ThomasNATION Reviews - Thomas and the Forest Engines
July 02, 2020
Well, here we are at our first of five international episodes this season. If you want my opinion on the Brazil episodes, I’ll admit that they were among the weaker episodes in the season. Not the worst, since Panicky Percy takes the cake in that regard, but not that engaging. But now that we’re headed to the eucalyptus railway, how does it go down? Let’s begin.
While working in Brazil, Thomas is sent to a eucalyptus plantation to collect some wood, where he meets two wood-burning engines named Marcia and Marcio. After learning they’ve never been outside the plantation, Thomas decides to swap jobs with the pair, and trouble ensues.
To put it short, this episode is pretty lame. The first problem with it is that the episode is insanely predictable. The second the conflict arises, you can pretty much guess point for point how the rest of the story will play out and conclude. The concept isn’t all that creative either, since the exact same story was pulled off in The Switch in Season 17, which was coincidentally also written by Davey Moore.
Another problem with the episode is that Marcia and Marcio aren’t all that intriguing. On paper, they could’ve been interesting characters, and their designs made them seem like lost or even abandoned engines that Thomas need to help out, a bit like the experimental engines in Journey Beyond Sodor. But no, they just seem like your typical happy-go-lucky engines whose only personality trait is “they run on wood instead of coal”.
If I were to give the episode a bit of praise, it would be that the scenes with Thomas working at the plantation are pretty enjoyable. They don’t last too long and don’t serve a lot of purpose, but the scenes are decent enough on their own. I also like Thomas’ characterisation here, as he displays the message that it’s fine to have an adventure, but your home is where you truly belong, which is a nice character change from spending most of the international episodes as dumb as a brick.
So to conclude, Thomas and the Forest Engines leaves a lot to be desired. It’s not a horrible episode, it does have a few fun moments, but overall, it’s just a bland episode that could’ve been so much more. As for my recommendation, I’d say check it out if you’re curious, but set your expectations real low. And for my rating, it earns a 1.5/5.
Final Score: 1.5/5
About the Author: JF the LOLZOR
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