A Retrospective of Thomas & Friends DVDs of 2019

As we are ticking down to the end the year and the decade here in Sydney, Australia, let's take a look back at the DVDs that were released across the UK and Australia during the year 2019. Some of my opinions may have changed during the year. But first:

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

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A RETROSPECTIVE OF THOMAS & FRIENDS DVDS OF 2019

MONKEY TROUBLE

Review Date:

25/04/19

Filled with some dudded episodes but some are watchable. Pretty much still hold these views today.

Rating: 6.5/10

THE COMPLETE SERIES 20 COLLECTION

Review Date:

26/06/19

This still holds up in my opinion and probably the best series from the Brenner/McCue era. But I won't say it was perfect either. There were some duds like Hugo's episodes and 'The Missing Breakdown Train' and considering how some people thought Thomas was stodgy I can tell that episodes like Judy and Jerome's was pretty dull. In the end this was a good series and a worthy DVD for the fans of the series, although the bonus disc wasn't really worth it considering that most people from 2016 would've purchased it.

Rating: 6.5/10

A COLOURFUL WORLD

Review Date:

31/08/19

Still hold the same view points for this DVD from when it was released. Dudded episodes here and there but some are worthy of a watch.

Rating: 7/10

DIGS & DISCOVERIES

Review Date:

10/11/19

To me these specials were just extended episodes but that's what I was expecting when it comes to these 20 minutes specials. Digs and Discoveries isn't in the line of the yearly special we had in the past but they shouldn't be compared to that because they are different. I think Gina was an interesting character, sassy, fussy but caring. Lorenzo and Bepe were funny as well, even though they didn't have much to show in the TV specials. The Italian setting was great too from Jam Filled, love that mediterranean look and feel towards it with the trees, buildings and the sunlight too. The story was good but not perfect but it feels like what 'King of The Railway' was with its simple story. 

I think the bonus episodes add a bit of value for the young audience to be entertained by and they were entertaining in my view. The song however feels like a copy and paste song with the chorus and then add lyrics of the Sodor construction crew characters, kind of like Engine Roll Call. However the music was pretty catchy.

Rating: 9/10

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And that is all for 2019! So what will be happening in 2020, well the 75th anniversary of the Railway Series books of course and the two new mini specials 'Marvellous Machines' and 'The Royal Engine'. This will be interesting to see how Mattel would treat it as of course 75 years is a very big milestone for something like Thomas. Hopefully there's a good marketing campaign behind it all. It will also be interesting to see the start of David Stoten's rein as head writer now that Andrew Brenner had left. So good luck to him and I hope for the best. 

It's quite sad to see that 2019 is the final year for Jam Filled. As stated via Instagram, they are done with Thomas as Mattel are switching animation studios. So if any of them are reading this, I like to give them thanks for their hard work and great contribution and their great interaction with older fans via social media. 

I'm also considering of doing other reviews, to give this blog some life instead of just waiting for new DVDs and recent episodes. I'm thinking of re-reviewing the classic series again and looking back at my old posts from 2012-13, they hadn't aged well and most of the criticisms were nitpicks, at the time when dealing with the lack of brake vans was a big thing in this fandom :P I'm only focusing on the classic seasons (1-7) because I still hold my views on the 'new series' and 'early CGI era' (S13-16) and I really don't want to sit through those episodes again. Those might be released in the early months.

Plus I might go back and re-review the specials as well, mostly the ones from the Brenner/McCue era, from 'King of The Railway' - 'The Great Race'. 'Journey Beyond Sodor' and 'Big World, Big Adventures' are still young in my eyes and I still have some viewpoints that I'd held since their release. I might focus on this sometime around mid-2020. 

Anyway, I hope everyone reading this has a safe and happy new year!! 

-NWR1991. 

DVD Review: Digs & Discoveries

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND ARE NOT INFLUENCED BY THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FANBASE

DIGS & DISCOVERIES

Written by

Becky Overton

Directed by
Joey So 
(Digs & Discoveries)

Dianna Basso 
(the Bonus episodes)

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

Bonus Features
Bonus episode - 'First Day On Sodor'
Bonus episode - 'Deep Trouble'
Bonus episode - 'Out of Site'
Meet The Characters
UN Stories - 'Quality Education'
UN Stories - 'Sustainable Cities' 
Song: The Sodor Construction Crew

Release Date
7/10/19 - UK
30/10/19 - AUS

Distributed by

Mattel Creations (UK/AUS)

ABC Kids (AUS)

EPISODES
My view points on these episodes are listed here:

All Tracks Lead To Rome
Mines Of Mystery

Plus the bonus episodes:
First Day On Sodor
Deep Trouble
Out Of Site

Too Loud, Thomas
Lorenzo's Solo

SPECIAL FEATURES + OVERALL

Apart from the bonus episodes, the DVD also features some of the usual such as 'Meet the Characters' of the newbies from the movie and they are pretty much the standard with the whole backstory of the Italian characters which is pretty simple and straightforward. We also have the UN stories which were also the usual standard videos from Mattel and the UN. I will say they are nice and informative too and I think kids can understand them well and learn more about the rest of the world around them knowing not all kids are lucky to have an education and not all cities are great.

We also got a song about the Sodor Construction Crew. I think the music is good but the lyrics were pretty meh. I feel that it was more of a copy and paste of chorus and add each of the characters and that's it. It's not a bad song but it wasn't really the best that I've seen. There was also an extended version of 'Lets Dream' during the full length run of the movie, which I have to say was a bit better than the construction crew song in my opinion.

In the end, the DVD is good I think the younger audience would like it and there are plenty of episodes, 'Deep Trouble' is probably my favourite to sit through so I recommend that, to sit through which are good and entertaining in my opinion.

Rating: 8/10

THIS IS THE FINAL DVD REVIEW FOR 2019!!

LOOK OUT FOR MY RETROSPECTIVE OVERALL ON DECEMBER 31st. 

S23 Ep.23: Steam Team To The Rescue + Series Overall

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

STEAM TEAM TO THE RESCUE

Written by

Davey Moore

Directed by

Joey So

Produced by

Ian McCue (HIT/Mattel)

Tracy Blagdon (Jam Filled)

Air Date

19/10/19 - UK

Plot

The steam engines must work overtime to unload cargo from the docks when a series of accidents puts all of the diesel engines out of action.

So we got our first Sodor TV special and I will say it was more enjoyable and entertaining than 'Digs and Discoveries' in my opinion. This feels more like a special than an extended episode. One of the things I was genuinely surprised from this special was that it was the first time we saw an engine falling completely in water, which was Salty. Although I see it begs lots of questions about engines and breathing but I'm not going to discuss about it or I'll just be rambling and loose focus on what I'm writing about. 

Anyway, I do wish that the special had more characters play apart in it than just the common cast that we see everyday in episodes, promos and adverts. But of course this is focused towards 'the steam team' and while some on YouTube have been saying 'what about arthur,neville,dennis,molly etc.' while characters like Duck, Oliver, Donald and Douglas can help but as the special acknowledges, that the engines are scattered across the island doing work so of course not all are going to be available, plus when you think about it, the secondary engines would've had their own work to deal with as well to keep the island from running, and some of the characters they have listed in the YouTube comments hardly have any CG rendering, sure some fans have been hoping for a returnee but time and money comes first and I don't think Jam Filled would have the time given how they have deadlines to meet and other projects to work on, you know like every other animation company.

Seeing the Fat Controller stressing out over the situation was also something that was refreshing to see. Running a railway can be a tough job, especially in situations where an entire system can be affected by one accident. It's good to see that rather than him being a buffoon for comedic purposes.

The song, while a bit too modern, was nice and catchy as well and during the first song sequence it was nice to see Edward and Henry having a role, albeit just a singing part, but at least they are still acknowledged whether its a main role or a cameo role.

There were some problems like the Fat Controller forgetting about the diesels being stuck in the shed. I mean sure its for comedic purposes but maybe give them a happy ending as well like them being free from their shed. In the end, it was a nice special to sign off the season and I think it was nice to see a special to showcase the workings of a railway too.

SERIES OVERALL

While this series has a lower rating compare to my views on S22 last year, I pretty much enjoyed this more than what last season had provided. I feel that the stories do fit into the mould of the shorter time limit whereas some episodes from last season feel a bit more unfinished. I feel that the new writers had made the stories for characters like Rajiv and Shane a bit more entertaining and gave them some character development and some more personality.

I will say that there had been some stinkers this season but in my opinion, they were more focused towards Diesel. I feel that his episodes are becoming more of the same and I also feel that he had been overused in this era. I get it that he's the main antagonist but perhaps focus on some other diesels maybe and give Diesel a bit of a break. Percy's episode I will say was alright but among older fans I believe that the two new writers, Camille Ucan & Rose Johnson, do have a lot to learn about the characters after all this is their time writing for the show and who knows what was going behind the scenes when they were creating the series. I will say that 'Thomas Makes A Mistake' was not their best episode but I hope they try and come up with something a bit more better rather than something with a standard plot line. I will say on a positive note to welcome them aboard to the series.

I think Nia should have more episodes explored around her outside of her positive attitude. I say have her dealing with some culture shock since she's living on the Island of Sodor, it would be relatable to immigrants who go into that situation themselves. I also think have her dealing with toxic people too when it comes to the subject of racism, some people might find that as a touchy subject especially towards children.

But other shows like Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers had dealt with this topic over the years. In 1969, African Americans were still segregated and can't be allowed to swim in pools because of that. The late Fred Rogers (1929-2003) had created a scene in one of his episodes of him and an African American cop named Officer Clemmons, played by François Clemmons, paddling their feet in a swimming pool. It showcased the moral that no matter what colour of skin, we are human beings in the end. I never had any childhood memories of Mr.Rogers because his show was never aired out here in Australia, a crying shame in my opinion, but watching it as an adult I love how he created that message and seeing people loving that moment even back when they were children. It was subtle but powerful.

Sesame Street had dealt with that issue as well. In 2002, Big Bird invited his pen pal to Sesame Street, the pen pal is a bird, however when he arrived, Big Bird invited him to play with his friend Snuffaluffagus. However the bird friend didn't want to play with someone of a different species and Big Bird stood up to defend Snuffy towards his pen pal. That was all done in response to the aftermath of 9/11 when the world had changed drastically a year prior and racism towards muslims was at a high rate because of the tragic event and the terrible people who had caused it. It could be an interesting and ballsy move plus Nia's name means 'purpose' in Swahili and you can have an episode where Nia has a problem with a bully based on who she is but she knows that her name means 'purpose' and have her showcase to the bully that she has a purpose to be on Sodor. Sure we had 'Heart of Gold' but that was more on the subject of Toby being a strange looking engine. I like Nia, although not a favourite of mine and I hope we see more of her in the coming years. I also hope we have more development toward characters like Hong-Mei too and Ashima as well.

Some people have been complaining about the reused assets and while I do understand what they are saying I will say they shouldn't treat it like it was done for the first time. The classic series had done this as well, particularly S4 comes into mind and when you look at stories that were used by the narrow gauge engines, Duke's stories had used sets that are from the Skarloey Railway and in 'Rusty to the Rescue' the set where Rusty met with Douglas and Percy was reused as the 'Other Railway' and not to mention that BoCo, Daisy, Diesel and Mavis were used as random diesels, even as a kid I knew it was them. Jam Filled was like Britt Allcroft and David Mitton, you have deadlines to meet and more important assets to make and so cutting corners is the way to go to save some time and money. You might say that the model sets are different because they have 'one set' while Jam Filled has multiple in a computer. In fact there were 70 model sets according to Model Railroder via this article and I still standby this comparison. Sure it's not good to reuse assets but doing things in a working environment is a different world compare of doing it in a hobby environment.



Edward and Henry didn't have any dialogue in the episodes, but I don't see why that has to be bad? Sure they have a legacy but creative wise, what would they used for? Also some people need to understand the difference between those two. The reason they left the shed was because they are hard to write for and look at their stories over the years, they are very limited in what can work for them are much more easier for them to be secondary characters. As someone who writes a fan made series, I can understand why the writers don't use them that often, sure I praised 'Old Reliable Edward' and while yes it is a good episode, it's pretty much the same as any Edward episode that has that kind of story in the end and it was more focused towards Gordon. 'Henry Gets The Express' was a good episode too but that too was more focused towards Gordon as well and while Henry has his grumpy persona, I don't think that could work especially towards a modern day audience who might think its a bad influence on kids. Look I like these characters and I don't think they are bad or anything but they aren't that interesting unlike Thomas, Percy, James, Gordon, Toby, Emily etc. Plus I said this multiple times in the past when it comes to Edward and Henry. Their past stories pretty much forced them a leading role for the sake of them being part of the 'Steam Team' and we had terrible episodes for them like 'Henry's Magic Box' and 'Edward Strikes Out', do we really need something like that again? I sure don't want those stories ever again.

As shown during the credits of 'Steam Team To The Rescue', the successor of Andrew Brenner had been revealed and its director David Stoten who had worked during the Brenner/McCue era when Arc Productions was around before its bankruptcy in 2016. I wish him all the best and I'm quite keen on seeing what he contributes to the show. So welcome aboard and farewell to Andrew Brenner, you had contributed great things to Thomas from episodes to specials. I am a bit sad that he didn't contribute to this season though.

In the end, I enjoyed this season and I think it was a better improvement. Sure it's not the best but I find it more entertaining over last season.

Episode Ratings:

Free The Roads - 10/10
Chucklesome Trucks - 8/10
Heart Of Gold - 9/10
Panicky Percy - 6/10

Crowning Around - 10/10
First Day On Sodor - 8/10
Rangers Of The Rails - 7/10
Lorenzo's Solo - 8/10
Deep Trouble - 9/10
Too Loud, Thomas - 9/10
Out of Site - 8/10
Gordon Gets The Giggles - 6/10
The Other Big Engine - 9/10
Batucada - 8/10
Diesel Do Right - 3/10
Thomas Makes A Mistake - 4/10
Grudge Match - 8/10
Diesel Glows Away - 4/10
Laid Back Shane - 8/10
Wish You Were Here - 10/10

All Tracks Lead To Rome - 8/10

Mines Of Mystery - 8/10

Steam Team To The Rescue - 9/10

Series Rating:
186/230

MY VIEWS ON THE DIGS AND DISCOVERIES DVD 
WILL BE COMING OUT ON NOV. 9TH 

S22 Ep.22: Mines Of Mystery

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

MINES OF MYSTERY

Written by

Beckey Overton

Directed by

Joey So

Produced by

Ian McCue (HIT/Mattel)

Tracy Blagdon (Jam Filled)

Air Date

7/07/19 - UK

16/08/19 - AUS

28/09/19 - USA

12/10/19 - AUS

Plot
Thomas wants to impress his friends by finding an amazing discovery; it's not long before his wish is granted, although not in the way he had expected.

The second part was good too and I do like it that they've incorporated Jack and the Pack and how Brenda was introduced here. One user on twitter had said that Thomas had mentioned bulldozer and this was before he met Brenda, so he must've been thinking about Byron. Perhaps Becky Overton had known of his existence when writing this story or she just casually placed that in without realising, anyway I hope it was the former not that I am yearning for Byron to come back, although I do see him working alongside her. 

I also like the continuity here from Jack. Despite this airing before season opener, I do believe that Jack was referring to Thomas' incident of falling down the mine after telling Jack and Alfie about it in  'Deep Trouble'. Other people thought Jack was referring to Thomas falling down the mine from Lost Treasure and yeah it leaves it open but I strongly believed it was the former considering we haven't seen Thomas interacting with Brenda in that episode.

I also love the little continuity that Jam Filled had made visually with Alfie while he was riding on Stefano with the other machines. He said that he was sick and when he was coming out you can still see him still feeling rather ill. Those types of small things are great to see. Plus the teasing of Thomas from Gina from the previous episode feels like something out from the Railway Series like when Thomas left his train behind and the other engines laughed at him for doing that. 

Lorenzo and Bepe were introduced here and while they had little screen time given the time limit, I think they were fun characters to watch when they were having their lime in the spotlight. Lorenzo was pretty funny with his opera singing. 

I also love the mediterranean setting too, yeah they've used props from Sodor but I like it how the animator tried their best at creating something different out of them to not make it look lazy. Plus everyone is giving them some unfair criticism towards them for doing that. Yes Jam Filled had copy and pasted things but it's done to make ends meet. Thomas is a TV show and when you have a season each year you have a demand to fulfil from a company who makes that deadline. I mean 'Rusty to the Rescue' had reused diesels from Sodor and the scrap yard set was pretty much the same set that Rusty met Douglas and Percy earlier in the episode. I'm just saying that this isn't the first time.

In the end, this was another good special.

Episode Ratings (So far):

Free The Roads - 10/10
Chucklesome Trucks - 8/10
Heart Of Gold - 9/10
Panicky Percy - 6/10

Crowning Around - 10/10
First Day On Sodor - 8/10
Rangers Of The Rails - 7/10
Lorenzo's Solo - 8/10
Deep Trouble - 9/10
Too Loud, Thomas - 9/10
Out of Site - 8/10
Gordon Gets The Giggles - 6/10
The Other Big Engine - 9/10
Batucada - 8/10
Diesel Do Right - 3/10
Thomas Makes A Mistake - 4/10
Grudge Match - 8/10
Diesel Glows Away - 4/10
Laid Back Shane - 8/10
Wish You Were Here - 10/10
Steam Team To The Rescue - 9/10
All Tracks Lead To Rome - 8/10

Mines Of Mystery - 8/10
Series Rating (So far):
177/220 

S23 Ep.21: All Tracks Lead To Rome

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

ALL TRACKS LEAD TO ROME

Written by

Beckey Overton

Directed by

Joey So

Produced by

Ian McCue (HIT/Mattel)

Tracy Blagdon (Jam Filled)

Plot

Thomas is keen to prove to his new friend Gina that he is an expert in all things Italian, until he gets lost down an old mine.

Air Date

7/07/19 - UK

16/08/19 - CAN

21/09/19 - USA

5/10/19 - AUS

I was going to leave the two Italian specials as part of my DVD review, but because these are part of S23, I decided to give them a post, even though that they were broadcasted on ABC Kids Australia last month. Anyway, in this first part, I quite liked it. I especially like Thomas here when it comes to his persona as he feels like it was out of the Railway Series. Thomas feels like a child in this special who is a bit of a jerk, feels like he knows everything, gets too excited and not knowing what the consequences are in the end when it comes to that. It was very entertaining to see him like that. I mean he was like in his book from 1946 when it came to Gordon, leaving his coaches behind, dealing with trucks and wanting to 'see the world', although that is left to different interpretations. It's great seeing him like that.

Gina was also an entertaining character to watch, I love her persona. She feels very straightforward when it comes Thomas and also a bit cheeky when it comes to Thomas' arrogance and misbehaviour, feels like a mother to him when you look at her. Stefano was good, although he didn't add much except for being a plot device for the story but I do like how the way the voice actor gave him his voice, he feels very warm and had put in effort into delivering the character.

The story was pretty plain and simple, but I think it was good overall. 

Episode Ratings (So far):

Free The Roads - 10/10
Chucklesome Trucks - 8/10
Heart Of Gold - 9/10
Panicky Percy - 6/10

Crowning Around - 10/10
First Day On Sodor - 8/10
Rangers Of The Rails - 7/10
Lorenzo's Solo - 8/10
Deep Trouble - 9/10
Too Loud, Thomas - 9/10
Out of Site - 8/10
Gordon Gets The Giggles - 6/10
The Other Big Engine - 9/10
Batucada - 8/10
Diesel Do Right - 3/10
Thomas Makes A Mistake - 4/10
Grudge Match - 8/10
Diesel Glows Away - 4/10
Laid Back Shane - 8/10
Wish You Were Here - 10/10
Steam Team To The Rescue - 9/10
All Tracks Lead To Rome - 8/10

Series Rating (So far):
169/220 

S23 Ep.20: Wish You Were Here

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND ARE INFLUENCED FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FANBASE

WISH YOU WERE HERE

Written by

Camille Ucan & Rose Johnson

Directed by
Dianna Basso

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

Air Date

5/11/19 - AUS

Plot
Thomas misses his best friend, Percy, while working on the Chinese railway.

When I first saw this episode being showcased on the Wiki, I thought it was about Yong Bao missing Thomas. But I was more surprised that it was about Thomas missing Percy. It's good to see an episode like this to showcase to kids that Thomas does miss his friends whenever he's in another country. I think there should be a Sodor episode of the engines dealing with work without Thomas while he's away in China or Australia as it would be very interesting to see. 

As for the episode, I think it was a lovely episode and you can feel sad for Thomas for missing his friend. I see that as something very relatable to people when they move or are away to another country. I really love how the writers utilise the fantasy sequences, they added more purpose to the story. A bit like how Michael White does with the fantasy sequence in his stories. This is what I think 'Kangaroo Christmas' should've been, minus the postcard scene. Have Thomas miss Percy or any other of his friends because of these globe trotting adventures. 

I was also surprised by the scale down of the An An and Yin-Long's faces and to be honest I think it's a bit better as last season there faces were pretty big that it looks uncomfortable. Yeah there were references to other stories as well such as 'Thomas, Percy and The Dragon' and 'Tale of The Brave' and I think they'd added a bit of purpose to the story as they were memories of Percy from Thomas. I also like the boat race that was added and it weaved into the story well without it being forced or useless. In the end it was a lovely episode.

Episode Ratings (So far):

Free The Roads - 10/10
Chucklesome Trucks - 8/10
Heart Of Gold - 9/10
Panicky Percy - 6/10

Crowning Around - 10/10
First Day On Sodor - 8/10
Rangers Of The Rails - 7/10
Lorenzo's Solo - 8/10
Deep Trouble - 9/10
Too Loud, Thomas - 9/10
Out of Site - 8/10
Gordon Gets The Giggles - 6/10
The Other Big Engine - 9/10
Batucada - 8/10
Diesel Do Right - 3/10
Thomas Makes A Mistake - 4/10
Grudge Match - 8/10
Diesel Glows Away - 4/10
Laid Back Shane - 8/10
Wish You Were Here - 10/10

Series Rating (So far):
162/200

S23 Ep.19: Laid Back Shane

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND ARE NOT INFLUENCED BY THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FANBASE

LAID BACK SHANE

Written by

Camille Can & Rose Johnson

Directed by
Dianna Basso

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

Air Date

4/11/19 - AUS

Plot
Shane has too much fun to stop and refuel until he runs out of coal 
and is stranded in the desert.

Another international episode that I thought was good. It's nice to see Shane with more of a rounded personality with him being assumptious and stubborn. To me the episode is up there with the likes of 'Crowning Around' where it's more focused on the international character rather than Thomas and I still think that's how the series should go. 

If there's one bit of criticism that I will give to the episode and that is the title. I think it would've worked better regarding the situation that Shane was in. Which was him running out of coal. There had been some titles that ilovetrains323 on twitter had suggested such as 'Shane's Coal-lamity' and Streak Smergle had suggested 'Hot and Coaled'. I think these titles actually would actually work more as laid back is more for being calm and easy whereas being assumptious and stubborn is not. 

I like how the writers had nailed with the fantasy sequence as it fits right in with the situation like with Rajiv's fantasy of him showing off his crown in 'Crowning Around'. 

Episode Ratings (So far):

Free The Roads - 10/10
Chucklesome Trucks - 8/10
Heart Of Gold - 9/10
Panicky Percy - 6/10

Crowning Around - 10/10
First Day On Sodor - 8/10
Rangers Of The Rails - 7/10
Lorenzo's Solo - 8/10
Deep Trouble - 9/10
Too Loud, Thomas - 9/10
Out of Site - 8/10
Gordon Gets The Giggles - 6/10
The Other Big Engine - 9/10
Batucada - 8/10
Diesel Do Right - 3/10
Thomas Makes A Mistake - 4/10
Grudge Match - 8/10
Diesel Glows Away - 4/10
Laid Back Shane - 8/10

Series Rating (So far):
152/190

S23 Ep.18: Diesel Glows Away

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

DIESEL GLOWS AWAY

Written by

Davey Moore

Directed by

Dianna Basso

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

Air Date

3/11/19 - AUS

Plot
When Diesel hides from the other engines, his plans backfire 
and it's him that gets a surprise

I don't really have much to say for this episode other than it was nice but not great. It's not my favourite from Davey Moore. I did find it funny with Diesel's parts and I do like the dynamic duo of Nia and Paxton which is something I love from Davey Moore, pairing up two characters with different personalities together. Heck I like that Nia has a bit of cheekiness towards her, not bad for a character who has been regarded by many as a bland, one dimensional character. The fantasy sequence however, as stated in 'Diesel Do Right' makes much more sense in this episode compare to the former.  Diesel was thinking how the other engines would miss him since he was hiding away. It was not a parody of him doing the theme song or something. The fantasy sequence here is a bit ridiculous but it is what is. But the story in the end was just nice and simple but not favourite of mine.

Episode Ratings (So far):

Free The Roads - 10/10
Chucklesome Trucks - 8/10
Heart Of Gold - 9/10
Panicky Percy - 6/10

Crowning Around - 10/10
First Day On Sodor - 8/10
Rangers Of The Rails - 7/10
Lorenzo's Solo - 8/10
Deep Trouble - 9/10
Too Loud, Thomas - 9/10
Out of Site - 8/10
Gordon Gets The Giggles - 6/10
The Other Big Engine - 9/10
Batucada - 8/10
Diesel Do Right - 3/10
Thomas Makes A Mistake - 4/10
Grudge Match - 8/10
Diesel Glows Away - 4/10

Series Rating (So far):
144/170

S23 Ep.17: Grudge Match

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

GRUDGE MATCH

Written by

Davey Moore

Directed by
Dianna Basso

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

Plot

Raul wants a chance to beat Thomas in a game, 

but his competitive nature soon gets him into trouble.

Air Date

13/09/19 - UK
1/11/19 - AUS

After three years since his debut in 'The Great Race', we finally get to see Raul in action. I think that this episode is like 'Number One Engine' but it was done better. This is what Hong-Mei should've been in her debut episode last year rather than focus all on Thomas. In this one, the focus is more on Raul. It's fun seeing Raul in this personality and it feels more three dimensional with him learning his lesson that you win some and you loose some. To me this is what the first lot of the international episodes should've been. Have some stories focus on the international engines dealing with something that's an everyday relative problem and have some focus on Thomas learning on other cultures. Hopefully there are more good ones to come!

Some had criticism of the ball bouncing scene in the episode and while they have their opinions, I feel the scene was alright. Yes not everyone likes the bouncing and movement of the engines but I feel like the scene added a bit to Raul's character. Yes railway realism was one of the unique things from Thomas but not everyone who watches it would have the knowledge of railways and for well over the past twenty years there had been so many unrealistic moments that the show spewed out, even in the Brenner era, that some fans seem to have accept. I've listed these out in my review for 'Journey Beyond Sodor' back in 2017 if you want to see it for yourself. Plus some had said that it was a stereotype, now I won't say it is or isn't but I see that scene as part of the whole exposure of culture that the show is trying to aim at. Brazil has a well known soccer/football culture over the years and it had been depicted in media so this isn't really anything new. It's a lot like Australia, while we have cities like Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, the outback is the thing that many people around the world know the most and it's there for young kids to get it simply and I believe there was no intention to offend, I mean there's hardly been any news stories as of writing this review deeming the show stereotyping people from other countries.

Episode Ratings (So far):

Free The Roads - 10/10
Chucklesome Trucks - 8/10
Heart Of Gold - 9/10
Panicky Percy - 6/10

Crowning Around - 10/10
First Day On Sodor - 8/10
Rangers Of The Rails - 7/10
Lorenzo's Solo - 8/10
Deep Trouble - 9/10
Too Loud, Thomas - 9/10
Out of Site - 8/10
Gordon Gets The Giggles - 6/10
The Other Big Engine - 9/10
Batucada - 8/10
Diesel Do Right - 3/10
Thomas Makes A Mistake - 4/10
Grudge Match - 8/10

Series Rating (So far):
140/170

S23 Ep.16: Thomas Makes A Mistake

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

THOMAS MAKES A MISTAKE

Written by

Camille Ucan & Rose Johnson

Directed by
Dianna Basso

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

Plot
Thomas causes confusion and delay by not seeking help when he makes a mistake. 

Air Date

11/09/19 - UK
31/10/19 - AUS

To me this more of a generic overused plot that we've seen for years when it comes to Thomas. One episode that comes into mind when it comes to this plot line is 'Who's Geoffrey?' Thomas creates an accident, covers it up and it escalates to the point where Thomas has to tell the truth. I get why an episode like this exists, to teach kids that it's better to ask for help. But considering that kids have access to episodes from four to five years ago through streaming, digital downloads, DVDs etc. they may have already learnt this plot. Plus the fantasy sequence is another redundant moment that chewed up the running time. I never saw this as the worst episode and I do understand that kids, the target range, will learn something from out of this, it's just an episode that really isn't worth a watch with an overused moral. 

Episode Ratings (So far):

Free The Roads - 10/10
Chucklesome Trucks - 8/10
Heart Of Gold - 9/10
Panicky Percy - 6/10

Crowning Around - 10/10
First Day On Sodor - 8/10
Rangers Of The Rails - 7/10
Lorenzo's Solo - 8/10
Deep Trouble - 9/10
Too Loud, Thomas - 9/10
Out of Site - 8/10
Gordon Gets The Giggles - 6/10
The Other Big Engine - 9/10
Batucada - 8/10
Diesel Do Right - 3/10
Thomas Makes A Mistake - 4/10

Series Rating (So far):
122/160

S23 Ep.15: Diesel Do Right

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

DIESEL DO RIGHT

Written by

Davey Moore

Directed by
Dianna Basso

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

Air Date
12/09/19 - UK
30/10/19 - AUS

Plot
When Diesel gets cross, he decides to get the other diesels into trouble by sending Rebecca to do their jobs, badly, but Diesel's trick is found out at the end.

Honestly I am not fan of the fantasy sequence of Diesel's unlike some fans. It was just a parody of the theme song and that's it and it doesn't make any sense in what Diesel was saying earlier. He wants to feel more important so why not make a fantasy sequence of him being a king at Ulfstead Castle and call the other diesels his loyal subjects it would make more sense with him wanting to be more important. Honestly the fantasy sequence in 'Diesel Glows Away' makes more sense than the one we got here, which will be explained later.

I think the episode could've been better if it was about Diesel taking advantage of Rebecca considering how she sees the good in everyone. Diesel could've been jealous of Rebecca getting praise from the Fat Controller while he didn't because he didn't his job right. With Diesel overhearing from say the other diesels or the steam engines that Rebecca is a great engine and sees the good in everyone, Diesel decides to take advantage of her and would get her into trouble by telling lies about her, after all Diesel is devious. This made the Fat Controller cross and Rebecca sad because she thought she was doing something useful but once she'd mentioned Diesel, the Fat Controller taught her that she shouldn't trust him, heck maybe throw Duck for continuity sake and of course this led Diesel into trouble. It would've taught kids that even though we see the good in everyone, we can't always trust someone like Diesel and we must be careful. But I also think that Diesel is getting a bit overused. It's nice to see Davey Moore having a bit of fun with him, but they're pretty much all the same story whether it's Diesel misbehaving or trying to be useful and that's basically it. I much prefer his stories like him trying to better himself or showing other sides to him. They feel fresh and different when it comes to Diesel. Having him as one-dimensional villain could get rather stale in my opinion.

Episode Ratings (So far):

Free The Roads - 10/10
Chucklesome Trucks - 8/10
Heart Of Gold - 9/10
Panicky Percy - 6/10

Crowning Around - 10/10
First Day On Sodor - 8/10
Rangers Of The Rails - 7/10
Lorenzo's Solo - 8/10
Deep Trouble - 9/10
Too Loud, Thomas - 9/10
Out of Site - 8/10
Gordon Gets The Giggles - 6/10
The Other Big Engine - 9/10
Batucada - 8/10
Diesel Do Right - 3/10

Series Rating (So far):
118/150

S23 Ep.14: Batucada

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

BATUCADA

Written by

Davey Moore

Directed by
Dianna Basso

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

Plot
Thomas finds a way to take part in the Brazilian carnival music.

Air Date

9/09/19 - UK
29/10/19 - AUS

This is a pretty simple episode but I did enjoy it. I like Davey Moore's episodes where he took one bit of culture and make a nice story around it like 'Thomas and the Dragon'. It's interesting as an older fan to learn about different cultures as well as I never heard of batucada until this episode. The fantasy sequence I feel wasn't too redundant but it was gimmicky, expect Thomas surrounded with musical instruments on your local toy shelf. Although this is a slight nitpick but I didn't like how Thomas forgot that he can whistle. How can he forget that he does that when he's a steam engine? In the end, a simple episode but not really anything bad. 

Episode Ratings (So far):

Free The Roads - 10/10
Chucklesome Trucks - 8/10
Heart Of Gold - 9/10
Panicky Percy - 6/10

Crowning Around - 10/10
First Day On Sodor - 8/10
Rangers Of The Rails - 7/10
Lorenzo's Solo - 8/10
Deep Trouble - 9/10
Too Loud, Thomas - 9/10
Out of Site - 8/10
Gordon Gets The Giggles - 6/10
The Other Big Engine - 9/10
Batucada - 8/10

Series Rating (So far):
115/140

S23 Ep.13: The Other Big Engine

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

THE OTHER BIG ENGINE

Written by

Davey Moore

Directed by
Dianna Basso

Produced by
Ian McCue

Air Date
5/09/19 - UK
28/10/19 - AUS

Plot

Thomas meets another big blue engine in Brazil that reminds him of Gordon.

When I first saw this episode after it aired in the US back in May 2019, I actually liked it and now five months since its debut I still enjoyed when it had aired in the UK. Gustavo didn't do much plot wise but character wise I do like how he's so different to Gordon, which was the intention of this story. The fantasy sequence even felt less gimmicky and felt like something that played along with the episode, almost feels like something maybe Micheal White can pull off. It's also a good message to teach kids that you shouldn't judge someone before you get to know them.

Episode Ratings (So far):

Free The Roads - 10/10
Chucklesome Trucks - 8/10
Heart Of Gold - 9/10
Panicky Percy - 6/10

Crowning Around - 10/10
First Day On Sodor - 8/10
Rangers Of The Rails - 7/10
Lorenzo's Solo - 8/10
Deep Trouble - 9/10
Too Loud, Thomas - 9/10
Out of Site - 8/10
Gordon Gets The Giggles - 6/10
The Other Big Engine - 9/10

Series Rating (So far):
107/130

S23 Ep.12: Gordon Gets The Giggles

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

GORDON GETS THE GIGGLES

Written by

Becky Overton 

Directed by

Dianna Basso

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

Plot
Gordon becomes worried when he gets a serious case of the giggles.

Air Date

10/09/19 - UK
27/10/19 - AUS

It's not a favourite episode of mine but it really wasn't anything bad. I think for once it was nice to see Gordon showcasing a side to himself that isn't him belittling someone or being too boastful. I get it that it's his character but it's good to see a side different side to him for once. Watching the US dub, Kerry Shale had done a really good job for Gordon and I really do like him and Keith Wickham equally, the same can be said about Wickham's performance. The laughter he had done for Gordon was hilarious and honestly I do like the fantasy sequence in this episode too. Plus I gave out a chuckle when Gordon called himself 'Big G.' Something that you don't hear from the past but honestly it never bothered me. It's probably too kiddish for some but like I said earlier it wasn't great but it certainly wasn't bad, I tend to see this in line of 'Steamie Stafford'. If there's one nitpick I would say is that the coal hopper scene could've been cut, I think it would've worked better if Gordon was just puffing into the yard looking serious instead. But it's just a nitpick.

Episode Ratings (So far):

Free The Roads - 10/10
Chucklesome Trucks - 8/10
Heart Of Gold - 9/10
Panicky Percy - 6/10

Crowning Around - 10/10
First Day On Sodor - 8/10
Rangers Of The Rails - 7/10
Lorenzo's Solo - 8/10
Deep Trouble - 9/10
Too Loud, Thomas - 9/10
Out of Site - 8/10
Gordon Gets The Giggles - 6/10

Series Rating (So far):
98/120

S23 Ep.11: Out of Site

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

OUT OF SITE

Written by
Micheal White

Directed by
Dianna Basso

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

Plot

Brenda learns that it's important to work as a team and not just care about her own jobs.

Air Date

25/10/19

I love Brenda's motherly perfectionist attitude. While she'd cleaned the nice solid ground, the other vehicles who act like children started to make a mess of it and want them to avoid her cleanliness. Obviously the moral is about that everyone should use the site for whatever job they were assigned with. Also yeah Mrs. Jenny returned and when I first saw the pictures (above) on twitter, she gave Bob the Builder reboot vibes. I love her design more than her design she was given in S12 back in 2008. 

Episode Ratings (So far):

Free The Roads - 10/10
Chucklesome Trucks - 8/10
Heart Of Gold - 9/10
Panicky Percy - 6/10

Crowning Around - 10/10
First Day On Sodor - 8/10
Rangers Of The Rails - 7/10
Lorenzo's Solo - 8/10
Deep Trouble - 9/10
Too Loud, Thomas - 9/10
Out of Site - 8/10

Series Rating (So far):
92/110

S23 Ep.10: Too Loud, Thomas!

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

TOO LOUD, THOMAS!

Written by
Becky Overton

Directed by
Dianna Basso

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

Plot
Thomas wants to perform opera like Lorenzo and Beppe, but finds it a lot more difficult than he first thought.

Air Date
24/10/19

I'll say this, the bouncing in this episode shows why something like that can be needed to give the visual expression. When Thomas lost his voice, he was moving for Stefano to look at the clock and agreeing with about something. If the engines bodies were just static then it would just look awkward. Yes the bouncing isn't something that happened in real life, unless you see a steam locomotive going at speed, but the show was never that realistic for over two decades. 

Anyway, back on the episode, I think it was a really good international episode, especially one written by Becky Overton. Her stories from India, barring 'Tiger Trouble' were not good but I feel she had been improving to write stories within the smaller time frame now. The whole episode maybe annoying with Thomas' screaming but it's to showcase the message that you should not loose your voice and that we can't always be good at something and that's OK. 

I also like Lorenzo and Bepe in this episode when it comes to Thomas singing, especially around the first few minutes of the episode. Bepe doesn't like to hurt his feelings but Lorenzo was all open and honest as he just said 'yes' very bluntly to Thomas. It's a small detail but I just the different character they have. 

Some people might think that the autistic audience will not like this given the loudness. But I don't believe that it would cause controversy because parents and carers have the power to turn down the volume on their TVs, phones, tablets and computers when it comes to loudness. Given that many places of businesses have 'quiet hours' for children on the autistic spectrum.

In the end, this episode was really good and it such good comedy too when it comes to Thomas and opera singing.

Episode Ratings (So far):

Free The Roads - 10/10
Chucklesome Trucks - 8/10
Heart Of Gold - 9/10
Panicky Percy - 6/10

Crowning Around - 10/10
First Day On Sodor - 8/10
Rangers Of The Rails - 7/10
Lorenzo's Solo - 8/10
Deep Trouble - 9/10
Too Loud, Thomas - 9/10

Series Rating (So far):
84/90

S23 Ep.9 :Deep Trouble

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

DEEP TROUBLE

Written by
Micheal White

Directed by
Dianna Basso

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

Air Date
23/10/19 - AUS

Plot
It's down to Darcy to rescue Monty when he falls down an old mine shaft.

This episode probably has the funniest fantasy sequence in any of the BWBA episode's to date. Just love the punch line of Monty landing in Australia. Anyway the rest of the episode was very good too and I especially love the continuity for 'Down the Mine' and Thomas learning common sense over a past incident is something rare too, perhaps the writers should do that in future episodes to give Thomas some development. It also has a nice message about safety, something that kids should learn about all the time and it really gave me some S6 'Jack and the Pack' vibes. In the end, a solid episode from me! 

Episode Ratings (So far):

Free The Roads - 10/10
Chucklesome Trucks - 8/10
Heart Of Gold - 9/10
Panicky Percy - 6/10

Crowning Around - 10/10
First Day On Sodor - 8/10
Rangers Of The Rails - 7/10
Lorenzo's Solo - 8/10
Deep Trouble - 9/10

Series Rating (So far):
75/90