MSB S1E01: Gets Lost in Space

Thought I'd try doing something I doubt anyone else has tried reviewing before. Something none of you expected me to ever do. Something I've been thinking about doing ever since I started looking back on it. This time, I'm going to start reviewing every single episode of a North American educational children's series made by Scholastic, co-produced by Nelvana and presented by South Carolina Education TV, The Magic School Bus.

"Please, let these be normal reviews!"

"With ArthurEngine?"

"No way!"

"Aw!"

Sorry Arnold. These reviews can't be normal, and you have to deal with it. Hmm.... maybe you should've stayed home today.

For anyone who's curious, The Magic School Bus is a series about an enthusiastic eccentric teacher named Ms. Frizzle who, whenever school isn't exciting enough or whenever there's a problem that needs to be solved, takes her class, or at least most of her class, on The Magic School Bus, an anthropomorphic bus that can shapeshift, and takes them on surreal excursions. The aim of the series is to teach children about science, very much like Bill Nye the Science Guy. 

The TV series is based on a series of children's science books of the same name written by Joanna Cole and illustrated by Bruce Degen. (Something Channel Federator failed to comprehend when making that video discussing the Captain Planet Magic School Bus conspiracy, (what with Tim, Arnold, Dorothy Ann, Wanda and Carlos resembling Kwame, Wheeler, Linka, Gi and Ma-Ti respectively) especially when she said Captain Planet came first. As a show? Yes. As a franchise? No.)

The Magic School Bus ran in the USA on PBS from September 1994-December 1997, repeated on Fox Kids from October 1998-January 2002, repeated in syndication on The Learning Channel and Discovery Kids from October 2003-October 2009, repeated on Qubo on NBC from September 2010-June 2012, every single episode was released on a complete series DVD box set in July 2012, and started streaming on Netflix in August 2013 and has been doing so ever since, prompting them to bring it back for a new series titled The Magic School Bus Rides Again, which didn't come to be until last year.

I've talked about my personal life with The Magic School Bus when I stated my thoughts on the new series. But I'll go into a little more detail later in this review.

Now that I'm done talking about what the series is about, it's time for me to take chances, make mistakes, get messy! Step inside it's a wilder ride! Seatbelts everyone! I'm ready to blast off into reviewing the first episode of The Magic School Bus. Blog, do your stuff!

1. Gets Lost in Space.
Topic: Solar System.
Loosely based on "Lost in the Solar System"
Written by: Brian Meehl and Jocelyn Stevenson.
Aired: FOX Kids: 10 September 1994. PBS: 11 September 1994. 

Arnold's cousin Janet visits Ms. Frizzle's class to go on a field trip to the planetarium to watch a show about the solar system. When the planetarium is closed, Arnold suggests they go into outer space. The class explores Mercury, Venus, and Mars, while Janet collects proof of their voyage. In the asteroid belt, while Janet is trying to collect an asteroid as further proof, they lose Ms. Frizzle and find themselves lost in space.

If you look at the skeleton covering his ears here, it's a metaphor of the most common opinion about Janet. Many people who've seen this series loathe her for reasons like this.

Remember, folks. The Frizz always changes her wardrobe, but the only change she makes depends on what the episode is meant to teach kids. This one about all the planets of our Solar System.

"See, Cuz. Uranus doesn't do a thing for me. So you can get off me, OK?"

"Sorry, Janet. I have to stay on top of the situation!"

As Nostalgia Critic would say, especially when it comes to accidental innuendo unintended for kids on a show that is intended for kids, You know, for kids! 

This is one traumatising scene, especially considering, if this were real life, Arnold would not only be frozen to a block of ice, but also because there's no air on Pluto or in outer space, he'd be dead. However, considering the target audience is school age kids, they made the final result Arnold catching a cold. But earlier when they went to Venus, Ms. Frizzle mentioned the rain on Venus is a deadly poison.

Oh, Ralphie! You and your unlimited imagination! Rewatching this series reminds me of how much like Ralphie I was when I was a kid, especially with his unlimited imagination.

That's right. This series has Producer Segments at the end of every episode. Whenever it would air on channels with commercial breaks, they'd cut these segments out. But whenever this series would air on channels without commercial breaks, or whenever it would have VHS or DVD releases, and even when it's streaming on Netflix, they keep these segments. Funny that an alien called the Producer.

First of all, I would like to say that it was this episode me and my 1st grade class watched when we had to do science one day, the very same episode that showed me there was a TV show about The Magic School Bus. Upon watching the intro, I was all "I know there are books and CD-ROM games about The Magic School Bus, but I didn't know there was a TV show about it." considering I was first exposed to this franchise through the CD-ROM games and the books.


While this episode was an edutaining way to start the series, some things still puzzle me about it. First of all, Arnold wondering where they were going on this field trip. He mentioned the bottom of the ocean and a rotting log, both of which they don't visit until later, meaning this may not have been the first episode in chronological order.

Plus, maybe Arnold wouldn't have removed his helmet if Janet only took only one of each piece of "Proof" to put on The Magic School Bus.

Also, this is one episode with moments where, as Nostalgia Critic would say, "You know, for kids!", such as......

* When Arnold was marching up to Ms. Frizzle after ordering her to "STOP THE BUS!!!" due to Janet insulting her, the camera was fixated on his.....never mind. Although I will address that the girls were looking at him in this shot. First proof that he's, as TVTropes depicts him as, the Chick Magnet of the series.

* When Arnold sits on top of Janet to restrain her, she was all "See, Cuz. Uranus doesn't do a thing for me, so you can get off me. OK?" to which he responds "Sorry, Janet. I have to sit on top of the situation." And speaking of Uranus, these characters pronounce it "You-ruh-nuss" considering this is an educational children's show.

* And the traumatising scene, if this were real life, Arnold would be dead.

The last one is the very reason the Producer Segments exist at the end of the episodes. They have to tweak the episodes to tell a story and to teach the target audience about the topic. Though in this one, there was a mention of The Twilight Zone. 

While Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006, this episode was produced in 1994, so it was still a planet at the time. But even so, it's still a planet to me.

So overall, even if Pluto would be an inaccuracy now, and even with Janet being so much of a showoff, this episode is fun and edutaining, especially with Carlos' "Meteor-wrong" joke, Ralphie's belief that aliens exist (though we're still not sure if they do), and Arnold's determination to prove Janet that the field trips are highly unusual, to which he succeeded.

My rating: 9/10.

Season 1 scorecard.

1. Gets Lost in Space: 9/10.

Season 1 so far: 9/10.

All 9 Magic School Bus kids ranked

Thought I'd try doing something rather unusual, something as unusual as a certain review I did last month. This time, I'm going to do another blog post related to The Magic School Bus. And yes, I'm counting The Magic School Bus Rides Again in this. As I said, in spite of the fact that The Magic School Bus Rides Again was made 20 years after the original show ended, and the fact that it's co-produced by 9 Story instead of Nelvana, it's meant to continue the original show.

You may remember in my first blog post I made about The Magic School Bus, I was giving away my thoughts on The Magic School Bus Rides Again, and I explained that the reason I got into The Magic School Bus as a kid was because it's an anthropomorphic bus. However, this time, I'm going to do something none of you expected me to do.

I know this has been done a few times before over the last half decade or so by other people who grew up with the series, but since I've looked back on the original series and checked out the sequel, I've decided to rank all 9 of the main kids from The Magic School Bus from my least favourite to favourite. Why 9? Because Janet is actually in Miss Frizzle's class! No, she's still in a different class. Jyoti's in Miss Frizzle's class now, and she replaced Phoebe, but even so, I'm still including Phoebe since she was in Miss Frizzle's class in the original show and in the books.

First of all, I want to lay down some rules for this countdown.

1. There are no rules!
2. Liz is the class' pet chameleon, so don't expect her on this list.

3. Janet is in a different class and she only makes recurring appearances in both the original and the sequel because she's Arnold's cousin. So don't expect her on this list.

"You won't include me in this ranking list? Prove it!"

I am ready to take another chance, make more mistakes and get messier! So, step inside for another wilder ride and get ready to be Frizzled....again! Here is my ranking from my least favourite to most favourite of all the main kids from The Magic School Bus. Blog, do your stuff!

9. Tim.

Okay, I don't dislike Tim, but he's my least favourite main kid. The reason he's last is mainly to do with the fact he barely contributes anything to the show apart from his artistic skills and his "We've been Frizzled" catchphrase.

8. Keesha Franklin.

Keesha does get on some people's nerves sometimes, like arguing with them, even when they're trying to have fun. Her arguments with Ralphie about his wild imagination can get frustrating sometimes, but I do find them funny. But there are a few times where she does contribute stuff to the series, like her film about ants, and the food chain project she did with Arnold. Although she can sometimes be annoying whenever she says "Oh bad! Oh bad! Oh bad bad bad!"

Let's get the fact, a fun fact: Erica Luttrell, who voiced Keesha in the original show, also played Kara in Shining Time Station, the children's show that brought Thomas the Tank Engine to America, and is now the voice for Sapphire in Steven Universe. 

7. Jyoti Kaur.

Okay, Jyoti wasn't in the original Magic School Bus TV show or any of the original books, but she's a main kid in The Magic School Bus Rides Again, which, as I said, is intended to continue the original show, so she counts. I'll admit, she might seem like a Mary Sue to some, basically because she's a tech-wiz and doesn't reminisce about her old school like some other girl, but she does have some cool karate moves that she showed in Frizzle of the Future. Even if I can't see anything wrong with her apart from the fact she replaced Phoebe (not that I dislike Jyoti, as a matter of fact, I like her), Jyoti still needs getting used to.

6. Phoebe Terese.

She can be annoying to many, all because she would keep saying "At my old school,", but on the bright side, she does care about animals. She is a good role model for kids who want to look after animals like working in a zoo or working in a pet shelter, as she's a nature lover. Let's hope she appears in the 2nd season of The Magic School Bus Rides Again as a minor character like how Janet still appears every now and then. Also, Phoebe does have a handicapped dad. In which case, her dad is blind.

5. Arnold Matthew Perlstein.

What may be the surprise of the year, Arnold is in the middle of the list. The negative thing about Arnold is that whenever field trips go horribly wrong for him, he keeps wishing he'd "Stayed home today!", though I sometimes act like that whenever I go to places and things go wrong. Hmm... Phoebe going back to her old school in The Magic School Bus Rides Again makes me wonder why Arnold didn't get home schooled. The positive things about Arnold are how he's always self aware, and in The Busasaurus, he's shown to be braver than he's usually made out to be when he threatened to attack a T-rex who was going to eat the class. And in Gets Lost in Space, he was even brave enough to stand up to his stuck up cousin Janet to prove to her that Miss Frizzle is better than any other teacher.

What also makes The Magic School Bus Rides Again feel like the 5th season to the original show is the fact that Arnold still says "I knew I should've stayed home today!", but now he only says it every once in a while.

4. Wanda Li.

This girl is the definition of a tomboyish, energetic animal lover, basically Phoebe done better. I say animal lover because of Meets the Rot Squad, and because that's her extended persona in The Magic School Bus Rides Again due to her going to the pet shelter. Wanda's always eager to get the class going with "You weaselly wimps!", though she can be annoying to some with "What are we gonna do? What are we gonna do? What are we gonna do?", but she does complain like that for the right reasons.

3. Ralphie Tennelli.

I was like Ralphie when I was a kid, always daydreaming and having a wild imagination, like how Ralphie has his superhero Weatherman and randomly believes in mythical creatures. And whenever I see something I don't think anyone else sees, I act like Ralphie with "Is it just me or...?" and I will admit, while his arguments with Keesha may be annoying to some, I do find them funny sometimes. I still relate to Ralphie in another way, I still have my head in the clouds.

2. Carlos Ramon.

He's so close to the top because he's so funny with his random lame puns. He seems to get it from his dad as shown in Going Batty. I especially liked his pun where he told Dorothy Ann "You were supposed to be Pluto! Arf, arf!" being a Disney reference, in Out of this World, and how everyone groans "Carlos!" every time he makes them. I can still relate to Carlos nowadays, making random puns when I try to be funny. And his arguments with Dorothy Ann and Keesha are funny too. Also, he has a handicapped brother named Mikey, in which case, Mikey is in a wheelchair.

It's very well done continuity that Carlos still makes puns every now and then, especially "Thanks for aspen!" in Pigs in the Wind and "Water we waiting for?" in 3-in-1.

However, the reason Carlos isn't number 1 is because no matter how funny his jokes and puns can be, some of them can be gross, like "It's a shortcut! Get it? Short cut?" in Inside Ralphie, and "It's snot!" "Not 'what', Arnold. 'Snot'!" in Makes a Stink. He's not as good as.....

1. Dorothy Ann.

What might shock some of you, Dorothy Ann is my favourite kid from The Magic School Bus. She's an inverted dumb blonde, in this case, she's a smart blonde. Even if she can annoy some with "According to my research," and her other book smarts, or nowadays, her computer smarts, you can get past that when you realise that almost everything she researches is also true in real life, after all, this is a series that's intended to teach kids about science. Why else is D.A. my favourite? She is cute in the following ways: Her designs and her voices. And yes, this applies to both her old design and her current design, and this applies to both the voice she had in the original show and the voice she has now. Her arguments with Carlos can be funny, like their argument about the colour made out of red and blue being violet or purple in Makes a Rainbow, and their argument when Carlos teased her with "According to my research Island" in Blows its Top. She was sweet on one occasion. In Cracks a Yolk, D.A., out of gratitude for hatching a new chick for Principal Rhule and for keeping her from getting into trouble with him, kissed Arnold, and how did Arnold react? He blushed. (and as I said in one of my countdown memes and in my controversy meme for this series, I ship the 2). D.A. is also an expert on stars.

It is also very good that Dorothy Ann still says "According to my research,", but now she pronounces it riːsərtʃ instead of rɪˈsərtʃ like she did originally.

So, Dorothy Ann is my favourite kid in The Magic School Bus. And this is a very reason I like her new design in the new series.

So there you go. That was my ranking of all the main kids from The Magic School Bus. Thought I'd join the bandwagon of ranking these kids from least favourite to most favourite, and good timing considering The Magic School Bus Rides Again's recent premiere.

Now I want to hear from you. Who's your favourite kid from The Magic School Bus? Feel free to tell me. 

The Magic School Bus Rides Again: Thoughts

Thought I'd have a go at reviewing something rather unusual. Something no one expected me to do. This time, I'm going to state my thoughts on The Magic School Bus Rides Again. For those of you who don't know what this is, The Magic School Bus Rides Again is a new children's series on Netflix that serves as a continuation to the 1994-1997 educational children's series, The Magic School Bus. 

Now before I review The Magic School Bus Rides Again, let me stop and talk about my personal life with The Magic School Bus. 

I was first exposed to The Magic School Bus when I was in Kindergarten, through one of those old CD Rom games that taught me various things about science. I was also exposed to some of the books that the franchise started out as, and they helped me with science. And when I was in 1st grade, when I had to do science one day, there was a TV brought out, and guess what we watched that day, much to my puzzlement and surprise! That's right! An episode of The Magic School Bus, and that's how I found out there was a TV show about it. I tell you, it was like going on a field trip without actually going anywhere. And all thanks to this franchise, I've learned all kinds of science, from the Solar System and the Human Body to Dinosaurs and Ocean Wildlife. The main reason I got into The Magic School Bus was not because of its interesting diverse cast, the purpose of the series being to teach kids about science or because of its charming sense of humour, but because it's an anthropomorphic bus, and as a kid, I was always fond of kids' shows about anthropomorphic vehicles.

One evening, I was researching The Magic School Bus, only to find out that Netflix would be bringing it back for a new series. I was all "Please let this be a decent sequel or reboot!" "With Netflix?" "NO WAY!" "Aw!"

The real question is does this sequel series live up to its predecessor? Step inside for a wilder ride! So, get ready to be Frizzled! Here are my thoughts on The Magic School Bus Rides Again! Blog, do your stuff!

First of all, you might be asking me "Why are you calling this a sequel instead of a reboot?" Dorothy Ann. Do your research please.

Yes, Dorothy Ann, thank you. The Magic School Bus Rides Again, despite being made 20 years after the original show ended, is intended to be a sequel to the original show, a bit like Samurai Jack Season 5. Even though the characters and Bus look different, they're still the same, the class is the same (except for one kid who I'll get to later), the school's the same, and some elements of the original show are present in this; Like Ralphie's superhero Weatherman, Arnold's love of rocks, Arnold's big-headed showoff of a cousin Janet, Wanda's mum and little brother William, etc.

Let's move on to the theme song. It's a techno remix of the original Magic School Bus theme. It's sung by Lin Manuel-Miranda. The theme does sound alright. But it's not as catchy as the original theme song that was sung by Little Richard.

Let's go over to the character designs. I'm not too keen on the new designs for Tim, Carlos and Arnold. I'm fine with the new designs for Liz, Professor Valerie Frizzle (Who I'll get to later), Ralphie (even if he does look 6 now), Keesha (even if she does look a bit like Dora the Destroyer now) and Wanda (even if she's now just as tall if not taller than Carlos), and for some reason, I like the new design for Dorothy Ann.

Hmm....I wonder why they look different. Keesha. Will you sum up everything for us?

Excellent observation, Keesha! It's true. The original cartoon was co-produced by Nelvana, which followed the original books to an extent, while this sequel series is co-produced by 9 Story. I'm going to guess this is the reason the character designs are different. Of course the original show was supposed to be 3rd Grade while this sequel is supposed to be 5th Grade. 

Onto the teacher. The new teacher is Ms Frizzle's sister, Miss Frizzle. Yep, Miss Fiona Felicity Frizzle is the new teacher and voiced by Kate McKinnon. Lily Tomlin, who voiced Ms Valerie Felicity Frizzle in the original show, is reprising her voice and now her character is a professor. The "Is This The Magic School Bus? I want The Magic School Bus!" segments from the original show are still present, but the Producer is replaced with Professor Valerie Frizzle who is answering these phone calls now. She still gives out scientific facts. I think that's a nice touch.

Of course this sequel series touches on scientific facts the original show didn't touch on, like magnetism, climate change (one thing that's ultra important to learn now), electric energy, wind, water depths and the nervous system.

Now, there is only one major downside I have with this sequel series. 

Phoebe is nowhere to be seen in this sequel series. Reason? Because she was transferred back to Phoebe's Old School. I'm going to guess it's because she'd said "At my old school," so many times, they thought of transferring her back. Now something I don't understand. If Phoebe went back to her old school, probably because of how much she reminisced about it, then why didn't Arnold get home schooled? I'm asking because of how much he'd say "I should've stayed home today!" whenever something too scary, surreal or downright unpleasant would happen to him or is about to happen to him. Unless they wanted to keep the theme song in this sequel faithful to the original with "Please let this be a normal field trip!"

Now let's go over to Phoebe's replacement. Her name is Jyoti Kaur, who is an Indian-American. She's a very intelligent student and knows very much about technology and has even made a robot she named Naniben, which means "Little Sister" in Gujarati. She's a likable relate-able character, but the only other thing I can say about her is she's no Phoebe.

Let's also mention one thing about the characters' catchphrases. They still use their catchphrases, but now, only every once in a while. Arnold still says "I knew I should've stayed home today!", Dorothy Ann still says "According to my research," but now, she pronounces research /riːsərtʃ/ instead of /rɪˈsərtʃ/ as she did in the original show, Carlos still makes puns like "Thanks for aspen!" causing everyone to groan "Carlos!". 

Also, the characters still have their personality traits. Arnold's still the self-aware kid. Dorothy Ann's still the intelligent kid who does research, but now she uses a tablet instead of carrying books around considering how much technology has evolved. Carlos, as I said before, still cracks jokes and puns. Tim still draws pictures. Ralphie still daydreams. Keesha still practical. Wanda's still the tomboy. Liz is still the anthropomorphic non-speaking chameleon. Janet's still a stuck-up, probably even more so than she was originally. Also, Miss Fiona Frizzle is using traits her big sister used when she was teacher.

So what do I think of The Magic School Bus Rides Again as a whole? It's okay. Sure, the animation seems cheap, some of the character designs are off, Janet's more stuck-up than she was originally, and Phoebe isn't present, but overall it's a very harmless sequel. Today's kids will enjoy it, probably even more than the original show, considering they're into pretty much anything Flash animated nowadays and they will learn and be entertained by it. I will agree with many others who grew up with the original that the original's better, due to its semi-fluid animation, likable characters, charming surrealism, nice sense of humour and well executed science lessons, but the sequel's alright by me. See? My reason to prefer the original isn't even because of nostalgia!

So there you have it. Those are my thoughts on The Magic School Bus Rides Again so far. Just wanted to give away my opinion on it and I wanted to explain that I too prefer the original. If you're willing to go on a nostalgia trip (no pun intended), revisit the original Magic School Bus. If you're willing to step inside for a newer wilder ride, give The Magic School Bus Rides Again a try. If you have seen this sequel series, tell me your opinion on it. To me, it's harmless. At least it's the original class albeit Jyoti instead of Phoebe. 

TUGS E02: Pirate

Time I did another review on Thomas the Tank Engine's sister series, TUGS. This time, the second episode.

(Special thanks to the TUGS Wikia for the image)

2. Pirate.

Written by: Tarquin Cardona.
Aired: UK: 11 April 1989. AUS: 11 June 1991.

Engineering parts need to be taken to Scuttlebutt Pete, the dredger, so he can start work early. Ten Cents is ordered to take on the job, as he is the first tug to return to the Star Dock. He delivers the barge loaded with goods, and after encountering Zip and Zug, moors the barge – noticing a mysterious figure moving in an old warehouse.
That foggy night, a stranger to the port steals Ten Cents' barge.
Zip and Zug discover it is missing the next morning, and are sure that Ten Cents has stolen it. They head out to tell Captain Star, who tells them how he has already received a complaint from the client. He then speaks sternly to Ten Cents about the matter. Ten Cents tried to explain that he had delivered the parts, but Captain Star sends him to do dredger detail as punishment.
As Ten Cents is working with Scuttlebutt Pete, Grampus, the midget submarine, pops up. He says how he has heard the whole story, which Ten Cents certainly does not find amusing. Zak and Zebedee happen to come by and taunt Ten Cents. Sunshine, who has just arrived, informs Ten Cents he has to do more work for the Z-Stacks, which is part of the punishment. Ten Cents must tow an oil barge. After more taunting from Zak and Zebedee, he heads off, annoyed.
That night, Grampus can not sleep due to the loud music coming from the Bridge Café Band, and goes out for a nosey round the harbour. He encounters an unknown tug, who stole the barge the previous night, which Ten Cents was blamed for. Grampus sees he is stealing Ten Cents' oil barge, and worries who it could be. Through the night, even more barges disappear.
The next morning, a big meeting is held between the Star Fleet and the Z-Stacks at The Star Dock, on how to try and catch the “Pirate”. Captain Star and Captain Zero have come up with a plan, which will see all the tugs going out in pairs, to camp out in designated areas, and try and spot and nick the Pirate.
Meanwhile, Grampus is searching where he lost the Pirate the night before. He sees an old warehouse that hasn't been used for years and goes inside. The “Pirate” tug is being ordered by two sinister, green-eyed tugs to steal another barge. He must do so to keep his uncle from being scuttled. Grampus sees everything, luckily not being spotted.
That night, Captain Star and Captain Zero’s big plan is put into action. Top Hat is paired with Warrior, which he is not in the least satisfied.
Ten Cents and Sunshine are paired together also. Sunshine is comforting Ten Cents' feelings. Suddenly, Grampus emerges and warns them of what he had seen. Their so called “Pirate” is a tugboat called Sea Rogue, who is forced into stealing the barges. Ten Cents and Sunshine are very surprised.
Also paired are Zip and Zug, who see Ten Cents and Sunshine leaving their posts with Grampus, out to find Sea Rogue, but think they are out to steal barges. Zip and Zug then follow.
The green-eyed tugs then plan their escape, putting out lightships, lighthouses, and covering up bell buoys to remain undetected.
Meanwhile, Sea Rogue is found by Ten Cents and Sunshine. He explains about his uncle. They come up with a big plan to capture the villains.
Zip and Zug find the old warehouse and are chased out by the green-eyed tugs. Grampus goes to save Sea Rogue’s uncle. Ten Cents, Sunshine and Sea Rogue take the chance to charge the villains, and put their green lights out once and for all. Warrior sees that something is going on. Not paying attention, he bumps into the flare barge, causing it to go off. 

The next morning, a slightly singed Warrior and Top Hat take the villains away, Grampus goes off for a nice rest, and Sea Rogue and his uncle head for home. Hercules tells Ten Cents and Sunshine that they did a good job and that Captain Star is sorry for not believing Ten Cents about the missing barges. Zip and Zug are nearby, and they boast to Ten Cents and Sunshine that nothing scares them. Zug then clumsily bumps into a flare barge behind him, and both he and Zip runs away in fright, which Ten Cents and Sunshine find a great joke.

Well, a nice way to continue the series with a funny belief that Sea Rogue was a pirate, but only to be revealed he was doing things for pirate tugs with glowing green eyes so they'd free his uncle, an old looking tug. And it was cool to show underwater scenery too, especially from Grampus' point of view.

My rating: 9/10.

TUGS scorecard:

1. Sunshine: 10/10.

2. Pirates: 9/10.

Series so far: 9.5/10.



TUGS E01: Sunshine

Thought I'd have a go at reviewing TUGS. For those of you who don't know what TUGS was, TUGS was a British children's TV show about 2 rival tugboat companies. There is the Star Fleet, (a.k.a. the Star Tugs) tugboats with yellow structures and red smokestacks with a star. There is also the 0 Fleet, (a.k.a. the Z-Stacks), tugboats with maroon structures and black smokestacks with a circle. One interesting fact about this show is that it was made by Robert Cardona and the late David Mitton, 2 of the people who brought Thomas the Tank Engine to TV. So, how does TUGS stack up? (no pun intended) Let's start by reviewing......

1. Sunshine.

Written by: Gloria Tors.

Aired: UK: 4 April 1989. AUS: 10 June 1991.

The series starts with the narrator giving an introduction to the Star Fleet. During the briefing, Captain Star informs the tugs that a small harbour switcher called Sunshine from up river is coming to help the Star Fleet. He also announces that they are to tow in the Duchess, the grand ocean liner. Captain Zero and his Z-Stacks soon find out about this and they make a plan to snag the contract. Hercules, the largest and strongest tug, is suddenly called away for a job up the coast, which will take him all day. The Z-Stacks take this to their advantage, as Zorran orders Zip and Zug to put Big Mac, the second strongest tug, out of action by pushing him onto a mud-bank. Meanwhile Ten Cents and Sunshine do small duties including delivering fuel to Sally Seaplane, until they are ordered by O.J. to search for Big Mac. They find him stranded and are told to take his place to dock the liner. When the Stars tow in the Duchess, the Z-Stacks watch carefully. Zorran sees his chance and bumps Sunshine hard, sending him flying into the Duchess' rudder. The Star Fleet doesn't see this, and only with the help of Zorran are they able to get the liner back into control. Sunshine feels bad, and he runs away from the port.
The Z-Stacks are pleased with their plan, and they think they will get the contract. The Star Fleet are cross with Sunshine, but Ten Cents sticks up for him and decides to look for him. On his search, he meets Izzy Gomez the tramp steamer. Izzy tells him that it was Zorran who hit Sunshine. Ten Cents then returns to the Star Dock, informs the rest of the Star Fleet and they all go looking for him. They find him in danger of sinking upon a mud-bank. They persuade him to go back home with them, so Sunshine agrees. Warrior suddenly remembers he was supposed to give Izzy Gomez a tow and rushes off to find him.
When the truth is out, Captain Zero yells at his fellow Z-Stacks (excluding Zebedee and Zug) at the Zero Dock. Captain Star tells the Star Fleet that they have learned that they shouldn't jump to conclusions before knowing the truth, and he also tells them that he has decided to make Sunshine a member of the Star Fleet.


Now, before I give away my fully fledged thoughts on this episode, let me observe the characters, and how much like certain Thomas characters they are.


10 Cents - Thomas the Tank Engine. Both serve as the main characters of their respective franchises and are number 1.


Big Mac - Gordon. Both are big and strong.


O.J. - Toby. Both are old, wise and careful as can be.


Top Hat - James. Both are big-headed and upper-class and don't like dirty work.


Warrior - Henry. Both are big, strong and can be somewhat accident prone.


Hercules - Edward. Both are kind and helpful.


Sunshine - Percy. Both are small and perky.


Zorran - Diesel. Both serve as the main bad guys, considering how devious they are.


Zebedee - Arry. Both, even though devious, can accept help from their rivals sometimes.


Zak - Bert. Same as Zebedee and Arry respectively.


Zug: Splatter, Dodge, Bash, Dash, Bill and Ben. All 7 are mischievious.


Zip: Same as Zug.


Sally - Daisy. Both are highly sprung and quite up-to-date.


Capt'n Star - Fat Controller. Both are in charge of their tug boat fleet and railway respectively.


Well, this was most certainly a grand way to start a grand series. When Zorran bumped into Sunshine, he started to think he earned the contract, thinking nobody had seen him, and unbeknownst to him, Izzy was watching the whole thing. Great moral of this story. Don't jump to conclusions. And I like the quote that Capt'n Zero gave to his Zero Fleet. "Sorry! Sorry! I don't want to hear! Get out of my sight, all of you!"


Anyway, David and Robert did wonders in creating this series.

My rating: 10/10.

TUGS scorecard:

1. Sunshine: 10/10.

Series so far: 10/10.