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ThomasNATION Reviews - The Can-Do Submarine Crew!

July 08, 2023

 

One thing that I'd say Thomas is known for is what I like to call "commercial episodes". Episodes that make very little sense and are only episodes so they can make toys out of it. Every era of Thomas has had these episodes. The classic era had Percy's Chocolate Crunch, the HiT era had those episodes that introduce one-off engines, the BWBA era had Thomas' Animal Friends, the list goes on and on. All Engines Go! is no stranger to these episodes either, but one thing that separates this one from the others is the fact that there's a whole ride at Drayton Manor based on the episode. As of the time I'm writing this episode, I haven't actually taken a ride on it, only seeing a POV of the ride. It's a pretty standard log-flume ride that often plays songs like "Look, It's Us!" and "Together We Can" on a loop. But this review isn't about the ride, but rather what inspired it. Is this episode worthy of having said ride? Let's begin.
The plot is actually fairly simple: Gordon breaks down, so Thomas and Percy have to take his load to Vicarstown: a giant submarine. However, that proves easier said than done, especially when it puts a damper on their communication skills.
One thing thatā€™s a little interesting is that it surprisingly uses the weight of the submarine to the storyā€™s advantage. Knowing the cartoonier logic of All Engines Go!, it wouldā€™ve been easy to have the submarine bend and twist with the engines, but they play it straightforward here, especially with how it ties into the message of communication - which does remind me, the ways Thomas and Percy communicate with each other is very creative, especially when they have to create signals with their whistles. While I do wish they couldā€™ve expanded on this theme more, it does work well.
Another element handled well is actually Harold. His sudden grey face does still look jarring and will take tons of time getting used to, but I like what they do with his scenes and how he talks to Thomas and Percy like a pilot communicating through a radio. Iā€™ll even say, his utilisation in the climax is pretty clever, and I like how he doesnā€™t feel like a throwaway cameo like Bulstrode.
But one big problem with the episode is that as entertaining as it is, itā€™s also pretty forgettable. Granted, with a season with 52 episodes, a lot of them do start to blend into each other into a tepid pulp, but either way, it doesnā€™t have too much to stand out from the dozens of episodes before it, to the point where this being the episode to get its own ride becomes a little weird. 
Overall, The Can-Do Submarine Crew is a fairly decent episode. Itā€™s not entirely memorable and it doesnā€™t go all the way with its message, but the creativity does carry it so it becomes watchable enough. Do I recommend it? Sure, but donā€™t expect anything top-quality. Itā€™s more so an excuse to sell merchandise, but then again, it isnā€™t the worst excuse to sell merchandise, so it gets a 3.5/5.

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