Season 16 - Episode 9: Bust My Buffers

March 2012 saw the ninth 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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Bust My Buffers

Writer: Sharon Miller

Gordon the grand engine doesn't feel so grand when he bashes into some trucks at the docks and his buffer falls off!

Overall Thoughts

It's a BUFFERBEAM.

Gordon has “buffers” - one at each end of the “buffer beam”.

It's not difficult. We've only been using the word “buffers” in the plural for twenty-five years on this specific television show. Yesterday’s episode mentioned the word “buffers”.

The title of this very episode is in the plural, too! So why this sudden change? Why has this suddenly become an issue?

I get irritated by simple things being wrong. This isn't one of those nitpicky railway realism jibes, its common sense, grammar, and knowing the history of your own show to boot.

So, I'd be happy to hear from someone in the know as to why Gordon's buffer beam was referred to as a “buffer”. The actual buffer(s) are mounted on a buffer beam, which is the item which fell off (all sorts wrong with that, but I'll explain later).

Overall, this episode is dire. I've been reading the fan's reactions on SiF and elsewhere, and I wonder if this is one of those “Emperor’s New Clothes” moments.

It's garbage. Even the rubbish train wasn't this rubbish.

I am sick to death of the repetitive introductions. We know the island of Sodor has trains on it. Well done. So do the toddlers this is supposedly aimed at. Otherwise, how WOULD they know the Island of Sodor has trains on it?

And there are DIESELS? My goodness. And “Steamies”.

That word should be banned by the new writing team– I hope it is. It's a non-entity, a made-up word for a steam engine/steam locomotive. Please, please, please, for the love of Awdry – don't call them “Steamies” anymore.

Not to mention that buffer beams can't just fall off locomotives like that. Kudos to Nitrogen for the superb animation all round, but it looked utterly silly and it simply isn't realistic. If buffers were that flimsy, Thomas & Friends would be fixing them every single week. Particularly given how Gordon has had several dozen crashes in the CGI era and barely scratched his paintwork in the process...

So many cameos from characters shoehorned in, and only Mavis and Salty were really utilized well. The “an engine isn't an engine without his buffer” comment really aggravated me. “Them's the rules” -immediately followed – I'd have appreciated something along the lines of “if you haven't got buffers you can't shunt trucks safely/pull trains safely”.

An emphasis on the safety aspect of the buffers more than anything else was needed here, and throughout the episode the safety aspect was sorely lacking.

Overall, it's just yet another dire sequence of misjudged ideas with little research on the subject matter, or (and this is the most heinous thing) somehow forgetting one of the defining principles of the show. One buffer, at either end of the buffer beam.

Yet the title is in the plural. The whole episode is just a contradiction in terms, and feels badly edited overall.

Thoughts From Other SiF Members

Kyle (ERS Mod):

I was pleasantly surprised! There were some issues surrounding it(including the frustratingly incorrect use of the term "buffer", the overuse of Gordon's "Oh, The Indignity" line and the questionable cause of Gordon's buffer beam falling off), but overall this one was much more tolerable than any other episode seem this season.

I'd like to know how Diesel and Gordon were placed on the same track at the docks in the beginning of the episode... Just doesn't seem warranted, really...

Thankfully, the Three Strikes formula is reduced to Two Strikes, and those seen are only small (Gordon runs away from getting diesel buffers at the Dieselworks, but only gets as far as the quarry just outside the gate). I do wonder what has become of the steamworks this season though; it seems to have been (conveniently?) forgotten...

The underlying tone of racism is also tackled again, but this time with some good results seen at the end (Gordon actually proclaiming that "we (steam engines and diesels) are, I see now, all engines together". About time that this was addressed!

Cameos galore also appeared in this episode, with speaking parts going to Gordon, Diesel, Bert, 'arry, Den, Dart, Mavis, Salty and Thomas, and non-speaking cameos by James, Norman, Paxton, Rosie, Edward, Toby, Emily, Henry and Percy.18 engines featured in one episode!

Mixed goods train made a return numerous times, as well as Gordon's 5-coach express! Overall the animation of the trains hasn't been of a higher calibre!

Christopher (ERS Mod):

What I really liked here was, rather than Gordon imitate a "Wonky Whistle" scenario, we had both Mavis and Salty stopping him from doing so and laying down the facts of railway safety. Even with the Three Strikes format (down to two here, actually), it felt a huge step-up for other characters telling the "star of the day" what was wrong AND make him sort it out.

To be honest, there really isn't enough for Teresa Gallagher to do in the series because she does a VERY, VERY good job of Mavis. Her dialogue felt far more natural than…whatever else Gordon was saying….

Gordon's dialogue was so face-palm worthy, I had to stop for fear of bruising my forehead. Words were coming out, but for some reason they just made no sense. So much so that even Den and Dart seemed not to understand by the end.

Mind you, I could see that by using Diesel, 'Arry and Bert - all three on top form, BTW - in comparison to Mavis, Salty, Den and Dart, it truly justified the fact that not ALL Diesels are bad. A nice step-up from the treatment of these locos from Day of the Diesels...

In fact, would have made Diesel more like his Series 2 persona is if he had deliberately shunted the flatbed into Gordon rather than let Gordon himself bang into it…

Oh, and for some reason, I've a feeling that the childish term "steamie" is next for the chop considering how overused it was hereto describe a STEAM ENGINE. If the series is going to be reverting to is roots in future episodes, then more sensible, mature words and phrases are sorely needed more than ever.

In short, as with the rhyming and alliteration, "steamie" has got to go…please?

Final Conclusions

I had hoped this season was going to end on something of a flourish, with some good episodes which pleasantly surprised me this week. However, the main core of the problems from Seasons 13, 14 and 15 haven't gone away, and the main one is without a shadow of a doubt, research.

I am still scratching my head, trying to work out how someone who can have worked on a show as long as the outgoing writers can get something as basic and simple as “buffer beam” and “buffers” so badly wrong.

Overall, it's one of the worst Gordon episodes. Besides the obvious problems with the writing, Gordon's characterization is yet another yawn-fest. Pompous, doesn't want to do what others do and looks down on people. Overplayed and frankly, overbearing now.

I feel for the kids who love Gordon as their favourite character. At the moment he ranges from being pompous but loveable to being pompous and downright “I dooon't believe it” Victor Meldrew gittish.

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

Total Season Score So Far: 28/90

Average Season Score So Far: 3.1/10

Quick Character Stats

Speaking Roles:

Gordon, Iron Arry & Bert, Diesel, Den, Dart, Mavis, Salty, Thomas

Cameos:

Emily, Toby, Percy, James, Norman, Sidney (Or is it Paxton? I can't tell.).

Rosie, Edward, Henry.