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[popculturebuffet]

Thomas and Friends Retrospective: Season 7: The End of An Era

Hello all you useful engines and welcome back to my eternal look at Thomas the Tank Engine.

This season marks the end of an era: With HiT who'd bought the show taking a firmer hand Britt Alcroft left the show after this. Her role was already reduced but this was the end of her having direct involvement, with David Mitton following suit along with character Designer Robert Gauld-Galliers and compossers Micheal O'Donnel and Junior Campbell. It was all largely for the same reasons: HiT was making it hard to do their jobs, had a way they wanted things so everyone either left or was pushed out. After this HiT apparently revamps the show heavily.. including making the episodes 11 minutes.

And with that... it marks the end of me covering EVERY episode of every season. We're not done. As long as Lachey has money, i'll apparently be reviewing trains. I do enjoy this series and hope to see where it goes.. but a combination of these later seasons being mixed in quality and Lachey not being made entirely of money mean we'll just be covering a smattering of episodes from here on out. It's a bittersweet feeling: It's less work and I won't miss that.. but I still enjoy this show and i'ts sad to see this era go by. I'll be doing a top 12 episodes list to mark the shows anniversary and to celebrate this milestone later in the year, but it's the end of how it was.

Despite all this turmoil season 7.. is a fine season to end the era on. WE get new engines all fairly distinct and likeable, some solid stories and some nonsense. NOt as much as I like on a good day of thomas the tank engine but still enough> Fruit explosions, flying cows and James inevitable nervous breakdown all line a solid season. It's not the best of that era, last time beat it to that, or even in contention.. but it's got enough heart, set pieces and stupid train children to still stand proud as the last of it's kind. So let's see what it's got shall we?

Emily's New Coaches

We get a new train and a new longtime addition to the cast with Emily, who's bright, has a deep warm heart (not literally.. I think),l and gets yelled at a LOT this episode for shit that isn't her fault. The episode's shenanigan is Emily accidently taking Annie and Clarabel. And EVERYONE else is at fault except her.. no really. Her coachmen tells her to take them, Annie and Clarabel say nothing, the rest of the trains falsely accuse her and just give her the cold train equilvent of a shoudler and the fat controller tries nothing. Thankfully she gets to apologize and gets her own coaches but it's the weakest episode of the season. Thankfully it's up front and Emily still makes quite an impression.

2. Percy Gets it Right

This episode continues the season's tradition of making Thomas the biggest asshole on rails. Yes while Gordon still tries his best to keep his title, Thomas gets quite a few episodes this season where he's just a rude little shit. In this case he's the cassandra warning Thomas about a bridge. Thomas ignores him and pays the price for his hubris as Train Jesus commands. THe two make up and decide to spend the rest of the season making everyone else suffer.

3. Bill, Ben and Fergus

I forget sometimes that I just.. do not like Bill and Ben. They had a stronger showing last time as they were paired with your hero and mine salty, but left to their own advices their just annoying little shits without the warmth Thomas has to offset their jackassery. Here they get a new co worker Fergus who simply.. wants them to do shit the right way then dick theirselves doing it the wrong way because of course they do. 6/10

4. The Old Bridge

This is an intresting one. So a bridge on the other railway , an old one that's worn down breaks.. and poor Skarloey nearly falls in the river. Lachey has informed me that for some Train Jesus Forsaken Reason.. fans don't like this episode.. because they believe Skarloey, being an older engine, is immune to fear. First off, the elderly are just as prone to fear as any of us

Second, no one is immune to PTSD and while I hestitate to diagnose a fictional cartoon train with a very real illness in this case.. that seems to be what's happening. Skarloey is terrified, has flashbacks on the train and books it when told to go over it again. The Fat Controller's response is "YOU SHALL BE PUNISHED FOR YOUR HUBRIS BY PUSHING TRUCKS SO SAYETH I THE FAT CONTROLLER!". Which is dickish as ... he's not being chicken it's a resonable fear and the bridge does collapse AGAIN later. It does still once again show HOW far this man's come. When Henry whined about getting wet and ruined everyone's day the Fat Controller bricked him up and gaslit him int othinking it'd be for always and always. By saying that directly as he's not a subtle man but it worked. here a train defies him and h'es jus tlike "fine do something else bitch". he still should you know, adress his train's ptsd. How h'ed get a train therapist down here I don't know but he's rich and can afford it. Still Skarloey overcomes his PSTD to save Reneas because he'sd a good one and this episode is solid.

5. Edward's Brass Band

Edward gets a thrilling spotlight again as he deals with his wife's cancer and the fall of the island nation of Krakoa and wait no (checks notes) he misses out on getting to transport a brass band but thanks to a storm gets to anyway. My mistake. It sure did happen

6. What's the Matter With Henry?

A fantastic episode. Look i'm not subtle in my love of henry and it's eternal suffering. I'm always here for it. But this episode adds a touching new element: Emily, who shows genuine concern for the old man.

See Henry's had a rough life. According to the backstory book Lachey told me about henry was sold to the Fat Controller.. but was a flawed engine his original owners offloaded. The Fat Controller took him anyway and an accident got him rebuilt but it just shows you Train Jesus has ALWAYS hated this poor guy and he's only deserved it like .. once.

In this ep he's sick, but Thomas and Percy are pricks about it and assume he's a faking faker. Now them teasing him and talking shit is normal: that's what they do every day. They kick it up a notch though as to be dicks they make it so Henry has to do extra work.

Emily however is worried and finds Henry is leaking and goes to tell the Fat Controller. And true to how far he's come his reponse is "shit I need to rescue my boy! What if that time I walled him up for a bit to teach him manners did this? WHAT IF I DID THIS". But the poor guy gets injured because Thomas just had to be a funny man. This is what happens when you find joy in your life thomas! Henry is repaired, apologizes are had and Thomas learns absolutely nothing. But at least Henry has one friend now. Good for you henry.

7. James and the Queen of Sodor Last time I pointed out how Percy just.. went through it, like yours truly being on the verge of a nervous breakdown half the time. I just wanted to give the poor guy a cup of tea and a train therapist. The world seemed out to get him, unlike say Henry where that's just fact.

So thankfully this season he's instead Thomas' bestie, a role he apparently still has. He's fine. No the one needing a train therapist this go round is James.

I am DELIGHTED to talk about this one and forgot it was back to back with my other faviorite. The Henry Episode was good for being a great lesson on not assuming someone's faking an illness or trying to get out of work, and on support and gave Emily a great showcase. It's one of those episodes that shows just what thomas does best and is a great time.

This one does all that for the other reasons. What's The Matter With Henry was an example of the series when the writing is genuinely good and it's deft character work: the characters have only a spoonful of depth but they have enough heart. I went from not being able to tell them apart to genuinely carring and it's episodes like this that did it.

James and the Queen of Sodor is the pure nonsense I enjoy. A bunch of bitchy neurotic train children being dicks and getting into nonsense or operatic crashes as Train Jesus punishes them for their hubris.

In this case James brags, saying he's more important than Gordon. So naturally the episode is a delightfully douchey game of one upsmanship where neither is sympathetic: Gordon is pissed James mocked him for getting mud from another engine and that James gets to transport the mayor. So to get back at him he tricks james into towing a barge.

Now I missed the part where Gordon tricked him, so when James blamed gordon I assumed he just lost himself in paranoia and the episode was his descent into madness. And even with this new context.. it absolutely is. Gordon played a petty prank..a nd James response is "I'LL TOW THIS BARGE WITHOUT GETTING DIRTY THEM RAM IT UP GORDON'S THROAT. NOT GETTING DIRTY NOT GETTING DIRTY NOT GETTING DIRTY NOT GETTING DIRTY

I made MOST of that up. He really does chant not dirty not dirty not dirty to himself and practically explodes when, after getting the barge back without getting muck on him, he gets some dust blew on him. This episode is petty as fuck and I love it. I love that Gordon is such an egotist that something as simple as James getting to tow the mayor sets him off and leads to a douchey revenge scheme. I love James spiraling with a look that says I WILL KILL THEM ALL plastred on his face. And I Love how somehow the episode dosen't grasp that Gordon was still wrong to trick James out of petty spite. Yes James was being egotistical.. but that's what Gordon does EVERY episode he's in. Gordon dosen't work for this plot so instead it becomes a glorious comedy of errors about two doucheabgs one upping each other. It's so good.

8. The Refreshment Lady's Tea Shop

A Peter Sam focused episode. I honestly forgot Peter Sam existed, but it's a pretty good one. The lady who runs the local tea house, think a coffee house but for tea, needs to expand her buisness as it's summer and she's got tons of customer and the Fat Controller tasks peter sam with it as he hasn't fucked up lately. We get a gorgeous tour of the sets, but there's too many. However finding an old cart Peter Sam finds a solution: a mobile refreshment cart. Now how she'll get this thing around I do not know, but it's a sweet gesture regardless. This episode is okay. The refreshment lady sounds like Michael Caine at times for some reason. Moving on

9. The Spotless Record We meet new best boy Arthur who gets in a bit of a jam

To understand why the rimshot, Arthur is a new engine with a flawless record who joins the gang. Thomas continues his stream of cheeky nonsense and wants to purposefully get the new kid in trouble, telling him the fat controller dosen't like the trucks singing. He is VERY lucky Arthur survived. The trucks have DIED goading people into stupid shit, there is no guarantee Arthur would survive trying to actually make them do something. Luckily he just crashes into a fruit truck. I do love the Fat Controller's pun he makes deciding that lecturing arthur would be "fruitless" Thomas does apologize but this is the... (Checks episodes) fourth time thomas has been a cheeky bastard this season and won't be the last. in fact

Thomas is a Cheeky Bastard Count: 4

I"m just doing it for this season to see if i'ts AS many as it seemed like or the quality is just so high on his shenanigans it sticks out.

All in all I really like this one. Arthur is kind and I like that the series has gone on long enough that "new kid" can be a character trait. He's a bit more naive. I also love his shiny red coat, a nice contrast to james, a slightly deeper more vibrant red that really shows what the model team can do.

10. Toby's Windmill

THE WINDMILL.. is a decent episode. I mostly like it for being a Toby episode. He gets one about once a season. Toby likes an old windmill on his route but when a storm destroys it insists on using an old branch that also got knocked down. I love the Fat Controller this season. I've said that a lot but this season he's at his most supportive: if a train comes to him with a problem yo he'll solve it. He's kind, warm this is him at his best and I really hope he stays this way during the series shift coming up.

11. Bad Day at Castle Loch

Look I love a good castle. What nerd doesn't, and I love scottland.. but this episode is just donald and douglas dicking themsleves again. The setting helps a little but both sets of twins just kinda get into goofy shenanigans and have to be rescued.. which i'll bite is the shows general premise but the rest of the cast are a bit more unique. I've come to realize that while I don't hate the second line with the older engines.. most of thier stories could be told with the Steam Team. They feel a bit blander. It could just be i'm not as good at telling them apart: i wasn't with the Titmoth crew early on, but even thinking back... they kinda blend together.

12. Rhenias and the Roller Coaster

Rhineas takes some children out on a field trip. One of the more standout b-team episodes as Rhineas worries about impressing the kids are endearing and him being sent on a bumpy downhil track, thrilling the kids is a great reasolutoin. I've just grown to like the main cast more. I like me a nice wide ensemble, I do, but you gotta have a lot of personalities to make that work. Thomas just.. dosen't.

13. Salty's Stormy Tale

Now back to an addition to the cast who adds a lot. Salty is one of the best trains they've added instantly distinct from both his boxy yellow design and his penchant for tales and the sea. In this case Storm's a brewin, but no one belives him.

Thomas is a Cheeky Bastard Count: 5

Until he and Fergus get stuck in a storm and find that the lighthouse has gone out. To save a nearbye ship Salty POWERS THE THING HIMSELF and rightfully gets a whole ass parade and thanks from everyone. Salty isn't just fun because of his tales, sailor voice or apperance.. he's fun because he tends to really get to do cool shit, to really show why he's so awesome. The rest of the trains just dick themselves on their own stupidity. Salty does feets of strength to rival hercules in fact

Who puts the Sail in sailor?

Salllllty Whose Daring deeds are great theater

Salllty

is he bold? Nobody braver!

is he sweet?

Our favorite flavor!

sALLLL TY

Salllll ty!

14. Snow Engine

Olvier hates the snow while Toad loves it. Then Oliver ends up crashing into a giant snowman's crotch and after the kids make him into their new snowman, finds his love for it while toad dosen't. Honestly a fun one. Oliver is a character I forgot, but I really won't, the crash here is an all timer and the role reversla works. Also Toad is just delightful from his unique voice. Pity he nearly froze to death. Seriously.. someone.. someone save toad. Is.. is Toad okay? Toad.. toad TOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

15. Something Fishy

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Oh right.. oh okay.. so Arthur loves the docks but Thomas, who what hates them gets the assigment and in his rage ends up off a pier as you'd expect. For once Train Jesus punishes someone for their hubris.. so someone else gets their dream job. Good for you train jesus. It's a solid episode mostly carried by the doc set. It makes me miss tugs and while not as big as the harbor there still shows just how much care and craft these creators have

Now then.

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16. Runaway Elephant

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Toad.

i'M going to do something I haven't done in this retrospective before but badly need to..i'm looking at the wiki to make sure toad is okay.

ONE TRIP TO THE WIKI LATER

Okay so the bad news is he disappears for the next four seasons, which is terrible but not suprising. Toad just kinda.. exists and the cast was already giant. Henry has been there since day one and it's only in the last few seasons he's been getting guaranteed spotlights and roles beyond "The mildly sensible one". The good is he comes back again. Look if i'm chained to this show forever.. it's at least nice to know most of my favorites aren't going anywhere.

This episode has an elephant but tha'ts irrelvant.. like this episode.

17. Peace and Quiet

We get ANOTHER new engine because we need new toys dammit. Though it's easier for my brain that the new engines for the past two seasons have all had unique, interesting and memorable designs and personalities. I can have trouble with names at first with characters; once I know em I got em but sometimes my brain takes a minute. Same with real people. It's part of the reason why it took a while, and the excellent film Bullet Train, to remember the main casts name. That and I SHOULD have tried harder. Gordon, Henry and Thomas all stuck out because asshole, for always and always and main character.

So I"m greatful the new kids are a bit easier to remember. In this case we get Murdoch who not only has a really cool name, not to be confused with the Gorillaz membe Both have made pacts with the devil but only one has an H in his name and it's the train.

Anyways Murdoch arrives on the island and is a quiet powerful engine: ten wheels, a unique yellow-orange coat, and a quiet nature... which doesn't mesh well with Sodor. The island itself is a charming pastoral place i've deeply grown to love, with castles, waterfalls and murder boulders. But the Trains spend half their time arguging with each other or getting into shenanigans and are so often cross they hold indignation meetings. This is a bunch that's not exactly peaceful or quiet and Murdoch dosen't really vibe with them. I'ts not helped his shedmate is Salty. I mean for anyone else Salty would be the greatest roomate ever telling you about the sea, taking you places, letting you pet the pelican he keeps hidden in his smokestack.

Murdoch however is not nice about them, telling them not so politely to cram it. As is standard Train Jesus sees this, says oh hell no and prepares an ironic punishment. This one however is objectively hilarious. See Murdoch wanting quiet.. isn't unfair. I especailly relate to this as with my autism and anxiety social situations can be.. a lot sometimes. You need to recharge. But being a rude asshole about it isn't so him getting surronded by sheep who are famously known for not shutting up is fitting. It also shows how the show has come: from the early instalment weirness of henry being bricked in a tunnel to simply letting sheep wear someone down.

Murdoch realizes company.. isn't so bad and uses Salty's tales to go to sleep. Awww. I really like this one. Great new character, genuinely funny situation and a heartwarming ending. Also a lot of salty.

18. Fergus Breaks The Rules

Guess whose back, back again, Disel's back, he has no friends. Disels back , disel's back disels back. Nah nah nah.

And according to Lachey he somehow joins the main cast. For now he's just bein ga dick to Harvey, the new starter engine who loves working at the cement works.

To his credit Harvey has put himself in the crosshairs for.. doing the absolute right thing. He keeps yelling at Disel to "DO IT RIGHT" as Disel, as usual is just ignoring orders. What a valued member of the team to give 89 second chances to. What a guy.

So Disel honors this new chance by. Tricking harvey into thinking he's been reassigned to the smelters. Now Harvey buying this I get, he hasn't been around Disel like the others and dosen't know he's full of oil and tracheary. I get it. But his COACHMEN, who we know nothing about taking this at face value instead of maybe stopping at a station to call his boss and make sure. And I get it the coachmen's actual power varies from episode to episode to fit the plot but in this case it's his fault in part. It's your job to guide the stupid train children. I get when you can't stop them from hurting themselves, their fast and you can only do so much. But in this case your buying an obvious lie from an engine with a sinister theme song and a voice that makes you want a shower.

The two go to the smelters and run into the evil engines there before deciding to run. Meanwhile Thomas goes to look for Harvey as he's been reported missing and helps coax his pal back. The Fat Controller is cross at first.. but lets the incident go. He gets it, Disel sucks and sends Disel to the smelters. He.. won't just fire him. Seriously I got it a bit more in his first few apperances: Sodor had less trains, he didn't have many options. But this season introduced THREE new trains, all of whom could do his work and none of whom work on the narrow gage line. All have fucked up minimally.

Look I get it, this is Thomas the Tank Engine, where Plot Holes go to die. It's for young children and I give it a lot of slack. I marvel at the weird shit, but I enjoy it enough. But it'd be more fun to come up with a reason WHY the Fat Controller needs disel than just.. constantly have him brought in to fuck things up. The Fat Controller will bust Bulgy down to chicken coop, a fate worse than death, but won't just.. sell disel or retire him to a shed. I will joke about the horrifying fates that befall thomas characters.. but Disel might be the only one that geninely deserves one. Not maybe being made into a living battery, let's not get crazy, but you have a free tunnel to brick him up in is all i'm saying.

19. Bulgy Rides Again

So Bulgy's back, back again, we already did that bit, something something.

It's a Sodor Summer baby, the best thing next to a Sudbury Summer, and the island's packed. Which is a problem. And unlike last time where Disel was brought back because plot, they actually explain why they need extra transit: Thomas and Emily are down, and the Fat Controller can't dip into the train budget again for at least four episodes. So he remembers Bulgy. Who unlike some characters who dive in and out I do remember: Bulgy was an asshole car who wanted to pave over all of sodor, casued a giant wreck and unlike Henry and Smudger before him got a bit more of a resonable punishment than "bricked into a tunnel " or "turned into a living battery.

I thought him being turned into a Chicken Coop was a bit much last time but now... it's a bit more even. He can't MOVE which is horrifying.. but he's sapient, the Fat Controlle'rs been regularly visiting him, someone likely visits to feed said chickens. He's not being exiled in his own living hell, he's just having chickens maybe take a poo in him and move in and out. He's not fond of it and his paint's chipped, but he's not being tortured psychologically or otherwise which I get is a low bar but this universe is mesed up. I'll take the W.

So he's refitted with a new coat of paint, new everything and ready to go. Problem is the Fat Controller.. didn't relocate the chickens so theya ll sleep aboard and cause a ruckus. While we don't SEE it I assume ther'es a lot of blood, poop and busted eggs in poor Bulgy. He CAN get that cleaned physically but emotionally poor guy. He's at least taking it well more mad his passengers are angry and happy to become a fruit cart instead. Which honestly.. is a pretty happy ending. He realizes hauling freight isn't that bad, gets to see peopple, still gets to move again, and he's free of the chickens outside of his nightmares. The messup isn't even on him, he had no idea chickens were in him till they woke up and his driver didn't check for them because.. why would you. He's a bus driver on a small island, he's not trained to this like I assume the coachmen are. The buses don't get into this shit as often there's only two and the other one's a delight by this point.

20. Harold and the Flying Horse

This is a fun one. So the Vicar of Sodor is having a Fete, which translated means a carnival to raise money. This includes a horse named Pegasus. He's a good boy. But he does get spooked. So Harold onc eagain gets to save the day, and after Percy doubts horses can fly, Harold gets to airlift Pegasus to the Fete. Look it has a helicopter airlifting a horse named pegauses, not only do I like the joke there, but it has a model helicopter lifting a tiny horse. I don't pretend to be a simple man but sometimes I have simple needs.

21. Grand Opening

This episode happened and I don't have much to say. It IS nice to see Lady Hat again. But the bloom is off the rose for these Narrow Gage Railway adventures. They need to do more to justify taking a break from the expansive cast on the other line.

22. Best Dressed Engine

And this proves it. A fairly forgetable story is sandwitched between a horse air rescue and Gordon getting humiliated in a fun way.

In this case for May Day, the engines and their drivers are having a best dressed engine contest, gussying themselves up with decorations. It's fun, it's harmless so naturally gordon hates it and feels it's undignified. The rest of the engines just.. ignore him and have their fun which is honestly nice. I like that Gordon's not just getting punished in the usual ways.

Gordon decides no it's the children who are wrong.. but ends up getting a may day banner blown onto him and winning the contest. He dosen't deserve that.. but he does deserve the humilation and that my friends will sustain me for many moons to come.

23. Gordon and Spencer

And we get a double feature.. and a rare unicorn too as we get a SYMPATHETIC GORDON. No.. really, i'm suprised as you are. But in this one Gordon's prideful at first.. till he meets shiny new engine spencer, who while having the square face is not a disel. I clarify this because a game of steamie or disel that was on a dvd Lachey had marked spencer as one despite the clear steam pipe. Duck exists. Do you think he's a disel too? or toby? or nilknarf? Nilknarf's a proud engine running on steam and cocaine as nature intended!

I love the fact Gordon is .. genuinely impressed with someone> Good for him having a crush. And Spencer is even more arrogant refusing WATER. Because he can do it all in one run dammit. He's the best... but he cannot and Gordon gets some subtle revenge and this time i'm all for it. Spencer wins the rare and coveted "Somehow a bigger dick than gordon award in the field of excellence".

24. Not So Hasty Puddings

Thomas has to help deliver puddings for christmas. He once again complains about his snow shovel but makes a vallid point when Elizabeth tries to knock him for it: He hates his shovel but not his work> he'll put the damn thing on. Dosen't mean he can't whie about it. Also Elizabeth was delivering shit off road.. how was this ever going to end well?

25. Trusty Rusty

Rusty notes a local bridge is falling apart. Duncan decides to be a dick like thomas and huh.. I almost forgot the cheeky bastard count. Given the fish grumbling h'es up to 6

So out of 26 episodes, that's 23% or very close to a fourth. So not AS bad as I thought but still not GREAT.

SO Duncan nearly dies, lessons are learned, we're almost done.

26. Three Cheers for Thomas!

A perfect finish for the classic era. Not every golden era of a show smoothly goes out. Simpsons ended with either a military school episode that made absolutely no sense as a lisa plot or a solid travel episode depending on when you say the classic era ends. There's usually not a clean line.

But here? It ends on a fun race. It's Sports Day for the kids so Thomas and Bertie, wanting Medals themselves, decide to have a race for fun. But partway through thomas is flagge to find the medals for the kids. SO Thomas has to go get them and deliver them so while Bertie, TECHNICALLY wins, and is upset Thomas isn't there so he can gloat. And Thomas... gets rewarded for doing the right thing by a kind boy from the lcass who gives him his own medal while all the children cheer. The series ends with Thomas having truly grown, realizing what he SHOULD be doing to be useful, not crashing or anything just.. doing the right thing, getting a medal for it without expecting it and being celebrated as a very useful, very kind, very brave little engine. It's a small story.. but one that really encapsulates the warmth, mild weirdness and cheer of thomas, a cozy world full of engines, indignation meetings, murder boulders, and... very useful engines who may mess up a bunch but like all of us keep going on. Thanks for reading and remember, i'm pulling for you we're all in this together and next time you see this blog cover trains, sometime in septmeber or august probably, we'll be doing a top 12 list.