Season 21

[JLK2707]

I hear Thomas will be in it, and that funny fat guy Sir Toppem Hat. Maybe they will have live lobsters too.

I also hope they will bring back the tar tanker wagon in cgi.

[mully]

Bit of season 21 news. Channel 5 here in the UK will start airing season 21 episodes from Monday 18th September. First episode is called springtime for diesel "Daisy's springs need fixing after Diesel shunts her." Not sure what to make of the synopsis but least we are getting new episodes

[TrainFan97]

Another classic character is expected to return this season. I'm hoping it's an engine. It could be Stepney, Duke, or even BoCo. Is BoCo FINALLY going to return this season? Only time will tell.

We already have a non-rail returnee this season, and that's Terence.

[TrainandRockmusicfan97]

Hopefully, we won't have any of that bouncing from Journey Beyond Sodor in Season 21.....

[SilviaGunner]

Hopefully, we won't have any of that bouncing from Journey Beyond Sodor in Season 21.....

We're bound to get the Chuggington-esque movements in this upcoming season.

[TrainFan97]

Since another returnee is confirmed this season, but we don't know who it is yet, my money's on BoCo.

[mully]

springtime for diesel
A decent start to the season, I felt like this has been a topic that's been addrssed a few times before however in recent years. It was nice to see daisy and diesel interact but it felt a little bit cringy to watch especially the scene where diesel is trying to apologize. It felt like the mean kid in school picking on the girl he fancies so she will go out with him almost. I enjoyed den and dart and seeing the news spread about daisy was pretty funny too. Overall a decent episode. 7 out of 10

[TrainandRockmusicfan97]

But at least there's none of that stupid bouncing from JBS.....

[mully]

Most singular engine
So we have another day and another new episode based on Daisy and Diesel with Harvey thrown in for good measure. I truly loved this episode. It was brilliant watching diesel spreading rumors about between Daisy and Harvey. Davy Moore sure knows how develop characters throughout his stories. I really enjoyed how daisy and Harvey first met too. Couldn't have been wrote better. Diesels incident was pretty well done too. Even the one incident of bouncing was tasteful and not in your face like JBS. Lastly I cant review this episode would mentioning the music. It was brilliant the music team really are starting to make the show feel classic again. Overall a great episode 10 out of 10

[MeganekkoFury1126]

SPOILERS BELOW:



Okay, Dowager Hatt's Busy Day:

Short story - this episode was absolutely gut busting. Taking a plot that ran itself into the ground during seasons 8-16, and made it fresh and hilarious with some excellent writing and direction. The episode, in fact, feels like it mocks EVERYTHING that happened during that era.

Character doesn't do well in charge. CHECK.

Engines being sent on ridiculous jobs. CHECK.

Balloons on flatcars. CHECK.

Of course, the episode shows what would really happen if things like this went about in the Thomas universe. The funniest moments for me was Percy pulling the Express and Phillip getting forgotten in the mines. I really enjoyed the use of characters used, especially Emily. The role suited her perfectly. Also nice seeing Donald & Douglas used again for background fodder. So far, season 21 has been practically flawless.
10/10

[TrainFan97]

Any thoughts on Stuck in Gear and Runaway Engine?

A screenshot was revealed for the upcoming episode Philip's Number that shows Sidney interacting with Philip, so it's nice to see that Sidney is actually getting more appearances. If Bachmann can't announce an engine with a new tooling next year, Sidney definitely has a chance, since he's making more recent appearances. Would be nice if Norman could speak more.

But, enough about Sidney. In Runaway Engine, Thomas didn't appear at all! That alone is a HUGE surprise! For the first time since Samson Sent for Scrap (Season 18!), Thomas doesn't appear at all! Not even as a cameo! I was just starting to be okay with Thomas appearing in every episode, because of the fact that he's the show's titled character, but now, we get this breath of fresh air. I was so used to Thomas appearing, that I've forgotten what it was like to get a new episode without him. I never thought it would happen again. I can tell this season is going to be good. We're already five episodes in, and we're off to a good start.

Thomas appeared in every episode of both Seasons 19 and 20, but unlike Season 19, he did not speak in every episode in Season 20. Of course, there has been criticism regarding Thomas' appearances, and it appears Mattel has responded to it.

Ryan and Daisy
Blown Away
Skiff and the Mermaid
Over the Hill

Those are the Season 20 episodes where Thomas didn't speak.

Season 21 is the first season since Season 18 in which Thomas does not appear in every episode. That should go straight to Trivia in the Wikia.

There has been a little bouncing, but it's NOTHING compared to Journey Beyond Sodor, and it only happens in very specific moments. That's how it should be: Tasteful, and NOT in your face like the recent special. In Gordon Runs Dry (Season 17), Gordon's body rises and falls as he takes a deep breath. That's how the bouncing in Season 21 has been. Not too noticeable, and nowhere near as frequent as the recent special.

[thomasj219]

Since this seasons is technically set before JBS the bouncing may not be a thing yet.

[MeganekkoFury1126]

Now that my tests for the week in college are over, I can talk about this week. Oh yeah, I did see Stuck in Gear and Runaway Engine. The former was fine, and Harvey was good, but it could have been toned down a bit. The latter was fantastic - not just to see the narrow gauge after so long, but the wonderful dynamic Stephen, Millie and Glynn now have.




SPOILERS BELOW!!!:

As for this week, it's a bit of a mixed bag. The first two for me were the best. PA Problems feels like a modernized mashup of The Fogman and Saved from Scrap. Considering it's the 500th episode, I'm glad so much of the episode focused on Edward and his branch line - something both ignored for way too long. Also, glad to see Reg is more fleshed out - to me he's the lively abstract artist type, I dunno. Hasty Hannah was equally good, and I feel Toby had every right to be timid in this episode, plus the scene with Hannah being pulled by James was incredibly tense. I think she's a fine character that hopefully won't be a one-off. 9/10 for both.

The two Cranky episodes are definitely my least favorites this season. Both use plots and morals we've seen countless times before and none do anything particularly unique to set them apart. Also, these two episodes have a lot more cartoonish antics that feel a bit too excessive for me to be comfortable with. i.e. Cranky and Carly spinning around like tops. I feel Carly's okay, but nothing really to scream about over. Though, for the latter episode, I do like that little tribute to the late David Mitton with that reveal of Big Mickey, the crane from TUGS. 5/10 for both.

Last, Unscheduled Stops. I was surprised Andrew Brenner didn't write this episode, considering this episode feels like it was an idea taken away from Thomas Gets Bumped, which Brenner did write originally all those years ago. Nevertheless, Helen Farrell did a great job on this one. It's a much more grounded episode that feels very season 3 esque, which is my favorite season BTW. However, I do feel, much like many season 19 episodes, that the 'humor' with Sir Topham Hatt feels very forced and could've easily written out without changing the episode, and it feels more forced in here than ever. The biggest part of this episode was the ending - I was NOT expecting Bulgy to be the next returning Awdry character, and it was brilliant! I really hope they use him to his potential, and if this is the last of the returning characters this season, that is just fine with me. 8/10

[TrainFan97]

This week was certainly full of surprises more than Diesel.

Big Mickey finally becomes a character in Thomas, breaking his silence. He even keeps his name! If only his face wasn't leaked beforehand...

Now, with today's episode, Bulgy is the next returnee for the CGI series. Didn't see THAT coming. That's two returnees this season so far, and they're both non-rail; Terence and Bulgy.

Hopefully, A Shed for Edward could see the return of BoCo. That's only a possibility. BoCo has been a huge request for some time now, and we've wanted him to return for some time now. There's still a chance he MAY return this season, especially since not all episode titles have been revealed yet.

I do have a good feeling that BoCo would make his return in A Shed for Edward, since it's an episode about Edward in Season 21. There is no proof of it, but we didn't expect Bulgy to return in today's episode, so BoCo might return soon. There's a very very good chance BoCo would be voiced by Rob Rackstraw.

If we get another non-rail returnee, George should be next. It would be great to have an epic return of this grumpy steamroller.

[Chaz]

Well Rosie proved to be just as bland and boring as ever in her episode proving that her livery change meant basically nothing for her as a character.  The one episode she comes back in was a James episode, Rosie barely did a thing.  Really bringing her back at all was just a pointless move, they really would have been better off without her and should have invested in a new character instead.

Terence breaks the ice and Emily in the middle proved to be good Christmas episodes but the rest I didn't care that much for.  Even Daisy's episodes haven't done all that much for me so far this season, including her Christmas episode.

On the whole, so far season 21 has been very underwhelming.  Despite nice surprises like Terence, Bulgy, and even Big Mickey it's not doing anywhere near as much justice as the previous Brenner seasons.