UPDATE 14/10/19:
INCASE YOU'RE WONDERING WHY THE S23 EPISODES HAD MOVED TO OCTOBER IS BECAUSE THE SERIES HAD MADE ITS DEBUT ON ABC KIDS AUSTRALIA AND SINCE THAT ALL OF 23 WILL BE AIRING, I'LL FOLLOWING THEM AND THEIR LISTING ORDER IS DIFFERENT COMPARE TO THE US AND THE UK.
We are now in year 2 of the new 'Big World Big Adventure' series and while some are still bitter about the change, the series had seen some success. One of which is the show has a 40% increase of viewership in the UK and broadcasters around the world are demanding more Thomas content thanks to S22 and the BWBA movie, so the new format is here to stay. Season 23 had also started quite early compare to the usual September release. It had started in Mexico around May as well as the United States on Nick Jr the same month, despite that its still only exclusive to people who had paid for the channel. Now that it's September, the UK and Australia now have S23. Despite that S22 was a bit of a mixed bag, let's hope that the production team had learned from the mistakes and hope that S23 is an improvement to its predecessor. But first:
THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND ARE NOT INFLUENCED FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FANBASE
INCASE YOU'RE WONDERING WHY THE S23 EPISODES HAD MOVED TO OCTOBER IS BECAUSE THE SERIES HAD MADE ITS DEBUT ON ABC KIDS AUSTRALIA AND SINCE THAT ALL OF 23 WILL BE AIRING, I'LL FOLLOWING THEM AND THEIR LISTING ORDER IS DIFFERENT COMPARE TO THE US AND THE UK.
We are now in year 2 of the new 'Big World Big Adventure' series and while some are still bitter about the change, the series had seen some success. One of which is the show has a 40% increase of viewership in the UK and broadcasters around the world are demanding more Thomas content thanks to S22 and the BWBA movie, so the new format is here to stay. Season 23 had also started quite early compare to the usual September release. It had started in Mexico around May as well as the United States on Nick Jr the same month, despite that its still only exclusive to people who had paid for the channel. Now that it's September, the UK and Australia now have S23. Despite that S22 was a bit of a mixed bag, let's hope that the production team had learned from the mistakes and hope that S23 is an improvement to its predecessor. But first:
THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND ARE NOT INFLUENCED FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FANBASE
FREE THE ROADS
Michael White
Directed by
Dianna Basso
Dianna Basso
Produced by
Tracy Blagdon
Tracy Blagdon
Air Date
2/09/19 -UK
14/10/19 - AUS
14/10/19 - AUS
Plot
Bulgy thinks that people should travel by bus instead of rail, until he learns that having so many passengers is not easy for the buses on their own.
Bulgy thinks that people should travel by bus instead of rail, until he learns that having so many passengers is not easy for the buses on their own.
It's good to see that Bulgy hadn't been forgotten by the production team since his return in S21. I think this was a strong opener for the new season and I find it to be such a refreshing plot give it that it's a 'road vs. rail' storyline instead of the overused 'steam vs. diesel' trope. Yeah the former had been done before in the past but it was barely used compare to the latter. It's also good to see Bulgy in character and the fantasy sequence I think was very funny and fits in well with the story. The new detailing that the characters were given may look odd at first but honestly it's quick getting used to. I especially love that the animators had given Bertie and Bulgy there license plate numbers that he given in the Railway Series book, a nice little easter egg for older fans. For those wondering what it means, Bertie's license plate is a reference to C. Reginald Dalby's initials and the year when Edward's book was released (1954). Bulgy's license plate is pretty much a shorten version of his name. The message that the episode shows was nice too about doing a job on our own maybe easy but it's better to have help instead despite the differences.
Episode Rating (so far):
Free The Roads - 10/10
Series Rating (So far):
10/10
Series Rating (So far):
10/10
