ThomasNATION Classic Reviews - Twin Trouble
September 16, 2023
Anyone who has ever known Donald and Douglas knows that they are practical and peppery as well as being proud and level-minded. But despite their maturity, they enjoy playing practical jokes and have been known to impersonate one another in the past but they were fitted with nameplates to specifically end this element of their humor. Donald and Douglas are very able workers, strong performers and handle any task well. They are fully capable of being firm with the other big engines and even the Troublesome Trucks know better than to try their tricks on them. They are both used to harsh winter conditions too. Coupled back to back with a coach between their tenders, they are very capable of patrolling the lines and clearing them of the snow. The twins both pull their weight on the Main Line and both Duck and Edward's branch lines. They can enjoy a joke with any engine and they are happy to act as the brawn of The Fat Controller's steam-driven goods haulers. Both are smart yet between the two, Donald tends to be the charming and witty joker whereas Douglas is the quick-thinking and calmer-natured one of the pair. Both display a keen sense of wit and the pair usually get to have the last laugh, more often taking the moral high ground but that does not mean they will not be just a little bit smug about it when a deserving engine meets their comeuppance. But in today's review, it seems like these brothers have finally fallen out after getting into some serious "Twin Trouble"!
TWIN TROUBLE: Donald and Douglas crash into a broken hay cart and blame the other for the accident, they become so heated that they refuse to work together.
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"Don't argue about who's sorry, just be glad you're back together."
- Bravo, and I say that to the story of which it isn't even all that original. The structure of this narrative very clearly copies what happened in "One Good Turn" of Season 3: twin engines become annoyed with each other and refuse to work together until one makes a goof and then they end up putting aside their differences. It's okay at best, but nothing to be amazed over. What really makes this episode disappointing is just how lackluster Alec Baldwin sounds playing the twins in the U.S. dub since the fact that he didn't even attempt to make them talk like they were Scottish is a huge head scratcher. It just doesn't make any sense. Was Baldwin too lazy? Did he really not know how to play a Scottish accent, or did someone not tell him they were Scottish even after he read the first line of the narration? On the other hand, it was nice to see Trevor again even though he was in it for all of half a minute.
Music-wise, this entry dealt quite a bit into the twins' theme song and that's a plus. It's a smidge different from that of the original cue from Season 2, but it still sounds good. I especially enjoyed all the bagpipes winding down after Donald's reverse derailment. The visuals however were very much a plus because it featured places that haven't been shown for a good while. Gordon's Hill is always a nice view although it has been around for every season thus far. There was also Knapford this time at night and from a backed-up perspective. More importantly though, fans revisit the classic watermill and gorgeous viaduct which I have no clue why Sir Topham Hatt is there. Shouldn't he be like doing his job? Anyway, both have not been depicted since Season 3 which is long enough.
So while "Twin Trouble" does end up causing quite a bit of trouble overall from story similarities to a lackluster performance by the narrator, I'm just glad that Donald and Douglas are back together again. At least until they part ways again years later, but that's a story for another day as I give "Twin Trouble" a 3/5.
Final Rating: 3/5
About the Author: True Blue
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