Edward and the Mail (Thomas & Friends)

"Edward and the Mail"
If you believe that "Edward Strikes Out" was the sole instance of Edward's personality taking a turn for the worse, think again. Contrary to his portrayal in that episode, this alteration in his character had a lasting impact for some time.
Series: Thomas & Friends Part of Season: 11 Episode Number: 14 Air Date: 9 September 2007 (UK) 21 October 2007 (US) Writer: Paul Larson Director: Steve Asquith Previous episode: "Don't Be Silly, Billy" Next episode: "Hide and Peep"

"Edward and the Mail" is the 14th episode of Season 11 of Thomas & Friends, it aired on September 9, 2007, in the UK and was written by Paul Larson.

Useless Qualities

1. Some believe that "Edward Strikes Out" initiated Edward's flanderization; however, it was in fact this particular episode that truly began the process, portraying him as a timid character too frightened to seek assistance with the mail train.
2. The episode attempts to portray Edward as relatable by having him take over the mail train for Percy, but it falls short due to his portrayal being out of character. A character like Molly would have been a more fitting choice for this storyline.
3. The narrator's description of Edward as "a very wise engine" seems contradictory, as he is depicted throughout most of the episode as a timid and hesitant character, too apprehensive to seek assistance, despite likely knowing how to do so. This introductory line renders the episode ironic, as it appears to overlook Edward's established character traits, casting him in an uncharacteristic light.
   • Edward ought to be proficient in mail delivery by this point. He evidently paid attention to Sir Topham Hatt's instructions, so it's puzzling why he struggles to recall all the stations where he needs to deliver the mail. Additionally, his crew could have helped with the deliveries if Sir Topham Hatt had provided them with instructions. However, typical for that era, the drivers' roles were confined to merely operating the engines.
   • In this era, HiT Entertainment's depiction of Edward in his standalone episodes was markedly inconsistent. "Edward Strikes Out" portrays him as judgmental, echoing Gordon's biased opinions of Rocky. In contrast, in this episode and many others from Seasons 11-16, he is depicted as timid and too apprehensive to seek assistance. Meanwhile, "Steady Eddie" in the subsequent season shows him as an imprudent show-off. Such portrayals do not match the established and cherished character of Edward.
4. Plot Holes:
   • Why and how did Percy break down in the first place?
   • The reasons for parcels being unloaded at incorrect stations remain unclear.
5. Like many episodes in the HiT live-action model era, aside from Season 8, this episode also adheres to the repetitive three-strikes formula.
   • By this time, it should have been apparent to the writing team—or HiT Entertainment at large—that fans and critics were growing weary of the repetitive formula. Yet, this approach persisted until Season 17, indicating that HiT's writers seemed unaware of or unresponsive to the criticism.
6. In contrast to most crashes in the series, the crash in this episode seems overtly contrived, superfluous, and appears to be included solely to facilitate the occurrence of the third strike.
7. This episode also comes off as disrespectful to the original source material given by the fact the decision to rewrite Edward from his normal personality as a wise engine to an incompetent wimp who can't do anything.
   • It failed last time in the infamous, "Edward Strikes Out" and look at how that worked.
8. Out of all the Edward focused episodes, this episode is definitely one of Edward's worst episodes of all-time, even worse than "Edward Strikes Out".
9. Henry's Western American accent for the US dub is excruciating and weird like usual. What's even more jarring and distracting is that this is consistently given to Henry for all of Season 11 in general.

Useful Qualities

1. Great narration from both US/UK dubs like always.
2. We do get to acknowledge that Edward has never taken the mail before, and the episode itself is proud to show this concept. Sadly, it was wasted to really bad execution.
3. The episode does have a good message about why you should always ask for help.
4. In this episode, Edward is thankfully not portrayed as the obnoxious fool he was in "Edward Strikes Out," nor as the reckless show-off depicted in "Steady Eddie."
5. Beautiful visuals like always in this season and in the model era, despite the yellow lighting not aging well.
6. The conclusion, albeit somewhat foreseeable, is satisfying. Edward seeks Percy's assistance, and Percy aids Edward with his mail issue, leading to Edward finally recalling the proper way to handle the train's deliveries.

Reception

"Edward and the Mail" received negative reviews from fans. It received a 3.7/10 on iMDB.com for Edward's flanderization.

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