Bachmann Online Forum

What do y'all think of season 17 so far?

I haven't seen it because its not on YouTube yet!

It sucks living on an island.

How's fergus?

He's coming.  I've got the wheels the correct colour!

I hope the storylines are good now with Andrew Brenner on the team

All of them are on YouTube now and I must say they are FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here's a link.
http://m.youtube.com/#/playlist?list=UUqj_VTvbIomcVdPnVQXQkfw
SPOILERS!!!
Enjoy.
P.S.- New narrator, in case you were wondering

I quite like them in my oppinion ;)

Honestly, the animation of this multi-million dollar show was amateurish. There were soooo many spots where smoke was in the background, or shadows were messed up, or just awkward shots. The narration was better, but personally, I thought it was better than 16. However, it had the same boring plot lines, and the setting (on the island) remained the same for the whole episode. Honestly:

season 16 7/10
Season 17 7.0001/10 REVISION: 8/10

  EDIT: I like the new one much better, just not the animation!

Yeah, Kellsthorpe Station is back! Sometimes the pictures are a little bit blurry, but the track bed looks better than in Season 16!

Wow! I already enjoy season 17! Mr. Brenner is as good as his word! At least the "3 strikes" are only brief, and not the whole episode.

Great! But what happened to Michael Brandon and Michael Angelis?

I've seen all the episodes and Gordon Runs Dry is my favourite of them, but it's hardly 'wow' material.

*SPOILER ALERT*

The animation is different and there's something about it that just looks wrong (the 'lighting' perhaps but I can't pinpoint exactly what I dislike about it.) That said, Gordon Runs Dry it actually looked better.

A lot of people have praised Kevin's Cranky Friend. I fail to see how it is so great- the three strikes is there in your face- Cranky says No three times and Kevin feels bad leading to the event that happens (which I could see happening the day the synopsis was revealed), afterwhich Cranky 'feels badly and confesses he thought he didn't need help but he does.' If it had been a story by Miller that would have been criticised to the moon and back.

Wayward Winston, oh dear. The only interesting part was when there were two tracks down the hill but three at the top- only interesting as it amazes me how the animators failed to notice that. Thomas chasing higgildy piggildy all over. The three strikes was there but less obvious- Winston passes Gordon, Paxton then the danger appears!

Steamie Stafford. All I have to say is I feel sorry for Stafford's voice actor having to make all those childish noises. The idea of the story was good, the delivery of it was not.

Scruffs Makeover. Three strikes. He tries to do three different jobs before realising that the dump is the only place for him. Would have been more interesting if he had been doing his work daintily around the dump before getting a stern talking to for Whiff.

Gordon Runs Dry. A nice use of railway realism- 'The Local', station announcements- a welcome change. As for the story, why Paxton's signal was green in the first place anyway baffles me. A rock wouldn't have flown out as it had nor done the damage it did. However, Gordon trying to keep his express an express was good, but any loss of water so quickly would be sure to ring alarm bells. Three strikes again- three water towers before the trouble happens. These negatives aside, there was something about it that just made it that little bit better than the other 4 stories. It might have been the series 1 reference, be it intentional or accidental, I just loved the shot I've attached an image of.

Now for some major irks.
Thomas. Every episode. Was it REALLY that necessary to crowbar him into every episode? We need less of Thomas and more of 'the friends', even for smaller parts.
Steamworks also seemed to be shoehorned in unnecessarily.
The realisation/announcement of the 'moral' at the end also annoys me.

Overall, the writing is an improvement over the past series. But there is still a LONG way to go.

(http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg214/therailwayinspector/gordonclassic_zps57a69492.jpg)
Possible classic reference?

I agree with most of those points, the formula was there but not obvious. I have a feeling it will get better as we go along. Gordon Runs Dry was also my favorite, if I had to rank them.

1. Gordon Runs Dry
2. Kevin's Cranky Friend
3. Scruff's Makeover
4. Wayward Winston
5. Steamie Stafford

Ironically the same order as the DVD.

Now seeing the animation more closely I agree that there is something off about it, but like you I can't pinpoint exactly what. The express coaches look a bit strange from the back, narrow. Regardless I see a bright new future for Thomas and Friends, but as you know some will just never be satisfied.

True, very true. :P

I was honestly impressed with what I saw with season 17.  The only episodes I didn't really like were Scruff's makeover and Steamie Stafford.  Gordon Runs Dry and Wayward Winston I found to be very enjoyable episodes and Kevin's Cranky Friend I liked simply due to the humor from both of the cranes.  

Thoughts on each of the episodes:

Gordon runs dry - 10/10 - No fault on my card with this episode whatsoever, to be honest.  I loved how everyone was in perfect character and I liked how Paxton played a decent role too.  I especially liked how Gordon was complaining to Thomas about why he doesn't fetch his own coaches (Season 1 reference anyone?), not to mention the picture provided by railwayinspector showing the angle of Gordon going by the stream.  It's quite clear that Andrew Brenner has done his homework while writing this episode!  
Kevin's Cranky Friend - 7/10 - I'd normally look down at episodes like this, but this episode got me to laugh.  It's interesting seeing Kevin and Cranky interact with one another, and their relationship throughout the episode was quite enjoyable.  
Scruff's makeover - 5/10 - This episode was honestly kind of boring, and extremely predictable.  I like how Annie and Clarabel spoke and how Gordon, James, and Henry were together at the shed giving Scruff a hard time.  They seemed to be in perfect character in that scene.  Outside of that I can't say I found the rest of the episode entertaining.  
Wayward Winston - 9/10 - I know a lot of people didn't like this episode but I honestly found it to be really enjoyable.  I would have given it a perfect score if they ended the episode with Bertie still waiting at the railroad crossing providing some comic relief.  Outside of that though, I love how Percy was explaining to Winston about why engines need drivers, (totally contradicts everything in seasons 8-16).  My favorite part of the episode has to be where right as Sir Topham Hatt confronts Winston and Winston defends himself by saying that Sir Topham Hatt didn't leave his brakes on... the reactions from everyone in that scene were what made this episode worth watching, IMO.
Steamie Stafford - 2/10 - The only thing I liked about this episode was how they called the cattle wagons livestock cars.  The rest of this episode was really silly and honestly not my cup of tea.  I don't plan on watching it twice.  

So in my opinion... so far so good!  Looking forward to the rest of this season!

I do wonder if Sidney and Norman will appear again.

Well... if you checked up on the 2013 Wooden Railway Yearbook confirmed (as well as another one), that Sydney has been confirmed to appear in an episode called, 'New Wheels for Sydney'. No plot known at the moment, but we'll know eventually.

At least Sidney is coming back. We don't know about Norman, though.

The animation is degraded and awful.  The lighting is off,  the movements of the engines don't seem as realistic,  the engines paintwork isn't as bright,  and I could go on and on.  In some places,  it looks a little bit like a video game!

The plot lines are the best I've seen since 2003 I have to say though.  I really enjoyed them.

It is an early release though, so give it some time.

Quote from: Shawn on April 15, 2013, 11:04:30 PM
The animation is degraded and awful.  The lighting is off,  the movements of the engines are far less realistic,  the ballest on the track looks too clean and uniform,  the engines paintwork isn't as bright,  and I could go on and on.  In some places,  it looks like a video game!

The plot lines are the best I've seen since 2003 I have to say though.

You are exaggerating greatly. There are some faults yes but it is no where a video game, at any points. It is nowhere near awful and personally I'm glad the paintwork isn't as bright.

The plot lines are very good.

I vouch for some things Shawn said, however, he is indeed exaggerating. It is  (personally) not as good as when nitrogen did it, but ah, don't judge a book by its cover. Give them some time to settle down and perfect their animation. I suggest if you have any suggestion, you can email them and give them your opinions. 

Couldn't have put it better. Nitrogen was excellent but give them time. We'll see what happens. In other news I am happy to hear that the seasons are the usual 26 again.

I really am just stating my opinion,  sorry if I sounded a bit harsh,  but I'm really just not a fan of the new look.  It just seems cheaper overall.  And I heard (don't quote me on this), that the animation is cheaper on purpose!  Due to a lower budget.

Well that's not really "on purpose" it's just that they have a lower budget. Speaking as someone in the entertainment industry that is not something the crew has any control over. They have to do the best with what they have.

i kind of find it hard to believe Thomas having a low budget. Thomas is a muti-MILLION dollar gold mine! they only switched the CGI because they didn't want to pay the taxes on it. they went from really good CGI, for a kids program, to not that great CGI. this situation is what I call "The Miller Effect" story lines go down, CGI goes up. Story lines go up, CGI goes down. just goes to show "you can't win!" -Duke

I don't know how the taxes went down province to province, honestly.

Quote from: Anthony P2 on April 18, 2013, 07:14:55 PM
i kind of find it hard to believe Thomas having a low budget. Thomas is a muti-MILLION dollar gold mine! they only switched the CGI because they didn't want to pay the taxes on it. they went from really good CGI, for a kids program, to not that great CGI. this situation is what I call "The Miller Effect" story lines go down, CGI goes up. Story lines go up, CGI goes down. just goes to show "you can't win!" -Duke

I wouldn't say taxes would be the sole reason for Thomas to turn into CGI.  Keeping the show the traditional model format would've been more expensive (as years go by that is) due to them building engines (some very useless ones at that), locations, etc. as well as filming costs as well. It was also since that the majority of kids shows and/or movies are all into the CGI format (as seen in Disney, Dreamworks, etc.), from what I recall reading somewhere.

Quote from: Zorran202 on April 22, 2013, 09:38:20 PM

Quote from: Anthony P2 on April 18, 2013, 07:14:55 PM
i kind of find it hard to believe Thomas having a low budget. Thomas is a muti-MILLION dollar gold mine! they only switched the CGI because they didn't want to pay the taxes on it. they went from really good CGI, for a kids program, to not that great CGI. this situation is what I call "The Miller Effect" story lines go down, CGI goes up. Story lines go up, CGI goes down. just goes to show "you can't win!" -Duke

I wouldn't say taxes would be the sole reason for Thomas to turn into CGI.  Keeping the show the traditional model format would've been more expensive (as years go by that is) due to them building engines (some very useless ones at that), locations, etc. as well as filming costs as well. It was also since that the majority of kids shows and/or movies are all into the CGI format (as seen in Disney, Dreamworks, etc.), from what I recall reading somewhere.

I think what anthony meant was taxes motivated the move of production from British Columbia to Ontario.

Quote from: Shawn on April 09, 2013, 04:18:12 PM
He's coming.  I've got the wheels the correct colour!

How is is goin?

Quote from: Shawn on April 22, 2013, 10:58:45 PM

Quote from: Zorran202 on April 22, 2013, 09:38:20 PM

Quote from: Anthony P2 on April 18, 2013, 07:14:55 PM
i kind of find it hard to believe Thomas having a low budget. Thomas is a muti-MILLION dollar gold mine! they only switched the CGI because they didn't want to pay the taxes on it. they went from really good CGI, for a kids program, to not that great CGI. this situation is what I call "The Miller Effect" story lines go down, CGI goes up. Story lines go up, CGI goes down. just goes to show "you can't win!" -Duke

I wouldn't say taxes would be the sole reason for Thomas to turn into CGI.  Keeping the show the traditional model format would've been more expensive (as years go by that is) due to them building engines (some very useless ones at that), locations, etc. as well as filming costs as well. It was also since that the majority of kids shows and/or movies are all into the CGI format (as seen in Disney, Dreamworks, etc.), from what I recall reading somewhere.

I think what anthony meant was taxes motivated the move of production from British Columbia to Ontario.

I know, I was adding onto why Thomas and Friends moved productions. Don't worry.

Whois excited for kotr?!?!?

http://digiguide.tv/programme-details/Channel+5/7+June+2013/06:35/Thomas+and+Friends/Animation/

Here's the 8th episode confirmed: Calm Down Caitlin.

Is this going to air before King of the Railway? If so, it's almost like how Season 15 aired before DOTD......

This would be true, for the UK that is. The US will get the episodes in October 7th.

Good point on that one

More episode titles: Henry's Hero, Luke's New Friend, The Switch, and Not Now Charlie.

I have a feeling "The Switch" will be a Brenner episode.

DUCK HAS BEEN CONFIRMED TO APPEAR IN HENRY'S HERO!! :)

Quote from: Shawn on May 29, 2013, 08:25:04 PM
DUCK HAS BEEN CONFIRMED TO APPEAR IN HENRY'S HERO!! :)

How did you find out?? This is awesome!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.freeview.co.uk/whats-on/tv-guide?tvgBegin=307&tvgListingID=338706346&tvgTitle=Thomas%20%26%20Friends&tvgClipsPerPage=7&tvgPageNumber=1&tvgShowID=571920

Just scroll back to June 11th in the morning schedule and you'll see the updated goodness...

"CGI animated escapades with the famous little blue engine, based on the much-loved books by Rev W Awdry. Henry and Hiro are both very strong engines, but one day as they are working together they both start to billow dark smoke from their funnels. Duck tells them that they must have taken on some of the bad coal that was delivered that morning. Henry is worried that the bad coal will damage his firebox, while Hiro wants to keep on puffing and deliver their heavy load on his own. Will Hiro be able to manage without Henry's help?"

My life has meaning once more.

This year is apparently a great year for Duck: he's being released for the Bachmann range, the take n play range, and will show up in the upcoming episode, Henry's Hero. :P

Oh yeah, and Season 17 started airing starting with Kevin's Cranky Friend yesterday and then Scruff's Makeover today in the UK. We'll keep our eyes peeled for the 5th episode, Calm Down Caitlin.

http://thesifblog.blogspot.com/2013/06/news-series-17-voice-cast-changes.html

Ahh yes, and some voice actors had left the series which then made some changes.

Just saw Calm Down Caitlin.  Here are my thoughts:
There is only one fault I have with this episode which is how Sodor has become so uptight with the engines working at night.  It's been regular throughout the series, even in full CGI (See James in the Dark).  When I saw the preview I had a bit of a vibe that it would be like Early Bird, however after watching the episode, I found Early Bird to be far worse since it contradicts the third season episode Thomas, Percy and the mail train completely.  Plus it's not like Thomas hadn't pulled the mail train recently before then (See Thomas and the Spaceship).  But back to Calm Down Caitlin, given that this is about a newer character in hand, and how the pros outweigh the cons in this episode I find this to be nowhere near as bad as The Early Bird.  
That being said the pros did outweigh the cons as the mail train was being pulled at night (which is rarity in some instances nowadays), the flying kipper always gets an A in my book, and I loved the scenery throughout the episode.  Particularly final scene with Caitlin going across the Vicarstown bridge at the end of the episode.  However the quote coming from Gordon "Do you streamlined engines ever stop?" won this episode over for me.  

Looking forward to week 2!

For those who are so anxious to see Henry's Hero...

http://youtu.be/6CAGiDAH_aU?a (http://youtu.be/6CAGiDAH_aU?a)

(Skip to 1:08 for a talking Duck.)

And now for my thoughts on Henry's Hero...
No way, another perfect episode?  This season is just getting better and better than I thought!  What I loved so much about this episode was that it was dedicated to both Henry and Hiro.  Henry (throughout seasons 8-16) and Hiro have both had poor or dull episodes throughout the series, and this episode gives them full redemption.  The moral of this episode was great too (which is a rarity).  Henry and Hiro are both not perfect in this episode, but they both influenced each other to go far, and in the end they ended up going further than both of them thought they would.  The scenery was incredible, especially the aerial shots of Hiro and Henry's trains, it gave off a nice birdseye view with the different trees throughout the background.  Thomas and Gordon's roles were a nice addition as well, Gordon always seems to get pretty decent roles throughout episodes, even if they don't star him.  
And with Duck being added...that was just icing on the cake. :)  Loved his voice, and I loved how they kept his classic whistle.  I'm still not fond of his design in full CGI, but at the same time I like how the writers brought him back because they knew that was who the fans wanted to see the most.  They didn't even need to give him a big role to get everyone excited again.  
The best part about this episode though had to be Henry not needing special coal.  While I loved the season 1 episode(s) featuring it, the story notes that Henry used to run on special coal.  However in Magic Railroad, and Season 10 onward, Henry apparently needed special coal again.  Bad judgement on the writers part, but good that it won't be an issue any longer.  
Seven episodes in...two perfect episodes, three great episodes, one average episode, and one bad episode.  Already a huge improvement over everything we've seen from seasons 13-16.  Can't wait for the rest of this week!

It was great that we got to see an old, but classic character that hadn't been seen for quite a while, and thankfully, they released him at the right time (I mean geez, imagine what would've happened if they released him in the previous CGI series... *shudders*).

And I'm also pleased that the overall episode felt like reading "Super Rescue" from the RWS. I mean Henry pushing a broken down engine with a crap load of trucks and himself being handicapped as well? Wow... Yeah, this is an episode I can enjoy for a while. Now while it had some little nitpicks here and there (like at the end, Henry and Hiro leave the Steamworks at the same time, towards the exit with only one transfer table... Yeaaaah, you can see where this is going), it had an overall interesting plot and buildup... I personally give it a 9/10 :)

Now for Luke's New Friend... When I first read the summary of this episode, I had a bad feeling about this one.  Sadly I was proven right.  It feels like any episode from the newer series that featured animals have always turned out to be poor... Thomas Toots the Crows, Percy's New Friends, Thomas' Tall Friend, and a few more following that.  Like those episodes, I didn't find Luke's New Friend to be an enjoyable episode at all.  It was just very boring and uninteresting.  I will admit that this type of role is more suitable for Luke than the likes of Thomas and Percy, but at the same time it doesn't exactly make it a more tolerable episode.  However, I did like how this episode mainly focused on the narrow gauge engines, along with Luke finally getting an episode and appearances by Owen and Merrick.  I did find one scene touching which was Luke leaving off the deer and his driver patting him as the deer leaves.  Otherwise, like Steamie Stafford, this is another episode I don't plan on watching twice. The three-strike formula was more apparent in this episode, the moral was shoved down our throats, and to add to that it's very unrealistic... you can't make an entire quarry quiet while at work, even on everyone's own will (especially with explosions).  Also, anyone else notice the standard gauge brake van at the back of Luke's train...?  Even if it's dual track, that's not a good sign in my books.  
Honestly (after reading some comments on YouTube), I feel like some people are giving this episode too much credit due to the "cutesyness" of this episode, along with Luke finally getting an episode.  While I welcome the ladder, I can guarantee you if this featured any of the main characters like Thomas, Percy, and Toby, this episode would have gotten much more critical reviews.  Like Don't Bother Victor, I think this episode is overrated. ::)
EDIT: Just edited my review slightly.  

Quote from: ModelTrainFan538 on June 12, 2013, 06:06:57 AM
Now for Luke's New Friend... When I first read the summary of this episode, I had a bad feeling about this one.  Sadly I was proven right.  It feels like any episode from the newer series that featured animals have always turned out to be poor... Thomas Toots the Crows, Percy's New Friends, Thomas' Tall Friend, and a few more following that.  Like those episodes, I didn't find Luke's New Friend to be an enjoyable episode at all.  It was just very boring and uninteresting.  I will admit that this type of role is more suitable for Luke than the likes of Thomas and Percy, but at the same time it doesn't exactly make it a more tolerable episode.  The only thing I liked about this episode were the explosions in the quarry.  Otherwise, like Steamie Stafford, this is another episode I don't plan on watching twice.
My current ratings so far:
Henry's Hero - 10/10
Gordon runs dry - 10/10
Wayward Winston - 9/10
Calm Down Caitlin - 7/10
Kevin's Cranky Friend - 7/10
Scruff's makeover - 5/10
Luke's New Friend - 3/10
Steamie Stafford - 2/10

i have to agree with you about Luke's New Friend. I had a idea of a story for Luke which like Blue Mountain Mystery, contains a mystery and crime drama genre. Like in the BMM film, Diesel still wants to get rid of Luke, but does not know how... until he meets a wanted smuggler at Brendam who is planning a child smuggling attempt. When Diesel learns that Luke is to look after Mr and Mrs Percival's children while they are away on the mainland on important business, a devious idea creeps into Diesel's mind.

Best. Moment. Ever.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeU3vuE7MXA

Well, if you think about it, Luke's New Friend actually had some realistic moments (like the other engines telling Luke that the deer doesn't belong at the quarry, especially Rheneas), unlike how the other previous episodes sucked horribly that had animals as part of the plot. I mean, this pretty much beats Percy's New Friend by a long shot if ya think about it.

Luke also refers to the deer as friend, not as Mr. *insert animal name here* from the likes of Percy in the latter mentioned episode...

And come on, Thomas doesn't show up for once!! Thank goodness!!

To me, while it still had a bit of animation goofs, it's at least much better of animal themed episodes by a long shot-to each his/her own I suppose. I personally give it an 8/10.

The Switch... a HUGE improvement to the disappointment I saw in Luke's New Friend.  I honestly didn't think I would like Millie so much as a character, but I actually really liked her once I saw this episode.  She already has more personality than other female characters such as Molly, Belle, and Lady.  Seeing the tension between Luke and Millie with the dramatic music really played off a nice effect.  Then watching them switching their jobs with the Earl and Mr. Percival's permission (which is something they wouldn't have done one or two seasons ago) was also a nice twist.  Plus I really liked how both of them learned about their different perspectives, but while they both struggled at first they seemed to really have a better understanding towards the end of the episode.  I also liked how Rheneas was in better character (as opposed to racing in the quarry in the previous episode).  Especially when early on when he was having doubts of Millie.  The most hilarious part of this episode was watching Luke racing right into the station and the young boy shouts "Again, again!" shortly after that wild ride.  Everything about this episode was done really well, though I must be honest it was kind of silly seeing Millie scared of going into a tunnel.  
Otherwise, this episode was fantastic, written very well, and opens up the audience more to Millie as a character.

And she speaks French in the episode too, albeit not as much as Victor did with Spanish, but at least easy for kids to learn what Bonjour and Au Revoir mean. That's diversity coming into play, especially in the narrow gauge engines. :)

Btw, did anyone notice that Luke makes friends that are different nationalities that also speak different languages? He must have something to be friends with them so easily :P

And we've reached the final point before the first break between the season... Not Now, Charlie... it was average.  Anyone ever heard the expression "the more things change, the more they stay the same"?  This episode proves it as the writing has gotten better...Charlie is still the same character, (with the bad jokes).  Which admittedly I'm not that concerned about, but one thing that throws me off about the episode is the moral.  This is practically a version of The Boy Who Cried Wolf, only delivered in a more gentle matter, which makes the episode extremely predictable.  The thing that throws me off is what happened with the moral.  It was a very good moral, and it works perfectly with Charlie of all characters.  However, I probably would have rated this episode higher if they stuck to the moral.  Seconds later once the message was delivered, Charlie simply carries on telling jokes as if nothing had happened.  However, at the same time, this is also why I liked the episode.  It added for good humor and it gave a good twist to the show, something I don't think has ever been done before.  
With that being said, I will admit it has it's moments, like Gordon bursting with laughter at the beginning, and Cranky's dislike for Charlie's jokes and elephants.  So overall, this episode has left me with mixed feelings, not the greatest, but by no means the worst.  
My current ratings so far:
Henry's Hero - 10/10
Gordon runs dry - 10/10
Wayward Winston - 9/10
The Switch - 9/10
Calm Down Caitlin - 8/10
Kevin's Cranky Friend - 7/10
Scruff's makeover - 6/10
Not now, Charlie - 5/10
Luke's New Friend - 3/10
Steamie Stafford - 2/10
After watching some of these again and posting my thoughts on these episodes, I can say that this is already a huge improvement compared to what we've seen in past five seasons of the series.  I can safely say that I'm interested in seeing what the rest of the season is like, and hopefully those episodes will come sooner rather than later.  

Season 17 take so far. A huge improvement, my personal best episode being Gordon runs dry with Henry's hero close second. My personal least favorite being steamy Stafford but guess every season has one daft episode lol, best moment (salty to the workman) oh watch yourself lol. Anyone got any idea when it's back?

Definitely after King of the Railway. For the US broadcast, it would premiere in October 7th(?). As for the UK, probably around the same time as the US since they have the remaining 10-16 episodes left to air. We'll see in the next couple of months.

Well just read on roll along Thomas season 17 will be back on.screens in the UK in October.

Knew it! I wonder what the rest of the series will be like. Judging by the first 10 episodes shown so far, this season showed a lot of promise! I just hope they surprise us even further (not character-wise, but more like bringing back old elements of the show like the interactions between the standard gauge and narrow gauge engines like back in Seasons 4-5, not counting the new series since those seasons were limited to Thomas and James). We'll see for sure! :)

my only problem with the narrow gauge episodes is that they're mostly in the quarry and I do think that they should focus a little bit more on the other parts of the skarloey railway (for example, there should be an episode where Luke has to pull passenger trains while an engine is at the works) but for this season it would be great to see Donald and Douglas and others come back ;D or an episode with Luke and Duncan interacting. ::)

Well, Don't Bother Victor featured the narrow gauge engines outside the quarry, so that's a plus for me. I imagine they'll be shown outside the quarry a bit frequently, especially you'd have to think about who'd be running the main lines of the Skarloey railway (you know, considering that Skarloey to Rusty plus Luke work at the quarry, one would think Duncan and Duke would be running the lines, maybe even Mighty Mac too, kind of).

Yeah, that would actually make sense and explain Duncan's absence ( from the show perspective)

What was the other reason?

Remember when Nitrogen visited the Talyllyn Railway, they looked over the engines that were working at the time, except for Douglas (Duncan's basis) since he went through an overhaul, so they couldn't render him just yet? Yeah, sums up perfectly.

Btw, if anyone noticed why I posted these links here, you'll find out soon enough! ;)

https://twitter.com/Dalekslayer1/status/362508723186454528/photo/1

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=489885894421947&set=a.338714886205716.76577.159895580754315&type=1&theater

This is awesome! Good to see the China Clay Twins are returning.

http://ttte.wikia.com/wiki/Seventeenth_season (http://ttte.wikia.com/wiki/Seventeenth_season)

Take a look at the episodes list! :D I'm excited!

I'm not sure if that's legit, but they sound great!

If it's on the Wiki and still on the Wiki, it is. They are Really Reliable.

They got the episodes from the PBS website so I'm pretty sure they're legit. Seems like a good year for the series!

http://www.pbs.org/parents/thomasandfriends/episodes/
OMG

Umm....the summaries of the episodes was on the wiki too. :P

I can't judge episodes solely on summaries alone, but I can certainly say a couple of things..

One, 20 episodes for season 17.  I saw this one coming.  I never understood where people got the idea there would be 26.  Not that I'm arguing against it, but seeing as how they have done 20 episodes plus a special since season 12 I don't see how they would change that tradition.  Plus a special is worth about six episodes when you really think about it, so it really isn't so much of a loss.  However, if they do have six more episodes but are saving them for a later time, then I honestly wouldn't mind that.  The more the merrier.  If not though, I'm honestly perfectly fine with what we got.

Another is the fact that old characters are getting big roles.  Duck is playing a lead role in an episode with Thomas, we haven't had this since season 4.  It's even bigger than roles he's had since seasons 5 and 6, so it'll be interesting to see how that will play out.  Bill and Ben are also sharing a role with Connor, and we haven't had an episode starring those two since season 7.  Both of these I welcome with open arms!  No idea if Jack will appear in any episodes anytime soon, but I wouldn't mind if they skipped a season with him.  Seeing Jack alone without the rest of the pack really makes him stand out.  At least Alfie would be nice to see if they were gonna bring Jack back...

Sidney coming back was a given, and I am open to the idea of Paxton getting his own episode.  I even like how Stephen is sharing some roles with Percy, I have a feeling that these will play well.  Flynn and Belle though...?  Honestly, I never understood the fascination with both of these characters.  Belle is one of my least favorite characters in the series.  The fact that she's a steam engine who shoots out water is extremely bizarre, and her personality I find to be rather annoying.  Not as bad as the logging locos, but admittedly I find Charlie more enjoyable than her.  Flynn I find to be more tolerable, but him getting an episode three seasons in a row is pushing it for me.

The biggest surprise for me though is the fact that Diesel 10 of all characters is appearing in an episode.  Diesel 10 was a movie/special character.  I'm honestly not sure what to think of this, I feel like it'll either be a real hit or miss with what they are going to do with him.  Either way, definitely an interesting move on the writers part and I'm looking forward to seeing how this will play out.  

Overall though, I'm excited for these new episodes!  Looking forward to when they air :)

Quote from: Calebtrain on August 11, 2013, 07:24:30 PM
Umm....the summaries of the episodes was on the wiki too. :P

I'm sure he posted it there just to make sure it is 100% legit.

However,

Quote from: ModelTrainFan538 on August 11, 2013, 08:05:57 PM
I can't judge episodes solely on summaries alone, but I can certainly say a couple of things..

One, 20 episodes for season 17.  I saw this one coming.  I never understood where people got the idea there would be 26.  Not that I'm arguing against it, but seeing as how they have done 20 episodes plus a special since season 12 I don't see how they would change that tradition.  Plus a special is worth about six episodes when you really think about it, so it really isn't so much of a loss.  However, if they do have six more episodes but are saving them for a later time, then I honestly wouldn't mind that.  The more the merrier.  If not though, I'm honestly perfectly fine with what we got.

Another is the fact that old characters are getting big roles.  Duck is playing a lead role in an episode with Thomas, we haven't had this since season 4.  It's even bigger than roles he's had since seasons 5 and 6, so it'll be interesting to see how that will play out.  Bill and Ben are also sharing a role with Connor, and we haven't had an episode starring those two since season 7.  Both of these I welcome with open arms!  No idea if Jack will appear in any episodes anytime soon, but I wouldn't mind if they skipped a season with him.  Seeing Jack alone without the rest of the pack really makes him stand out.  At least Alfie would be nice to see if they were gonna bring Jack back...

Sidney coming back was a given, and I am open to the idea of Paxton getting his own episode.  I even like how Stephen is sharing some roles with Percy, I have a feeling that these will play well.  Flynn and Belle though...?  Honestly, I never understood the fascination with both of these characters.  Belle is one of my least favorite characters in the series.  The fact that she's a steam engine who shoots out water is extremely bizarre, and her personality I find to be rather annoying.  Not as bad as the logging locos, but admittedly I find Charlie more enjoyable than her.  Flynn I find to be more tolerable, but him getting an episode three seasons in a row is pushing it for me.

The biggest surprise for me though is the fact that Diesel 10 of all characters is appearing in an episode.  Diesel 10 was a movie/special character.  I'm honestly not sure what to think of this, I feel like it'll either be a real hit or miss with what they are going to do with him.  Either way, definitely an interesting move on the writers part and I'm looking forward to seeing how this will play out. 

Overall though, I'm excited for these new episodes!  Looking forward to when they air :)

Question: how do you explain the remaining episode titles "Spills and Thrills," "The Rocket Returns," and "No More Mr. Nice Engine"? Here's my proof: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Friends-Spills-Thrills-Pictureback/dp/0385375085/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1375882651&sr=8-2&keywords=thomas+and+friends+2014

http://www.amazon.com/Rocket-Returns-Thomas-Friends-Reading/dp/0385373848/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_2

They clearly did say 26 episodes, with the last three remaining episodes a mystery... After all, the DVD release of Spills and Thrills will be released next year, but that's all the info I remember.

But yeah, I'm on board with you on the sheer fact that why Diesel 10 would show up, unless if it was a typo hopefully... King of the Railway is definitely one thing, but Season 17 is another story. XD

Quote from: Zorran202 on August 12, 2013, 02:16:38 AM
Question: how do you explain the remaining episode titles "Spills and Thrills," "The Rocket Returns," and "No More Mr. Nice Engine"? Here's my proof: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Friends-Spills-Thrills-Pictureback/dp/0385375085/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1375882651&sr=8-2&keywords=thomas+and+friends+2014

http://www.amazon.com/Rocket-Returns-Thomas-Friends-Reading/dp/0385373848/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_2

They clearly did say 26 episodes, with the last three remaining episodes a mystery... After all, the DVD release of Spills and Thrills will be released next year, but that's all the info I remember.

They could pull what they did with Engines and Escapades for season 11 and save the other six for later.  It's hard to tell at this point with the little information provided about those three episodes.

I'm allowed to have my doubts, on something that's been a tradition for something that's been going on for five years.  Again though, I'm open to there being more episodes in the future, it's just hard to tell with what information we were given.

I can understand... After all, we still have like two more months until these episodes air either on TV or straight to DVD release...

Quote from: Calebtrain on August 11, 2013, 07:24:30 PM
Umm....the summaries of the episodes was on the wiki too. :P

UMMM I know.....
:'(

if you like the stories of Series 17, I have put up a thread you can write stories using the new writing style for Series 17 onwards. We love to see what we have written using the new writing style, the thread is titled 'new writing style story thread'

Series 17 is continuing airing in the UK on September 30th, starting with 'The Lost Puff'.

Two more days until the release of Season 17!! Can't wait!! :D

Well the Lost Puff came and went, here are my thoughts on the start of the second half of the season:
The humor in this episode was pretty decent, I didn't fall in love with it but I didn't hate it either.  The episode seemed focused more on silliness rather than anything else (seriously, count how many times the word silly or silliness or other alternatives to that word was used in that episode).  The ironic thing was the episode that was intended to be humorous really wasn't the funniest episode of the season.  I think that goes to Calm Down Caitlin, so in a sense you can say I felt a little underwhelmed by this episode.  
This doesn't make it a bad episode by any means, it was a pretty enjoyable episodes and it definitely had it's moments like Toby finally getting to speak this season, Paxton getting his own episode, and of course that duck deserves a category of it's own.  Plus it was great seeing Stephen again, and the look of utter confusion he had in the episode was pretty funny.  Aside from that though, I feel there really isn't as much to offer about this episode aside from what was said earlier.  Again it's not that I didn't like this episode, it's just compared to most episodes this season, it really didn't stand out to me like how other episodes this season did.
6/10

I loved Paxton, he was the grace note throughout the episode. Three strikes was there but not as in your face, it is fading it seems. On the whole not a bad episode, I would prefer one that doesn't focus on bring sill though.

And  Welcome Back Chaz  ;) Good to see you after all this time.

I just watched The Thomas Way, and it exceeded my expectations!

I was expecting something like Gordon and Ferdinand or Thomas Sets Sail, but instead the story pretty much goes out of its way to point out the errors and flaws in those types of episodes (wide loads have to be monitored and secured). It even puts logic to things usually questioned in the show, like how engines suddenly turn around without a turntable (with Rocky!).

Overall, the intros a nostalgic treat, and the episode itself will satisfy a lot of people who were dissatisfied with episodes of not-long-ago. It's not my favorite episode of S17, but it's definitely in my Top 5.

It also seems Misty Island Tunnel is completely walled up!

The Thomas Way was incredible, and honestly much better than I anticipated it to be.  I originally thought this was going to be a typical Thomas learning a lesson about teamwork type of episode that they usually pull off every season.  It turns out that this episode did this in it's own unique way.  They had Duck in his original personality, and they had it spot on!  It was great seeing Callan Castle in full CGI, the reaction from Gordon at Knapford was humourous, and of course the model era Duck being in that picture completely blew my mind.  And Duck being turned around by Rocky was an interesting move on the writer's part, I actually really liked that.

If there was one thing that I thought was odd about the episode, it's that I thought it was a little odd that Duck didn't see the danger of taking Harold to Knapford station or the tunnel until the last second.  Duck was right in front of both places respectively and it was kinda odd seeing as how he didn't see how Harold wouldn't fit through both areas respectively.  

And of course a good sign for me was...

Quote from: Sparks on October 01, 2013, 09:51:10 AM
It also seems Misty Island Tunnel is completely walled up!

I am totally okay with this!  :D

This episode without a doubt reaches my top 5 without a question.  I know some fans find Duck to be "overrated" but even if they still have this approach with Duck as a character I can't see why they wouldn't like this episode.  It's definetely an episode that will stand out compared to most this season, which is really saying something!
9.5/10

And thanks thomasj219! :) Same to you!

I thought the story was written by Andrew Brenner, instead, it was written by Paul Larson and Laura Beaumont. is it not strange?

Not really, just because an episode brings back old things doesn't mean it has to be written by him. I thought it was really fantastic. Everything I hoped it would be. Also anyone notice that Duck has RED buffe housings, like the BACHMANN model. So it seems that solves that mystery.

All I can say is that this episode was done the Great Western Way!  :)

everything about the episode was done amazingly. one thing i didn't like was they said "the Great Western way" too many times. they could have just said "the right way." but other than that 8/10.

Now for my thoughts on today's episode, the Phantom Express.  
Honestly at best, I thought this episode was okay.  It was better than the likes of Luke's New Friend and Steamie Stafford but I didn't quite find myself enjoying this episode as much as the likes of Scruff's Makeover or The Lost Puff.  There really wasn't anything I found particularly memorable about this episode at all, the only real positive note I can think of is that this is the first episode since season 11 to have an episode take place all at night.  No daytime or sunset scenes, just all at night.  That's pretty rare for Thomas episodes nowadays, or even the classic series for that matter.  The storyline felt a lot like Jack Frost, except a little boring, minus the crash scenes.  The crash scenes were interesting but I felt having both Percy and Stephen crash was a little overboard.  Another thing I didn't understand was Sir Topham Hatt's punishment for James... to take Percy's mail for a week?  While I like that the writers are taking the initiative to give the engines punishment for doing something bad, the punishment given to James just didn't quite work for this episode.  If anything it sounds more like a punishment for Percy since he likes taking the mail.  Aside from that though, the storyline in general was okay, the cast of characters was okay and of course the moral tying into the episode was... okay.  The episode was good for what it was, but it did feel like another one of the weaker episodes this season.  
5/10

Actually Chaz, James was to take the mail for a month as punishment. I like the idea of an engine getting a punishment for bad behaviour, but i have to agree with you, the mail train punishment did not suit James. I was hoping it would be the Flying Kipper because no one, save Henry, Arthur and Salty, likes that job; Thomas particularly or even better, pulling tar tankers as we all know how embarrassed James was when he got covered in tar for calling Toby and Henrietta 'DIRTY OBJECTS!'. What do you think, Chaz? Would the Flying Kipper or tar tanker punishment would have improved your final rating of the episode?

You are right on that, I completely blanked that out, thanks for pointing that out! 

Also, personally a tar tanker punishment sounds like a far more suitable punishment for James, it almost sounds like something Andrew Brenner would have done too.  I definitely would have rated the episode higher if they gave James a more suitable punishment, but probably not all that much higher.

Also another thing, apparently we are getting 26 episodes! 

Here is no more mr. nice engine:
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/programs/thomas-and-friends/#episode/ZX9601A009S00

Chaz, I thought of another punishment for James in the Phantom Express, from James and the coaches, that James will have his red coat taken off of him and have him painted blue.

What about thoughts on Percy's Lucky Day? I enjoyed it, and Bill and Ben returned in full character. Why are their wheels red? Something I'm missing? A reference, maybe?

Quote from: seanrail on October 03, 2013, 03:14:42 PM
Chaz, I thought of another punishment for James in the Phantom Express, from James and the coaches, that James will have his red coat taken off of him and have him painted blue.

Same as the tar tanks one you used earlier.  It'd be interesting to see how they would pull that one off though if they did.

Now then...
Percy's Lucky Day
This episode was easily better than what I witnessed yesterday.  It was interesting how Percy and Stephen are starting to build a good friendship together, two episodes in a row of supporting one another in some way.  I actually like that since it gives Stephen a bit more of a variety to connect with as opposed to a new character always associating with Thomas.  Hopefully we can see more of that later.  I also liked the little details they added at the beginning of the episode.  Anyone notice the pumpkin that fell off Bill and Ben's train right as they pass Percy after the bag explodes?  It's little things like this that make me like the effort that's being put into the animation this season.  Even the envelopes flying around was a fun bit too. 
I think the best thing about this episode, inevitably, had to be Bill and Ben.  There's no hiding this one, these two (like Duck), really have their original personalities down and they have them down pretty well.  More of a reason to look forward to tomorrow's episode based on the preview!  Their arguments with each other was pretty funny as well as Sir Topham Hatt watching them getting irritated is done quite well.  
"I'm not heavy!"
"Yes, you are! You weigh tonnes!"
This right here is probably one of my favorite quote(s) from this season, hands down.
Two things did have me confused while watching this episode.  The first was why did Sir Topham Hatt have a package just for the Duchess?  Not the Duke and Duchess, but just the Duchess herself?  Seemed a little strange to me.  :-X  Another is how were percy's wheels still sticky at the castle after being washed earlier?  I guess to be fair on that one, the writers were trying to find a way to have Percy lose his good luck charm but I personally felt there would have been a better alternative. 
And no, I'm not gonna gonna complain about Bill and Ben having red wheels just because it really doesn't make that much of a difference to me.  I do prefer the black wheels and I don't understand why they did the change.  But then again Duck's footplate is black and that didn't really bug me all that much and the same could be said for the twin's wheels.
Otherwise, once again, another fun episode.  Worth the watch! 9/10

I like Bill and Ben with the red wheels. I think it fits them better. I also like the way the side-rods are arranged. I really enjoy this season. I think the writers are trying to incorporate older aspects of the show when it was under BRITT into the new series and it's working. The animation is amazing. At times, it really looks like the models again. The track-bed looks good. The engines look very realistic. At some points, it looks like the models with the CGI faces.

Bill or Ben was excellent. It reminded of "The Dieseal"

It really brought me back to when the show was in it's first 3 seasons.

Well Done!

Here are my thoughts on the episode:
This was a really fun episode!  Bill and Ben make just about any episode good, even when they appear in it briefly.  This episode is no exception.  Their trick on Connor made me feel like I was watching a classic episode, and even their tricks on Victor and Kevin were pretty funny too.  It was just one trick after another, and them going straight back to their old ways despite being punished just made the episode all the more enjoyable.  As BoCo said "You two never stop, do you..".  This episode really does prove that quote.  
Connor's role in this episode was really quite well too.  He didn't start off as a bully, a jerk, or even in the slightest bit vain.  He just acted like a simple everyday character.  Which is why this episode worked unbelievably well.  It makes the victim of the episode just all the more interesting.  Especially when he nearly crashes into Henry.  
And of course the punishment...being painted blue (Wow seanrail, you were close on this one!) was a fun to see too.  The way how Ben even manipulated Kevin to be repainted was a very clever move on the writer's part. 
This is another perfect episode, highly recommended for old and new Thomas fans alike.  10/10

Quote from: Chaz on October 05, 2013, 12:45:19 AM
Here are my thoughts on the episode:
This was a really fun episode!  Bill and Ben make just about any episode good, even when they appear in it briefly.  This episode is no exception.  Their trick on Connor made me feel like I was watching a classic episode, and even their tricks on Victor and Kevin were pretty funny too.  It was just one trick after another, and them going straight back to their old ways despite being punished just made the episode all the more enjoyable.  As BoCo said "You two never stop, do you..".  This episode really does prove that quote.  
Connor's role in this episode was really quite well too.  He didn't start off as a bully, a jerk, or even in the slightest bit vain.  He just acted like a simple everyday character.  Which is why this episode worked unbelievably well.  It makes the victim of the episode just all the more interesting.  Especially when he nearly crashes into Henry.  
And of course the punishment...being painted blue (Wow seanrail, you were close on this one!) was a fun to see too.  The way how Ben even manipulated Kevin to be repainted was a very clever move on the writer's part. 
This is another perfect episode, highly recommended for old and new Thomas fans alike.  10/10

Well Thanks, Chaz.

Quote from: Chaz on October 03, 2013, 12:02:04 AM
You are right on that, I completely blanked that out, thanks for pointing that out! 

Also, personally a tar tanker punishment sounds like a far more suitable punishment for James, it almost sounds like something Andrew Brenner would have done too.  I definitely would have rated the episode higher if they gave James a more suitable punishment, but probably not all that much higher.

Also another thing, apparently we are getting 26 episodes! 

Here is no more mr. nice engine:
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/programs/thomas-and-friends/#episode/ZX9601A009S00

there is also three more announced; The Smelly Kipper, Away from the Sea and Thomas Shortcut. in The Smelly Kipper, Henry dares James to take the Flying Kipper (I might be also close on that one with James pulling the flying kipper).

information on ttte.wikia.com/wiki/Season_17 (http://ttte.wikia.com/wiki/Season_17)

On the TTTE Wikia for the Smelly Kipper episode. The description says that James teases Percy because he is afraid of the dark. Ghost Train (Season 2 episode 25) says that Percy enjoys running at night time. :S

When does the next batch of episodes come out in the UK? Wondering why the UK, there's a channel on yt that shows all of the episodes from the UK in HD so yeah.....

Just saw Too Many Fire Engines and most of the Christmas episodes.  I will post my thoughts on the Christmas episodes at another time, right now though I want to share my thoughts on Too Many Fire Engines. 
This episode I thought was just a little above average.  It is a huge improvement over every episode involving Flynn and Belle, and easily more entertaining.  I guess with this episode there are two things I want to address one good and one not-so good. 
To get the one main flaw out of the way I have with this episode is Flynn's personality during most of this episode.  He was completely out of character.  The scene with him turning down the offer to go to the castle from Thomas was just pitiful to watch, and just didn't work for Flynn's personality.  Personally I feel this episode would have made more sense if it was Belle getting discouraged and not Flynn.  Flynn made more appearances, is more iconic to the show and SSRC, on top of having a better overall design.  Belle is the exact opposite, so seeing Flynn getting discouraged because of her was a little degrading.
For what the episode is worth though, I like the message that the writers were trying to show with this episode.  The moral is, whenever there is an emergency, it is always good to have a back-up plan.  This is a very rare message for kids nowadays and the writers couldn't have picked a better way to show that moral.  Especially when the argument of whether or not Sodor really does need two fire engines actually is a legitimate concern. 
With everything else aside, it was great seeing Butch sticking around as a source of encouragement for Flynn and I liked seeing the railway inspectors visiting the Island.  Everything about this episode is great, but like I said earlier, it is a shame that they couldn't have swapped the roles Belle and Flynn had otherwise it would have been more effective for me.  It would have gotten a much higher rate from me if they did that.  Despite this, I thought it was an enjoyable episode and I have a feeling others may feel the same way. 6/10

I myself enjoyed the Too Many Fire Engines. And I actually felt sorry for Flynn whenever he didn't make it to the fires.

On another note, the Christmas episodes were pretty good, though I still wonder what led to having Diesel 10 appear for the first time in an episode. It's not a bad thing, but I did like the idea of him being a movies/specials character

The return of these two, besides Duck is what really got me hyped....

(http://i1330.photobucket.com/albums/w580/ThomasSteam_9/a4ef4f4d72977a49c4accaf2369d28d6_zps7acc89d1.jpg)
(http://i1330.photobucket.com/albums/w580/ThomasSteam_9/cb4a4e032e35ee370503ed1f2bdcd190_zpsf78d7c48.jpg)

They look incredible in blue!

I like their blue color, but I hope the next time we see them they'll be yellow again. ::)

I'm pretty sure they will, I think they were only painted blue for that episode.

Well No More Mr. Nice Engine just aired in Australia, so I figured I would share my thoughts on it.  To those of you who live in the UK/US do not read any further, as this review will contain spoilers.

Anyway the first thing I want to say right off the bat, is I am pretty happy that we are getting 26 episodes this season.  The more the merrier!  Especially when the episodes are in good quality. :)

For No More Mr. Nice Engine, I found it to be fairly enjoyable.  The moral of the story is to basically keep your cool and control your temper.  The fact they used Diesel and Hiro, who are opposite from each other in that respect was a really clever way.  I think what I liked too was seeing the troublesome trucks in their troublesome ways again.  Now granted, we had king of the railway but I really didn't get that classic "troublesome" feel from them as much as I would have liked.  This episode did that better, which I find to be a very strong point.  
Plus I liked seeing Edward getting a small role in this episode.  Edward hasn't really done so much this season so seeing him speak a couple of times is a plus.  This episode could have worked just as well if not better with Edward just because this kind of plot suits his original character so much more.  Using Hiro though wasn't a bad move at all though, and no complaint on my part.  
The only thing I have to question is Diesel behind Hiro's train... no one at the docks realized this, let alone the workman who coupled Diesel to the pack of Hiro's train...?  I feel like the episode would have worked better if Diesel whispered a plan to the trucks that would cause the extra trouble for Hiro.  It again would have made the episode a little more effective and not as blatantly obvious that it was Diesel's doing, but I guess it really was the only way they could have caught Diesel in the act of sabotaging both of Hiro's trains.  
It's an overall enjoyable episode, a great storyline, and of course a great choice of characters.  Glad to see this season still coming on strong! 8/10


Now I updated this post due to no responses and I wanted to avoid double-posting.  So here are my thoughts on "Away from the Sea"
I think it can be said that the best part of the episode has to be the beginning, the flashback to Salty's secret.  It was done in a very clever way and it really takes fans back to when Salty first came to Sodor.  It's surprising to me that I felt nostalgic while watching that flashback, to think that season six was so long ago from now.  Now despite my praise for the flashback for the episode, is it a good episode?  Well I feel after the flashback I was suddenly underwhelmed by the rest of the episode.
A letdown for me for this episode was Salty's personality in this episode.  He was completely out of character.  While I'm happy they gave Salty a role, it was bizarre seeing a character as optimistic as him overthink a new character like Porter.  Plus seeing him refusing to go to the Dieselworks, being careless and crashing into freights cars full of oil and then confetti just did not work for him.
There are still some positive moments throughout the episode, like seeing Den appearing in this episode, since he was absent in the missing Christmas decorations.  Plus the part with Porter annoying Cranky with the excessive questions was done really well.  Cranky usually makes for good speaking roles and moments throughout episodes, and this episode is no exception.  And of course when credit is due, the mention of how sandboxes work for different engines was pretty enjoyable too.  It's pretty clear Brenner has done his homework! 
As far as Porter goes I must be honest when I say this I found his personality to be a little dull.  But hopefully within the next episode (with the return of Harvey in mind) we can see more development from him. 
Overall though, it's an all right episode, I won't say it's one of the strongest episodes this season but if you like season 6 or are a fan of Salty you may enjoy the episode. 7/10

Thomas's Shortcut

Probably my favorite of the season, won't go into too much detail but let me know what you all think.

the episodes from the last couple of days have been really good! one thing I do have to say about this season is the utilization of characters to use. it's not just the eight main engines getting rolls for themselves but characters like scruff, hiro and diesel, flynn and belle, bill and ben, salty, stafford, (soon to be) harvey.....the list goes on. this has to be one of the best series since the classic series (pre season 8).

Well here are my thoughts on the next two episodes.  We'll start with Thomas' Shortcut:
This episode has to be another really great one from this season!  Thomas and Bertie racing again was done very well, and I liked seeing the rivalry build up again between the two of them.  In some ways this episode felt a lot like Thomas Gets Bumped in the sense that Thomas felt compared to Bertie, but it didn't really have the plot as exciting as Thomas and Bertie's Great Race since there was no real racing action which I felt would have made the episode a lot more interesting.  Especially since there was no official competition at the time Thomas was taking the shortcut.  However the choice of characters was done well, and it was great seeing Harvey again despite not speaking.  It's a fun episode and if you love Thomas and Bertie episodes, it's hard to avoid this one.  8/10

Now time for the Smelly Kipper (keep an open mind on this one):
This episode was a HUGE missed opportunity for me.  Where it did well was the fact that it revolved around the flying kipper, on top of giving that episode to James of all characters and the bits with the troublesome trucks was great too.  When I read the description I found myself getting excited, thinking this was going to be a new favorite as any episode having an engine pulling the flying kipper is usually a good one.  While I enjoyed parts of it, there's just one problem with the episode, and it's a big one... it's the storyline.  I love Andrew Brenner's work but this episode had way too much going on.  First it was about James proving to the engines he was brave in the dark, then James abandoning the job, then Henry being late, then James owning up to his mistake, then James going back to the docks to make up for lost time, then James going to the docks only to be made fun of by Porter and the troublesome trucks, then James gets covered in fish, then James is briefly shown pulling the flying kipper, and then James goes back to the sheds with the engines laughing at him and goes to the washdown... starting to see the problem?  Sometimes less is more and more is less, this episode proves that.  I would have been a lot happier with this episode if we actually saw more with James pulling the flying kipper throughout the whole episode and not all the unneeded dialogue and dilemmas that were shown throughout the episode.  It would have made it more entertaining and it would have a much better overall flow.  Plus whatever happened to the idea of James proving himself to not be afraid of the dark?  That was what made James pull the flying kipper in the first place and the whole idea of that was forgotten once James got to the docks.  So overall, I found this to be a really silly episode with a lot of uneeded dialogue and sideplots, and I feel this episode could have been so much better if they just made it a lot more of a basic story involving James actually pulling the kipper. 4/10

My thoughts on The Smelly Kipper: It wasn't a bad episode, and I did like it, though I do have some things about it. 1.) James seemed like a total jerk in the beginning. I don't know, it just irked me. 2.) Why were some of the fish delivered in Troublesome Trucks? At least the fish they carried were in crates, unlike how they were just transported raw and unprotected in previous episodes. And on the note of the Flying Kipper itself, shouldn't there be more cars to the train?

But I digress, I did think that it was an alright episode. It's good to see the Flying Kipper come back :)

Well here are my thoughts on Gone Fishing:
Harvey finally getting an episode since season 6 is welcome with wide open arms!  Bringing back Harvey was smart since he remained iconic throughout seasons 6-12 on top of being a character with fair development (A Bachmann model of him would be a huge seller if not for the crane arm).  I didn't exactly love the voice he was given, a little more of a gruff voice would have suited him better.  Hopefully the US dub will give him more of a proper voice.  As far as CGI design goes, easily one of the best ones.  It has a better representation of the tv model than any of the recent comebacks this season on top of having the most accurate face out of the bunch. 
As far as the episode itself goes, this episode was honestly way too predictable.  Harvey proving to be useful by being both a crane and an engine has been done before, but they emphasized it in a different way which made this episode a little more unique.  I thought it was great that they finally made Harvey actually pull a train and giving him a role at the docks was done very well.  At the same time I feel like it could have been more interesting.  It's weird, the previous episode had way too much going on, this episode was the exact opposite!  Not even Bill and Ben could have made the episode more interesting, which is what they have been known to do in previous episodes.   
Plus I don't know about you guys, but I think Porter stands as one of the most bland characters in the series.  Molly and Jeremy got more development than Porter ever did in their debut seasons.  He barely did anything in his debut episode and in an episode where he was expected to play a bigger role, he really didn't serve any justice to that one either. 
So overall I'd say it's an improvement over yesterdays episode but honestly not by that much.  5/10

Idk, I enjoyed his voice since if you think about it, his real-life basis is actually from Scotland, hence having the Scottish accent we hear him with in Gone Fishing.

It was an interesting episode, certainly a lot more better than The Smelly Kipper, in a way really.

Quote from: Zorran202 on October 22, 2013, 01:39:46 AM
Idk, I enjoyed his voice since if you think about it, his real-life basis is actually from Scotland, hence having the Scottish accent we hear him with in Gone Fishing.

Yeah, but a more gruff voice still would have been my preference, even with a Scottish accent.  Like I said I didn't love it, I just felt it could have been a little better. 

He sounds remarkably similar to Rocky in my opinion. I'm undecided as to whether I like it or not. A scottish accent though I love as it adds to the variation.

Season 17 has been good for vocal development; Scottish, Brummie, whatever-Stephen's-is, Irish, French... whatever next?!

Edward looks a-lot bigger, anyone else notice?

Well the last episode, minus the xmas ones I haven't gotten around to reviewing, the Afternoon Tea Express.
I'll be honest when I first read the brief summary provided I thought this was going to be a boring episode but I found myself to actually enjoy it.  It was really great seeing true polar opposites sharing an episode together, Spencer and Stephen and it managed to play off really well.  Plus the idea of the other engines pushing Stephen around to make him move around faster was actually pretty funny.  That and I actually liked seeing James pulling the express coaches.  We haven't seen any other engine besides Gordon pull express coaches in some time so it was nice seeing some variety.  The crash that was shown at the castle reminded me a lot of the recent episode No More Mr. Nice Engine and it kinda had a similar twist, only I found myself liking this crash a little more than the former.  So overall a nice episode, I won't say this episode was the ideal episode to end the season on (if you've been consistant with watching the episodes on youtube), but I found it to be an improvement over the last two episodes and it's great seeing Stephen play a huge role outside of King of the Railway. 7/10

I'll talk about my thoughts on the Christmas episodes when I have the time. :)

Quote from: Chaz on October 18, 2013, 12:48:17 PM
Well No More Mr. Nice Engine just aired in Australia, so I figured I would share my thoughts on it.  To those of you who live in the UK/US do not read any further, as this review will contain spoilers.

Anyway the first thing I want to say right off the bat, is I am pretty happy that we are getting 26 episodes this season.  The more the merrier!  Especially when the episodes are in good quality. :)

For No More Mr. Nice Engine, I found it to be fairly enjoyable.  The moral of the story is to basically keep your cool and control your temper.  The fact they used Diesel and Hiro, who are opposite from each other in that respect was a really clever way.  I think what I liked too was seeing the troublesome trucks in their troublesome ways again.  Now granted, we had king of the railway but I really didn't get that classic "troublesome" feel from them as much as I would have liked.  This episode did that better, which I find to be a very strong point.  
Plus I liked seeing Edward getting a small role in this episode.  Edward hasn't really done so much this season so seeing him speak a couple of times is a plus.  This episode could have worked just as well if not better with Edward just because this kind of plot suits his original character so much more.  Using Hiro though wasn't a bad move at all though, and no complaint on my part.  
The only thing I have to question is Diesel behind Hiro's train... no one at the docks realized this, let alone the workman who coupled Diesel to the pack of Hiro's train...?  I feel like the episode would have worked better if Diesel whispered a plan to the trucks that would cause the extra trouble for Hiro.  It again would have made the episode a little more effective and not as blatantly obvious that it was Diesel's doing, but I guess it really was the only way they could have caught Diesel in the act of sabotaging both of Hiro's trains.  
It's an overall enjoyable episode, a great storyline, and of course a great choice of characters.  Glad to see this season still coming on strong! 8/10


Now I updated this post due to no responses and I wanted to avoid double-posting.  So here are my thoughts on "Away from the Sea"
I think it can be said that the best part of the episode has to be the beginning, the flashback to Salty's secret.  It was done in a very clever way and it really takes fans back to when Salty first came to Sodor.  It's surprising to me that I felt nostalgic while watching that flashback, to think that season six was so long ago from now.  Now despite my praise for the flashback for the episode, is it a good episode?  Well I feel after the flashback I was suddenly underwhelmed by the rest of the episode.
A letdown for me for this episode was Salty's personality in this episode.  He was completely out of character.  While I'm happy they gave Salty a role, it was bizarre seeing a character as optimistic as him overthink a new character like Porter.  Plus seeing him refusing to go to the Dieselworks, being careless and crashing into freights cars full of oil and then confetti just did not work for him.
There are still some positive moments throughout the episode, like seeing Den appearing in this episode, since he was absent in the missing Christmas decorations.  Plus the part with Porter annoying Cranky with the excessive questions was done really well.  Cranky usually makes for good speaking roles and moments throughout episodes, and this episode is no exception.  And of course when credit is due, the mention of how sandboxes work for different engines was pretty enjoyable too.  It's pretty clear Brenner has done his homework! 
As far as Porter goes I must be honest when I say this I found his personality to be a little dull.  But hopefully within the next episode (with the return of Harvey in mind) we can see more development from him. 
Overall though, it's an all right episode, I won't say it's one of the strongest episodes this season but if you like season 6 or are a fan of Salty you may enjoy the episode. 7/10

i have to agree with Salty being out of character in 'away from the sea, chaz. i have thought of one for Salty that would work better. Salty proving to to Cranky that The Little Mermaid, who turned into sea foam after the prince married another princess in the Hans Christian Andersen tale 'The Little Mermaid', still exists and alive after feeling upset about the sad ending.

Quote from: seanrail on October 24, 2013, 04:44:24 PM
i have to agree with Salty being out of character in 'away from the sea, chaz. i have thought of one for Salty that would work better. Salty proving to to Cranky that The Little Mermaid, who turned into sea foam after the prince married another princess in the Hans Christian Andersen tale 'The Little Mermaid', still exists and alive after feeling upset about the sad ending.

I don't know about that one, mostly because of how dark/sad the ending to the original story of "The Little Mermaid" is. But it would be kind of cool if they did an episode of Salty and mermaids :)

i was also planning to add bits from the Disney Film of the same name, Dino.

Well here are my thoughts on the Christmas episodes since now I have time to go through them:
Santa's Little Engine - A huge disappointment.  This episode started off pretty well, the humor with STH and Winston and the beginning went very well at the beginning but I found Winston to look really ridiculous as a sleigh.  From that point though I found the episode to be average, and then it went downhill from there... literally.  I know I shouldn't judge a show like Thomas for realism but can someone please explain to me how the sleigh landed perfectly on the rails?  On top of the branches landing so perfectly on Thomas' funnel?  And more importantly, Why was Winston being decorated as a sleigh was not approved by the Earl since he wanted something a little more suiting for the festival yet Thomas with antlers and a red nose pulling the sleigh was..?  That basically made the whole scene with Winston being decorated completely pointless.  The episode had it's minor funny moments, but for me I just thought it was a really ridiculous episode.  Definitely one of the weaker episodes this season.  2/10

No Snow for Thomas - There is no other way to put this episode other than it basically being a rewritten version of Thomas, Emily and the Snowplough.  The only differences was some minor changes to the plot and Emily's overall personality in the episode.  The episode does not win the originality award on my book, but I do give the episode credit for showing the safety of Thomas wearing a snowplough by just leaving him in the sheds.  That is of course before inevitably he gets stuck in the snow again.  I did like how they gave Emily the caring personality she had in season 7 as opposed to the bossy/sassy personality she was given from season 8 onward.  So while originality is weak I feel everything else was done pretty well.  What you see is what you get, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't watch this episode more than once.  One of the best Emily episodes we've gotten since season 11, but definitely not the strongest for her, or the season.  7/10

Frozen Turntable - It was an average episode, a little boring, but not a bad one.  This episode had it's funny moments like Percy trying to get into the shed with Gordon already sleeping inside.  Past that nothing really struck me as anything particularly memorable about this episode.  Gordon was essentially a grump throughout the episode and finally had what was coming to him after making a selfish decision.  It's a rare message throughout the series nowadays to not be greedy and this episode displayed that moral very well, especially with the moment of Gordon being stuck in the sheds not able to come out.  So overall not a bad episode but at the same time I felt they could have done a little better with this one. 6/10

The Missing Christmas Decorations - I'll be honest, I was biased when I first heard that Diesel 10 was appearing in an episode, since I was used to seeing him as a movie/special only character.  So I would have never guessed he would appear in an episode, let alone a Christmas episode.  The episode itself was easily the best episode out of all the winter episodes this season.  Paxton once again said some of the best lines in the episode such as coming in during the confrontation asking "What's the occasion?" worked really well.  Plus I found Sidney to be humorous while hanging up at the Dieselworks waiting for his new wheels.  He's a character who I would love to see more development from.  To add to that, the chase scene with Diesel 10 and the steam team was done really well, but I think what I liked best about this episode was the moral.  The moral was talking about the spirit of Christmas being about giving and even being good to those were not good to you in the past.  It's basically one of those "love your enemies" moments, and with the Diesels giving the steam engines their decorations in return for giving Sidney new wheels really shows that moral even more.  Plus I really like how Percy was given a good role for this episode since it ties in with his role in Day of the Diesels.  Plus Diesel 10 calling Sidney "Twinkle toes" worked really well for this episode!  So not only was this episode the best out of the four, but probably out of the season as a whole.  10/10


So as a season overall I was pretty impressed with what I've seen.  A huge improvement over what we've gotten over the last five years as far as writing has gone from the season.  I won't say it's perfect but it is a huge step in the right direction.  I'm glad everyone liked my insights too and I'm looking forward to season 18. :)

Quote from: Chaz on November 06, 2013, 09:19:16 PM
Well here are my thoughts on the Christmas episodes since now I have time to go through them:
Santa's Little Engine - A huge disappointment.  This episode started off pretty well, the humor with STH and Winston and the beginning went very well at the beginning but I found Winston to look really ridiculous as a sleigh.  From that point though I found the episode to be average, and then it went downhill from there... literally.  I know I shouldn't judge a show like Thomas for realism but can someone please explain to me how the sleigh landed perfectly on the rails?  On top of the branches landing so perfectly on Thomas' funnel?  And more importantly, Why was Winston being decorated as a sleigh was not approved by the Earl since he wanted something a little more suiting for the festival yet Thomas with antlers and a red nose pulling the sleigh was..?  That basically made the whole scene with Winston being decorated completely pointless.  The episode had it's minor funny moments, but for me I just thought it was a really ridiculous episode.  Definitely one of the weaker episodes this season.  2/10

No Snow for Thomas - There is no other way to put this episode other than it basically being a rewritten version of Thomas, Emily and the Snowplough.  The only differences was some minor changes to the plot and Emily's overall personality in the episode.  The episode does not win the originality award on my book, but I do give the episode credit for showing the safety of Thomas wearing a snowplough by just leaving him in the sheds.  That is of course before inevitably he gets stuck in the snow again.  I did like how they gave Emily the caring personality she had in season 7 as opposed to the bossy/sassy personality she was given from season 8 onward.  So while originality is weak I feel everything else was done pretty well.  What you see is what you get, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't watch this episode more than once.  One of the best Emily episodes we've gotten since season 11, but definitely not the strongest for her, or the season.  7/10

Frozen Turntable - It was an average episode, a little boring, but not a bad one.  This episode had it's funny moments like Percy trying to get into the shed with Gordon already sleeping inside.  Past that nothing really struck me as anything particularly memorable about this episode.  Gordon was essentially a grump throughout the episode and finally had what was coming to him after making a selfish decision.  It's a rare message throughout the series nowadays to not be greedy and this episode displayed that moral very well, especially with the moment of Gordon being stuck in the sheds not able to come out.  So overall not a bad episode but at the same time I felt they could have done a little better with this one. 6/10

The Missing Christmas Decorations - I'll be honest, I was biased when I first heard that Diesel 10 was appearing in an episode, since I was used to seeing him as a movie/special only character.  So I would have never guessed he would appear in an episode, let alone a Christmas episode.  The episode itself was easily the best episode out of all the winter episodes this season.  Paxton once again said some of the best lines in the episode such as coming in during the confrontation asking "What's the occasion?" worked really well.  Plus I found Sidney to be humorous while hanging up at the Dieselworks waiting for his new wheels.  He's a character who I would love to see more development from.  To add to that, the chase scene with Diesel 10 and the steam team was done really well, but I think what I liked best about this episode was the moral.  The moral was talking about the spirit of Christmas being about giving and even being good to those were not good to you in the past.  It's basically one of those "love your enemies" moments, and with the Diesels giving the steam engines their decorations in return for giving Sidney new wheels really shows that moral even more.  Plus I really like how Percy was given a good role for this episode since it ties in with his role in Day of the Diesels.  Plus Diesel 10 calling Sidney "Twinkle toes" worked really well for this episode!  So not only was this episode the best out of the four, but probably out of the season as a whole.  10/10


So as a season overall I was pretty impressed with what I've seen.  A huge improvement over what we've gotten over the last five years as far as writing has gone from the season.  I won't say it's perfect but it is a huge step in the right direction.  I'm glad everyone liked my insights too and I'm looking forward to season 18. :)

Quite so, Chaz. the days of the Three-strikes are over and so it the Henry's special coal continuity contradicting and personality change on the nicer engines, notably Edward and Toby.

My suggestions for improving the story lines is some more action and a bit of drama.

now, what episode title suggestions should we have for Season 18 and its synopsis?

here are some of my suggestions

Sprang a Leak: Diesel teases Thomas about his leaky tank after Thomas' siderods snap and punctured his water tank, but leaks turn on Diesel when he springs an oil leak.

The Boat Train: a boat train called 'The Brendam Ferry' has started up to take passengers to Brendam Docks to catch the ocean liners. When Henry is chosen to take the train, Gordon will do anything to pull the train, but it becomes a sail against time when the ocean liner, RMS Cunard of Sodor, is due early. (note: RMS Cunard of Sodor is recycled from TUGS' 'The Duchess' model.)

The Stephen Chief (based on Walt Disney's Peter Pan and the fairy tale by James M. Barrie): When Peter Pan is the chosen pantomime at the town hall, Bridget Hatt wants to see the pantomime, but her brother Stephen Hatt is scared of the Red Indians in the pantomime for an apparently grizzly reason. Can he overcome his phobia before the pantomime and before Bash, Dash and Ferdinand find out and use it as an advantage for mischief, which can result in a potential fire on Misty island?

what do you think of my suggestions? feel free to give them the pros, cons and a rating out of 10.

Quote from: seanrail on November 07, 2013, 05:09:16 AM

Quote from: Chaz on November 06, 2013, 09:19:16 PM
Well here are my thoughts on the Christmas episodes since now I have time to go through them:
Santa's Little Engine - A huge disappointment.  This episode started off pretty well, the humor with STH and Winston and the beginning went very well at the beginning but I found Winston to look really ridiculous as a sleigh.  From that point though I found the episode to be average, and then it went downhill from there... literally.  I know I shouldn't judge a show like Thomas for realism but can someone please explain to me how the sleigh landed perfectly on the rails?  On top of the branches landing so perfectly on Thomas' funnel?  And more importantly, Why was Winston being decorated as a sleigh was not approved by the Earl since he wanted something a little more suiting for the festival yet Thomas with antlers and a red nose pulling the sleigh was..?  That basically made the whole scene with Winston being decorated completely pointless.  The episode had it's minor funny moments, but for me I just thought it was a really ridiculous episode.  Definitely one of the weaker episodes this season.  2/10

No Snow for Thomas - There is no other way to put this episode other than it basically being a rewritten version of Thomas, Emily and the Snowplough.  The only differences was some minor changes to the plot and Emily's overall personality in the episode.  The episode does not win the originality award on my book, but I do give the episode credit for showing the safety of Thomas wearing a snowplough by just leaving him in the sheds.  That is of course before inevitably he gets stuck in the snow again.  I did like how they gave Emily the caring personality she had in season 7 as opposed to the bossy/sassy personality she was given from season 8 onward.  So while originality is weak I feel everything else was done pretty well.  What you see is what you get, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't watch this episode more than once.  One of the best Emily episodes we've gotten since season 11, but definitely not the strongest for her, or the season.  7/10

Frozen Turntable - It was an average episode, a little boring, but not a bad one.  This episode had it's funny moments like Percy trying to get into the shed with Gordon already sleeping inside.  Past that nothing really struck me as anything particularly memorable about this episode.  Gordon was essentially a grump throughout the episode and finally had what was coming to him after making a selfish decision.  It's a rare message throughout the series nowadays to not be greedy and this episode displayed that moral very well, especially with the moment of Gordon being stuck in the sheds not able to come out.  So overall not a bad episode but at the same time I felt they could have done a little better with this one. 6/10

The Missing Christmas Decorations - I'll be honest, I was biased when I first heard that Diesel 10 was appearing in an episode, since I was used to seeing him as a movie/special only character.  So I would have never guessed he would appear in an episode, let alone a Christmas episode.  The episode itself was easily the best episode out of all the winter episodes this season.  Paxton once again said some of the best lines in the episode such as coming in during the confrontation asking "What's the occasion?" worked really well.  Plus I found Sidney to be humorous while hanging up at the Dieselworks waiting for his new wheels.  He's a character who I would love to see more development from.  To add to that, the chase scene with Diesel 10 and the steam team was done really well, but I think what I liked best about this episode was the moral.  The moral was talking about the spirit of Christmas being about giving and even being good to those were not good to you in the past.  It's basically one of those "love your enemies" moments, and with the Diesels giving the steam engines their decorations in return for giving Sidney new wheels really shows that moral even more.  Plus I really like how Percy was given a good role for this episode since it ties in with his role in Day of the Diesels.  Plus Diesel 10 calling Sidney "Twinkle toes" worked really well for this episode!  So not only was this episode the best out of the four, but probably out of the season as a whole.  10/10


So as a season overall I was pretty impressed with what I've seen.  A huge improvement over what we've gotten over the last five years as far as writing has gone from the season.  I won't say it's perfect but it is a huge step in the right direction.  I'm glad everyone liked my insights too and I'm looking forward to season 18. :)

Quite so, Chaz. the days of the Three-strikes are over and so it the Henry's special coal continuity contradicting and personality change on the nicer engines, notably Edward and Toby.

My suggestions for improving the story lines is some more action and a bit of drama.

now, what episode title suggestions should we have for Season 18 and its synopsis?

here are some of my suggestions

Sprang a Leak: Diesel teases Thomas about his leaky tank after Thomas' siderods snap and punctured his water tank, but leaks turn on Diesel when he springs an oil leak.

The Boat Train: a boat train called 'The Brendam Ferry' has started up to take passengers to Brendam Docks to catch the ocean liners. When Henry is chosen to take the train, Gordon will do anything to pull the train, but it becomes a sail against time when the ocean liner, RMS Cunard of Sodor, is due early. (note: RMS Cunard of Sodor is recycled from TUGS' 'The Duchess' model.)

The Stephen Chief (based on Walt Disney's Peter Pan and the fairy tale by James M. Barrie): When Peter Pan is the chosen pantomime at the town hall, Bridget Hatt wants to see the pantomime, but her brother Stephen Hatt is scared of the Red Indians in the pantomime for an apparently grizzly reason. Can he overcome his phobia before the pantomime and before Bash, Dash and Ferdinand find out and use it as an advantage for mischief, which can result in a potential fire on Misty island?

what do you think of my suggestions? feel free to give them the pros, cons and a rating out of 10.

No Bash...blabalablabla EVER AGAIN. They were the worst characters ever introduced to Thomas. What about Bill and Ben?
The story with the humans... Don't you think it should revolve more around trains? Just thinking.
8/10

not really fergusfan17.

'The Stephen Chief' is a good story for a few reasons

Because James Barrie who wrote Peter Pan, was Scottish, 'The Stephen Chief' will feature Donald & Douglas, The Scottish Twins, and possibly Duck, Oliver and Toad. The forest fire scene, inspired by the one in Bambi, will mean Belle and Flynn are also appearing.

The reason why i decided on 'The Stephen Chief' is i thought it is time The Fat Controller's grandchildren had a big role in an episode as they only had minor roles in the CGI series, notable 'Thomas and the Runaway Kite'.

as in real life, the red indians live in an american frontier landscape, Misty Island would make the most appropriate location for the episode.

the episode also has a moral that 'The only to overcome your fears is to face them'.

Quote from: seanrail on November 08, 2013, 05:53:33 AM
not really fergusfan17.

'The Stephen Chief' is a good story for a few reasons

Because James Barrie who wrote Peter Pan, was Scottish, 'The Stephen Chief' will also feature Donald & Douglas, The Scottish Twins, and possibly Duck, Oliver and Toad. The forest fire scene, inspired by the one in Bambi, will mean Belle and Flynn are also appearing.

The reason why i decided on 'The Stephen Chief' is i thought it is time The Fat Controller's grandchildren had a big role in an episode as they only had minor roles in the CGI series, notable 'Thomas and the Runaway Kite'.

the episode also has a moral that 'The only to overcome your fears is to face them'.

Maybe you could make it about the engine Stephen instead?

Quote from: Fergusfan17 on November 09, 2013, 09:38:17 AM

Quote from: seanrail on November 08, 2013, 05:53:33 AM
not really fergusfan17.

'The Stephen Chief' is a good story for a few reasons

Because James Barrie who wrote Peter Pan, was Scottish, 'The Stephen Chief' will also feature Donald & Douglas, The Scottish Twins, and possibly Duck, Oliver and Toad. The forest fire scene, inspired by the one in Bambi, will mean Belle and Flynn are also appearing.

The reason why i decided on 'The Stephen Chief' is i thought it is time The Fat Controller's grandchildren had a big role in an episode as they only had minor roles in the CGI series, notable 'Thomas and the Runaway Kite'.

the episode also has a moral that 'The only to overcome your fears is to face them'.

Maybe you could make it about the engine Stephen instead?

having the forest fire scene in the castle in an episode with a native american theme would not look right. and replying to your suggestion of using Bill and Ben, having it in at the china clay works would not look right either as there is nothing other than the metal clay chutes to be set afire and the china clay would end up dousing the flames, anyway we have seen Bill and Ben enough in Season 17 and we have not seen the logging locos in Season 17 either. By contrast, fire can daily burn plants and trees, Misty Island is the best location, especially as we don't want to upset Henry again by having the forest in his forest, especially if it sets alight the tall pine tree.

Quote from: Fergusfan17 on November 07, 2013, 05:06:11 PM

Quote from: seanrail on November 07, 2013, 05:09:16 AM

Quote from: Chaz on November 06, 2013, 09:19:16 PM
Well here are my thoughts on the Christmas episodes since now I have time to go through them:
Santa's Little Engine - A huge disappointment.  This episode started off pretty well, the humor with STH and Winston and the beginning went very well at the beginning but I found Winston to look really ridiculous as a sleigh.  From that point though I found the episode to be average, and then it went downhill from there... literally.  I know I shouldn't judge a show like Thomas for realism but can someone please explain to me how the sleigh landed perfectly on the rails?  On top of the branches landing so perfectly on Thomas' funnel?  And more importantly, Why was Winston being decorated as a sleigh was not approved by the Earl since he wanted something a little more suiting for the festival yet Thomas with antlers and a red nose pulling the sleigh was..?  That basically made the whole scene with Winston being decorated completely pointless.  The episode had it's minor funny moments, but for me I just thought it was a really ridiculous episode.  Definitely one of the weaker episodes this season.  2/10

No Snow for Thomas - There is no other way to put this episode other than it basically being a rewritten version of Thomas, Emily and the Snowplough.  The only differences was some minor changes to the plot and Emily's overall personality in the episode.  The episode does not win the originality award on my book, but I do give the episode credit for showing the safety of Thomas wearing a snowplough by just leaving him in the sheds.  That is of course before inevitably he gets stuck in the snow again.  I did like how they gave Emily the caring personality she had in season 7 as opposed to the bossy/sassy personality she was given from season 8 onward.  So while originality is weak I feel everything else was done pretty well.  What you see is what you get, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't watch this episode more than once.  One of the best Emily episodes we've gotten since season 11, but definitely not the strongest for her, or the season.  7/10

Frozen Turntable - It was an average episode, a little boring, but not a bad one.  This episode had it's funny moments like Percy trying to get into the shed with Gordon already sleeping inside.  Past that nothing really struck me as anything particularly memorable about this episode.  Gordon was essentially a grump throughout the episode and finally had what was coming to him after making a selfish decision.  It's a rare message throughout the series nowadays to not be greedy and this episode displayed that moral very well, especially with the moment of Gordon being stuck in the sheds not able to come out.  So overall not a bad episode but at the same time I felt they could have done a little better with this one. 6/10

The Missing Christmas Decorations - I'll be honest, I was biased when I first heard that Diesel 10 was appearing in an episode, since I was used to seeing him as a movie/special only character.  So I would have never guessed he would appear in an episode, let alone a Christmas episode.  The episode itself was easily the best episode out of all the winter episodes this season.  Paxton once again said some of the best lines in the episode such as coming in during the confrontation asking "What's the occasion?" worked really well.  Plus I found Sidney to be humorous while hanging up at the Dieselworks waiting for his new wheels.  He's a character who I would love to see more development from.  To add to that, the chase scene with Diesel 10 and the steam team was done really well, but I think what I liked best about this episode was the moral.  The moral was talking about the spirit of Christmas being about giving and even being good to those were not good to you in the past.  It's basically one of those "love your enemies" moments, and with the Diesels giving the steam engines their decorations in return for giving Sidney new wheels really shows that moral even more.  Plus I really like how Percy was given a good role for this episode since it ties in with his role in Day of the Diesels.  Plus Diesel 10 calling Sidney "Twinkle toes" worked really well for this episode!  So not only was this episode the best out of the four, but probably out of the season as a whole.  10/10


So as a season overall I was pretty impressed with what I've seen.  A huge improvement over what we've gotten over the last five years as far as writing has gone from the season.  I won't say it's perfect but it is a huge step in the right direction.  I'm glad everyone liked my insights too and I'm looking forward to season 18. :)

Quite so, Chaz. the days of the Three-strikes are over and so it the Henry's special coal continuity contradicting and personality change on the nicer engines, notably Edward and Toby.

My suggestions for improving the story lines is some more action and a bit of drama.

now, what episode title suggestions should we have for Season 18 and its synopsis?

here are some of my suggestions

Sprang a Leak: Diesel teases Thomas about his leaky tank after Thomas' siderods snap and punctured his water tank, but leaks turn on Diesel when he springs an oil leak.

The Boat Train: a boat train called 'The Brendam Ferry' has started up to take passengers to Brendam Docks to catch the ocean liners. When Henry is chosen to take the train, Gordon will do anything to pull the train, but it becomes a sail against time when the ocean liner, RMS Cunard of Sodor, is due early. (note: RMS Cunard of Sodor is recycled from TUGS' 'The Duchess' model.)

The Stephen Chief (based on Walt Disney's Peter Pan and the fairy tale by James M. Barrie): When Peter Pan is the chosen pantomime at the town hall, Bridget Hatt wants to see the pantomime, but her brother Stephen Hatt is scared of the Red Indians in the pantomime for an apparently grizzly reason. Can he overcome his phobia before the pantomime and before Bash, Dash and Ferdinand find out and use it as an advantage for mischief, which can result in a potential fire on Misty island?

what do you think of my suggestions? feel free to give them the pros, cons and a rating out of 10.

No Bash...blabalablabla EVER AGAIN. They were the worst characters ever introduced to Thomas. What about Bill and Ben?
The story with the humans... Don't you think it should revolve more around trains? Just thinking.
8/10

away for The Stephen Chief, what do you think of sprang a leak and the boat train as far as pros, cons and a rating out of 10 for each?