Thomas is bummed out when a day at the beach gets called off, so bummed out that he's even sad when he reads the title card, so he tries to take a page out of Riff and Jiff's book and be happy all the time.
Immediately, this is a great episode because it has Riff and Jiff in it. You know me, I loved Riff and Jiff in Race for the Sodor Cup, and I love them here. They show Thomas that suppressing your emotions isn't right and that it's okay to be unhappy or angry. That's a really good message for kids and while it isn't Inside Out good, this is still a really strong way to tell the story, and David Kohlsmith is really giving it his all as Thomas. And what's even crazier - this is his first episode. He knocked it out of the park on the first go. Also, I love how Thomas' fake grin looks, it looks so goofy. The song in this episode is also pretty solid, even if I thought at one point Percy was gonna sing "I'll be your blues brother". I sat through Blues Brothers 2000, so hearing that made my life flash before my eyes.
Overall, Blue Engine Blues is a surprisingly wholesome romp and, dare I say it, the best All Engines Go! episode so far. Is it perfect? No, but with its moral told in a surprisingly mature way, it's easily a high recommendation. I never thought I'd see myself giving this rating to an All Engines Go! episode...but screw it, this gets a 4.5/5. That's the Riff and Jiff effect, baby!
Final Rating: 4.5/5
