Christmas has fallen on the island and Sir Topham Hatt needs someone to pull the present train. James, being James, wants to take the train, being paired with Edward and getting into some hijinks on some icy rails.
At first, this seems like the typical three strikes formula, with James getting into three sets of mischief and getting called out on the third hit. And upon closer inspection...yeah. It follows that formula to a T with not much variation on it, so the episode does in turn become pretty predictable and tedious. However, it's not for the lack of trying. There is a good message about listening to your friends and taking advice when you need it, which does keep the episode afloat.
But what about the "Edward and James rivalry" aspect of the episode? How's that handled? Well, I like how it's not a full on repeat of what Old Iron before it set up with James directly insulting Edward only for him to save him in the end. Here, the conflict stems from James' own stubbornness and impatience, which is a little unique. Plus, it does retain the fun dynamic the two had in Old Iron, making for a pretty funny watch.
Overall, is Keeping Up with James a great episode? Definitely not. Is it a decent enough episode? Sure, why not? It may fall victim to the three strikes formula, but thanks to the solid moral and great wit, it makes for an episode that's...fine. This isn't a required watch, but if you do decide to give it the ol' college try, then I don't think you're gonna hate it. I mean, I didn't, though there are better Christmas episodes out there, but I'd say it's a solid 3/5 at best. It's not much to write home about, but it's at least something.
