Norman's Big Fossil Adventure (Fireman Sam)

"Norman's Big Fossil Adventure"
Just when you thought Elvis couldn't get any dumber than this...
Series: Fireman Sam Part of Season: 9 Episode Number: 16 Air Date: July 19, 2014 (UK) January 6, 2015 (US) Writer: Lee Pressman Previous episode: Pontypandy Heatwave Next episode: Turtle Hunt

Norman's Big Fossil Adventure is the sixteenth episode in the ninth season of Fireman Sam.

Plot

Norman, Mandy, Sarah and James go fossil-hunting in the mountains with Moose. Norman is determined to collect more fossils than the others. Meanwhile, due to a misunderstanding, Elvis thinks that he and Penny are in danger of losing their jobs. He decides to protect Penny by trying to get himself fired.

Why It's A Big Fossil Misadventure

1. Elvis is very unlikable and dumb in this episode, as he thinks that Station Officer Steele is either gonna cut him or Penny from the fire service, when he said that he is either gonna cut Elvis or Penny out of the photo.
   • He also does very stupid things in this episode to try and lose his job:
     • He intentionally puts salt in Station Officer Steele's tea instead of sugar.
     • Instead of washing Jupiter and Venus, he plays his guitar.
     • He hides Station Officer Steele's helmet.
2. Norman is also very unlikable in this episode as he causes yet another problem, he puts his fossils in Moose's backpack, thanks to him, Moose fell down a cliff.
3. The United Kingdom dub is very annoying as usual.
4. The laugh Elvis does in the United Kingdom dub is very annoying.
5. The animation is of course ugly, and there are a few animation errors:
   • In the photo Station Officer Steele showed to Sam, for some reason, Nipper is in the photo and not radar.
   • In the shot where Elvis gives Station Officer Steele his tea, Sam is seen wearing the uniform from Heroes of the Storm, even though said uniform was not yet introduced until that special.
   • In the scene where Sam and Penny go to rescue Moose, Station Officer Steele's helmet is seen with the other helmets even though he said Elvis had hidden it.
6. Of course, Norman doesn't get punished for his actions in this episode, making him a Karma Houdini.
7. Despite being about fossils, the episode teaches it's audience very little about their history and how they originated from the prehistoric era when Dinosaurs existed since Moose only takes the kids out for hunting the fossils rather than explaining what they are and the history they hold in Pontypandy, considering that fossil hunting is usually done so that they could be built into sculptures of Dinosaurs for museums and since the episode uses fossils as a random plot device, it makes the episode feel disrespectful to the history of Dinosaurs and a bit of missed potential since in Season 5, the Pontypandy Museum is mentioned and in the CGI series, it doesn't even get mentioned at all, which results in the fossil hunt being pointless in the end.

Redeeming Qualities

1. Everyone else (except Elvis and Norman) are likable in this episode.
2. The United States dub is decent as usual despite being pointless.
3. Good Ending: Elvis admits that he only did the things he did in this episode because he didn't want Penny to go, showing that he cares for others.

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