#rheneas' rollercoaster

[mean-scarlet-deceiver]

Rheneas and the roller-coaster? (My apologies for inflicting this one on you)

Robin. What the hell did you just make me re-watch.

Heh heh. Actually, in all seriousness, it's imho... not horrible. It is however very bland. Like, I'd gotten through all of Season 7 once but I had no memory of this.

The plot is stupidly unbelievable—railway realism is thrown out the window. Then again it is far more plausible than "Rusty and the Boulder" sooooo...?

The episode simply feels like such a nothingburger than I can't even bring myself to detail all the ways in which it falls flat. Let's just agree that, well, it does. I get the sense it was written with the aim of doing Rheneas's character a long-overdue favor but in the end it's just filler.

Having stipulated, however, that this ep is a low point in season 7... there are actually a couple kudos I want to give it.

Mild kudos:

1) Hey, the "rollercoaster" runaway ride might have been silly and stupid... but it is kinda fun? A little? A pale shadow of the shenanigans of "Boulder," but I can tell the film crew were enjoying themselves. It seems obvious that Mitton wasn't really in charge of this one or, if he was, that he was entirely checked out. No, whoever directed this, you cannot make an interesting action sequence just by filming the whole thing with the camera tilted 90°... it takes a bit more than that.

But. Nevertheless. The detail of the props actually getting wet as they veer by the waterfall is such a nice touch:

This (live water!) ^ is the sort of thing that makes the model series so fun to watch, even when the writing is shit.

2) Is the writing all shit, though?

[Disclaimer: I feel the TVS has already established context/continuity in Season 6 for the NWR/Fat Controller having taken over the narrow-gauge railway and starting to make some drastic changes; we see the engines adjusting to a management style very different from what they experienced in the plots that were based on the books. So I take FC's and Rheneas's exchange in that spirit. He's trying to show a gentler side than "I'm going to shut down your entire line on a whim." Rheneas is especially keen to use this chance to prove himself to a somewhat capricious owner.]

On the one wheel, I sort of hate how this is another in a long line of episodes in this era that continue to baby-fy Rheneas and Skarloey (who are in need of kind, brave, clever Rusty to look after them in a cruel world).

On the other wheel, this particular story—if it is considered strictly on its own, and not in that sad, sorry context—I feel does a plausible job of characterizing Rheneas? Who is not an easy character to work with, since even Rev. Awdry left him quite undeveloped.

I can see people (probably yourself among them?) preferring other interpretations of Rheneas. But honestly... this one is valid. If you need him to have some sort of weakness or flaw to motivate a story, "fears he's not exciting enough to be of interest to a train full of kids" feels legitimate. In RWS, one of his things was very much always seeming to be overshadowed by Skarloey's charisma. He's the quieter and more serious of the pair, and while he gamely gives it a go he's also nervous and not at all comfortable when the Thin Controller puts him on the spot to give a little speech on his birthday.

The "insecurity" motive gets way overused in TVS, of course—but as of Season 7 it wasn't quite overused yet. And, obviously it would be stupid to have Rheneas feel he's not up to most jobs, given that at this point he's got over a hundred years of badassery under his boiler bands. But the specific charge of "this is a very special day for the kiddos; make sure it's memorable for them!"... like okay, I can actually roll with this and easily believe in a Rheneas that's secretly going, Well, fuck. Then why didn't you have literally anyone else do it? I'm not the entertaining one.

*insert cute image of Rheneas licking his thumb and quickly flipping a handbook entitled How To Be Fun*

Sooooo... yeah. It's not a good episode. But I don't actually find it dire. It's within the usual range of Season 7 bland.

(Which I used to think was the worst... until I watched the next few seasons. At least Season 7 bland was still short and sweet, clocking in at under 6 minutes a pop!)

[number1spongebobfan]

Headcanons for the Skarloey Railway part 1

Skarloey

He's a gallant old engine!

He doesn't use electricity.

He makes quilts and furniture.

He speaks in a low, loud Welsh accent.

His brother, Tallylyn (i hope i spelled that right) is a Shiba Inu with narrow gauge wheels on his legs.

He is wise and friendly.

Doves are his favorite animal. One time he tried to rescue a dove by bandaging his broken wing.

He reads the bible.

His patron saint is Saint David of Wales.

Rheneas

He is Skarloey's brother.

He dresses and acts more casually than Skarloey. Skarloey's the face of the railway so he's prim and proper.

He loves bananas and everything banana flavored. Skarloey calls him "Rhenana Banana"!

He likes to go to the amusement park. His favorite ride is the rollercoaster!

He is close friends with Edward. Mainly because they have the same number and are both older engines.

His sister, Dolgoch, is a spitz with train wheels on her legs.

He plays the tambourine.

His patron saint is St. Moses the Black.

Peter Sam

Him and Sir Handel have a very close relationship with Duke, the lost engine. They call him Grandpuff.

He wears a charm around his neck that's shaped like a key. He calls it his special necklace.

He is very sweet and kind. He has good manners.

He likes to drink lemonade and other refreshments.

His brother, Edward Thomas, is a collie with wheels on his legs.

He is a devout Catholic.

He can be very stubborn. He has a hard time believing in things he can't see. So he was definitely shocked the first time he saw Proteus.

His patron saint is the apostle and first pope St. Peter.