The Thomas and Friends Review Station

Thursday, 13 April 2023

All Engines Go! Review - S1 Ep.39: Something to Remember

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

SOMETHING TO REMEMBER

Written by

Patrick Reiger

Directed by

Campbell Bryer

Produced by

Suzie Gallo

Air Date

4/04/22 - USA
30/04/22 - CAN

28/05/22 - AUS

13/09/22 - UK

Plot

On the last day of Yong Bao's visit to Sodor, his friends dig up a giant keepsake to help him remember them.

It is a bit strange how 12 episodes ago Yong Bao came to the Island and had a whole episode to himself with Thomas and then apart from a cameo in 'Nia's Perfect Plan' he was bearly in any episode after that until he was given a farewell episode. I wish that the production team could give him more episodes just to at least make his farewell at least more emotional. I honestly felt that more with Hiro in 'Kenji on the Rails Again' when Hiro agrees to sail with him to Japan and that's because Hiro had been around in various episodes and specials, be it cameos or if he were in a secondary role, his goodbye was rather sad, especially with S24 being the last of the original series despite being planned to be in S25.

The episode itself was OK and the song at least feels like a part of the episode instead of some random filler moment. It did have alot more better pacing than 'The Biggest Present of All' from S13, that episode was a pain to get through. I think it was alright but I wish that if Yong Bao had been in the show more often maybe his goodbye could've been more emotional.

Series Rating:
A Thomas Promise - 4/10
Thomas Blast Off - 4/10
License to Deliver - 5/10
Rules of the Game - 6/10
A Quiet Delivery - 3/10
Kana Goes Slow - 3/10
Dragon Run - 1/10
The Biggest Adventure Club - 7/10
Percy's Lucky Bell - 5/10
Sandy's Sandy Shipment - 6/10
A Wide Delivery - 4/10
Counting Cows - 3/10
Music Is Everywhere - 6/10
Backwards Day - 4/10
Chasing Rainbows - 2/10
Nia's Balloon Blunder - 7/10
Capture the Flag - 8/10
Mystery Boxcars - 6/10
Super Screen Cleaners - 4/10
Overnight Stop - 5/10
The Joke is on Thomas - 3/10
Lost and Found - 4/10
Thomas' Day Off - 4/10
The Real Number One - 7/10
Rollercoasting - 1/10
No Power, No Problem! - 3/10
The Tiger Train - 7/10
The Can-Do Submarine Crew! - 7/10
Thomas and Percy's Eggsellent Adventure - 3/10
Calliope Crack-Up - 7/10
Tyrannosaurus Wrecks - 4/10
The Super-Long Shortcut - 8/10
A Light Delivery - 5/10
The Paint Problem - 7/10
A Wonderful World - 4/10
Whistle Woes - 4/10
Letting off Steam - 4/10
Nia's Perfect Plan - 3/10
Something to Remember - 5/10

Overall rating (So far):
178/380

Wednesday, 12 April 2023

All Engines Go! Review - S1 Ep.38: Nia's Perfect Plan

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

NIA'S PERFECT PLAN

Written by

Peter Gaffeny

Directed by

Campbell Bryer

Produced by

Suzie Gallo

Air Date

28/03/22 - USA
24/04/22 - CAN

27/05/22 - AUS

12/09/22 - UK

Plot

Nia has volunteered for a big day of deliveries and is determined to make the perfect plan to get it done, but when things start to go away, she doggedly sticks to her plan and refuses any help.

Basically this episode is 'Nia's Balloon Blunder' with a hot air balloon with some tweaks done which were Thomas, Percy and Kana helping out Nia and her deliveries. Sure a nice message that a plan can't always work out but that's what Balloon Blunder was about as well.

Tuesday, 11 April 2023

All Engines Go! Review - S1 Ep.37: Letting off Steam

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

LETTING OFF STEAM

Written by

Sarah Eisenberg & Beckey Wangberg

Directed by

Sean Jeffery

Produced by

Suzie Gallo

Air Date

21/03/22 - USA
24/04/22 - CAN

26/04/22 - UK
26/05/22 - AUS

Plot

Thomas and Percy get into their first big fight and are afraid that their friendship is over, until Nia helps them figure out how to resolve it.

I'm still not a fan of the songs since I feel that the episodes can work better without them but the song 'Let Off Some Steam' did feel like it was made to progress the story. It didn't feel pointless like the other ones but I also feel that Thomas and Percy could at least make up for their quarrel without it but just apologising, with some help from Nia, and work together. The episode in general was like the Spongebob episode from S1 'Naughty Nautical Neighbors' were Spongebob and Patrick had a falling out but without someone creating the conflict like what Squidward did in the episode. The episode just felt average.

Though some might say that Thomas has the power to jump off the rails while he was stuck in traffic, though I will say treating the engines like cars seems stupid, it wouldn't work in the episode because they need to resolve Thomas and Percy's conflict.

Monday, 10 April 2023

All Engines Go! Review - S1 Ep.36: Whistle Woes

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

WHISTLE WOES

Written by

Sarah Eisenberg & Beckey Wangberg

Directed by

Sean Jeffery

Produced by

Suzie Gallo

Air Date

14/03/22 - USA
23/04/22 - CAN

25/04/22 - UK
25/05/22 - AUS

Plot

When Thomas' whistle suddenly stops working, he learns that he doesn't need his whistle to still be himself.

Now I would say, Thomas could easily pull the pebble out of whistle since he has the power to do so. But if we have that outcome it would make the story short and Thomas wouldn't need to learn that he can still be himself without his whistle, even though whistles in real life are an important asset to steam locomotives since they need them to warn people that they are coming and it still applies to the more modern engines as well with their horns so I wish the episode also made that message to inform kids that they are steam locomotives since sometimes the characters would act more like humans instead of locomotives. 'Faulty Whistles' from S6 did a much better job at this sort of story even if an organ was used it shows how important a whistle is to a steam locomotive.

While the songs throughout this season had been unbearable to sit through I will say Percy's song at least short and didn't need to be longer to become filler, though I will say it did feel pointless as it got nothing to do with the episode's subject matter. Also why would Percy's valve be leaking but throughout most of the episode he was still acting normal? Even though there were little clouds of steam showing as the episode progress. But wouldn't it be better if Percy ran out of steam and Thomas has to take the mail himself with his clogged whistle and Thomas tries to whistle until he learns just to be himself. It would add further conflict instead of just boring repetitive scenes of Thomas and Percy doing the same thing over and over again.

Also why is the message about you're still you regardless, but earlier in the episode Percy was happy to be himself after getting his valve fixed? Percy acted fine without a valve throughout the episode and wouldn't he had needed a new valve since, if the episode was more about him, because he did his jobs on time?

The episode was not awful or anything but it just feels like they were trying to make a story about being yourself without a whistle but they need to end it so not to change anything up. Honestly I much prefer 'The Great Race' handling this better with Thomas.

Sunday, 9 April 2023

All Engines Go! Review - S1 Ep.35: A Wonderful World

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

A WONDERFUL WORLD

Written by

Lexie Kahanovitz

Directed by

Campbell Bryer

Produced by

Rick Suvalle

Suzie Gallo

Air Date

7/03/22 - USA
23/04/22 - CAN

22/04/22 - UK
24/05/22 - AUS

Plot

Nia shows Thomas and Diesel how much unique beauty exists on Sodor, which comes in handy when they need plants to beautify a plaza in Vicarstown.

This was a pretty meh episode and I feel that the episode made the engines, particulary Thomas, Diesel, Kana and Sandy, look stupid not knowing that oranges and other fruits grow on trees or that flowers grow on Sodor. I understand the episode was all about seeing new things in places you've been before but you think maybe the engines would know all of the former by now conisdering that Sodor is pretty much rolling countryside.

Plus the song is just another useless, boring, forgettable filler that pad out for time. I'd said this before but the episodes can work fine without the songs. You don't need them.

Saturday, 8 April 2023

All Engines Go! Review - S1 Ep.34: The Paint Problem

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

THE PAINT PROBLEM

Written by

Andy Yerkes

Directed by

Campbell Bryer

Produced by

Rick Suvalle

Suzie Gallo

Air Date

28/02/22 - USA
17/04/22 - CAN

21/04/22 - UK
23/05/22 - AUS

Plot

Thomas needs repainting and must be patient as he dries, even though he feels like he's missing out.

MY VIEWS

Honestly, this was not a bad episode. It was interesting to see how rust for a steam engine is the equlivant to chicken pox or a cold or Covid, though how the way Thomas got it seems illogical, even though this show was never logical 100%, rust is formed if water, salty air etc. makes contact with steel. It happened to one of the Coronation class locomotives when it was preserved at one of the Butlin holiday camps many years ago in the UK.

Though I will say, Percy trying to entertain Thomas feels like it was padded out for time, even though it had served to the plot but it did feel annoying sitting through it all but that's just a nitpick.

But even so this episode was still good and it can almost be relevant to kids who had to stay in bed after getting a cold or, in this day and age, Covid and while the message was good I wish, again, they didn't tell the moral to the audience and let the latter take it in themselves by watching it.

Friday, 7 April 2023

All Engines Go! Review - S1 Ep.33: A Light Delivery

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

A LIGHT DELIVERY

Written by

Nikki Lytton

Directed by

Jason Groh

Sean Jeffrey

Produced by

Rick Suvalle

Suzie Gallo

Air Date

14/02/22 - USA
16/04/22 - CAN

19/04/22 - UK
21/05/22 - AUS

Plot

When Thomas accidentally breaks a light he's hauling to the Sodor Festival of Lights, he learns the best way to be the #1 engine is to be honest when you make a mistake.

MY VIEWS

I honestly feel this was a bit of a rewrite of 'The Real Number One' what with Thomas messing up a job and feels that he doesn't deserve to be number one again but without the heart warming ending with the Fat Controller telling him he was number one because he always counts on him. This isn't to say that Gordon's message about Thomas being honest was bad, far from it. But the whole episode just feels like it'd copied the former and tries to change a little bit of so as to make it look original.

The episode was fine in the end but it just feels like a copycat.