Up, Up and Away! (Thomas & Friends)
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 Balloons on flatbeds? Really?
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"Up, Up and Away!" is the 8th episode of the 15th season of Thomas & Friends. It aired on March 10th, 2011, in the UK and May 22, 2011, in the US.
Plot
Thomas and Percy are charged with the task of transporting Mr. Bubbles' giant balloon to the showground. Thomas decides that they should puff along the woodland track, but Percy thinks the balloon might rub up against a branch and pop. So he suggests that they take their special along the coastal line. Thomas worries that the balloon might blow away along the windy coast, but does not want to upset his best friend. Along the coast track, Thomas' worries become true and the balloon is blown high into the sky. Thomas thinks they should race after it, but Percy suggests that they wait for the balloon to return to them. Thomas does not want to upset his friend, so he agrees. Then Gordon arrives on his way to pick up the Fat Controller, Lady and Dowager Hatt. Gordon tells the two engines that the balloon will not return to them and that the wind will blow it away for good - and that is exactly what happens.
Why It Should Go Up, Up and Away
- First off, the concept and plot of this episode is ridiculous. Thomas and Percy both transport a single conflat carrying a large, fully inflated balloon in an illogical and nonsensical manner.
- If that were the case, then this episode could have been avoided entirely.
- Thomas or Percy could have taken Mr. Bubbles to the showground where he could inflate the balloons.
- It can basically be considered the standard gauge version of "Duncan and the Hot Air Balloon" from Series 12, except even more nonsensical and just as bad as the former.
- Like usual in seasons 15 and 16, Percy is dumbed down considerably here, not to mention that Thomas is also flanderized as well because he does not use his common sense, though it can be considered understandable because he did not want to upset Percy
- It didn't help that Thomas and Percy were taking ridiculous routes, and because of this, it could be considered a 3-strikes episode too.
- When Thomas suggests that they should take the woodland track, Percy thinks that the balloon might pop, but Thomas didn't want to upset Percy, so he went along with it anyways, but what Thomas was worried about became true, and yet Percy thinks that they should wait for it to return.
- They also went into a small tunnel with a giant balloon as well, where Gordon was pulling his coaches.
- It is questionable how Mr. Bubbles was supposed to blow balloons that big, because if he was blowing so many of that size being so big they couldn't fit the tunnel, then he would probably be screwed.
- The smoke and steam from Thomas and Percy should have popped the balloons. They also should have popped when they entered the tunnel.
Redeeming Qualities
- There was one funny line from the narrator, "All the Hatts were hatless".
- Gordon did at least tell Thomas and Percy that the balloon wasn't coming back to them.
- While Thomas didn't speak up and or use his common sense, it was understandable why he didn't say anything is because he didn't want to upset Percy.
Videos