Middle Engine
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
| "Middle Engine" | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||||||||||||||
|
"Middle Engine" is the fourteenth episode of the sixth season of Thomas & Friends, and the one hundred forty-fourth episode of the series overall. It aired on October 3, 2002, in the UK, and February 25, 2003, in the US.
Why it is Stuck in the Middle
- The entire episode is literally four minutes of torture for both Percy and James, as both of them fall victim to 'Arry and Bert's antics.
- 'Arry and Bert are very unlikable, as they cause a lot of trouble for both Percy and James for no apparent reason other than to just be jerks and do not get punished.
- It should also be noted that this episode is only 'Arry and Bert's second appearance, with their first having been in the episode "Stepney Gets Lost" from the fifth season. However, in that episode, they were depicted as threatening diesels looking to scrap steam engines, but in this episode, and all of their appearances after this one, they are now just generic bullies, which is a very jarring character change.
- After Percy gets mistakenly pushed onto the coal tipper by Henry, the Fat Controller unfairly reprimands and punishes him for it, despite it having been entirely out of his control. If anything, he should have punished 'Arry and Bert, as they caused the whole incident in the first place by making Percy a "middle engine". To add insult to injury, he never apologizes for this.
- James' plot is no better than Percy's, as he goes through the exact same experience as the latter. Yes, he did tease Percy for being a "middle engine", and he was rather arrogant with how he thought that he could handle 'Arry and Bert, but that still does not justify the karma that he gets.
- The message that this episode gives is that it is okay for bullies to pick on innocent people, which is an awful and messed up message for children.
- Awful ending: After 'Arry and Bert play the same trick that they played on Percy on James, he refuses to move, so Percy is sent to bring him and the trucks to Brendam Docks. When the dock manager questions why James is in between the two trains, Percy jokes that it is because he is learning to be a "middle engine", infuriating and embarrassing James.
- The production is very poor and lazy in some areas.
- When viewed in widescreen, James can clearly be seen on the side in both the first close-up of 'Arry and the first close-up of Bert, as these two shots are footage from later in the episode.
- For any time Alec Baldwin says "coal cars" in the US dub, they just took a recording of him saying it and put it in where it was needed.
- Just like all of the other episodes from the sixth season, the visuals are ugly, as the lighting and colors are extremely dull and washed out, and the narration by Alec Baldwin in the US dub is awful, as he sounds so low on energy.
Redeeming Qualities
- Percy and James are the only likable characters in this episode.
- There are thankfully some episodes in later seasons where 'Arry and Bert end up paying for their nastiness, which is especially fitting due to that not being the case here.
- The narration by Michael Angelis in the UK is good, and Percy's line, "Help! I'm not a truck!", in said dub is halarious.
Videos
Reception
"Middle Engine" has been heavily panned by Thomas & Friends fans, with many deeming it the worst episode of both the sixth season and the entire classic series. It currently holds a rating of 5.6/10 on IMDb.
Comments
Loading comments...