A few months ago, I braved myself to watch some Series 15 episodes and grimaced at just about everything minus the CGI. (The rest, I merely read the summaries.) The characterizations, storylines, character development, and overall writing quality were objectively awful, and there was no way to defend them nor claim I was stating an opinion! Despite not being as observant with railway realism as some of the die-hards, it doesn’t change the FACT how important railway realism is, and Series 15 blew it completely. Series 16 did decently, but still wasn’t there because the bad factually outweighed the good by a wide margin.

Then came Series 17 with a much different cast. The entire writing team was replaced, with Andrew Brenner taking over the roles as both head writer and writer (replacing Sharon Miller) followed by secondary writers in Davey Moore, Lee Pressman, Paul Larson, and Paula Beaumont. Arc replaced Nitrogen (who did a splendid job with the animation and proved how beautiful the Island of Sodor can be in CGI, too). And there was a completely different method of handling not just the storytelling, but the characters, too.

Starting from the first episode of this season, you can tell right away how much they knew how important making Sodor alive and safe was. Starting with Kevin’s Cranky Friend, the team was revitalized with an interest in telling a worthwhile story.

And they delivered.

First, various thoughts on the characters, starting with the classics and pre-HiT characters:

Thomas: The main star of the show. Unlike previous seasons, he was shown to be a kind tank engine meanwhile being cheeky and competitive. He wasn’t the shoehorned goody-two-shoes all the time. He had the personality that I grew to know and love since I first started watching Thomas & Friends. The fact that he got cheeky at times was extremely refreshing and welcoming for this old-school fan.

Edward, Toby: Neither of them starred in any episodes, but they didn’t need to. In their few lines this season, they were some of the most in character in this series since HiT/Mattel bought Thomas in the mid-2000s. Edward admonishing Diesel and then giving up when Diesel retained his crude stubbornness and then Toby explaining the "Lost Puff" to Paxton were very in character.

Henry: Only one episode he starred in, and he was extremely well-done. Yeah, coal and illness were involved, but it had nothing to do with the settled story from Series 1. It had everything to do with what was given to him. The fact that he was timid of what would happen to him was very in character of him, because it showed and called back to all of those stories from a few years ago. After those bouts, it was going to become very obvious that Henry wasn’t going to forget them so easily. Instead of telling the continuity, it showed it. Retconning them out of existence because the episodes sucked would what have truly been out of character of Henry and, therefore, bad writing. No matter how bad the episodes were previously, never pick and choose your canon, or risk major continuity flubs.

If Henry’s Hero was written in a style equivalent to pre-Series 17, you can make a good argument that the way it was written was going to be so different, with the repetitive listing of strikes, straying from the journey, and broken aesop. Even up to where Henry and Hiro collected the heavy flatbeds, you could argue how they might’ve done a similar path. Instead, with Hiro’s guidance, he faced those fears and showed what he was capable of, developing his character and reminding fans young and old who he is: a warrior who can handle such heavy goods and battle through thick and thin to get where he is now. H’sH gave Henry’s character so much justice. As a big Henry fan, it’s a long time coming.

Gordon: The old express engine showed exactly what he is: smart and proud of pulling the express, yet will let his arrogance and selfishness take over. His lines dripped in pride and in-character reactions to various circumstances, such as pushing Stephen because he doesn’t tolerate running slowly (calling back to King of the Railway), cringing when he smelled Hiro’s putrid black smoke in Henry’s Hero, grimacing when The Fat Controller assigned Gordon to the mail train after causing confusion and delay in The Frozen Turntable; and feeling ashamed after he found out his boiler was damaged by the fast, hard rock in Gordon Runs Dry.

But one moment that struck was where he thought of the names of the stations to not concentrate on his boiler quickly dehydrating. That felt very real and gave Gordon a unique, yet plausible, side to his character. Plus, because he listed the names of the stations in correct order, it gives the writers an impression that they genuinely research the series.

James: He wasn’t merely a one-dimensional, vain hothead. The old red engine felt important, vain, and proud. But he’s also a kid at heart and was someone who does what his intelligent dome would think of to make others feel extremely silly for a nice laugh. His actions in The Phantom Express and The Smelly Kipper reminded me of the side of James that helps make him lots of fun: his extreme deviousness. The review in the main blog described him as doing tricks that would make Diesel rather proud of him.

On the other hand, he's proud of doing his duties, albeit with a very selfish streak, like in King of the Railway when he continually ordered Thomas and Percy to clear the line. His snippiness, vanity, selfishness, pride, ego, and determination were all in full bloom with every line he delivered.

Percy: Minus asking what "rerouted" meant in Thomas’ Shortcut, Percy was in full form. Gone was the "village idiot" that was present since Series 6 and replaced with one who’s naïve, proud of his work, young at heart, cheeky, brave, and willing to help if he puts his mind to it. The mail train gave him a useful role that brands him as such, but he was more than that. He was forgiving and willing to help, a role usually put in for Thomas.

My most favorite moment from him in this season was during The Missing Christmas Decorations, where after he noticed how long Sidney remained hanging in the Dieselworks, he decided to help and alert The Fat Controller into ordering new wheels for Sidney. It showed how mature Percy truly is and how much he cares about everyone on the island. He could’ve left the diesels and Sidney hangin’, but he didn’t. Smart thinking by Andrew Brenner to put his intelligence (and the moral of generosity) into good use.

Duck: Don’t you think we’d forget about you, old buddy?! Welcome back! And, boy, was he great! The personality he was given back in the pre-HiT Era shone brightly in his two appearances, even in his cameo from Henry’s Hero. The voice he was given fits Duck to a "T," and the delivery in his lines showed how seriously he took the Great Western Way, as he should. He brags about it occasionally, but wasn’t going to take any nonsense, especially when a dire situation was at hand. How The Thomas Way handled Duck was great, not just in the narration, but also the voice acting.

Bertie: Friendly, yet cheeky and competitive. He always wants to do what’s right, yet doesn’t forget his friendly rivalry with Thomas. The teasing at the beginning of Thomas’ Shortcut reminds me of the friendly teasing in the classics, and the way he responded in that episode was very in character.

Diesel: The devious shunter was up to his tricks again, this time in No More Mr. Nice Engine. Despite a stern warning from Edward, Diesel felt the only way for the trucks to behave was the make them dizzy and one inch closer from the scrap yard. His behavior reminds me so much of who he was: devious, selfish, and troublesome for others. He was evil from beginning to end, just the way we like it.

The Fat Controller: Ready to reward if doing the right thing and very stern and responsive if doing causing confusion and delay, especially if it was very problematic. His responses to Diesel in No More Mr. Nice Engine, Thomas in Thomas’ Shortcut and No Snow for Thomas, James in The Phantom Express and The Smelly Kipper, and so on when it came to anger and discipline fit him very well. Sir Topham Hatt played fair and did what he should do: be meticulous and care for the railway, from having the engines punctually arrive to maintaining safety.

Also, he was very in character of his responses. His reprimand to Connor after nearing crashing into Henry, immediate reaction to the damaged tracks in Wayward Winston, callout to Belle for toying with her cannons, and answers to the inspectors all make sense from a character introspection.

Bill and Ben: For the first time in several years, the mischievous saddle tank engine twins were in stories. In all three episodes this season, they played pivotal roles and demonstrated it nicely in their actions and words. The Midland accent and voices Jonathan Broadbent gave them fit so brilliantly with their characters: hardworking, yet devilish. Each line they gave was very alive and reminded me so much of the Bill and Ben of old. And to put in a bias, Bill or Ben? was very intelligent, hilarious and impactful; how Ben was able to take advantage of The Fat Controller’s punishment, Victor’s absence, and Kevin’s naivety was both clever and hilarious. I can’t wait for any future stories Brenner and the crew offer next.

Harold: Once again, another classic character in fine form. When I watched The Thomas Way, I was reminded of how much Harold would tease Percy about the railway. This episode gave him character development in his personality and chemistry between both Duck and Thomas. His personality meshed with theirs, and it worked wonders with him.

Annie, Clarabel: Prior to Blue Mountain Mystery, Annie and Clarabel weren’t given one bit of dialogue in the CGI Era. That changed when they told Thomas to slow down. Series 17 gave them plenty of cameos that invited the atmosphere into the stories. But they shone brightly in Thomas’ Shortcut as perfect foils for Thomas’s stubbornness. Their quantity (and quality) in dialogue freshened the air more in this series.

Cranky: Possibly the most Awdry-esque character following the series’ permanent split from The Railway Series. He’s a character who tends to be one-dimensionalized since HiT bought the TV rights, but Series 17 gave him life. He was cranky, but he wasn’t cranky without reason. Kevin’s Cranky Friend keeps him busy, and he just wants to do his job without any interference. His reaction to Cranky makes perfect sense, and both he and Kevin play off each other well. During Away from the Sea, his grumpy exposition was put aside in favor of concern for Salty’s engine troubles, telling him to get checked out. Lastly, his reaction to the elephant trumpeting at the end of Not Now, Charlie! is grand.

Diesel 10: He’s come a long way since his appearance in Thomas & the Magic Railroad. Although the movie bombed critically and financially, Diesel 10 remains the movie’s most memorable character for his witty one-liners, humor, and relationship with Pinchy. Only one Diesel 10-centric episode this season, The Missing Christmas Decorations, but he retains the same memorable personality, one-liners, and (more toned down) disdain of the steam engines. Even at the end of the episode, he’s still a bastard, but if he isn’t, then he isn’t Diesel 10.

Salty: Arrrrgggghhh, matey! The diesel of the Seven Seas is at Brendam Docks. His piratey accent, given by Kevin Wickman, suits him nicely. Determined, cheery, and hardworking, he loves to give a friendly tease, and he doesn’t want to look or act like he didn’t fulfill his job. Away from the Sea exploited a rather refreshing role reversal to a tired plot, which was about a steam engine possibly replacing the diesel. The suddenness and Salty’s maintenance tells a story of the class’s history to railfanners and people who wish to learn the history of engine designs.

Harvey: This good ol’ crane engine had been missing for some time, and his appearance in Gone Fishing was just right. In it, he was shown to not just be useful as a crane, but an engine, too. His chemistry with Porter blended in very well, and it was good to have his sensitivity of his shape revisited, this time by the two twins and ability to get under any engine’s skin.

Jack: He only made one appearance as a secondary character: King of the Railway. He didn’t disappoint. He was that eager, fun-loving character who loved to do what he does best: construct, load, and aid. Plus, his new shape looks much more interesting with the square face and other mechanics. Welcome back, Jack!

Spencer: The biggest reason I loved this character was because of all the potential he had. He impressed me in his debut in Series 7, but his usual roles relegated him into a flat, one-dimensional bastard instead of a proud, arrogant, warm foil and complementary character. Once more, he’s a foil character, but his arrogance’s more toned down, and his naivety bites him on the tender quite painfully in The Afternoon Tea Express.

Emily: She didn’t have many roles this season, but whatever dialogue she had, it didn’t matter. Her characterization was extremely swell, particularly the quick observations and development over her opinions about snow — from feeling embarrassed to angry over the idea of kids laughing at her for donning it to realizing how fun snow could be. Pre-Series 17 episodes would have her probably reduced this to a notable "three strikes" episode cliché, but that was all gone after halfway, developing her character more organically.

Now the newcomers when HiT/Mattel acquired the rights to the TV franchise:

Scruff: Because I haven’t watched many HiT episodes up to Series 17, I’m not as familiar with him. But he seems to have a gigantic pride in his work and worn-out appearance as a result of his hard work. After he was given a paint job at the Steamworks, his reaction once he saw his reflection fit him. After spending some time being repainted, he didn’t want to ruin their hard work and visual impression. But he’s an honest, hardworking engine. No matter the appearance, as long as he does it, he’s useful no matter the smell, and Whiff will appreciate that regardless.

Victor: He didn’t star in an episode, but whatever dialogue he had fit him. Wise, intelligent, and unwilling to withstand any nonsense (except Kevin, who he tolerates quite well, given their contrasting personalities). The best moment from him this season was immediately catching Bill’s desperate trick during Bill or Ben? and then feeling cross once he found out the twins tricked Kevin’s eagerness and took advantage of his absence.

Kevin: The mobile crane has been a rather big annoyance (including Charlie, which I’ll explain later) due to his recklessness and carelessness, both of which aren’t addressed. It’s completely different here, and his appearance in Kevin’s Cranky Friend showed one great for Kevin: how much he wants and tries to be useful. He just wants to do his job and feel proud as an important contributor on the island. He’s reckless and young, but is growing little by little, and Cranky said it in passing. He’s definitely hardworking and wants to help.

Charlie: Not many people like Charlie, and for good reason. Useless, flat, and uninteresting, partly for the fact that he’s a character that revolves around making corny jokes. Come Not Now, Charlie! for him to realize him telling jokes all the time was a bad thing. He was the purple engine who cried "wolf!", and everyone was tired of it, even to the point where he thought he was lying to himself. While he still comes up with corny jokes, hopefully he’ll be more careful, and maybe the other engines realize Charlie isn’t always going to joke, especially when there’s a safety problem.

The Earl of Sodor: Sir Robert Norramby may look old, but he’s a character with a bucketload of potential, most of which was capitalized. Despite his perceived age, he’s an exciting, well-rounded, and magnificent character. He helps give Sodor plenty of life, both in and out of Ulfstead Castle’s grounds. With the exception of Stephen, the Earl in King of the Railway helped steal the movie with his antics, excitement, pride of the island, and dedication to preserve an important treasure.

Connor: The first of two identical streamlined engines had a clean slate that began in King of the Railway (as far as storyline continuity’s concerned) and didn’t get a big role until Bill or Ben? There, more of his personality is known: new, impresses, wants to do his work, yet minutely gullible and competitive to a fault. While he was given the groundwork towards becoming a three-dimensional character, more needs to be done.

Caitlin: Connor was the first of two streamlined engines to debut. Caitlin’s his counterpart, the differences being the nameplates and colors. She’s nearly like Connor, and both play off each other quite well, potentially being complementary and foil characters. But what makes her different is her extreme excitement to learn, do her jobs, help out, and be impatient.

She’s a big kid at heart, the reason why Davey Moore wrote her so endearingly in Calm Down Caitlin. It’s a debut episode, but it’s such a good one and balanced her out. She shares the same American design as Connor, but she and Connor prove, just by their personalities and ways of handling things, that they belong. Plus, she and Gordon share great chemistry, which I hope they take advantage of if only to take a break from the Gordon/Spencer rivalry.

Stafford: An interesting addition to the railway. Instead of water or fuel, Stafford relies on recharging his battery for his work. A nice, quiet engine to go with his nice, quiet, youthful personality. Despite the cringeworthy use of "steamie," Steamie Stafford was very appropriate for Stafford and gave the innocent little engine important character development. Secondary and background characters like him liven the island, and Stafford’s story help expand the roster.

Hiro: Possibly the most important character in the HiT/Mattel Era, this strong, polite tender engine gigantically contrast the Big Trio. While the Big Trio tend to be egotistical, Hiro has been around long enough and spent through so many ordeals that really make him such a proud, yet very wise and very mature character. But even he has his limits, such as his trucks’ perceived nihilism (when it was really Diesel’s own doing unbeknownst).

Yet, in Henry’s Hero, he demonstrates why he’s Master of the Railway: intelligent, gritty, wise, and hardworking. Even with bad coal and stuffy firebox, Hiro’s thought process is "Get the job done first and worry about the bad coal later." His personality and determination perfectly foreshadow Henry’s determination later on and show why he’s a good character from the concept up.

Paxton: For what was a weak debut simply to sell toys, Paxton has come a long way. In Blue Mountain Mystery, he was pivotal in the plot. Then came Gordon Runs Dry when his brakes were applied so quickly, a large rock bashed Gordon’s boiler, leading up to the memorable conversation with Gordon near the end, as well as his subplot of shunting Christmas decorations for the diesels at the Dieselworks.

The Lost Puff is quite relatable in a way that makes anyone who’s not familiar with the differences between diesels and steam engines and provides a lesson on their anatomy. Plus, he learns a powerful lesson on performing dangerous stunts, all the while not having to be admonished for a second time by The Fat Controller. He’s quickly become a favorite of mine, and I anticipate more great moments from what is an extremely likeable diesel.

Sidney: One of the characters with a lot of potential, only to be relegated to a ceiling ornament in the Dieselworks. The meta moment (being stuck in the rafters for about two years) helped bridge the gap in the fragmented relationship between diesels and steam engines. He forgets, but when it comes to helping him become potentially useful, moments like those are unforgettable. ^__^

Belle: One of two fire engines. She’s young, but responsible, but played a game or two. But she’s quick to learn and, after The Fat Controller caught her using her water cannons recklessly, realizes her tools aren’t toys. Nevertheless, she understands that she’s competent and will help out whenever possible to keep the Island safe. While she’s an obvious toy gimmick due to her lack of realism, with enough headcanon power, she can be given a plausible excuse to having the cannons.

Flynn: Every die-hard Thomas fan knows how factually bad his debut episode was. It was so bad, it can make any person angry. Such a lack of care for genuine safety and characterization in the other episodes in Series 15 was bad enough. Fiery Flynn really made the season end with a gigantic whimper and vast shame over how far the series had fallen. Flynn was a poster child, even in Series 16.

Despite the consistent good quality in characterization and writing, it wasn’t unknown how Flynn would be handled.

Needless to say, he’s a toy handled correctly in Too Many Fire Engines. His personality, impressions, and disappointment were relatable, especially as being perceived as "useless" can be damning for anyone on the Island. Despite The Fat Controller providing a plausible alibi for him and Belle to be there, Flynn wasn’t sure. Only when Belle had to guard Ulfstead Castle and couldn’t put out the fire at Brendam Docks did Flynn get another chance. He was shown to be useful, competent, passionate about his job, and trustworthy.

Fiery Flynn made him atrociously out of character and stupid. Too Many fire Engines gave him the intelligence and credibility he rightfully deserves!

Winston: He’s The Fat Controller’s inspection car, and both of them have great, yet slightly rocky, chemistry. While The Fat Controller can drive on the road, he’s terrible on the rails due to his constant starting and stopping. This lead to possible speculation (how much, I’m uncertain, for I’m very inactive in the core fandom) of Winston becoming eventually exhausted of how poor Sir Topham Hatt’s driving was. Wayward Winston developed both characters tremendously, while providing two memorable meta moments (Percy telling Winston he needs a driver and The Fat Controller being forced to share responsibility for the C&D).

Porter: An American tank engine named after his own class, but with an exquisite personality. While his design isn’t unfamiliar (Rosie’s train class has the same functions), he has a much different personality with plenty of maturity and wisdom. Currently, any teasing doesn’t bother him so much because he concerns on getting the job done and was important in his two episodes this season. He felt like a character and not a lazy toy.

Luke: Since his stellar debut in Blue Mountain Mystery, Luke came into his own. Brenner and crew took advantage of his youth and enthusiasm in Luke’s New Friend and The Switch, two widely popular episodes for the comedy and character development. His already three-dimensional characterization was expanded with his relationship with the deer and conversation with Millie.

Millie: The newest narrow gauge engine to appear, debuting in The Switch and then given a proper intro in King of the Railway. Like Caitlin, Connor, and Porter, she behaved like a character rather than an obvious toy. Spunky, proud, useful, and sassy, she can hold her own through her dialogue and facial gestures, three-dimensionalizing her in a way that wouldn’t have worked if the series still used the models.

Stephen: If Hiro didn’t debut, then I would argue that Stephen is the most important character in the HiT Era. Based off Stephenson’s Rocket, this antique engine has such a history parallel to his real-life companion. Due to his age and design, he grew a unique personality. He’s caring, wise, useful in his own way, youthful, funny, and bright. His dialogue is very clever and thorough. He doesn’t need to talk long-windedly merely to be a wonderful character. Old by age, Stephen’s not afraid to show off his wisdom and youthful teasing.

Most importantly, his design sends a psychological message, personally, that the writers want to connect both the past and present to Thomas fans young and old. From a design and marketable standpoint, it’s extremely smart and teaches people young and old the history of the railroad.

So, what went right for Series 17?

1. There’s much more research in railway realism. Many of the previous episodes relied on the engines just trekking down the line simply for the sake of it. Instead, there’s more research in how railways are supposed to be handled.
    
   a. Less use of specials and more reliance on the characters doing their own jobs.
    
   b. Characters doing their jobs repetitively. While it’s technically not a good idea from a writing standpoint to make the character do the same thing, it’s a complete contrast for railways. Giving engines a rigid duty gives them a purpose. Two big examples that I notice are Paxton pulling trucks full of stone from the quarry and Edward shunting at Brendam Docks.
    
   c. The important use of sidings. Hiro left half of his load in a siding because it was too heavy for him to pull solo, and Paxton shunted Gordon’s empty coaches to a siding to clear the main line.
    
   d. Hiro and Henry stopped at a red signal and waited until Duck (who was on the same track) turn on the junction next to them.
    
   e. Bill and Ben waiting at a red signal so Connor can turn the corner and fly by.
    
   f. The importance of engines arriving on time, evident by Annie and Clarabel’s repeated criticisms of Thomas’s desire to search for a shortcut.
    
   g. The importance of both expresses and locals. Usually, the local was shunned to glorify the express and Gordon’s role. Thomas and Gordon’s argument and teasing about the local and express trains demonstrate equal importance for each role.
    
   h. When Thomas was diverted off the main line, the signalman’s role wasn’t done. He immediately called another inspector to help get Thomas back onto the main line. That alone showed me Pressman researched the railway, emergencies, and how the Classics handled emergencies.
    
   i. Other elements of engines themselves, such as Caitlin’s tender brake being hard on and Salty being sent to the Dieselworks (a reference to his class needing maintenance at times).
   
2. Safety is emphasized. One of the biggest criticisms was the lack of care from the writers when considering safety whenever the engines patrolled the Island of Sodor. Series 17 marked a huge change in caring about how important safety is, both on and off the rails.
    
   a. One of the plot devices was the damaged track. Sir Topham Hatt acted responsibly in getting it fixed as soon as possible. But when he couldn’t, he warned his engines not to play on them because it can cause confusion and delay, as what happened with Thomas when he acted way too reckless.
    
   b. Once more, clearing the empty coaches to a siding. While it was important in railway realism, the safety aspect was there, too, for it cleared the tracks for the trains behind him.
    
   c. The Fat Controller desiring to have Brendam Docks clear of the mess and make the trains run on time. The more cluttered the quayside, the more confusion and delay for everyone (including shipments that haven’t arrived on the island at the point).
    
   d. The Fat Controller’s severe involvement when there are unsafe actions by the engines. He scolded Kevin for not helping Cranky, only to sink into the bay when he tried (and then taking it back when Cranky admitted to shoving him under the tower); scolding Connor for running through a red signal and nearly colliding with Henry; being furious at Bill/Ben, James, and Thomas for creating accidents and/or causing confusion and delay.
    
   e. The Fat Controller confronting Henry and Percy for waking the citizens up during the night.
    
   f. Charlie noticing a stray elephant on the line and immediately trying to find help.
    
   g. Belle admonishing Flynn when he asked why she didn’t wait for him, and then Belle guarding Ulstead Castle in case of a fire.
    
   Hell, Too Many Fire Engine’s subplot was based on fire safety, especially when an inspector asked The Fat Controller why the island had two fire engines instead of one. I explained the in-canon reason already (when in reality, it’s because Mattel wants to sell a few extra toys).
   
3. While the season still operates under the Rule of Three most of the time, they’re much more varied. One of the biggest pointers one admin of the Sodor Island Forums revealed when reviewing Series 15’s objective flaws was the formulaic rendering:
    

   
   "_______" goes to "_______" and meets "_______". "_______" does X, Y and Z wrong/done badly, before attempting X/Y/Z again, and this time getting it right before meeting "_______", "_______" and "_______" where everyone laughs or smiles at the end before rolling the credits.

   The new apprenticeship paid attention to such criticism and made sure it wasn’t the same every time. Sometimes, the strikes were positive, only to be slammed; aided by other engines; didn’t happen in succession; or had everything go right at the third moment. Examples include:
    
   a. Kevin’s Cranky Friend: Kevin succeeded in helping Cranky out, only to be sent to the corner like a kid in timeout. When he tried to help a third time, he nearly sunk.
    
   b. Scruff’s Makeover: Because Scruff was clean, he wanted to find a new job, only to be rejected, the third time strongly by Gordon when he said if he didn’t do his job, then he wouldn’t be useful.
    
   c. Calm Down Caitlin: Every strike was spaced out and sometimes driven by dialogue instead of narration:
    
   Strike 1 — Caitlin rushing through the island.
    
   Strike 2 — Waking the countryside up while taking the mail.
    
   Strike 3 — Waking up the animals after being baited into taking The Flying Kipper.
    
   d. Percy’s Lucky Day:
    
   Strike 1 — Leaving Wellsworth Station too early.
    
   Strike 2 — Crashing into pumpkins, leaving his wheels sticky.
    
   Strike 3 — Dropping Stephen’s horsehoe…and not even realizing it until much later in the episode!
    
   You could also add a so-called "Strike 4" for realizing he lost it.
    
   e. Bill or Ben: This one was extremely unique. Not only for being cleverly written bereft of a moral, but for also stopping the Rule of Three in its tracks. The obvious one was Connor nearly crashing into Henry. The only other "hint" was when Connor didn’t realize Ben was at Ulfstead Castle and not Bill, but there’s no third strike.
    
   f. The Missing Christmas Decorations:
    
   Strike 1 — Losing the tree.
    
   Strike 2 — Losing the lights.
    
   Strike 3 — Losing the garland…only for Percy to catch Diesel 10 stealing them alone and later taught a valuable lesson once Paxton rolled in the decorations for the Dieselworks!
    
   g. Too Many Fire Engines:
    
   Strike 1 — Flynn’s flat tire.
    
   Strike 2 — Flynn didn’t get to the forest fire on time.
    
   Strike 3 — Flynn put out the fire at the quay.
    
   These are just some of so many examples. Several past series had the characters follow a rigid set of pointers, leading to extremely predictable, lifeless storylines. Every episode this season, including the ones that weren’t all up to snuff like The Afternoon Tea Express, actually have life in the stories, and the endings weren’t predictable.
    
   Bill or Ben?, for instance, ended on a cliffhanger.
    
   Caitlin couldn’t really make up her errors, and Connor woke her up with a start at the Vicarstown Bridge.
    
   Kevin and Cranky became teammates, but still kept Cranky with a personality that made me believe he didn’t drink his cup of Costa.
    
   For the first time in a long time, the writer(s) have proven that the "three strikes," if written effectively, enhance the story and create memories that can develop the characters in the future. Often, they blend in so well, you have to look for them due to the lack of repetition, spaced out organization, lack of predictability, and higher writing quality.
   
4. As I’m watching each story, I’m watching a story, including the mediocre and bad ones. Each story, even the lackluster ones, doesn’t feel like a list of bullet points anymore. As I watch the story, I watch how each character responds and does, and then I pay attention to how the writers are blending them all together. And the writers here are focused more on what they’re writing instead of what points they’re shoving the characters in. Very rarely did the stories drag on or rush.
    
   Speaking of the characters, they’re written with so much energy and life. Every single line this season spilled attitude that would’ve been very inappropriate if the others said it. Even when you take out the emotion, their lines still feel like them! Then the energy from the actors and actresses come into play. Because the lines flow so organically, the emotions conveyed from the actors themselves feel organic, too, not out of place, pointless, or dull.
    
   More quality control in the stories transcends behind the scenes. Typically, when scripts suck, the actors behave and react unnaturally. Conversely, write good scripts, and the actors can trust the writers and, as a result, behave much more loosely when performing.
    
   Series 17 demonstrates that perfectly. The organic atmosphere in the dialogue helps behind the scenes by making the actors feel loose and having them comprehend that the scriptwriters want to write a good quality, lively story. You can tell the voice actors were having fun with the stories due to the lack of force in each line. If the scripts were equivalent to the Miller Era’s, you could feel the actors trying to make the characters react in character, yet failing massively. In Series 17, the characters are in character, and the better quality control ebbs on the voice actors.
    
   However, what makes objectively great characters isn’t just keeping the characters in character like a vacuum. It’s about having the writers write the characters as if they’re human, too. Characters with genuine, human feelings, in-character reactions (and in-character consequences), and three-dimensional behavior. Minus Connor to an extent, every character written this season has been three-dimensional and doesn’t flanderize or massacre their concept.
   
5. Simply saying…THE STORIES IN GENERAL ARE MUCH BETTER!
   
6. Despite the slower dialogue, there is much more emphasis on respecting every person in the audience. Previous stories in the HiT Era often were focused on only their market audience: Pre-K kids. Hits from the periphery demographic and true target audience (the kids’ adult guardians who can afford a sustainable income) were way too far and in-between.
    
   Brenner and crew follow another one of these goals (quoting Jayson Thiessen from FIM): “‘Good’ has no demographic.” To create genuinely good products, you don’t discriminate any demographic. You can attract the market, but without respecting the periphery demographic, then the product will age quicker than a Twinkie*. Andrew Brenner and crew wrote in a flow that was simple for kids to understand, but with so many other elements that reel in the periphery demographic and treat the young audience with utmost respect.
    
   *At least they're supposed to age quicker.
   
7. The narration and dialogue are slow enough for kids to catch, but the characters’ reactions are organic. The more organic the reaction, the more believable they become.
   
8. This season varies the wording in the form of meta humor and wider vocabulary. The latter is very important. While it’s understandable to use simpler words for kids to understand, doing so treats the kids as simpleminded tools who need to be patronized at every corner. The bigger vocabulary sends messages to people of all ages that the writers trust their intelligence and instincts. If the kids don’t understand what the words mean, then they can rely on the visuals and/or their guardians for help.
   
9. There are a lot more references that only the adult audiences will catch, yet will have the kids chuckle due to their faces, reactions, and narration. Two episodes had the Big Trio in one shot (referencing Series 1’s Tenders and Turntables, Trouble in the Shed, and Percy Runs Away), Gordon chuffing over the lake adjacent to Wellsworth station (referencing the map where there’s a river before the station), Henry’s Tunnel, Percy shunting Gordon’s express coaches in KotR and GRD, Gordon telling Thomas he doesn’t fetch his own coaches, et cetera. Those little nods help keep the audience interested without crossing the line into blatant pandering.
   
10. Mark Moraghen is an excellent choice as narrator. As far as Series 7 is concerned, Michael Brandon wasn’t a terrible narrator, but once the franchise transitioned to CGI, he narrated like he was reading a script given to him. The same goes for Michael Angelis over the past two to three seasons, who’s a brilliant narrator. However, Angelis and Brandon are getting up there in age, and you could some tell via the narrations’ lack of energy. As of this review’s submission, Angelis is 62, Brandon 69.
    
11. At age 50 (51 this past January), Moraghan is younger and can narrate with enthusiasm better as a result. There are many moments when he changed the tone and volume of his voice for suspense, like his pause before saying “When…” in KotR and “Then there was trouble!” in Bill or Ben? Plus, now that he’s narrating both the American and British version, you get that hint of showing the American audience Thomas’s history dating back to the 1980s.
    
12. There is less reliance on the narrator, period. While there is still some exposition, it feels like there’s less of it.
     
    Review KotR, and you’ll see how the washdown is introduced early in the story. Moraghen didn’t tell us about the Earl’s return to the island. The visuals and characters did that for him.
     
    CDC, for another example, did that splendidly once Caitlin sped to Tidmouth Sheds for the first time. Moraghen didn’t narrate for two whole minutes, providing ample time for the writers to concentrate on dialogue and atmosphere to tell the story over having him explain it for the audience.
     
    Eight minutes and forty-five seconds is not a lot of time: If the stories still used models, then the scriptwriters had to exposit via the narrator and cut a good chuck of it off to flow the story.
     
    In fact, one of the biggest advantages of using CGI is the how it actually makes the scriptwriter’s and narrator’s jobs easier to tell the story by balancing the important “showing” half alongside. Previous seasons didn’t take such advantage of it, instead relying mostly on narrator exposition to tell the audience everything, but Series 17 balanced showing and telling nicely. The CGI’s role was crucial in helping with the story along in several episodes (especially WW, TS, TheTW, BoB?, and S’sLE) and KotR.
    
13. Arc Productions has proven to be a fine successor for Nitrogen. There were many issues with the pre-Brenner era, but the Computer-Generated Imagery was never one of them. It was always a consistent strength that only improved over the seasons. Series 17 puts the CGI back to “square one,” per se, but the CGI studio is off to a really fantastic start via the great lighting, shadows, and steaming special effects.
     
    I remembered being disappointed upon reading the news that Thomas was transferring to CGI and abandoning model railroading. However, looking back on it, it was for the best, even beyond a budget standpoint. Model railroading takes a very long time and costs a lot of money to film an episode using them. CGI cuts the cost exponentially. More importantly, model railroading forces the narrator to tell everything that and makes the storytelling much more flexible.
     
    But it was the “flexibility” part that most of the stories in the Miller Era didn’t take advantage of for the most part. There were plenty of effects that make the scenery alive, but the Miller Era’s writing acted like they didn’t completely trust it. Greg Tiernan and Nicole Stinn, however, did a completely fantastic job directing and producing the CGI and making it a visually worthwhile alternative. When the stories were bad, the CGI could still be appreciated, as long as it was on mute.
     
    This season, the writers seem to put in a lot more faith in the CGI, and we’re seeing it in Arc’s CGI. Directed and produced by David Baas and Robert Anderson, respectively for the TV series and Rob Silvestri and Brian Lynch (in the same order) for KotR, there’s a lot of life in its atmosphere. From the unique camera angles, special effects, well-done color theory, lights and shadows, it feels alive. And while the narration never went away, they’re more organically placed, and the CGI and character dialogue are now trusted to help pace the episode along more and show more of the story, too.
     
    If you want another example, watch the climax of King of the Railway. After Moraghen spoke, “Then he raced back to the old mine…with Jack,” he spoke three times for a total of twelve seconds. The rest of the climax relies on Arc, Brenner’s script, and Robert Hartshorne’s score for the atmosphere, pace, and tension.
     
    There’s also significant emphasis on the unique camera angles, something the model layouts couldn’t do, either. Because of the CGI, Nitrogen was allowed to create many new camera angles, and they did exactly that, one of them being the train chugging over, allowing the viewer to see the undercarriage. Arc evolves that with several interesting angles such as Harold’s flyby and Duck’s bird’s eye view in The Thomas Way.
     
    This season, unlike most, seems to have the animators and writers cooperating to bring the best story available.
    
14. None of the episodes revolve around doing specials “just because,” only to screw up three times and then get it right. Only four episodes, minus KotR, revolved around specials.
     
    a. Kevin’s Cranky Friend: Cranky so busy, delaying dangerous traffic on the quayside. With the Sodor Steamworks quiet, Kevin was given the job to help. He helped clean up twice and screwed up once.
     
    b. Percy’s Lucky Day: Because Percy did such a good job, The Fat Controller asked him to bring a gift to the Duke and Duchess of Boxford’s summerhouse, and that assignment, in script, was over before it even started.
     
    c. The Afternoon Tea Express: Delivering for the tea parties at Ulfstead Castle. The only Miller-like episode this season, but only conceptually. Stephen succeeded in getting the supplies on time, only to screw up near the end.
     
    d. Santa’s Little Engine: Thomas was assigned a special to help the Earl of Sodor’s Christmas celebration by bringing a sleigh to Ulfstead Castle. He screwed up just once: sliding into the sleigh with The Fat Controller inside.
    
15. Speaking of meta humor, it was abundant. Through the dialogue and references of past episodes (including the Miller Era), it’s obvious how Brenner and crew were a little sick and tired of the blatant inconsistencies in the writing and continuity. But instead of doing it all the time, they save it relevant to the story and often in a way that’s funny.
     
    This little scene from King of the Railway is one of the funniest all season:
     

    
    Toby: Henry’s broken down!
     
    Gordon (exasperatedly): Don’t tell me he needs special coal again.
     
    Toby: No, Gordon. That was fixed years ago.

    Need I say more?
    
16. Most of the morals aren’t forcefed to the audience, and some of them are actually pretty mature in accordance to the base demographic. One of the best ways to approach to a moral is to let the moral flow. Start with the conflict; address the problems in a sensible, realistic manner; end it on a sound conclusion.
     
    There are two episodes that really handle a believable, mature moral well.
     
    Percy’s Lucky Day is about the concept of luck. Percy reached the conclusion that he didn’t need his own lucky charm to bring good luck. Luck can happen good or bad, occasionally creating your own. It’s a moral everyone can relate to. Speaking of periphery-capturing morals…
     
    Gone Fishing is a bully episode, but handles it very realistically. Bill and Ben tease Harvey for his crane/tank-engine hybrid design, telling him to go fishing. Porter responds by saying to ignore them like water rolling off a duck’s back. After an accident, Harvey took this advice to heart and was able to bring the heavy flatbeds to Vicarstown punctually. Hell, he even acknowledged the teasing and used it to his advantage.
    

And what went wrong?

1. The animation is very unpolished. Maybe it’s Arc’s growing pains, but there are so many goofs in its CGI. Several times, whenever the engines or stock hit a junction, the points were never switched to guide them, which is very evident in King of the Railway and Santa’s Little Engine. Sometimes, the brakevans switch design and color, or the wheels turn a little quicker or slower than normal (i.e., Porter’s abnormally slow chug of the wheels, something that appears to be fixed in Thomas the Quarry Engine).
    
   King of the Railway has two known flaws: The final act was padded to fulfill the hour-long length, and the numerous animation mistakes are very noticeable. The latter issue is what brought down the special’s quality the most. An occasional glitch is okay, but when the lack of polish is this obvious throughout, Arc looked like it significantly rushed.
   
2. Although the Rule of Thirds is often varied, sometimes they’re still very transparent. In several episodes, when there is an obvious strike, chances are it’ll be built over twice over before something really bad happens. Five such examples include:
    
   a. Kevin’s Cranky Friend: Kevin falling in the sea.
    
   b. Scruff’s Makeover: Scruff being strongly advised by Gordon.
    
   c. Gordon Runs Dry: Gordon’s boiler running on empty after having his tank filled twice before.
    
   d. The Missing Christmas Decorations: Diesel 10 stealing the Tidmouth décor while Paxton acts as a bodyguard or accomplice.
    
   e. Thomas’ Shortcut: Thomas failing to find a shortcut along his branch line and falling off the rails.
    
   Like I said, the approach to the Rule of Thirds isn’t the same, giving the stories more variety and often hiding them more naturally. Sometimes the strikes are shot down. Others have the strikes occur as positive like K’sCF. Nevertheless, when the contrivances are there, they need to be much less obvious. Otherwise, you’re going to have your audience question your quality.
   
3. Some stories rely too much on the narrator expositing. Despite relying less and less on the narrator, there will be an episode or two that has Moraghen talking way too much.
    
   Besides continuity and Stephen’s characterization, The Afternoon Tea Express’s biggest flaw is how much the narrator tells the story. The events. What’s in the trucks. The character’s emotions. And characters’ ideas. All revealed to the audience by the narrator instead of the emotions and animation.
    
   By talking too much, you’re telling your audience how poor your pacing and overall storytelling structure are. Less telling from the narrator and more showing through the animation. If you’re going to use the narrator, use it when needed and not be included so intrusively.
   
4. Although the vocabulary significantly improved in Series 17, some of the jargon got very repetitive.
    
   a. Henry’s Hero: “Keep on puffing” was used quite a lot, greatly risking losing weight on the moral.
    
   b. No More Mr. Nice Engine: “Be polite and kind” varied little here and there, but when it got way too much, all it did was hammer the moral in.
    
   c. The Thomas Way: Usage of “promptly” and “The Great Western Way.”
    
   When phrases are uttered multiple times, you give the audience these impressions:
    
   a. The pacing of the episode is either too slow or too fast.
    
   b. If you’re repeating the moral far too many times, then you’re hammering it in. Beating a dead horse is a very crude way of losing your audience and making your moral purposeless.
    
   c. You risk talking down to your audiences. Thomas’s market audience is very young children, but its true target is the guardians.
    
   You’re speaking to the guardians just as much as kids because you want them to trust your brand and believe the entertainment and education are very valuable. Objectively good quality helps the young base demographic. Regardless of how young your base demographic is, extremely repetitive vocabulary is a no-no, because you make the guardians believe the writing isn’t up to par. Loosen it up while focusing on the strict content guidelines HiT and the governments imposed on the product.
   
5. Some of the stories would work much, much better if there were a shared focus on the drivers (and firemen, if a steamed locomotive).
    
   For example, if Gordon’s driver and fireman were involved in Gordon Runs Dry, chances are they would’ve noticed the problems with the gauging and pressure as his boiler “ran dry.” Hell, after the boulder struck Gordon, there was a big chance the driver would emergency-stop and check the area where Gordon got smashed. By noticing the broken boiler, the train would be stopped; Gordon would be shunted to the Steamworks; and the passengers would be sought after.
    
   I don’t see this being mended anytime soon, but you can create a broad range of stories and personalities just by having the drivers and firemen speak and actively contribute rather than having them take a backseat all the time via the narrator plug.
   
6. Although this feels more like a Mattel/HiT mandate above everything else, several stories didn’t need Thomas shoehorned into the episode. Yes, he’s the most popular character, and plugging him in a lot via cameos isn’t going to hurt the episode per se, but plugging him in as many times as possible simply to pander to his popularity turns the #1 engine into a distraction. Thomas didn’t appear at all in Luke’s New Friend and The Switch, and neither hurt their objective quality. HiT/Mattel needs to scale back the cameos.
   
7. Despite a better focus on railway realism, it’s not quite there completely. There are some moments where railway realism got in the way of plotting.
    
   a. Gordon Runs Dry is the most obvious.
    
   b. The emergency in Not Now, Charlie! is used as an overplayed plot device that should’ve been stopped the second the elephant got away. This is one episode where the driver and fireman talking would’ve really helped out.
    
   c. And having Connor race through a red signal in Bill or Ben? doesn’t make sense, either. Yeah, sure, The Fat Controller called him out for it, but that doesn’t excuse the writing flaw. If Connor’s driver applied the brakes immediately, then the near crash wouldn’t have been so contrived.
    
   d. Two very dangerous moments: the dog sit on the outside of a moving brakevan and Thomas’s passengers walking down the station’s incline.
    
   Basically, more attention to railway realism on all ends. Doing otherwise disserves Awdry, your viewership, and yourselves.
   

Since 1984, Thomas & Friends has been chuffing down the main line and beyond. Britt Allcroft, David Mitton, and company took the source material from The Railway Series and adapted it for the television series. Despite some very questionable choices, many of the stories the Awdry estate didn’t write are still remembered for the right reasons, even in series six and seven when Allcroft resigned.

Then HiT Entertainment bought the rights to the series, and TtTE started to tumble, beginning with the bleh eighth series and screeching forward through the rest of the model era. When Thomas transitioned to Computer-Generated Imagery, the previous staff remained stuck in a generic, clichéd checklist lazily disguised as a “story.” When Series 15 concluded, TtTE literally hit the bottom of the barrel with some factual abominations that spat on the integrity of the then sixty-six-year-old franchise.

But come Series 17 and KotR; Thomas sprung to new life. Although some of the habits from past writers still exist, they’re more toned down and not so transparent anymore. Instead of a checklist, Thomas stories see like, feel like, and are STORIES again. Most of the time, the morals aren’t pounded over the head. Vocabulary is wider in range. The characters (classic and otherwise — including the returnees) are very likeable. And just as importantly, there’s LIFE to their personalities, especially characters who remain in character! Habitual shortcomings notwithstanding, Series 17 is a tremendous turnaround for Series 17 and is, by far, the best season since Series 7. Now that Series 18 has arrived in the US (and will be approaching the UK very soon), our favorite tank engine and his friends are doing nothing except chuffing forward.

Now for my top-seven favorite and least favorite episodes regardless of their quality, starting with the top favorites:

1. Bill or Ben? (the best episode this season)
   
2. Percy’s Lucky Day
   
3. Gordon Runs Dry
   
4. Gone Fishing
   
5. Henry’s Hero
   
6. The Lost Puff
   
7. Too Many Fire Engines
   

1. The Afternoon Tea Express
   
2. Not Now, Charlie! (the worst episode this season; the last from S17 I truly don’t like)
   
3. Steamie Stafford
   
4. Scruff’s Makeover
   
5. Thomas’ Shortcut
   
6. No Snow for Thomas
   
7. The Phantom Express