ThomasNATION Classic Reviews - The Case of the Puzzling Parts
March 04, 2023
When Percy first discovered the Vicarstown Dieselworks, he met so many new diesels there including the forgetful Sidney who had been hanging around waiting for his new wheels to be delivered for a very long time and his wish to be Really Useful again finally came true when Percy gave him his long-awaited wheels as a Christmas present a few years ago - but that hasn't stopped Sidney from being the most forgetful engine on the whole of the North Western Railway. Wonder what predicament he has gotten himself into this time. Let's go go go on a big adventure with Sidney as he solves 'The Case of the Puzzling Parts'!
Sidney is shunting a flatbed of engine parts, but he can't remember what he's supposed to be doing with them. Paxton thinks this sounds like a mystery-the kind that can only be solved by a Special Agent!
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When the initial announcement of this episode was made long before Season 22 premiered via fans pestering writer Davey Moore about the episodes that he had written as they so often tend to do, they were going nuts with excitement while I saw a really great episode with plenty of potential to poke fun at the theme of detectives especially when you have a comedic duo like Paxton and Sidney as the stars to drive the conflict on the right track. Who knows? This could have the potential to be right up there with some of my personal favorite detective/mystery themed episodes and television shows in media like 'MMMystery on the Friendship Express' from My Little Pony as well as the legendary Great Dane himself Scooby-Doo! But could we crack the case before Paxton and Sidney figure it out or would this mystery remain unsolved?
PROS:
*The detective/mystery theme - as you can tell, this episode was a loving tribute to all of the famous mystery themed books and television shows and movies complete with all of the typical mystery tropes that you can think of while giving the characters plenty of time to ham out their characters and giving the audience plenty of time to solve the mystery on their own while not being too obvious with the reveal...kids' show after all. Plus, this episode was more focused on making a humorous mystery rather than giving us a moral and it definitely succeeded in doing so while not sacrificing plot coherence for the sake of making a funny reference!
*Paxton and Sidney - ever since they made their initial debut back in the special 'Day of the Diesels' (albeit never saying a word) and as they have gotten more and more appearances throughout the series, Paxton and Sidney have really grown on me as some of my favorite characters in the CGI era of the franchise with Paxton having the conscience and self-assertion to do what's right for everyone while Sidney is the helpful but forgetful soul who wants more than anything to be Really Useful...really hoping that we get more comedic episodes with these two in the future, they're such a great combination of characters with plenty of potential!
*The fantasy sequences - with this now being one of the major selling points for the series, this sequence of Paxton and Sidney as special agents solving a mystery by following a colorful trail to their culprit Diesel was so great to see with how it pokes fun at the old film noir mysteries with a black and white backdrop while our heroes and the clues remain colorful to attract the eyes of the kids watching...not to mention that it was introduced quite humorously with Paxton trying to figure out how to start it up by first trying his lamp before revving his engine and spluttering exhaust from his vents!
CONS:
N/A
Overall, by following the clues as well as the wacky antics of some silly diesels, 'The Case of the Puzzling Parts' has been solved and it resulted in a very fun and creative adventure. For all these reasons and more, I'm proud to give it a rating of a 4 out of 5.
Final Rating: 4/5
About the Author: True Blue
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