Cranky, as his own name would apply, is extremely grumpy because he is initially kept working day and night without rest. Although nowadays he is able to sleep properly, he still maintains his cranky attitude. Cranky loves teasing the engines and has an intense dislike for Salty's stories as he rarely pays attention due to his perpetual bad temper. However, Cranky has at times shown a bit of kindness and he has started to become friends with the engines working at the docks. Although Cranky is now easier to befriend, he still does not take criticism well but he has also shown despite his cynicism that he is able to have fun although he has a serious and typically unflinching demeanor. However, he often attempts to hide signs that he is enjoying something to try and keep his grumpy image. While these usually go fairly poorly, he actively chooses to join in the fun and not hide anything on numerous occasions. But here's the thing, that's just the Cranky that we longtime fans of Thomas The Tank Engine have known and loved from our days of watching the original television series since the Cranky we have now in the 'All Engines Go' series reboot can be considered one of the most consistent characters in the franchise's history. From everything that we've seen so far, the 'All Engines Go' version of Cranky appears to stick to his personality from the original series with being grumpy and teasing the other engines. However, he is still a hard worker and knows what it means to be really useful. Despite his grouchy nature, Cranky has also been shown to have a soft spot for seagulls, which he doesn't like to show when others are around. So now that you know who Cranky is, on with the show!
I think it goes without saying that one of the first big surprises that All Engines Go has given us since the reboot first began was the big return of Bulstrode in Season 1a's "Thomas' Day Off". While it was a weird choice especially if you're a longtime fan of the franchise, Bulstrode's inclusion in the reboot at all was absolutely insane especially considering he hadn't even appeared since Season 4's 'Special Attraction'. On top of that, I also actually like this take on this character. Granted, I loved his grouchy personality from the Classic Series more, but I do like the more calm and wise take that the reboot has given him. I think it's so interesting that Christopher Awdry's biggest impact on the legacy of the Thomas franchise was this random boat character who for some reason keeps showing up in the show and merchandise. Bulstrode was ultimately the franchise's greatest takeaway from Christopher's books and I find that really funny. While it is true that we've seen Cranky and Bulstrode interacting with each other throughout All Engines Go, something that the original series and All Engines Go have never done so far is give these two a spotlight episode together.
Well, my friends, today is that day at long last and...boy, was this episode worth the wait! While you could argue that this plotline of best friends arguing and not wanting to talk to each other about their feelings was already done before earlier in the series with Thomas and Percy in Season 1b's "Letting Off Steam" and while the song "Talking Makes it Better" isn't as memorable as "Blowing Off Steam" from the Season 1b episode, having the two tank engines use their experiences from their fight in order to save Cranky and Bulstrode's friendship seemed like the natural next step for their characters to take in this series. On top of that, Cranky feeling lonely about the news of Bulstrode being away on the mainland for repairs and feeling cranky that he can't go with Bulstrode on his trip made for a great callback to the crane's character development from the original Thomas series starting back in Season 6's "No Sleep for Cranky" all the way up to Season 21's "New Crane on the Dock".
You know, after seeing this episode, all I can say is...where was this story when we needed it all those years ago? I'm serious, episodes like "A Cranky Goodbye" are shining examples of how All Engines Go has proved once again that under all that gruff from fandom hatred beats a heart of gold even when you least expect and that is why I'm so proud to give it an 4/5 rating.
Final Rating: 4/5
