Well, it's pretty mild compared to other "issues" within the fandom, but that's not what I'm here to talk about. If Forever and Ever and Confusion Without Delay are part of Rebecca's saga, then What Rebecca Does is part three. And it's pretty much the best of the trilogy. Heck, it may possibly be the best of season 22 to date! Sure, it's early to call it, but who knows?
Like her last outing, Rebecca's situation is very relatable for kids when she meets with Belle, Marion and Harvey. They have things that make them stand out and it makes Rebecca feel envious, hence the fantasy she has - though how does she know of Diesel 10's existence if he hasn't been around since 2013? But of course, Marion helps set Rebecca straight (as does Thomas) that it's her friendly demeanor that makes her special, especially after she compliments Daisy after the green railcar complains. Oh, and the workman who accidentally ends up in Marion's shovel deserves to be mentioned.
Although this bit is minor, it really is great to see Duck and Emily being friendly with one another, especially after the "joke" in Duck and the Slip Coaches. I do kinda wish it was Mark Huckerby and Nick Ostler writing it as their way of saying sorry, but maybe I shouldn't complain there. But please make an episode with them as the main characters!
The Steamworks bit is really interesting with Kevin willing to help Rebecca feel more special whilst Victor stands there whilst a workman is likely thinking "this is so stupid." And then Rebecca feels down before Marion and Thomas help cheer her up that she's special for what she is, not what she wants to do. Sure, it's similar to Best Engine Ever - my all time favorite episode of the show; this and Daisy's Perfect Christmas have stiff competition - but it works just as well for Rebecca's character.
I love the episode from start to finish; it's another one that I have no complaints about. Oh yeah, and Bill and Ben have changed voices since Jonathan Broadbent left the cast. I'll miss the Brummie accents he gave our favorite tank engine twins, but I suppose the new voices will take getting used to, and if a future episode is anything to go by, we may see more of them yet!
Like her last outing, Rebecca's situation is very relatable for kids when she meets with Belle, Marion and Harvey. They have things that make them stand out and it makes Rebecca feel envious, hence the fantasy she has - though how does she know of Diesel 10's existence if he hasn't been around since 2013? But of course, Marion helps set Rebecca straight (as does Thomas) that it's her friendly demeanor that makes her special, especially after she compliments Daisy after the green railcar complains. Oh, and the workman who accidentally ends up in Marion's shovel deserves to be mentioned.
Although this bit is minor, it really is great to see Duck and Emily being friendly with one another, especially after the "joke" in Duck and the Slip Coaches. I do kinda wish it was Mark Huckerby and Nick Ostler writing it as their way of saying sorry, but maybe I shouldn't complain there. But please make an episode with them as the main characters!
The Steamworks bit is really interesting with Kevin willing to help Rebecca feel more special whilst Victor stands there whilst a workman is likely thinking "this is so stupid." And then Rebecca feels down before Marion and Thomas help cheer her up that she's special for what she is, not what she wants to do. Sure, it's similar to Best Engine Ever - my all time favorite episode of the show; this and Daisy's Perfect Christmas have stiff competition - but it works just as well for Rebecca's character.
I love the episode from start to finish; it's another one that I have no complaints about. Oh yeah, and Bill and Ben have changed voices since Jonathan Broadbent left the cast. I'll miss the Brummie accents he gave our favorite tank engine twins, but I suppose the new voices will take getting used to, and if a future episode is anything to go by, we may see more of them yet!
Rating: Excellent
So with the first week of season 22 done, is it worth all the controversy being thrown its way? Quite frankly, no, it isn't. I think it's down to bad promotion that's getting fans riled up. Maybe if Mattel and United Nations didn't force agendas into our faces, there wouldn't be as much controversy surrounding the franchise in its current standing. For the record, you can blame that on the current political climate!
Still, I'll continue reviewing the current season for the sake of supporting the writing staff, and I wish them luck in making the most of this situation. Something tells me they'll need it for season 23...
Still, I'll continue reviewing the current season for the sake of supporting the writing staff, and I wish them luck in making the most of this situation. Something tells me they'll need it for season 23...
