Thursday, 8 December 2016

S20 Ep.10: The Way She Does It

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

THE WAY SHE DOES IT
Written by
Davey Moore

Directed by
Dianna Basso

Produced by
Ian McCue (HIT)
Tracy Blagdon (Jam Filled)

Air Date:
25/11/16

Plot
When the Fat Controller asks Daisy to take some special passengers to the holiday town of Harwick, she decides that they are so special that she doesn't want to allow children eating ice lollies on board and refuses to pull a dusty baggage truck. Without props or an audience, the passengers' Punch and Judy puppet show can not go ahead. Will Daisy help out and save the day?

PRO
- Moral: Problem solving, don't get your hopes up 

CON
- Thomas could've been at Knapford instead
- Thomas' Misty Island reference was not really needed

Despite the two cons, I don't really hate this episode. It's another great one from Davey Moore who I think did great with Daisy. Her characterisation was spot on as usual and with her thinking she's going to take a group of entertainers it brings a good moral about not getting your hopes up. Throughout the episode Daisy was boasting about entertainers and how she was chosen for the job but it turns out to be something that she didn't expect. 

It's a good teaching moral for kids as well as solving a problem rather than fixing up a mistake. Plus there was some development into Daisy's character and I hope we see that in future and that was her laughing at her own flaws. The Punch and Judy setup was another British thing that they've added for the show and I hope we see more things like that as it's nice to show kids from an international point of view of where Thomas had come from. 

But there are problems within the episode too and of course they relate to Thomas. Yeah, you may say this is a nitpick but why have Thomas interacting with Daisy at Arelsbrugh west? When you can easily have Rex, Bert and Mike interacting or Duck or Oliver. They had Knapford later on so why not have Thomas there? Plus the Misty Island reference I think was not really needed. I don't know if its a jib at the previous era, which kids from that time would've grown out of it by now or towards the older fanbase but these types of jokes are getting old. It was fine with the special coal jib in 'King of The Railway' since we were just getting away from the Barlow/Miller era but now they aren't needed as the target audience now may not have ever heard of that island. 

But despite those two problems this episode was great. Well that's all of these episodes, stay tuned for my views on the Christmas episodes!!

Episode Ratings:
Sidney Sings - 8/10
The Way She Does It - 9/10

Overall Rating:
79/100