Forever And Ever (Thomas & Friends)
"Forever And Ever" is the second episode of the 22nd season of Thomas and Friends. It aired around September 2nd 2018 in the UK.
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 Not a good way to make a sequel episode for the series.
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Plot
Gordon throws a tantrum after hearing the fact that Henry leaves Tidmouth Sheds and complains about all the changes Sir Topham Hatt/the Fat Controller made to the railway.
Why It's Gonna Suck Forever and Ever
- It's a rather poor follow-up to "A Shed For Edward," an episode that already divides opinion among fans.
- Nia appears at Tidmouth Sheds without prior explanation, which realistically would have required time for Sir Topham Hatt to arrange. However, considering that Thomas traveled the world with Nia before returning to Sodor at the conclusion of "Big World! Big Adventures!", this may justify her presence at Tidmouth Sheds. Additionally, the reason for Rebecca joining the Steam Team is not clarified.
- The decision to remove Edward from the main cast simply because he moved to Wellsworth to concentrate on his branch line was questionable enough, but Henry's departure from Tidmouth Sheds was also handled poorly. He leaves with a brief line about Sir Topham Hatt allowing him to stay at the Vicarstown sheds, without any prior explanation or context. This renders Henry's move nearly meaningless. Furthermore, his minimal dialogue in the entire episode reduces his presence to what feels like a mere cameo in what should have been a significant moment.
- Similar to many of the dream sequences during this era, the dream sequence in this episode is peculiar, illogical, and simply foolish.
- The episode attempts to empathize with those resistant to change, yet it falls short. It's not that it seeks a cheap laugh, but rather, the issue lies in Gordon's exaggerated reaction to two new engines arriving in Sodor, which dampens the spirit of the show.
- The episode progresses at a slow pace, which makes it somewhat dull.
- Although unintentionally, the episode's moral segment makes a mistake with its moral by saying that change is always good, which isn't true because in real life, a lot of bad things have happened due to change, like the privatization of British Rail in 1997 for example. In fact, change is a rather neutral thing in real life.
- Gordon is extremely out of character and unlikable. When he heard that Henry was leaving Tidmouth Sheds, he throws a huge temper tantrum about it, and is a complete ingrate that Nia is at Tidmouth instead of Edward. Granted, it's understandable for Gordon to feel upset Edward isn't at Tidmouth for his own reasons, and that this episode was meant to make him accept change, but it's not executed well.
- The episode shows that Mattel doesn’t care about the Thomas brand or Awdry’s legacy, and instead sees this beloved franchise as just a generic kids’ show. Pure disrespect at heart.
- This episode appears to serve solely as a response to the fans' negative feedback regarding Edward and Henry's departure from the main cast (Steam Team). Instead of properly addressing the concerns, the episode seems to mock the fans' disapproval, indicating Mattel's disregard for the Thomas fandom.
Qualities That Should Be Good Forever And Ever
- Gordon's meltdown is certainly comprehensible, given that Edward and Henry are his friends. They are also notable for being the first three railway engines introduced in the Railway Series, with Edward and Henry being among the earliest characters.
- Gordon's outbursts, which include him engaging in wild antics, are quite humorous and encapsulate the more toxic aspects of the Thomas fandom.
- Although the moral about accepting change may be portrayed in a negative light, this episode also conveys a positive message that old friends remain your friends.
- Gordon apologizing to Nia yesterday is heartwarming, and the same can go with Nia understanding Gordon's pain, a scene presented before Gordon apologizes.
- Thomas, Henry, Edward, Percy, James, Nia, Philip, Paxton, and Emily are still likable.
- The voice acting is still great as always. Although, Keith Wickham and Kerry Shale respectively give Gordon some of the funniest acting while recording the lines of the script we have gotten from them.
- The animation is okay despite its flaws.
Trivia
- Nia says that a new engine will be coming to Sodor, foreshadowing Rebecca's arrival in the next episode. The premise of this episode and Henry leaving Tidmouth Sheds was done in response to criticism of the show "not being diverse enough," in relation to there being only one female engine at Tidmouth Sheds.
- It is also similar to the criticism of the revamp from fans who were complaining about the changes made to the show.
- Apart from Thomas reading the title aloud, this episode does not include any narration.
- When first aired in the US, this episode was paired with "What Rebecca Does". All other airings afterward have this episode paired with "Number One Engine".
- Henry was originally going to stay at Tidmouth Sheds before the decision was made to have him move out. Henry is the only one to not have any major roles following his removal from the main cast. He is, however, the most recurring character compared to Edward and Toby.
Reception
"Forever And Ever" received largely negative reviews from fans and critics of Thomas and Friends with criticism going directly to Mattel for kicking out Henry from the main cast and calling his decision to leave Tidmouth "pointless".
In response, there was a video regarding the reason why Henry left. The reason why Henry left Tidmouth Sheds to move into Vicarstown was because he saw how happy Edward was when he wanted to focus more on his work on his branch line. Henry had the same feeling and reason, except he moved to Vicarstown Sheds with Rosie to work on his mainland good duties (albeit the latter wasn't mentioned, but was said through the Thomas and Friends wiki).