S7 Ep.4: The Old Bridge

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND NOT FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FAN BASE

THE OLD BRIDGE

Written by

Paul Larson

Directed by

David Mitton 

Air Date:

11/10/03

Plot:

Skarloey is scared of the bridge as he was dangling dangerously when it was breaking. The Fat Controller was cross as Skarloey can't do his work and Rheneas has to do his work as well as his own. But Rheneas is stuck and Skarloey had to save him. 

PRO:

- The moral: Overcoming your fears.

CON:

- Despite the moral, Skarloey is out of character for this episode.

- How would a rotten wooden bridge hold Skarloey's weight?

- The US title 'The Old Iron Bridge' is just flawed.

This episode is filled with flaws, the moral is great I give credit for that, but why Skarloey? He suppose to be a wise old engine not to be scared of everything. The episode would be more suited if it were Duncan or Sir Handel if they were just being careless, kind of like Duncan in 'Trusty Rusty', which I'll review later. Plus the US title is entirely flawed, the bridge is clearly wooden and the video releases should've stuck with the original. 

Rating: 2/5

S7 Ep.3: Bill, Ben and Fergus

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND NOT FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FAN BASE

BILL, BEN AND FERGUS

Written by

Brian Trueman 

Directed by

David Mitton 

Air Date:

9/10/03

Plot:

Fergus arrived to help out with Bill, Ben and Mavis at the quarry. However, with Bill and Ben's cheekiness, the twins decided to play tricks on him. But one day, Fergus was saying 'Do it right!' which annoys the twins. But when the twins collected a rock crusher, they decided to 'do it wrong'. But their trick got down in the wrong way when rocks were starting to fall and Fergus saved them. 

PRO:

- The moral is: listening to your elders.

CON:

- It's a shame the writer couldn't come up with a backstory for Fergus. 

- 'You don't know the twins like I do' in the Railway Series, yes. But in the TV series, No.

- Arthur being in the background. 

Another nice episode, despite that Fergus was saying 'Do it right!' many times, but at least it wasn't as repetitive then Ferdinand's lines in 'Misty Island Rescue'. I do like the moral of the story however. Fergus is pretty wise in this episode and is dedicated to do things right and with Bill and Ben's cheekiness, it works. Judging by the respective basises the engines have, Fergus is really the elder of the twins, with his basis, 'The Blue Circle' being built in 1926 and Bill and Ben being 'Alfred and Judy' being built in 1937 and 1953, but that's just me saying that stuff. 

Rating: 4/5

S7 Ep.2: Percy Gets It Right

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND NOT FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FAN BASE

PERCY GETS IT RIGHT

Written by

Paul Larson

Directed by

David Mitton 

Air Date:

6/10/03

Plot:

The tracks on Toby's line is wobbly, but none of the other engines and the Fat Controller don't believe him. Until Thomas was stuck in a landslide as he was to take a bull to market. 

PRO:

- The moral: listening. 

CON:
- N/A

The episode just has one word, nice. I love the moral of the story as well, listening, it helps kids to know that you must listen to people when it comes to emergencies. 

Rating: 4/5

S7 Ep.1: Emily's New Coaches

2003 was the end of the classic era of the show. This was the last season to end with David Mitton as director and Mike O' Donnell and Junior Campbell with the music. Series 7 introduce us to many new characters such as Emily, Arthur, Murdoch, Spencer and so on. This was also the first season to be under control by HIT Entertainment. Well, let's see Season 7 of Thomas the Tank Engine or Thomas & Friends as it's now called, but first, here's the warning:

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND NOT FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FAN BASE

EMILY'S NEW COACHES

Written by

Jan Page

Directed by

David Mitton 

Air Date:

4/10/03

Plot:

A new engine named Emily arrived on Sodor. But when she took Annie and Clarabel, no engine whistled back to her and she was upset. Until she found out from Oliver that the coaches she was hauling were Thomas' coaches. As Emily is finding Thomas so she can apologise, Oliver was broken down and thanks to Emily, he almost had a near miss collision. Emily was rewarded with brand new coaches.

PRO:

- Emily's characterisation

- Seeing how much Thomas cares for Annie and Clarabel

- The near miss was filmed spectacularly.

 CON:

- Why can't the Fat Controller tell Thomas that the coaches are for Emily or for any reason?

The episode was great and I do love Emily, the character and the basis, the Stirling single, which can be seen at the National Railway Museum, York. I do like how Thomas cares so much for his two coaches and when someone takes them, he gets cross. The near miss, I love the camera work, David Mitton did a spectacular job on making it so dramatic. The story is also simple and I do enjoy watching. But there is one thing that bothers me. When Thomas was asked to collect new coaches, why can't he tell him who they are for? Or what they are needed for? But still, again, I enjoy the episode and I do the love the character of Emily, a kind sweet loving engine, until her personality change in S8 the next year. 

Rating: 4/5

S6 Ep.26: Faulty Whistles + Overall

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND NOT FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FAN BASE

FAULTY WHISTLES

Written by

Ross Hastings

Directed by

David Mitton 

Air Date:

13/10/02

Plot:

Peter Sam lost his whistle as a low tree branch knocked it. This made Duncan boastful and was playing around with his whistle, which blew out into the sky and disappeared. So Headmaster Hastings played the organ as Duncan's whistle. 

 PRO:

- The episode could be loosely based off 'Mike's Whistle' 

CON:

- Three strikes.

When I first saw this episode in 2002, it did remind me of 'Mike's Whistle' a lot. The episode was nice and it shows how whistles are important to an engine, something that the recent Thomas episodes are missing out on, hopefully they have an episode like this in S17. But there is one con and its not a huge one, but there were three strikes, but it's not as annoying as S13 - 16. 

Rating: 4/5

OVERALL

Season six is just what Thomas the Tank Engine really is, simple stories, just like the first two seasons. Yes many people say S5 is great because of the stories and the dramatic accidents, but kids would love to see a simple story with some realistic morals. Sure there are episodes in this season that have off rail moments, but at least they are as not over the top as S5. I do hope that when S17 airs this year, the story lining would be at a scale of S6 and S7, but I can dream can I? 

However, there is one con with the season and that is the models. In the first five seasons we see them with glossy paint work, like real steam locomotives, but from S6 - 12 they look like toys, despite that in the newer episodes around S11 - 12 that they were doing that. But the models look so bland without the glossy paint and it makes them more realistic with it. 

The settings were nice, out of all the sets in this season, I love the slate mines, to me, it really gives me that welsh atmosphere. Despite the limit of four trucks.

The narration, as I said before, Alec Baldwin doesn't seem to have much enthusiasm in this season. He's a great actor, but just not the best storyteller. Michael Angelis on the other hand is filled with enthusiasm and great narration, I wish people know his acting more in the series.

Shame with the 'Jack and The Pack' series, here we see two episodes for the planned spin-off, which never happened until 2006 when more episodes were released on DVD. Those two episodes really show something that the younger audience would enjoy and they can look up to Jack as a role model. 

But S6 would go down as my favourite post-Awdry era of the series. It shows simple stories with great morals. 

OVERALL RATING:

94/100

S6 Ep.25: Rusty Saves The Day

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND NOT FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FAN BASE

RUSTY SAVES THE DAY

Written by

Phil Frehle 

Directed by

David Mitton 

Air Date:

11/10/02

Plot:

The Fat Controller closed down Skarloey and Rheneas line and they both work at the quarry. But one, there is to be a blasting for two weeks at the quarry and so Rusty and the two old engines decided to restore the old line. Thanks to Elizabeth who helped out in the end after she thought it was a waste of time. 

PRO:

- A great moral about 'helping out others'

CON:

- Since when does the Fat Controller closed down lines? 

- Since when did Skarloey and Rheneas own a branch line?

- 'Rusty could see they were not happy' yet the two engines are still smiling.

- If Rusty can't work at the quarry and the old engines line at the same time, why can't Peter Sam, Sir Handel (if he was there at the time) and Duncan help out? 

The episode has many flaws and some persona changes too, but not like in the recent series of the show. First off, why would the Fat Controller close down lines? Is he the Dr. Beeching of Sodor (Look up the man if you don't know who he is) He re-opened a branch line in the RWS book 'Oliver the Western Engine', unless if he has money trouble for their line. However it does have a great moral, even though its a bit cliche at times when you think about it. 

Rating: 2.5/5

S6 Ep.24: Dunkin' Duncan

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND NOT FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FAN BASE 

DUNKIN' DUNCAN

Written by
Jenny McDade

Directed by
David Mitton 

Air Date:
9/10/02

Plot:
Rusty, Skarloey and Rheneas are to help Duncan at the slate mines. However, Duncan's rudeness got them and they were annoyed. But Duncan got himself into trouble later on.

PRO:
- The new style of the incline.
- Duncan's accident.

CON:
- Why is there a limit of four trucks for the incline?

The episode is OK, I like the new style of the incline and the setting makes me think of Wales. Duncan's accident was great too, I know I said that accident does make the episode a bit exciting, but overuse it too much it would make kids scared or not exciting, like in Series five, but this season shows less amount of accidents and not being over the top. But I don't know why that there is a limit of four trucks for the incline where as in the fourth season, they showed more amount of trucks. 

Rating: 3/5

S6 Ep.23 Edward The Very Useful Engine

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND NOT FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FAN BASE

EDWARD THE VERY USEFUL ENGINE

Written and Directed By

David Mitton 

Air Date:

7/10/02

Plot:

Gordon and the other engines decided that Edward should retire. But Gordon has a little mishap with Duck on Gordon and Edward came to the rescue

PRO:

- Edward showing another of his real heroic actions

- A moral that 'old things can be good.'

CON:

- Why did Edward say 'It's good to be back'? was he happy that he's back with the trucks?

- Stepney is not part of the Fat Controller's railway.

Even though this episode is not as strong as 'Edward's Exploit', it is still better then 'Edward the Hero'. However, this episode does show another heroic moment from Edward. The episode is great, it has a perfect moral for it and kids from the target should look up to the classic Edward persona. It's a shame that this is David Mitton's final script for the show. I still don't like in the post Awdry how the treated Stepney like he's from the Fat Controller's railway, he should be treated as a preserved engine and maybe have episodes of himself visiting the island, not just him working their permanently.

Rating: 4/5

S6 Ep.22: Thomas The Jet Engine

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND NOT FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FAN BASE

THOMAS THE JET ENGINE

Written by

Phil Ferhle

Directed by

David Mitton 

Air Date:

5/10/02

Plot:

Thomas wishes to be as fast as Gordon and he had got his wish when he was taking a jet engine.

PRO:

- N/A

CON:

- Thomas' wheels would've melted during the fast run.

- Going at such speed with curves would make Thomas derailed dramatically.

For those people who are new to Thomas or for those people who are Thomas fans and seen HiT's writers saying 'Special Special' in every single episode of Thomas nowadays, this is the first episode to have that word in it and at that time HIT was never the owners of the Thomas series when the sixth season was in production, just a fact. This episode is just one of the most unrealistic episodes in the sixth series, Thomas' wheels would've melted during the fast run and going at that speed in real life could damage an engine dramatically.

Rating: 3.5/5

S6 Ep.21: Thomas, Percy and The Squeak

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND NOT FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FAN BASE

THOMAS, PERCY AND THE SQUEAK

Written by
Jenny McDade

Directed by
David Mitton 

Air Date:
1/10/02

Plot:
Thomas was chosen to take Alicia Botti to the castle for a concert. However, Thomas heard a squeaking noise which turned out to be mouse!

PRO:
- Gordon saying 'Definitely a coloratura' gave a bit of a chuckle 

CON:
- How did the mouse get into Clarabel?
- Alec Baldwin's narration 

While I was reviewing this episode, I was watching the US version of the show and to be honest, no offence to the American Thomas fans who reads this, but, Alec Baldwin doesn't show any enthusiasm, sure it was in a few places, but he sounds like he was bored stiff during the recording of the episode. I do like him as an actor and he's a funny one too, but I'm not a big fan of his narration and when you see the UK version of the episode, Michael Angelis has so much enthusiasm that it made this episode great.  Gordon's little joke about Alicia Botti give a bit of a chuckle though

Rating: 4/5

My Views On: King of The Railway Trailer

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND NOT FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FAN BASE

After the success of 'Blue Mountain Mystery', it has been announced in late 2012 that a new special is in the works entitled 'King of The Railway', written by Andrew Brenner and with new animation by Arc Productions. Now, a trailer has been leaked onto YouTube by SnowflakeTH and here's my reaction to the trailer: 

As we all know the story, so far, a castle is to be restored by the Earl of Sodor, Sir Robert Norramby with his own engines, Millie, Stephen and the two American locomotives, which are not featured in the trailer. Andrew Brenner did stick with his word about researching on the TTTE Wikia with the location's names, just like in the new series of the show in series nine. 

Mille, so far, seems to be OK and Stephen does seem likeable as well. I don't know about the other characters that are to be featured, but so far, I believe the ones now look interesting. The most important thing now is the new animation. This movie won't be made by Nitrogen due to Greg Tiernan's decision and so the animation was moved to Arc Productions. I'll be honest, I feel mixed about the animation, it looks more like a video game or a too animated episode. But the people do look good like the Fat Controller and the Earl of Sodor and Spencer does look very Nitrogen studios like. But in my honest opinion, Nitrogen did the animation for the show better. But granted it is their first movie. But the faces of the engines still have the Nitrogen Studios feeling but it tends to be a bit brighter, much like the ones of 'Muddy Matters' DVD cover in the US, though that could be the contrast of the video. I'm not writing off the animation team's work here we have eight months till this movie's release in September so things might be different.

There are a few things I find different from Nitrogen's work. The grass looks more realistic and the smoke from the engines were done well and not that chunk of white that Nitrogen did. Plus the rails don't look chunky at all too. So there is somethings to look forward too. But I still think they can't top Nitrogen, but we'll have to wait and see how the animation is when its released. 

Plus the trucks look troublesome again and I think so far the story looks good and promising too and the theme music sounds more epic. But, I have to wait in mid/late 2013 for the movie's release. If you like to see the trailer, please click the link below:

King of The Railway Trailer

KING OF THE RAILWAY

ON DVD IN SEPTEMBER 2013.

S6 Ep.20: Toby Had A Little Lamb

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND NOT FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FAN BASE

TOBY HAD A LITTLE LAMB

Written by

Jenny McDade

Directed by

David Mitton 

Air Date:

26/09/02

Plot:

Farmer McColl's sheep is going to be giving birth soon and he need a vet right away, but the snow was thick and the phone lines were down. Toby tried ways to help the sheep.

PRO:

- Duck having a snowplough was a nice feature.

CON:

- Toby knew his 'old branch line' like "the back of his buffers" but he forgot about the old bridge.

- Wouldn't Toby go to his old branch line in the first place?

The episode is a warm hearted one, but their are a couple of flaws with the episode and Duck scene was kind of pointless to have in the episode since Toby should've gone to his old branch line, which by the way never had one on the island as he really works on Thomas' branch line, in the first place. But the episode was nice, a great moral for kids to help others when it comes to difficult weather.

Rating: 3.5/5

S6 Ep.19: Buffer Bother

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINION AND NOT FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FAN BASE

BUFFER BOTHER

Written By

Ross Hastings

Directed By

David Mitton

 Air Date:
24/09/02

Plot:
Ben went to the works to get some new buffers as his old ones had been damaged. But Bill was envy as he wanted new buffers too.

PRO:
- I do like the continuity of Bill and Ben not being at the china clay works.
- Ben's new buffers look great!
- A great moral for kids saying 'You can't always get what you want.'

CON:
N/A

Why do I like the continuity? Well despite that Bill and Ben still have their SCC livery with them, they work at the quarry now since the China clay works (In the TV series, they still work at the China Clay pits in the RWS, around the time of publication a few years back.) had been buried and damaged due to a rock slide in the third season, Bill and Ben were given a new lease of life at the quarry. But that's just me. I do like Ben's new buffers, but I knew that later on they will be forgotten. But all in all, the episode is great and Mavis' maturity is really growing during the time of the classic era. 

Rating: 4/5

Ep.18: Percy's Chocolate Crunch

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND NOT FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FAN BASE

PERCY'S CHOCOLATE CRUNCH

Written by

Brain Trueman 

Directed by

Michael Angelis

Air Date:

20/9/02

Plot:

Percy complains when he is restricted to one washdown a day, but gets dirtier than ever when he takes a load to the chocolate factory.

PRO:

- The crash was great and Percy covered in chocolate was a laugh

CON:

- It's illogical of someone to build a factory at the end of the hill?

- There was no 'luckily no one was hurt' to the crew and people on Percy and the factory.

- Three strikes and alliteration

Originally to be known as 'Puff Puff Pastry', which has alliteration in it, but the second title sounds a bit catchy. The crash was great, but there could've been people who can get badly hurt by the crash. There was also the three strikes (Percy getting covered in coal, ashes and chocolate coating) and alliteration (James: "You're a pouty puffer Percy".) But the episode is good and I do enjoy it. 

Rating: 4/5

S6 Ep.17: Gordon Takes A Tumble

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND NOT FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FAN BASE

GORDON TAKES A TUMBLE

Written by

Robin Kingsland 

Directed by

David Mitton 

Air Date:

16/9/02

Plot:

Salty gives Gordon advice, but Gordon refuses to listen.

CON:

- The crash was great.

- The episode's moral's about 'Everyone can't be perfect'.

CON:

- It wouldn't take Gordon the whole day to deliver one line of trucks.

- The episode proves that Signalman are lazy and that drivers and fireman don't exist.

The episode would've been better if the accident took place at night with the thick fog and all as it doesn't take the whole day to deliver trucks, but I give credit to the crash. Plus this episode shows that the crew members of the NWR are just lazy people. The signalman didn't switch the points away from the old branch line, and why should he since the line is in bad condition, and Gordon's driver and fireman didn't stop him or slowing him down. 

The episode is fine, but it has some flaws. 

Rating: 3.5/5

S6 Ep.16: Jack Frost

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND NOT FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FAN BASE

JACK FROST

Written by

Paul Larson 

Directed by

David Mitton 

Air Date:

13/9/02

Plot:

James is frightened when he sees a snowed-under Percy and mistakes him for Jack Frost.

PRO:

- The snowy backdrops are great.

CON:

- It's impossible to have foam around Percy

- How come James doesn't know that it was easily Percy under the ice?

This episode gave me a speculation since day one. When the narrator says 'Meanwhile James was puffing along his route'. The upward camera angle reminds me of 'Thomas, Terence and The Snow', you have the single track and the snow. Here's the picture for what I meant:

The episode is OK, but there are a few flaws. How on earth does James not know that Percy was all iced up, there is the shape and Percy being stupid in believing Jack Frost is real. The writers should've watched the earlier seasons to make sure the characters personalities are right. I don't hate the episode, but there are a few flaws in the episodes that is just on the OK level. 

 Rating: 3/5

S6 Ep.15: James and The Red Balloon

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND NOT FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FAN BASE

JAMES AND THE RED BALLOON 

Written by

Jenny McDade

Directed by

David Mitton 

Air Date:

12/9/02

Plot:

Thomas and James are scared a hot-air balloon will steal their passengers.

PRO:

- The Red Balloon theme is calming and relaxing.

- The story reminds me of Christopher Awdry's 'James and The Balloon'

CON:

- Stepney's cameo is just pointless.

- Why would Duck ran into the back of Stepney, wouldn't his driver stop him?

This episode is certainly one of my all time favourites, another simple story with a calming and relaxing theme, I wish Mike O' Donnell and Junior Campbell released the theme on CD and the story did remind me of 'James and The Balloon' a story by Christopher Awdry. I love this episode, I love the balloon and I enjoy watching it many times.

Rating: 5/5

S6 Ep.14 Middle Engine

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND NOT FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FAN BASE

MIDDLE ENGINE

Written by

Brain Trueman 

Directed by

David Mitton 

Air Date:

10/9/02

Plot:

'Arry and Bert play tricks on Percy and James by shunting trucks in front of them.

PRO:

- N/A

CON:

- So 'push/pull' services don't exist on the island?

- Why would trucks be left behind Percy? 

- Would be more easier for the foreman to turn off the loading ramp if Percy's on it?

I find the episode average. For those people who don't know the 'push/pull' service, here is a picture to prove it:

The story is OK, but there are some lacks of railway operation. If Percy is shouting for help on the loading ramp, why can't the foreman turn the thing off? It's not that hard is it? 

Rating: 2.5/5

S6 Ep.13: Percy and The Haunted Mine

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND NOT FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FAN BASE

PERCY AND THE HAUNTED MINE

Written by

Robyn Charteries

Directed by
David Mitton 

Air Date: 
6/9/02

Plot:
Percy is spooked by a mine that sinks into the ground.

PRO:
- N/A

CON:
- Donald and Douglas' role would be more suiting for Bill and Ben.
- Percy should've not believed the scottish twins stories, as he learned it from 'Percy and The Signal' from Gordon and James about 'backing signals'
- Who would leave vent vans of garden gnomes at the old mines?

I don't hate the episode, but I'm not into it. The episode has many flaws with the characters and the stories, Donald and Douglas, sure they can get cheeky, but you expect the kind of jokey behaviour from Bill and Ben and plus how Percy didn't want to believe in the twin's story, but he couldn't help it. OK, maybe the writers didn't do their research of Thomas episodes in the past, but you have veterans like David Mitton, Steve Asquith, Terry Permane, Mike O' Donnell and Junior Campbell, who worked on the show since the dawn of the series, to help out with the writers. 

The episode's setting was great, though the mines collapsing would scare kids of the target range. I don't live on a coal mining town, but I do visit one, the Hunter Valley is a very famous coal mining region. I sometimes visit there on special occasions, mainly the 'Hunter Valley Steamfest'. 

Rating: 2.5./5

S6 Ep.12 Scaredy Engine

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND NOT FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FAN BASE

SCAREDY ENGINE

Written by

Robin Kingsland

Directed by

David Mitton 

Air Date:

4/10/02

Plot:

Thomas, Duck and Percy were sent to the smelters to take some steel. Thomas teased Percy about ghosts, but Thomas got his own back when he stayed at the smelters to finish up, thanks to Duck.

PRO:

- I do like the spooky atmosphere of the smelters.

CON:
- The ghost engine was lazily modelled.
- How would and old steam whistle blow by itself?

- Though the smelters would been too spooky towards the target range. 

Remember when I said last year that Thomas episodes with a scary story doesn't scare me? Well this one did, just a little though. The atmosphere of the smelters with the red glow and the music does give it a spooky feeling. Though I do have to say, it was lazy of how they used the ghost engine. When you look at the engine in the TV-tie in books, it's obviously one of scottish twins without a tender. The episode is good, but I believe the target range might get scared of the episode's visuals.

Rating: 3/5 

S6 Ep.11: The World's Strongest Engine

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND NOT FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FAN BASE

THE WORLD'S STRONGEST ENGINE

Written by

Paul Larson

Directed by

David Mitton 

Air Date:

27/8/02

Plot:

Diesel returns and tries to prove that diesels are stronger than steam engines.

PRO:

- N/A

CON:

- Why bother another dockyard diesel?

- How would Henry be repaired in one day?

- How did Diesel get to the front and when earlier the line of trucks are blocking it?

The episode is confusing. First off, Diesel being a 'proper dockyard diesel'? They have introduced Salty as a dockyard diesel so why bother making Diesel? Unless the repairs weren't in need of severe mending, Henry can't be mended in just one day. 

The episode is OK, but there are many strange things. 

Rating: 3/5

S6 Ep.10: Twin Trouble

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND NOT FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FAN BASE

TWIN TROUBLE

Written by

Brain Trueman 

Directed by

David Mitton 

Air Date:

24/8/02

Plot:

Donald and Douglas fall out after an accident.

PRO:

- N/A

CON:

- The episode feels like 'One Good Turn'

- Why wouldn't Duck pull Donald back on the rails?

I've heard from many people that this is the first time Donald and Douglas worked away from each other. There has been other stories both in the TV series and the Railway Series such as like 'Escape', 'Bluebells of England', 'Mountain Engine' and so on, the last two are the RWS stories and also the first, but that was also a TV series episode, for people who don't know too much about the Thomas brand. Plus the plot feels like a rehash of 'One Good Turn' if you've seen the episode then you'll know what I and other people in the fan base mean. 

To be honest when I first saw this episode I thought it was going to be about Bill and Ben. The title is really something for them. I have no problems with the episode it was great to see Donald and Douglas having an episode to themselves, even if Thomas' appearance is really unneeded in this episode. 

 Rating: 3/5

S6 Ep.9: It's Only Snow

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND NOT FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FAN BASE

IT'S ONLY SNOW

Written by

James Mason 

Directed by

David Mitton 

Air Date:

23/8/02

Plot:

Thomas encounters trouble in the snow with his faulty snowplough.

PRO:

- Despite the unrealism, you can see the dedication of Thomas wanting to give the tree to the villagers.

CON:

- Since when Toby has a branch line on Sodor? 

- How can a rock smash a snowplough off? 

- It's unrealistic of Thomas to shove the snow with a snowplough.

The episode that has the mention of the infamous 'Winter Holiday' in the episode, with a Christmas tree mentioned in it as well, but at least they didn't say it over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. The episode is a firm favourite since day one when it aired here in Australia back in 2002. There were some unrealistic moments and a little crash, but it shows a bit of a simple story and I do love the snow setting and how Thomas is determined to bring the tree to the villagers not children. I don't know why they're referring Toby having a branch line? 

I know maybe the writer had never even researched the show, but Toby's line is closed down and he now works on Thomas' line. Maybe it would be better that way instead what its like on the episode. But its a firm favourite, it has a simple story line and shows the kids how determined Thomas is. Much better then his persona around S9 - 16 :P 

Rating: 4/5

S6 Ep.8: A Friend In Need

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND NOT FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FAN BASE

A FRIEND IN NEED

Written by
Phil Ferhle, Abi Grant and Johnathan Trueman

Directed by
Steve Asquith 

Air Date:
20/8/02

Plot:
Jack tries to prove his worth after Ned nearly causes an accident with the bridge.

PRO:
- Seeing the determination of Jack saving a friend.

CON:
- It's kind of unrealistic though of Jack to put his bucket up to hold the bridge

Another fantastic episode. Jack could be a positive role model for kids seeing him with full determination of saving a friend, something that the 9th - 16th series was missing out on. But it is unrealistic of Jack holding his bucket towards the bridge though :P But anyway its a great episode and like I said in my last review, its a shame that they didn't get the spin-off for it. 

Rating: 5/5

S6 Ep.7: Jack Jumps In

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND NOT FROM

THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FAN BASE

JACK JUMPS IN

Written by

Phil Ferhle, Johnathan Trueman and Abi Grant

Directed by

Steve Asquith 

Air Date:

17/8/02

Plot:

Jack the front loader is eager to be really useful, but soon learns his mistake.

PRO:

- A great moral lesson about being eager to do something. 

 CON:

- N/A

Another fantastic episode. This episode was to be part of a proposed spin-off. The idea also went down with the idea of giving Bertie the Bus and Harold the Helicopter a spin off show too, which I would've love to see. I will be reviewing the other episodes later on in the year after these, it may be a few months away though. But this episode has another moral background that kids even today would look up too about being eager to work that it can end up as an accident. 

The models of the construction vehicles are amazing and there should be more episodes like these in future as I know, as I heard, Andrew Brenner, the current head writer of Thomas & Friends had worked on it and he will be returning them in his new DVD special 'King of The Railway'. Maybe they could make a spin-off as many people had panned the spin-off as it looks related to 'Bob The Builder', another brand of HIT's. I don't like how the way so many people find other shows a rip-off. You may as well see many people saying 'Chugginton' is a rip-off of Thomas because it's a train with a face, but engines with faces happened even before the Railway Series was made.

However, the episode is great and it has a perfect moral background for kids even to this day will look at. 

Rating: 5/5