Season 16 - Episode 14: Emily's Winter Party Special

March 2012 saw the fourteenth episode of Season 16 of Thomas & Friends...

...but before the review, the usual disclaimer:

The views below are entirely those of the author and not representative of the Sodor Island Forums as a whole.

On that note, it's time to get this review underway...

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Emily's Winter Party Special

Writer: Max Allen

Emily is sure she can find the Fat Controller's lost top hat and can't wait to get her super reward: pulling the Christmas present train!

Overall Thoughts

“Emily & the Winter Party Special...”

“It was WINTER on the island of Sodor”

So mentioning it in the title, showing the snow EVERYWHERE, trucks with Christmas Tree emblems on them, and we still have to have an over-bearing description that even the kids don't need to be spoon fed? Got it. Of course we do.

The introductory sequences to these new episodes drives me up the wall. Not every episode has to reintroduce the whole concept of talking trains on an island off the coast of Barrow-In-Furness.

Oh dear – from the highs of the Calliope last week to the lows of the Party Special this week. I may have to change my scoring system, because if yesterday's episode was a 1/10, this has to be somewhere around -5.

The missing Christmas theme is present again, but surely HiT cannot be derided for doing so? They have a dedicated Christmas episode in the lineups. Not all wintry episodes have to have Christmas themes, though it is notable once again that this season has seen two episodes with sincerely strong Christmas branding and imagery pushed, but minus the actual word. I would rather it wasn't inbetween the two; it muddies the waters.

Have a Christmas episode with all the paraphernalia and then do a winter themed episode without any of the Christmas imagery. Everyone is happy, the Awdrys included, job done. This half and half nonsense threatens to undo the goodwill of removing last year's Winter Holidays DVD.

That's the least of this episode's problems, mind. Nonsensical goose chase involving a hat, an express passenger locomotive (yes, the Stirling Singles were express passenger locomotives!) and the question of whether or not the hat itself would actually conveniently blow itself to that particular location without help...and if I hear the words “special special” ever again it will be too soon - which to be fair to poor Michael Angelis, sounded rushed in the vein of “If I say this fast enough no one will notice!”...!!!

In all, not a brilliant episode by any stretch of the imagination and I dare not write on it any longer. By now HiT knows my normal complaints, so I'll make my apologies for overwhelming grumpiness this evening and bide everyone goodnight now.

I will say this, however. Teresa Gallagher's voice acting sparkles, despite the thoroughly awful script.

Thoughts From Other SiF Members

Eric (SiF Second in Command)

Sort of forgettable, minus the great lighting effects by Nitrogen. The logic was a little off where Emily just thought she was the party train, and would have been a little bit better if she thought she was "helping" by becoming the train, or trying to use the lights to her benefit by illuminating the tracks in order to find the hat. I actually did like the plant and pay-off of the children's snowman being brought up earlier, only to then be the place where the hat ended up, but the weather in the episode never seemed too windy that the hat would really get around. If that truly wasn't the right hat then we've just learned that stealing from children is okay.

Christopher (ERS Mod):

Really disappointed with Max Allen - seems as though his Calliope episode really was a one-shot gem this season. Every other of his episodes just failed to meet expectations.

The plot - if we can call it that - was just one big jumbled mess, and a further let-down to see Christmas absent once again (perhaps it was forgotten during the omitting of "winter holidays" and such?).

The sight of longer trains (mixed goods, in fact) and Teresa Gallagher's performance were just about the only redeeming features of this episode. The rest was plain forgettable, I'm sorry to say...

Sir Topham Hatt (from the pen of Ian, ERS Staff):

"Dear Diary,

Sometimes I do so love being a multimillionaire railway tycoon! I have a huge fleet of engines, and for that reason I can use them to do whatever I like. Take today for example- I used an engine to collect a train load of cakes- I said they were for the party, but actually they were all for me- nom nom nom!

I had an engine collect the band from the docks, and luckily I had a third engine sat spare that volunteered to chase my lost hat- with all my money you'd think I could just buy another one, but 'Her indoors' keep a tight reign on the household spending- she won't even buy herself a new outfit. I despair of the woman, I really do.

Then of course there was the party. Oh, I do so love parties- I have one every other day now! Sodor Surprise Day, Sodor Easter Bunny Day, Sodor Book Reading Day, Sodor Rubbish Collecting Day, Sodor 'Bomb Misty Island' Day... I'm starting to wonder if the locals are getting bored of them though- there are never more than 10 people at any of them. Still, I got all the cakes so who is complaining?!

That big-wheeled, big-headed buffoon Emily got herself covered in fairy lights wanting to haul the presents train, but she hadn't found my hat- she is a disgrace to engines all over. I gave the job to Thomas- he's been very overlooked recently (he barely appeared in yesterday's adventure!) and never seems to do any wrong. Henry might have worked hard too, but he vanished half way through the day without murmur and was never seen again. Maybe I ought to buy him some more of that hallucinogenic happy coal he so enjoys?

Anyway my Winter Holiday Festival Party was a great success, Emily found me my hat (and oddly enough a hat box to put it in) and I had a lot of cakes and presents left over because nobody turned up. A truly grand day.

T.H."

Final Conclusions

Just utterly dreadful. I think Ian probably summed up the episode much better than I could this evening, with a little humour thrown into the mix.

I think the overwhelming problem we have seen over the last few years is a deep rooted misunderstanding of how a real railway operates. This is what made the original episodes such brilliant pieces of children's television, and whilst they might look dated now, the stories and the manner they were told in remain timeless.

I can't say the same of any of these, bar Percy & The Calliope. I really did enjoy that episode (as did my godson, I hear).

It is a shame that this particular episode has come from the same pen – a blot on an otherwise 100% record this season for Max Allen. If it's any consolation Mr Allen, your Percy & The Calliope episode will no doubt go down as the best of Season 16 by a long, long way.

And I say this with six episodes to go – the synopsis of each have not filled me with confidence, I am sorry to say...

Individual Episode Score: 1/10 - Fiery Flynn 3/10 – Ol’ Wheezy Wobbles 7/10 - Express Coming Through 3/10 - Percy & The Monster of Brendam 2/10 - Ho Ho Snowman 8/10 - Flash Bang Wallop! 2/10 - Thomas & The Rubbish Train 1/10 - Thomas Toots The Crows 1/10 - Bust My Buffers 9/10 - Percy & The Calliope 2/10 – Thomas & The Sounds of Sodor 5/10 – Salty’s Surprise 1/10 - Sodor Surprise Day 1/10 - Emily's Winter Holiday Special

Total Season Score So Far: 46/140

Average Season Score So Far: 3.3/10

Quick Character Stats

Speaking Roles:

Emily, Thomas, Henry, Sir Topham Hatt, Victor

Cameos:

Edward, Percy, Stanley