ThomasNATION Classic Reviews - Surprise, Surprise
December 11, 2021
Hey all, JF here, and happy holidays!
While we've already gone over a lot of the newer Christmas episodes, what about the ones at the start of the CGI era? For this review, I'm gonna be doing something a little interesting - looking at one of the Christmas episodes from the most infamous season of Thomas, even more so than All Engines Go or Big World! Big Adventures!: Season 15. But will this be an actual good addition to the terrible season, or is this another one of the season's blunders? Let's begin.
The story focuses on Edward, Percy and Stanley breaking down and not being able to attend a holiday party, so Thomas has an idea: to throw a secret holiday party at the Steamworks. Only catch is, he can't tell Victor.
This episode's a weird case, since this is one of the rare Miller-era episodes that doesn't use the three-strike formula. Instead, the direction it goes is a more straight-forward one. And while I do tip my hat to Miller for not reusing a tired old formula, that doesn't necessarily make it all that good. In fact, the episode falls victim to the biggest problem with the Miller era, especially in Seasons 14 and 15: the dialogue. The sentences the characters spout consist of them either saying the obvious or repeating the same obnoxious rhyme.
Aside from that, there aren't a whole lot of problems. Of course, the lack of the three-strike formula is a breath of fresh air, but this also leads to a more coherent plotline, and Thomas' plight to assemble the holiday party can get a bit engaging. What's also cool is that this is the first time in the CGI series (not counting Day of the Diesels) to have Stanley speaking, which was pretty cool, even if I feel like he didn't have enough to say. Seriously, with him being one of the lead engines of the episode, it feels kinda wrong that he only gets two lines.
Overall, I'd safely say I had an okay time with Surprise, Surprise. It's not the best episode to come from the series or even the era, but it's still decent enough with a nice story, making it the season's...uh, least bad. If you didn't like Season 15, this may not change your mind, but if you're willing to give the season a chance, be my guest. And with that, it earns a 3/5. And to think, this is the best episode of the season and it's still only a 3/5. Yeesh.
Final Score: 3/5
About the Author: JF the LOLZOR
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