Henry in the Dark: ThomasNATION Review (by ThomasFan3000 and Team)

December 06, 2016

We’ve got the scaredy episode for Season 20, guys! [Edit: Nope. That title goes to "Three Steam Engines Gruff", I guess!] And it stars Henry as the main character. But this time, its different, and I like it.

‘Henry In The Dark’ is a special, unique episode that shows Henry not as the always scared, worrying engine, but someone different, someone confident, someone happy. And I’m all for it.



The episode begins at the Steamworks, and it was refreshing to see Porter and Whiff there. Its really a plus point teaching kids that railway paint jobs aren’t only engines, and the logic behind glow-in-the-dark signs was a useful lesson. 

So, the Steamworks is really busy, and Kevin is stressed. Instead of bringing Henry’s paint, he brings the glow-in-the-dark green paint, which seems quite natural - mistakes happen. The consequences are very funny, as well. 


That night, Henry goes off scaring Thomas, James and finally boastful Gordon. It was a fast sequence, and so quite enjoyable to watch. Had it been dragged out, the episode would’ve gone quite dull, but the sequence is fast, funny which makes it enjoyable. 

The engines approach the sheds, and talk about the scaredy ghost train. It seems only obvious that they’d be scared by a train as green and glowing as that, chuffing about on the tracks, out of nowhere. I’d be. 


The next part is fun to watch. When Henry approaches the sheds the next day, the engines wouldn’t believe that he wasn’t scared of the ghost train. It shows us how Henry’s been labeled as the ‘Scaredy’ engine, and the others make fun of him. This is really the inference of the Miller era, this episode tries to wash away, and let us know that being ‘Scaredy’ is not the only level of Henry’s personality.



That night, while the others are scared to go, Henry’s out there, naturally, as by this time he knows that he’s the ghost train. When he comes back, he ends up scaring everyone including the Fat Controller, but it turns out he’s the ghost train! Everything’s settled, and the engines feel bad for calling Henry a scaredy engine, and they should. A funny ending concludes the episode.

I like this episode. Was it perfect? No. Was it “Lacklustre”? Not at all. Maybe, the story felt a teensy bit dull, or maybe it was a teensy bit dragged out, but I enjoyed it. Though, Kudos to whoever wrote it, because it really helps fans see the true persona of Henry. In a nutshell, aside from the normal nitpicks I have, It was a really good episode - A really enjoyable watch!

Rating: 4.5/5
ThomasNATION Rating: 4.2/5

Thank You for Reading... More reviews coming soon!


About The Author: 
Jainil Devani - @ThomasFan3000
Follow Me on Twitter!  

My YouTube Channel!

For more updates from ThomasNATION:

Follow Official ThomasNATION on Twitter!

You Might Also Like

0 comments

Follow us on Twitter!