ThomasNATION: Michael White

No, you did not read that "Written by" credit wrong. The same Michael White that brought us "Thomas and the Royal Engine", "Free the Roads" and "Hunt the Truck" is now bringing us an episode of All Engines Go!. It's no secret that Michael White made a huge impression with his BWBA episodes, since it's almost unanimously agreed that his episodes are among the era's best. However, the big question is will he be able to carry that magic over to All Engines Go? Let's begin.

It's the anniversary of when Nia first came to Sodor, and she wants to throw a big party to celebrate. The only issue is, none of her friends remembered the special day...or did they?

At first, Nia's Surprising Surprise's story doesn't offer a lot of...well, surprises. It's a typical "my friends don't remember the big day" plot we've seen time and time again. In fact, there's even a TN fanstory with that very plotline which I'll link below. As a result, the plot at times does get a little predictable. But there is two elements keeping it afloat. One is the heart. The ending of the episode is very wholesome, with a very catchy musical number to boot.

Another element is the humor. This ended up being a pretty funny episode with a lot of solid gags. Not only is there a few laughs to be had from the elaborate excuses the gang makes to hide their plans from Nia, but Cranky's rant on parties feels very in character and the jokes with Percy and the balloons are pretty inspired. It's also nice that the humor doesn't fully rely on references, since I understand that a problem people have with Michael White's writing is that he relies on references a lot, and I think this episode disproves that.

Overall, this was a pretty sweet episode. It's far from the most original episode out there with a fairly predictable story, but it makes up for it with some solid humor, a nice song and a very wholesome ending. If you're a fan of Nia or if you wanna see if Michael White's writing style translates well into All Engines Go!, then I recommend you check it out. Overall, I'd give this one a 4/5. Is it the best episode from this writer? No, but its heart is clearly in the right place.

Final Score: 4/5

About the Author: JF the LOLZOR

Follow Me on Twitter!

Check Out My YouTube!

Check out "Thomas' Grand Birthday Bash!"

Follow ThomasNATION on Twitter!

ThomasNATION is on YouTube!

Follow ThomasNATION on Bluesky!

Hey all, JF here, and boy howdy am I excited for this one. The Great Little Railway Show comes to us from Michael White, who has already made a great impression this season with Thomas and the Royal Engine, which remains the season’s best episode. But how does this episode go? Will it have us screaming #TGLRules (god, I am so sorry I had to bring that back) at the top of our lungs? Let’s begin.

Percy learns that a railway show is being presented at Ulfstead Castle, and immediately goes to tell everyone about it, such as the Narrow Gauge engines and the miniature engines. Unfortunately, this causes work on the railway to screech to a halt due to there being no engines there.

Like with most of Michael White’s episodes, this episode contains a few references to past episodes, especially from the Narrow Gauge engines. Just to name a few, we get a mention of Peter Sam’s special funnel, a direct shoutout to the episode Trusty Rusty, and even a scene in which Peter Sam claims that Sir Handel has “steamroller wheels”, which makes for both a nice callback and maybe an indirect mention of George? I don’t know, but it’s still a nice moment. Even the fantasy sequence is a direct reference to the Meet the Contenders videos from 2016. What I'll give Michael credit for is that the references aren't overbearing, to make way for the story.

The episode itself is also very tightly written, to the point where it almost feels like an episode from the Brenner era. The plot progresses in a very natural way in a brisk pace and it never really feels boring. I’ll also give props that the twist at the end, which I won’t give away for the sake of those who haven’t seen it, is really clever, and I will admit I didn’t see it coming. One last thing I will commend is the choices of characters they have here, especially with how it gives the lead role to Percy. I love how they utilise his naivety to progress the story, plus the added bonus that he is given the proper characterisation he deserves.

Actually, that point brings us to our one major criticism: the characters seem perfectly okay with abandoning their work load just for a railway show that hasn't been confirmed by their controller, so some could interpret them as out of character.

So to conclude, while not as great as Thomas and the Royal Engine, this is still a solid episode. I highly recommend you check it out, as this is high proof that Michael White is indeed the current best writer, and with that, it earns itself a 4.5/5.

Final Score: 4.5/5

About the Author: JF the LOLZOR

Follow Me on Twitter!

Check Out My YouTube!

Follow ThomasNATION on Twitter!

ThomasNATION is on YouTube!

Hey all, JF here, and now that we’ve discussed what is so far the worst episode of Season 24, let’s look on the brighter side.

The Royal Engine, or if we’re going by its full name, Thomas and the Royal Engine, is the other Thomas special released this year, following Marvellous Machinery. But you know how I feel towards Marvellous Machinery, it’s hands down the worst of the new specials. But after that mess, how does The Royal Engine hold up? Let’s begin.

The episode is about Sir Topham Hatt being invited to London to accept an award for his service to the railway, and per Prince Charles’ request, he has to be taken by Thomas. However, after a wrong turn, everything seems to be going awry for the pair en route to Buckingham Palace. That is, until, Thomas meets a mysterious engine named Duchess, who is more important than she may seem.

I’m gonna spare no time. I love this episode. One thing that I really have to admire is its use of references to past Thomas works. There’s a ton of references here that really solidifies its position as the 75^th anniversary special. There’s even some towards some really obscure Thomas works, such as a direct quote from Thomas and the Magic Railroad, there’s a shoutout to Gordon being built in Doncaster, and even a reference to the cancelled episode Gordon Goes Foreign! There’s a few callbacks as well, such as the mention of Henry’s rebuild in Crewe, that also work well in rewarding hardcore fans for sticking with them for so long.

I also really like the journey itself, since it really feels like a wild ride through England. In a way, the episode feels a lot like Lady Hatt’s Birthday Party from Season 5, right down to Sir Topham taking over as Thomas’ fireman. One of the episode’s funniest moments is the run-in with Beresford, which leads to a nice callback to Journey Beyond Sodor, and unlike that film, at least gives him a purpose to be in the story. There, he only really exists to pad out the running time, whereas here, he points Thomas in the right direction, and the mistake Thomas makes is crucial to the plot.

In fact, one of the most interesting characters to talk about here is Duchess of Loughborough. I absolutely love the way she’s meant to be introduced as a bit of a jerk towards Thomas which in itself is a nice reversal of the typical cliche, but all that was due to a misunderstanding, which is a nice subversion of the old trope of grand engines looking down upon little engines; not to mention how she delivers a great performance from Rosamund Pike. She’s a likable character and I hope to see more of her in the future. Even the appearance from the Queen makes for a satisfying conclusion, and a good voice cameo from (get this) Sharon Miller.

However, there is one spot of criticism I have with this episode, and this is more of a nitpick than anything, and that’s Prince Charles’ line at the end about Thomas going across the world and teaching others to care for the environment. It’s not a terrible line, but it’s pretty evident that it was thrown in by the executives at Mattel and not from Michael White. But again, this is just a small nitpick, and it doesn’t harm the episode in any way.

To conclude, Thomas and the Royal Engine feels like a true celebration of Thomas and Friends as a whole and possibly the best of the new specials. I highly recommend you watch this episode in any way you can. It’s a great anniversary special up there with The Adventure Begins, and that’s why I give it a 4.5/5.

Final Rating: 4.5/5

About the Author: JF the LOLZOR

Follow Me on Twitter!

Check Out My YouTube!

Follow ThomasNATION on Twitter!

ThomasNATION is on YouTube!

Specials