Season 16, Episode 1 Review: Race to the Rescue

I’m sure I’m not going to be the only Thomas fan whose going to be reviewing series 16 as a series of reviews on every episode, after SIF doing so last year, but I thought I might as well cast my views on it to, and realised that it could go towards a project I’m doing, and if out of all the ones there are, you’ve chose this one,   thank you very much, and happy reading!

In today’s episode, Flynn the recently introduced fire engine on the island of Sodor, has been fixed so he can travel on both on roads and rails, and see what action he takes when the Fat Controller’s shed is on fire. In an honest opinion, compared to most of HiT’s episodes , this one was ok, it had a great selection of characters that have been in  the CGI series so far, for we saw Thomas, James, Gordon, Bertie, Mavis, Butch, Rocky, Rosie, Victor, Kevin, Hiro, Charlie and Scruff, all in the episode. We finally saw Flynn where many thing he should be, on the road. The story itself was different from the usual three strike storyline, and no rhyming!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think Flynn is presented in a lot more better way in this episode than he was in the episode given to him in the last series, that that made all those who love Thomas go insane (I still hear the line; "his firebox was on fire," before waking up screaming), throw he did disobey Rocky’s orders by going on the rails instead of the road, but many would have seen it as more logical going by railway, for the speed limit on an average railway line in Britain is more likely to be higher than on any type of road, but I think Flynn seems to be caring just as much about being called a big red wobble on wheels as the Fat Controller’s shed, and I think within the fact the Fat Controller tells him off for using the rails is the big difference between this episode and Fiery Flynn.

Thoughts on Flynn on the road, well, as many have asked since Flynn’s arrival in the series, what happened to the fire engines introduced back in series 5? I mean, it’s actually better having Flynn on the railway and the Sodor fire engines of old on the roads, for they could get to fires that the other couldn’t. But why did Flynn have go away after getting to the Fat Controller’s shed to come back again on the road? He was already there, and Belle could put out a fire from the rails when the same thing happened to the same shed in Day Of The Diesels, and in that, why couldn’t something different be on fire, as long as it’s not an engine’s firebox!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

But I must admit it was nice to have an episode focusing equally on both the rail and road characters on Sodor, something that’s not normal of HiT to do, it’s good to remember that there is more than just the railway on Sodor, as us who grew up with the classic Thomas remember all too well, and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one of them to be reminded of Better Late Than Never when seeing Bertie at a level crossing, with his radiator steaming. It was great seeing Butch being given a speaking role in this episode, after getting his first ever speaking roll in the last series, after 15 years of being on the show, I hope there’s more coming for him, and yes, I found it ironic that Butch, being Sodor’s breakdown vehicle, needed a tow!

But anyway, it was better than the usual lazy writing we expect from Ms. Miller, let’s hope tomorrow’s is of the same standard, but my advice is don’t have you’re hopes up.