Top Ten Best Big World! Big Adventures! Episodes

Today we’re going to do something a little different by taking a look at what I believe to be the ten best episodes in the Big World! Big Adventures! portion of the series. Of course, we all know that this remodelling of the series is a bit controversial, and we’ll definitely acknowledge that when these seasons get bad, they get almost insufferable, but why don’t we take a look on the positive side and see the good episodes these seasons have to offer? Before we begin, I have to clarify that as of September 2020, Season 24 is the latest season of the show, so should Season 25-onward roll up with newer, better episodes, this list will inevitably become dated. Also, if there’s an episode that you don’t like on this list, that’s perfectly okay and I recommend taking the list with a slight pinch of salt. One last thing to note is that this is purely based on my opinion alone, hell, both True Blue and Oliver will likely have different choices than mine. In fact, True Blue himself said that he would place two of these choices among the worst. Anyway, let’s get into this.

NUMBER 10: Lorenzo’s Solo

What I have to appreciate about this episode is that this is an international episode that doesn’t focus on Thomas. In fact, Thomas is barely in the story, and the episode works wonders without him. Not to say he’s a bad character, but in the international episodes, he seems to be diluted to a bit of a moron. Another aspect of the episode that works is that Lorenzo and Beppe’s relationship is really endearing, as the episode goes into detail how one can’t properly function without the other. This episode’s at the start of the list because in the beginning, Lorenzo starts off as kind of unlikable. His motivation for taking Dame Bella to the Colosseum seems to be purely for notoriety and popularity, even going as far to abandon Beppe. He grows more likable as the episode goes on, but Lorenzo’s personality did kind of take me out of the episode. But overall, the episode still makes up for the weak opening with an entertaining story and great heart.

NUMBER 9: Thomas Goes to Bollywood

As a sucker for any sorts of media about making movies, this episode seemed right up my alley, and I was pretty satisfied with the end result. The episode shows a fun look at the makings of a Bollywood movie, and the way the set blends with the railway is pretty clever. Rajiv is also pretty funny in this too, I like the interactions he has with Thomas and I like how he’s set up to have a major role in the movie but is rather just helping out around the set. If there is one thing to criticize here, and this is more of a personal issue, it would be that we don’t see much film-making present. The episode mostly shows Thomas hauling goods around the set and the lead actor being an egotist. The only time we see any filming is right at the end where Thomas saves the lead actor, and that only lasts half a minute. But despite all that, it’s still a fun episode from beginning to end. I guess that’s the magic of the movies.

NUMBER 8: Thomas’ Fuzzy Friend

I’ve already went on about this episode in my own review, so I’ll keep this one brief. To summarize, this episode is wickedly adorable, from the antics of Fuzzy, to the return of Little Thomas, to even the design of the dog itself. If there is one speck of criticism that I failed to bring up in the review, it would be that the story can be a little predictable. Once Little Thomas and Albert show up, you can pretty much tell how the episode ends. Overall, it all makes for a lovable episode. If you want my full thoughts, feel free to read my review.

NUMBER 7: Gordon Gets the Giggles

Out of all the Big World! Big Adventures! episodes, this is possibly one of the most clever. Not because the writing is top notch, which I can’t say it is since the story’s a smidgen weak, but because the jokes are all brilliantly told, mainly from the excuses Gordon makes to hide his laughter. But what really sells this episode is the deliveries from Gordon’s voice actors, especially Kerry Shale. His delivery here is absolutely hysterical and you can tell he was having a ton of fun with the script. To conclude, this is a really fun episode that offers a terrific vocal performance from Gordon. Pretty hard not to get a laugh from this one.

NUMBER 6: Apology Impossible

I’m aware that Philip is generally considered a weak character, but I personally like the little bugger, and I have to say, this is a good episode for his development. I like how Philip is portrayed as the mature one in his petty arguments with James in this case, and the episode does offer a decent moral on apologizing. It was also nice to see the usually energetic and timid Philip stand up for himself for once and call James out for his actions. If there is one thing to criticize here, it’s that the conclusion of the episode is entirely rushed. James just gives a half-baked apology and Philip just willingly accepts, leaving James with no repercussions for what he did. But for the remainder of the episode, this could perhaps be Philip’s best episode to date, and I hope to see him in this light soon enough.

NUMBER 5: Yong Bao and the Tiger

I’ve decided to give my personal two cents on the episode since True Blue already voiced his opinion on the episode. This episode gives a deeper look into Yong Bao’s backstory as we see how he earned his tiger emblem. Yes, we already covered this backstory in a short on YouTube by the same name, but this episode not only goes into deeper detail, but arguably tells the backstory better. If there is one minor nitpick I have, it’s that while Chris Lew Kum Hoi does a good job as Yong Bao, it’s a little jarring to hear his voice as opposed to Dan Li’s, especially when Li is still part of the voice cast since he voices a railway inspector. But no matter, the episode is still a good insight to Yong Bao’s history.

NUMBER 4: The Great Little Railway Show

Again, I already covered this episode, so I’ll keep it brief. Bottom line, the episode is tightly written and uses Percy to his full advantage, the references are all well implemented and never overbearing, the plot twist they come to is really clever and the one criticism is that the characters can seem out of character. Check it out if you can.

NUMBER 3: School of Duck

What I like about this episode is that it has a nice enough moral on recycling, which is definitely a great lesson to teach to kids. I also really like Dexter, he’s a fun character and I love the symbolism of him being voiced by Mark Moraghan. Now, I know what you’re thinking, “what do you mean symbolism? It’s just a dude voicing a character.” Well, hear me out. The episode is about taking something old, Dexter (and subsequently Moraghan), and putting it to good use, which in Moraghan’s case is taking him from being a narrator to a voice actor on the show. That, I’ll admit, is pretty clever. To conclude, this is a good episode that offers a great moral, especially for kids.

NUMBER 2: Thomas and the Royal Engine

Yeah, reviewed this one as well. I don’t have anything to add, really, it’s still a damn good episode and the best of the new specials. I left my full review at the bottom, so go ahead and read that. I’d go into more detail, but I don’t wanna repeat myself.

Before going onto our Number 1, we have to go over our

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Free the Roads: A nice reintroduction to Bulgy after his return, as well as being decently funny.

Banjo and the Bushfire: A surprisingly decent episode introducing new, entertaining characters.

Forever and Ever: The execution’s a little clunky, but at least it has a fine message about missing your friends, though it doesn't utilise this moral the best..

Emily’s Best Friend: Not Emily’s best moment in the spotlight, but at least makes up for it with a fun execution.

First Day on Sodor: A fun introductory episode to Darcy, but I had to deduct points for that terrible Terminator joke.

Heart of Gold: The story’s a bit mixed, but it’s overall a nice episode that I can say Toby definitely deserved.

Rosie is Red: This is pretty much a hot take, but I actually did enjoy this episode.

Diesel Do Right: A fun little revenge story from Diesel, and I like how they turn the revenge on the other diesels than the steamies.

NUMBER 1: Wish You Were Here

This is not just a phenomenal episode, but also an episode I can see a lot of people relating to. Here’s the deal: Thomas spends most of the episode missing Percy and lamenting that he could be in China with him. The episode itself is sublimely written, but it’s the message about missing your friends that really sticks with me. Let’s be real, we’ve all had a close friend that really resonated with us that either left us, or we left them, and for a while, we would think about how much we miss them. This episode captures that perfectly, especially with its fantasy sequence with Thomas and Percy exploring China. This encapsulates perfectly the kind of feeling one gets when they really miss someone, and it all leads to a phenomenal closer where we see Percy receiving a postcard from Thomas and saying that he misses him too. And so, with its tremendous writing and message, I wholeheartedly consider this the best episode of the Big World! Big Adventures! lot.

And that concludes this list! If you wish, feel free to suggest any episodes we may have missed, or even any bad episodes for our Worst Episodes list. Toodles!