Considering how many characters are going to be in season 20 (old and returning), that's kind of a relief. Don't want to get too crowded after all.

Aside from Bradford, the only other recent one I'd like to see again who's only appeared once would be the Flying Scotsman, because he was in my opinion the best thing about the Great Race, and he may appear again...

Unlike in past seasons, at least the new team does have reasons why certain characters won't appear again.

Even though Duck, Donald, Douglas, and Oliver didn't contribute too much to the story of Lost Treasure on a whole, it does make sense why they're there as the Harwick Branch is right next to the Little Western.

Plus, honestly, I'd like to see those four pop up for an episode rather than Thomas. They've only appeared for the sake of it like ten or so times since their returns, and that's nowhere near as annoying as Thomas appearing in almost every single episode a season - something we were already irritated by in seasons 8-16.

Well, with the first week of season 20 over (and unfortunately going into hiatus again until who knows when...), here are my condensed thoughts on all 5 of them:

Sidney Sings: This was an episode that was hinted at far before the episode came out, and I was curious to see how it would be handled. Fortunately, it turned out pretty good. After awhile of being kind of a blank slate, I really enjoyed how they wrote Sidney as forgetful, but can still be very helpful and not being another antagonistic diesel. Continuity between this and The Missing Christmas Decorations was very satisfying, and I particularly loved the turn of how Sidney's forgetfulness proved to be useful after all, plus the reintroduction of the red Express coaches. It's got a few pacing issues, Thomas being shoehorned slightly in, and some other things that aren't explained (seriously, who WAS supposed to take those passengers???), but still a very strong season opener. Also, I will not be able to get that jingle out of my head... 8/10

Phillip's New Friend: While I'm still not a fan of Phillip for his behavior, here Brenner executed it a lot better than either his season 19 episodes or the Great Race. First off, he's toned down a tad bit than any of those 3 instances, though I will say he still can get pretty tedious. Having him play off Toby provided much more entertainment than either Gordon or James, and how Toby was handled was very much in character. While some may say Thomas was shoehorned in, here it makes sense because it is his branch line, he's Phillip's closest friend, and was the right one to teach Phillip the lesson which he actually does take to heart. Though it doesn't make sense to me why Phillip and Thomas ended up on the same track. Eh, maybe Phillip was supposed to be trailing behind Toby, I don't know. 7/10

Henry Gets the Express: This is by far my favorite of the first batch of season 20 episodes, and I'm sure many fans will agree. Like Old Reliable Edward and Thomas' Shortcut, this is a modern classic. First off, this is Henry's best written role in awhile in the Arc era. He's snide, crafty and teasing like most older fans remember. All the characters mesh together sublimely that it screams classic Awdry, and nobody feels shoehorned in at all, and neither do any of the callbacks to previous episodes. A thing that some may overlook is Sir Topham Hatt's portrayal, which is equally great and feels exactly how he should be - as the father figure over the other engines and punishing them when they act out of line. Some may criticize Gordon's behavior being too immature, but I disagree. He got pompous over his importance, and was punished until he did what he was supposed to. Plus, I feel after pulling the Kipper, Sir Topham Hatt felt Gordon learned his lesson. 10/10

Diesel and the Ducklings: This episode is quite odd for me. As a whole, it is pretty good. I do like the concept of Diesel showing a soft side here and there rather than having a jarring turn of feelings like in season 14, and I didn't mind him acting all troublesome wherever he found opportunity (though at times it did become a bit confusing). 'Arry and Bert getting a role was a nice chance of pace, and yes, the moral is a very good one delivered extremely nicely. The sticking thing that bugs me is how Thomas' role feels incredibly miscast. Lee Pressman has a bad habit for shoehorning Thomas into episodes that really shouldn't have had him - look at last season's Salty All at Sea. I know some people complain that Duck was too shoehorned in season 18, but if there was any episode that would've benefited from Duck in the starring role it would be this one - it would've called back to season 2, and it would've been even funnier to hear Duck quacking himself. I feel this episode just kind of dropped the ball in that regard, and it bugs me how much better it would've been had they gone that route. 6/10

Bradford the Brake Van: New characters that aren't engines are kind of rare in the Arc era, so I was quite interested to see how Bradford would turn out. Fortunately, he turned out very well! Bradford definitely adds something unique and interesting to the Thomas world. His paint scheme looks much like soldier camouflage, and he delivers the drill sergeant attitude with a lot of entertaining enthusiasm. While some of his instructions, yes, can be extremely nitpicky and as a result kind of annoying (which is my only major issue with the episode), he does have merit to his actions, especially in Thomas' case - safety is more important in the long run, which is an excellent moral for kids. Plus, you gotta admire all those railway specific regulations. The crash was, as expected season 19 onward, great to see, and it was quite nice seeing Samson again after so long. Though Bradford may not be appearing very soon, he sure left a lasting impression, and I can tell he and Samson were made for each other. 9/10

All in all, I think season 20 is off to a pretty bang up start, and feels, at least so far, an improvement over its predecessor. Though, I'm really hoping that the team does have some focus on characters that Lost Treasure introduced or brought back for a change, and most importantly, that they don't put Thomas in EVERY single episode.

I agree. Emily is proving to be one of the best females in the franchise. Best Engine Ever was my favorite from last season, and yesterday's episode did give me some faith in Phillip...just as long as they keep it that way.

I think this is spoiling a bit, but today's episode, Henry Gets the Express, exceeded all my expectations. It has classic Awdry written all over it.

For those who don't know, the UK will get the first 5 episodes of season 20 starting today. Sidney Sings is the first and is already online.  I'll talk more about them when the week is over.

Unfortunately, at first glance at least, the schedule is going to be all screwy like last year with season 19...

Well the Great Race came available today on Digital video, and here are my thoughts on it, what is arguably the hardest one to give an opinion on...

(SPOILERS BELOW. BEWARE.)

The good things in this are really good. The moral about being yourself is excellently done, and works great for the plot. Thomas is written very close to his true personality, and his motivations for pretty much everything he does in the special are relatable and legitimate, much like the last two specials. The other Sodor engines are as well, though I might criticize the ones used for the majority of the special. Emily and Gordon (yes, in his rather gaudy streamlined form) I do welcome, since they haven't done much other than being supporting characters in previous specials, especially Emily, and both are very well used. James and Henry, however, I feel weren't the ones I'd personally pick to try and spice things up since they've both gotten a lot of use prior to this and they feel a little stale here. Percy, whilst not contributing much to the show plot line, does provide good motivation to let Thomas participate instead and is a good reminder of how strong their friendship is.

As far as the new characters, Ashima (voiced wonderfully by Tina Desai) is definitely the best here. She's an excellent female character in the franchise, and a good role model in general, which seems to have become a thing in the Arc era of Thomas. She and Thomas have so many great moments together that really drive the story along. Though I have to say the Flying Scotsman is a close second. Aside from being canon in the TV series of being Gordon's brother and that it's just a joy to see him in full (unlike in season 3), he actually feels a bit more like a three dimensional character here than in the Railway Series. He's very proud and boastful, like Gordon, and that really shows that they are brothers. However, they did manage to get in the caring side readers of the Railway Series will remember. Maybe not as much in some areas as we would've liked to, especially to show for kids for a potentially good moral, but still pretty darn close.

When I first read that Diesel was going to have a subplot in this movie, I was a little worried, as that action has been used so many times it's feeling very old. However, here they managed to make it fresh and entertaining. While it doesn't contribute that much to the plot, it's undeniably the funniest part of the special, especially with the excellent 'Full of Surprises' song and the mid credits scenes.

Which brings me to the songs. All of them feel very well composed (thanks to all new composers Chris Renshaw and Oliver Davis), written and performed. I personally like 'Will You, Won't You' most, particularly for how many of the cast get involved, but they all really help drive the story along, except maybe 'Streamlining', and all are an even greater step up from 'Never Overlook a Little Engine' in how the franchise uses these songs. Arc also continually stepped up the animation quality once more, and it looks just fabulous as expected, which makes their bankruptcy in recent months all the more disappointing.

Now, the things that let me down on this special start with the fact that halfway during the special, the plot line gets pretty eschewed throughout the hype of the Railway show, and as a result stalls from feeling rushed and all over the place at times, ironically. Since the Railway Show aspect takes up about a third of the special, the whole show feels too squeezed to use its full potential. The strength competition and best dressed competitions feel particularly anti-climatic. Most notably, however, is that almost all of the international engines contribute almost nothing, and some don't even get a line. Which is a shame, because there was so much potential to make a lot of them at least a little interesting and charismatic. The only one that really stood out was Vinnie, and while many hate him for being a big bully, I wasn't too bothered with him. If anything the choice in prototype, paint, looks and attitude make him feel very unique and thuggish. Yes, he's a bully without much motivation, and that's something I didn't particularly liked, but this brings me to something else I disliked that revolves around another character: Phillip.

Since his introduction in season 19, I at first kind of liked Phillip, but after watching season 19 over and over, I really REALLY dislike him, and this special proves it. Maybe he's not as extremely annoying or getting off scot-free as the former, but there's a scene when Vinnie is bullying Phillip because he cut him off and bumped into him accidentally, and...well, let's just say Thomas and Ashima save him, but Phillip didn't do anything to stand up for himself, yet he still taunts Vinnie anyways after the former two do all the work for him. Honestly this part of the special is what really ticks me off. Now, I get that Phillip is a David vs. Goliath Vinnie, but since the whole special's moral is about embracing who you are, it would've made better sense to have Phillip at least try and stand up for himself, because going the route that actually occurred would mean Vinnie would easily bully Phillip again when no one else is around to defend him.

In the end, this is the weakest of the Renaissance era's specials. To put it simply, so much potential to make this better than it was there, but as is, it's still significantly better than any of the Nitrogen era specials. The good in this special is really good, but the disappointment of unused potential and that little green box shrimp do bring the quality down a good bit. Though for kids, I'm sure they'll be less critical about it as I am, and if they like it and it gets good sales for the franchise, more power to them.

7/10

At last, season 20 releases begin to surface.

I'm elated that Donald and Douglas are getting an episode focused on themselves already, and a Winter themed episode at that makes it doubly promising.

Actually quite surprised Glynn will be reappearing, but it's nice to see that even he hasn't been forgotten.

All the other descriptions sound interesting. Now comes the agonizing wait...

Quote from: JLK2707 on May 18, 2016, 08:36:31 PM
Can you please see if there are just any more episodes for season 20?

I did. There aren't yet.

As much as I really like Duck's recent starring episodes and Spencer's VIP, I do agree that an episode about Duck not talking about the Great Western would be a nice break. All at Sea has been my favorite Duck episode of the whole series because it fleshed out Duck as a daydreamer, and I'd really enjoy if they focus on that aspect of his personality again.

And yes, they still need to stop shoehorning Thomas in the new episodes. It's still more irritating for him to be shoehorned than any other character because it has been done to death already in the Barlow era. Season 19 in particular had him in every episode, including ones that didn't need him at all like Salty All at Sea, Toad and the Whale, Rocky Rescue, and No Help At All.

You know, it kind of bewilders me that people point out that Duck and Oliver in particular are shoehorned into many an episode, but this has happened many times in the classic era, especially in season 3 and 4, and no one seems to complain about them there.

But that aside, we'll see how season 20 turns out with them. Like I said, with all 4 Little Western core members revived, there's a lot of potential to make stories on Duck's Branch Line.

We'll also see how they're handled in the Great Race, since the trailer shows them (if only for a brief moment).

Oliver apparently has been pushed back for a November release date at the time being.

When I first saw Yong Bao, I thought he was based off the 2-8-2 type used on the Boone & Scenic Railroad in Iowa, but his actual prototype isn't too different.

And I first thought Carlos was based off one of the narrow gauge engines used on the Denver & Rio Grande (now being owned by the Durango & Silverton/Cumbres & Toltec), but I still think his prototype is my favorite so far.

I just hope that Ashima isn't going to try to be almost exactly like Ishani from Disney's Planes...

We'll have to wait to see how the other engines turn out. Regardless to how this feature turns out in the end, we still have to give credit to Brenner, McCue, and the crew for trying something this ethnically extensive. If they were just trying to sell more toys in the quickest way possible, they would've just chosen a bunch of different engines from just one country.

Reportedly in the Fall of 2016.

Quote from: Akodenski on February 15, 2016, 02:28:27 PM
Duck and Rex

One day duck meets Rex at Arelsdale.Then a flashback happens about the time Duck first meet Rex. Then Duck saw Rex with some passengers. Then Duck wishes that he knew what Rex's job was like. Then he goes to the Aresburg branchline and tells Donald and Dogulus how much Duck would like to see how it is like to do Rex's job. Dogulus says how silly that is and makes Duck cross. On the way back to The Great Western line Duck didn't pay attention to a red signal and then went off the track and then fell in to a lake just by the minature line. Then Duck finds Rex riding along the line with a passenger train. Duck asks Rex to pull him out of the lake but he said he couldn't until he was done pulling his passenger train. After he was done pulling his train he got the brake down train and pulled Duck out of the water. Then he pulled Duck back to the minature engines' depot where Donald and Dogulus were waiting to take him to the Steamworks. There Victor tells him that everyone makes mistakes but you need to pay attention so you don't make as many mistakes.

Honestly, this one sounds a little too much like The Other Side of the Mountain from last season. Maybe with a few tweaks it could be a bit more unique.

I think it's fair if we get at least one episode per season on these groups:

- The Little Westerners (Duck, Oliver, and Toad) and or Donald and Douglas
- The China Clay Engines (Bill, Ben, Timothy and Marion)
- The Narrow Gauge Engines
- The Arlesdale Railway Engines
- Ryan and Daisy

And we're not even including the episodes that include the Steam Team members, especially Thomas, because we all know Thomas has to have at least 3 or more episodes per season.

Since season 19 is over and done with, and with the recent trailer of the Great Race, we still have season 20 to look forward to in between later on this year.

We do have two episodes that have been confirmed to be released:

Sidney Sings, in which Sidney gets his first episode to himself, and an episode introducing a new character Bradford the Brake Van.

Since this is after Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure, season 20 obviously has a lot to get anticipated for. We have Daisy, Donald and Douglas back, as well as the introduction of the Arlesdale Railway Engines. I can already see potential brewing in the writing room for just those characters.

There's also Ryan to work with, and perhaps Skiff, too.

We can only guess though what other surprises season 20 has to offer. Hopefully, unlike season 19, it won't have such a muddled release and get back to the release formula season 17 and 18 had.

Post any thoughts, predictions and reviews below.