Toby Feels Left Out (Thomas & Friends)

"Toby Feels Left Out"
This heinous catastrophe ruined Toby as a character for a while.
Series: Thomas & Friends Part of Season: 9 Episode Number: 12 Air Date: 6 September 2005 (CAN) 7 October 2005 (UK/IRL, Nick Jr.) 9 October 2005 (US) Writer: Simon A. Brown Director: Stephen Asquith Previous episode: "Thomas and the New Engine" Next episode: "Thomas Tries His Best"

"Toby Feels Left Out" is the twelfth episode of the 9th season of Thomas & Friends. It aired on October 7th, 2005 in the UK, while in the US it aired on October 9th 2005 two days later.

Why It Should Be Put in a Museum

1. Some argue that Toby's flanderization started with "You Can Do It, Toby" or even as far back as "Toby's Discovery," but it is this specific episode that notably signified the onset of his flanderization. Throughout this episode, Toby is portrayed as overly concerned that the Fat Controller/Sir Topham Hatt does not value him, despite evidence to the contrary.
   • Toby ought to be aware that Sir Topham Hatt would never confine him to a museum; hence, it is perplexing why he would act so irrationally as to take on not only his own tasks but also those of the other engines. Moreover, it is puzzling why he fails to recognize that James was merely teasing him when he mentioned being "left out" in an attempt to garner attention. Speaking of which, Toby should also be wise enough to ignore James' claims about Toby being put in a museum, given James' character, as demonstrated in an earlier episode "Dirty Objects," where Toby pays no heed to James calling him and Henrietta "dirty objects."
2. Aside from flanderizing Toby or sending a negative message to children through the story, this episode omits the events of "Toby and the Stout Gentleman". The Fat Controller/Sir Topham Hatt, during a family holiday in 1951, encountered Toby and Henrietta on Toby's old railway. He later rescued Toby after his line was shut down and when Thomas faced trouble with a police constable for running on a line that required engines with cowcatchers, which not all engines have. Thus, it's unsurprising that the Fat Controller omitted these events when reassuring Toby that he would not be relegated to a museum.
3. Like with most episodes in the HIT era, this episode uses the three strikes formula, but not in a good way.
4. There are many errors in the episode such as Henry having Gordon's whistle at the beginning of the episode and Toby taking Annie and Clarabel past Bluff's Cove which is on Duck's Branch Line.
5. This episode comes off as disrespectful to the original source material given by the fact that HiT made the decision to rewrite Toby from his normal personality as a wise engine to a cowardly, incompetent wimp who is too scared to do anything right.
6. Misleading title: Toby isn't the one left feeling excluded in this episode; he might think he's been overlooked, but by the end, it's revealed that he wasn't actually left out at all.
7. Like the crash in "Edward and the Mail", the crash in this episode feels forced and unneeded because the rock Toby hit was used as a plot device so the Fat Controller/Sir Topham Hatt would have a talk with him.
8. How did the boulder Toby hit get on the tracks?
9. If Toby could pull the museum carriage, then why doesn't he take Henrietta, too?
10. It shows a terrible moral to its audience that old people are no help at all, which is not true.

Redeeming Qualities

1. Thomas, Emily, Edward, Henry, Percy, and Sir Topham Hatt are still likable characters.
   • The surprising part about Emily was that she got flanderized during this season, the previous and next but it isn't present here.
2. Toby does get to take the passengers to the Sodor Museum at the end.
3. The museum carriage that Toby was pulling is amazingly modeled and structured.
4. The Fat Controller/Sir Topham Hatt acknowledged that Toby is old, and that makes sense since tram engines were a thing back in the 1900s-1960s.
5. It is great to see Toby not giving up when he thinks that Sir Topham Hatt is planning to put him in a museum and actually determined to try proving to Sir Topham Hatt that he shouldn't be, unlike his other spotlight episodes from seasons 9-16.

Reception

"Toby Feels Left Out" received negative reviews from fans and critics alike. But surprisingly, The Unlucky Tug found this episode enjoyable due to Toby actually being determined to prove to The Fat Controller that he shouldn't be put in a museum, instead of having his run of the mill scared and worrysome personality where he just gives up, like in seasons 9-16.

Trivia

• This is the first episode since Series 2 where Toby is seen pulling a different coach rather than pulling Henrietta.
• This episode marks the only time of a few things:
• The only episode written by Simon A. Brown.
• The only episode to feature Toby's Museum Coach, although it appears in the Learning Segment, "What Goes Where?"

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