TTTE S21E01: Springtime for Diesel

Apologies for not using this blog lately. Either I've been busy with people's requests, I was too busy with my Codename Kids Next Door/Pokémon crossover I've been writing for the last few months now, busy with personal things in my personal life or because of just plain laziness. Now that Season 21 has already premiered, it is now time for me to review the first 5 episodes that have already aired. And as far as we already about this season, Rosie has been repainted to a colour that matches what she's named after, and a certain orange tractor is coming back. Now, onto the first review.

(Special thanks to Thomas the Tank Engine Wikia for the image)

495. Springtime for Diesel.
Written by: Davey Moore.
Aired: UK: 18 September 2017.

Diesel is always bumping into the other engines and finds it very funny. It is his way of saying hello, but none of the other engines find it funny at all.

One day at Arlesburgh, Diesel bumps into Daisy while she is getting ready for refuelling. Daisy crossly tells Diesel that the bumping could be bad for her swerves, but Diesel takes no notice.

Out on the branch line, Daisy's springs give way and she ends up slanting to one side. She ca

rries on to the next station to let her passengers off before heading to the Dieselworks. Meanwhile, Diesel bumps into Thomas before noticing Daisy pass by on Judy and Jerome's flatbed. Thomas wonders what happened to Daisy, but Diesel thinks Thomas is about to blame him for Daisy's accident, and hurries away.

At the Dieselworks, the workers cannot find the required parts to fix Daisy, and the news soon spreads that Daisy might have to be scrapped. Mavis tells Arry and Bert, and they tell Diesel, but he again thinks that they are blaming him. Later at a level crossing, Paxton also tries to tell Diesel about the news, but this time Diesel has had enough.

That night, Diesel comes to see Daisy at the Dieselworks. Thinking she is asleep, he apologises for bumping into her, and tells her that he only treats the other engines badly because they treat him the same way.

The following morning, Percy arrives with Daisy's new springs, and the workers fix her in no time. As she leaves for work, she spots Diesel. She tells him that if he wants the other engines to be friends with him, he has to change his ways.

So that's just what Diesel does. Whenever he sees Daisy and Ryan on the Arlesburgh branch line, he wishes them a good morning and no longer bumps into them.

I've got to say, this was a very funny way to start the new season! Though Diesel really was acting rough with Paxton, Sidney and here, Daisy! It was amazing to see Daisy the Diesel Railcar get loads of roles lately. Well, that makes up for the model era neglecting her all those years. And a little bit of toilet humour was here, especially when Dart said to Daisy "Messy big Pooh to you too!".

I like how Den was smart when he interrupted Dart when he said "What he means is--" with "I know what she means!"

And as for Daisy having her springs unsprung, it reminds me of 4 Little Engines when Skarloey had his springs undone.

Also, all I can say about this episode is that it was a very comical and interesting way to start Season 21.

My rating: 9.5/10.

Season 21 scorecard:
1. Springtime for Diesel: 9.5/10.

Season 21 so far: 9.5/10.

My Top 8 least favourite Robotboy characters

While Robotboy had its fair share of great characters, it also had some not-so-great characters. Which is why I'm counting down my Top 8 least favourite Robotboy characters.

So, get ready to deactivate me. Here are my Top 8 least favourite Robotboy characters.

Dishonourable mentions:

Mr. Yaschinshki
Nothing to say about him except just a plot device to move villain plots.

Kurt
He's a very mean character, a complete bully, but I guess I can't be too harsh because he's similar to me in one way. We don't like the heat, and we both have a phobia to ants.

General YakitoriNothing to say except just a forgettable villain IMHO. Stopped being a villain when he went with Tommy's grandma.

8. Princess Justine.

All she does is call American toys "boring", yet has a thing for Robotboy. She might remind some of Darla from Finding Nemo, being a spoilt princess and wanting to destroy what she calls boring. Though I guess I can't be too harsh on her since her design looks like that of Bowser's fiancee, Princess Peach. (and they're calling Princess Daisy and Rosalina "Peach clones")

7. Augustus Bachmann "Goose" Turner.

Yeah, he's a poor excuse of a protagonist. He's always eating, even if the food is unhygienic, he farts all the time, his voice is reminiscent of that of Eric from South Park, and he likes to ruin things. Although he does have funny moments too, and he's why Hexx is my favourite bad guy. Also, when it comes to his Intelligence Quotient, he makes Numbuh 4 look like Christopher Langan. Gus' behaviour is the very reason I created my own OC Perry Register to replace him, that and I wanted to make an Australian character for a little racial balance. 

6. Special Agent/Kurt's father.

This cheating special agent almost ruins some things, like in Football Frenzy, attacking the referee whenever someone on his football team does a penalty. And in Wrestling with Gus, he tried stealing Robotboy, but is defeated later. The only positive aspects of him are his moment in The Manchurian Robot and in Science Fear where he has what I have, a phobia to ants. 

5. Donnie and Dwight Turnbull.

These 2 characters are the dimwits of the Turnbull family. Donnie, similar to Terrence from Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, often beats Tommy up, and always relies on muscle, and Dwight doesn't even give a crap about what Tommy does to Donnie. And how can "playing with toys" not be man-like? Dwight, seems dumber than Homer Simpson, but smarter than Peter Griffin.

4. Von Der Schnitzel.

What he did in his sole role was uncalled for, kidnapping Lola like that! I'm glad this baddie was a one-time character. Though I would've liked him if he went for Gus, though it was funny when he shot the arms of his chopper. But Von, just a ruining villain.

3. Hester and Jebediah Turner.

There's nothing I have to say about them except they're ugly and seem very old to be Goose's parents. All they engage in is for their son to do their chores like milking their cow. 

2. Bambi.

Good gravy I hate this cheerleader! She's a spoilt, nasty, ignorant, uncaring, dimwitted brat. I just don't understand what Tommy sees in her. She's almost never nice to him. Though the only time I did enjoy her was in Robogus and the G-Machine where she reacted to Gus with the persona of Robotboy. And I wouldn't have disliked her had the original script for Cleaning Day been used. 

Also, she and Justine encouraged me to make an OC named Krystal Walker, who is blonde, but a nice character. 

And my Numbuh 1 least favourite Robotboy character is.....

I was going to make Bambi Numbuh 1, but no. There is one character who is at among the highest levels of being unlikable, one character who is too tragic and selfish to be considered a character, one character I hoped would stay locked up, but just wouldn't stay locked up. And that character is.....

1. Principal Culpepper.

That's right! The Robotboy character I hate the most! She's contemptible, she's vile, she's nasty, she's too strict for her own good, she's selfish, she's ugly, and she's a bitch. Sure Bambi's a bitch, but at least she's caring to an extent. But Culpepper? She's never nice to any of her students. Though I can blame her parents for not letting her play with toys. This character makes me vomit, and I want her locked up in jail for life.

If you have any thoughts you'd like to share on any of my choices, feel free to do so. 

My Top 11 favourite Robotboy characters

I've been wanting to do something like this for a long time ever since I'd finished reviewing Robotboy. Why? Because this series had a good share of great characters. Which is why today, I'm going to count down my Top 11 favourite characters from Robotboy. Why Top 11? Because I'm a rip off of the Nostalgia Critic. No, not really. There was one character I decided to add, so this is now a Top 11 list.

So, get ready to superactivate me! Here are my Top 11 favourite Robotboy characters.


Honourable mentions:

Tommy Turnbull.
What can you say about him? He's the main human character. He's always willing to help Robotboy and protect him from evil. Though there are times where he gets too attached to his Robot toy. Also, his design reminds me of that of Mac from Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. 

Protoboy.
Robotboy's older brother sure had an interesting backstory. But he keeps coming back even though he was killed in Brother. 

Debbie Turnbull.
The only member of Tommy's family who is caring for Tommy, but sometimes jumps to conclusions whenever Tommy is to blame. Of course in Traffic Slam, she acts like everyone's favourite cookie loving Muppet.

C.H.O.P.
Awesome to see an anthropomorphised vehicle in the series. He had awesome action in his sole episode.

Walter the Tapeworm. 
His relationship with Gus was a good one. Making that moronic goose get all skinny and eating his food.

Robotman.This epic McBain parody was a great one-timer. He was funny when he called Gus "Goose", but he quickly turned evil when Tommy tried to remove his batteries.

Now, onto the real list:

11. Brainy Yak.

This yak had a very emotional backstory, that story Hiro told in The Legend of Brainy Yak, about Akira Moshimo's youth, he was raising a young yak who is named Brian. The reason he's so low on the list is because he didn't get that much development.

10. Agent Suzie Kalaschnikov.

This babysitter was an epic and hot one. She's one who just wants to follow in Doctor Kamikazi's footsteps, capturing Robotboy, and planning to marry Kamikazi, just like Miu-Miu going to marry Akira Moshimo. 

9. Ambassador Kingsley Mbola.

Another caring parent. Ambassador Mbola is caring for his daughter, except for Feline Frenzy when Princess escaped. The reason I call him "Kingsley" is because in Racer 0, Donnie called him that. 

8. Professor Akira and Miu-Miu Moshimo.

There is just no way I could make this list without including Professor Moshimo and his ravishing fiancee Miu-Miu. Why am I calling him "Akira?" Because Jan confirmed Professor Moshimo's first name to be Akira. Miu-Miu, though silent all the time except for Grow-No-Mo, seems to be the female equivalent of Samurai Mac. Also, I love Akira's voice. He sounds just like Hiro from Thomas the Tank Engine. 

7. Doctor Kamikazi.

No way I could make this list without including the main villain of the series himself! Doctor Kamikazi, as I always say in my fan fictions, will stop at nothing to capture Robotboy for world domination. He's also a hilarious villain too, whenever he touches his pets, impaling him, or they would spit acid in his eyes and even going as far as the animals biting him, he screams in pain! And there were a few moments where he sides with the main characters, and there were rare moments where his evil plot wasn't needed like Robot Rebels. The saddest thing about Kamikazi is the fact that in 2010, his voice actor had passed on. 

6. Constantine.

Yep, I prefer this sumo over Kamikazi. Constantine, though the secondary bad guy, isn't always that much of a villain. There are a few occasions where he sides with Tommy and Robotboy. He's always willing to convince Kamikazi to do certain things, like keeping a certain animal as a pet, and he goes as far as to comfort him whenever a scheme of his fails. 

5. Felonious Hexx.

That's right. My most favourite bad guy in the series. Why is Hexx my favourite villain? Well, all thanks to Gus annoying him in his magic show, Hexx changed from Thelonious Hexx with a TH to Felonious Hexx with a F. He's always doing hilarious things to Gus, like transplanting Gus' brain with a pigeon, though it could've been a goose instead, giving him rude teeth and even being a parody of Missus Doubtfire, turning Gus into a zombie.

4. Robotboy.

No way this list could be complete without the title character. He's a cute, competitive and powerful robot. His superactivation is epic with an homage to the original Powerpuff Girls theme, and his grammar is poor, yet cute. 

3. Robotgirl.

This robot is even cuter than Robotboy himself. She's a friendly robot, she's even a very good friend to Lola. I wonder if she's with Lola now? 

2. Stevie.

This is one tragic swine. All because Doctor Kamikazi abandoned him, all due to him acting like a big baby, just by calling him "Dada". But fortunately, he and Kamikazi made up in the end. I wonder if Stevie is still with his dad?

And my Numbuh 1 favourite Robotboy character is.....

1. Lola Mbola.

It was hard to choose between her and Stevie. I went with this biracial girl. The reason I'm calling her biracial is because her skin colour is lighter than that of her dad's. She's cute, determined, and though wealthy, almost never acts like a spoilt brat. She has an enormous crush on Tommy Turnbull, but doesn't want him to find out. Also, she looks a lot like Ami from Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi. 

If you have any thoughts you'd like to share on any of my choices, feel free to do so. 

TTTE S20 episode: Three Steam Engines Gruff

Now's the time to review a direct-to-DVD episode of Thomas, one that is yet to air in countries that speak English as their main language.


(Special thanks to Thomas the Tank Engine Wikia for the image)

3 Steam Engines Gruff.
Written by: Andrew Brenner.
Aired: Japan: 4 December 2016.

It's autumn on Sodor and Thomas meets Toby along his branch line, who says the trees look very spooky. Thomas is along the line further and notices a broken fence. He sees Trevor and tells him about it, and Trevor says he will tell Farmer McColl.
That night, Thomas tells the other engines about the fence, of which they all wonder what broke it in the first place. Percy is nervous as he sets out to pull the mail train. He is making his deliveries and comes across a bridge on the branch line, and all of a sudden, hears a moaning sound. Frightened he runs back to the Sheds to tell the others. He runs in so fast, that he rockets right into Henry, who rolls further into his berth. Gordon is not amused nor interested. Percy, however, is very apprehensive toward the sound he heard.
The next morning, Percy tells Toby and Thomas about it. Thomas assures him there is probably nothing to worry about. Toby, on the other hand, is baffled and scared by this, and is not looking forward to crossing the bridge on the way to the Quarry.
Later, Thomas is nearing the bridge and decelerates, puzzling Annie and Clarabel. Thomas tells them what he is up to, but suddenly, hears the moaning sound Percy told him about, hollers, and dashes away.
Thomas, Percy and Toby meet up at Ffarquhar, and discuss the sound they heard, and make an assumption. Percy, remembering the story of The Three Billy Goats Gruff, thinks it's a troll. Toby, agreeing, reminds the others about how the littlest goat survived by going across the bridge first and telling the troll to eat his bigger brothers. The engines are all very scared and do not want to be consumed by the "troll".
Toby claims first, and Percy second, leaving Thomas to go third. At the bridge, Toby, Henrietta and Percy hurridly cross, leaving Thomas on the other side. Slowly proceeding across, Thomas, Annie and Clarabel hear the noise and listen more carefully, and realise it's a cow. Toby and Percy are surprised too, and they fetch Jem Cole, Farmer McColl and Trevor to rescue the cow, who was the escapee from the broken fence. Thomas takes her back to Famer McColl's farm.

That night, Thomas, Percy and Toby tell the other engines about their adventure. Edward, Henry, Gordon and James laugh, but Toby and Percy are agitated and say it's not that funny. Thomas, not having any hard feelings, says it was a little "a-moosing."

Yep! This was the first episode since Henry and the Flagpole to have Trevor the Traction Engine speak. And might I say, this is so far the only time I prefer a character's US voice over their UK voice. Trevor's UK voice sounded rather strange. I prefer his US voice.

I mean, in the US dub, Trevor sounds like Chuck from Budgie the Little Helicopter despite that that character was voiced by Kerry Shale and that in the US, Trevor is being voiced by Christopher Ragland, and of course in the UK, Trevor is voiced by Nigel Pilkington. Funny thing is, both Christopher and Nigel are also the current voices for Percy in their respective dubs.

Now, on to this episode, might I say, despite Trevor's role, this episode was executed poorly. It portrays Toby as a wimp again, and even Percy and Thomas were wimps! And all because they thought the cow under the bridge past the watermill was a troll. Percy should've learned from his experience in Tale of the Brave and Thomas, Percy and the Dragon!

So, overall, this episode is proof that Andrew Brenner should just stick to adapting Railway Series stories from now on, and Helen Farrall should be head writer.

My rating: 1.5/10.


Season 20 scorecard:

8. Pouty James: 3/10.

12. Love Me Tender: 10/10.

13. The Railcar and the Coaches: 8.5/10.

18. 3 Steam Engines Gruff: 1.5/10.

24. Buckled Tracks & Bumpy Trucks: 8.5/10.
25: Tit for Tat: 10/10.

26. Mike's Whistle: 9.5/10.

27. Useful Railway: 9.5/10.

Season 20 rating so far: 8.4/10.

TTTE S20E13: The Railcar & the Coaches

Thought I'd review another episode of Season 20. This time, on our favourite diesel railcar who's finally returned this season.


(Special thanks to Thomas the Tank Engine Wikia for the image)

479. The Railcar and the Coaches.

Written by: Davey Moore.
Aired: US: 15 December 2016. UK: 29 December 2016. AUS: 9 April 2017.

One winter day, the Fat Controller puts Thomas on quarry duty and asks Daisy to run his branch line in his absence. As few passengers are now travelling to Harwick, Daisy is delighted and sets off the following morning. Upon meeting Annie and Clarabel at the carriage shed, she tells them that they will not be needed, as the passengers will be travelling in her today. Thomas overhears Daisy making unkind comments to the coaches and warns her that she might need them. Daisy dismisses his claims, stating that she never needs to pull coaches and sets off to work, leaving Annie and Clarabel alone. The two attempt to pass the time by playing "I Spy," with little success.
Daisy goes about her work without fuss and her passengers are most impressed. That evening, she continues to be rude to Annie and Clarabel, calling them old-fashioned and out-of-date, since they cannot move on their own. The coaches are most offended by her rudeness as Daisy once again states that she will never pull coaches before leaving. However, Daisy had spoken too soon, as the Fat Controller asks her to take Annie and Clarabel the next day so that she can take more passengers.
Daisy reluctantly collects the coaches the next morning, although she refuses to apologise. Unbeknownst to her, however, Annie and Clarabel have made a plan to pay Daisy back for her rude comments. As they travel along the branch line, they pretend that they can hear something wrong with Daisy, including rattling and creaking noises. They remark on how terrible the "noise" is, state their surprise that the passengers have not complained and add that this noisy something is good for nothing but scrap. Unfortunately, their plan backfires: Daisy is so mortified that, at Maithwaite Station, she orders all of her passengers off and rushes away in panic to find out what the problem is, leaving Annie, Clarabel and the furious passengers stranded. Thomas passes by with his quarry trucks and decides to tell the Fat Controller that Daisy left her passengers behind. Annie and Clarabel cringe; they know what would happen if the Fat Controller finds out what they've been up to.
At Knapford Station, the Fat Controller and an engineer look over Daisy but are unable to find anything wrong with her. Daisy, still in a state, insists that Annie and Clarabel told her there was definitely something wrong, even if she cannot hear anything. This leads her to think that she is going deaf and she rushes off to the Dieselworks to see her fitter. Thomas arrives soon afterwards and the Fat Controller asks what his coaches said to Daisy. Although unsure, Thomas explains that she has been rude to them since arriving and has abandoned them at Maithwaite.
It is late at night when Thomas finally arrives to collect Annie and Clarabel. The Fat Controller is cross with the coaches, just as they predicted and immediately scolds them for their actions. He explains that Daisy's fitter has found nothing wrong with her at all and warns them that just because she was rude to them, that does not give them the right to be rude to her back. The coaches, sadly remarking that two wrongs do not make a right, apologise as Thomas takes them back to the carriage shed.
Annie and Clarabel decide to apologise to Daisy the next morning, but are surprised when Thomas arrives. He explains that Daisy has returned to the Harwick Branch Line and will not be taking them today. Annie and Clarabel are delighted to have Thomas back...until Thomas points out that he is still on quarry duty and that the Fat controller has assigned another engine to pull them in the meantime. Annie and Clarabel are horrified when they discover the "other engine" is Diesel.

Well, considering this was released to DVD before Ryan and Daisy and The Way She Does It aired on TV, I thought it fair to review this episode before those.

I have to say that this was a well done episode. A well done focus on Daisy, who'd been absent from an episode for like 20 years! Granted, she was in Calling All Engines!, but that's not the case.

Also, this episode has a nice moral to it. Annie and Clarabel told lies about Daisy all because she was being rude to them, only for Fat Controller to scold the 2 coaches just goes to show that 2 wrongs don't make a right.

And it was funny when the engine who was taking Annie and Clarabel at the end wasn't Thomas, Percy, Toby, Daisy or Mavis, but Diesel! He was all "Hello, ladies!", and he ended up laughing like Waluigi from the Mario series. Speaking of which, I wouldn't be surprised if Kerry is taking inspiration from Charles Martinet's voice for that meming chin man.


Now, back on subject. I'm giving away my overall opinion on this episode. While it wasn't the best Daisy episode so far, it was still a good one.

My rating: 8.5/10.

Season 20 scorecard:

8. Pouty James: 3/10.

12. Love Me Tender: 10/10.

13. The Railcar and the Coaches: 8.5/10.

24. Buckled Tracks & Bumpy Trucks: 8.5/10.
25: Tit for Tat: 10/10.

26. Mike's Whistle: 9.5/10.

27. Useful Railway: 9.5/10.

Season 20 rating so far: 8.5/10.

TTTE S17E15: Bill or Ben?

Now I'm going to review another episode of Season 17.

(Special thanks to Thomas the Tank Engine Wikia for the episode image)

403. Bill or Ben?
Written by: Andrew Brenner.
Aired: UK: 4 October 2013. AUS: 1 November 2013. US: 18 March 2014.

One day, while puffing along the mainline, a big and fast engine Bill and Ben have never seen before pulls onto their track at a junction. Further along the line, Bill and Ben meet Thomas who tells them that the streamlined engine was Connor. The twins think that Connor must be full of himself, racing around and surprising other engines. Thomas tries to explain that Connor is friendly, but the twins aren't convinced.
Sometime later, the twins pass through Henry's tunnel when they get surprised by Connor again. Ben is still inside the tunnel as Connor passes and whistles hello to Bill. The twins decided to play a trick on the streamlined engine.
The next time Connor comes to Sodor, Bill is waiting for him. Bill challenges Connor to race, but the big streamlined engine does not think it would be fair to race against such a small tank engine. Eventually, Connor agrees and when the signal turns green, they both race off towards Ulfstead Castle. Bill is soon left far behind and Connor thinks he has won. Connor gets a massive shock when he pulls into Ulfstead Castle and sees Ben waiting at the platform. Connor falls for the twins plan and thinks it is Bill who has beaten him to the castle. Ben suggests that they have a rematch and race back to the bridge. Connor agrees and the race soon starts.
This time, Connor takes no chances and focuses solely on beating the little tank engine. He concentrates on the race so hard that he runs through a red signal and nearly causes a serious accident with Henry. Connor's relief is short-lived as the Fat Controller pulls up in Winston. He is very cross with Connor for missing the red signal. Just then, the twins both pull up and Connor realises that he was being tricked all along. The Fat Controller is not amused with Bill and Ben's antics and punishes them by ordering Bill to be repainted so that they cannot be confused so easily.
At the Sodor Steamworks, Bill tries to get out of being repainted but Victor has been warned in advance by the Fat Controller about the twins' tricky ways. Shortly, Bill has a brand new dark blue livery.
Back at the shunting yard, Ben laughs when he sees his twin. Bill is not happy; now that he doesn't look the same as his twin, it's no fun at all. Then, Ben has a crafty idea and heads off to the Steamworks himself. When he arrives, Victor is not there and Ben tells Kevin that he is Bill and has come to be repainted in accordance with Sir Topham Hatt's orders. Kevin is unsure as he thinks Bill was repainted the day before, but when Ben threatens to involve the Fat Controller, Kevin agrees to let Ben be repainted. Soon Ben has been painted the same colour as Bill. Victor arrives and is not happy, but there is nothing he can do; the job has already been done.
Bill and Ben, now both painted dark blue, are on their way again when they see Connor up ahead. The twins decide to play another trick on him. Bill challenges Connor to another race. Connor agrees, thinking aloud about his assurance that only one of the twins has been repainted. Connor thinks he will definitely win, but Bill is not so sure!

What a hilarious way to properly give Bill and Ben another episode since 2003! They'll always make me laugh, especially when they fooled Connor, who was full of himself! And there was even a wonderful lesson about signals! Engines must not pass through a red signal, especially with Connor having a near miss with Henry the Green Engine here! It also shows that tricks can have consequences, especially when Fat Controller ordered Bill to be repainted dark blue, though Bill tried to trick Victor into thinking he (Bill) was Ben.

Of course Bill and Ben looked lovely in blue, it would've been a nice tribute to their basis if they were painted green. Here are Alfred and Judy, their basis:

Though this episode feels a little unfinished, it's still a brilliant one!

My rating: 10/10.

Season 17 scorecard:

15. Bill or Ben?: 10/10.

16. Too Many Fire Engines: 9.5/10.

19. The Missing Christmas Decorations: 10/10.

Season 17 so far: 9.7/10.

TTTE S20E12: Love Me Tender

Thought I'd review another Season 20 episode of Thomas and Friends. This time, about everyone's favourite Scottish twins.

(Special thanks to the Thomas Wikia for the image)

478. Love Me Tender.
Written by: Davey Moore.
Aired: US: 16 December 2016. UK: 28 December 2016. AUS: 10 April 2017.

Snow has come early to the Island of Sodor and Donald and Douglas are tasked with clearing the tracks. The twins have a coach coupled between their tenders, allowing them to clear the line in both directions. They stop at a junction to see which way they should go. Douglas suggests that they should clear the track up to Edward's Branch Line, but Donald doesn't think it's a good idea and decides that it is best to stick to the Main Line. Later, they arrive at a another junction. This time, Donald suggests that they should clear the tracks to the Search and Rescue Centre for the emergency vehicles, but Douglas thinks it is best for them to stick to the Main Line. Donald ignores his twin, creating tension between the two.
The twins clear the tracks to the Search and Rescue Centre. On their way back to the junction, they get stuck behind Toby, who is being slowed down by the snow due to Donald ignoring Douglas' earlier suggestion to clear the Main Line.
When they get to another junction, Donald asks Douglas whether he would prefer to stay on the Main Line or clear the line up to the castle. Douglas remains silent, believing that Donald will ignore him. The twins begin accusing each other of ignoring everything the other one says, so when the signal drops, they begin pulling in opposite directions. The coupling between Douglas and his tender breaks, and Donald leaves Douglas at the junction, taking the coach and Douglas' tender with him. Donald is aware that he has left Douglas behind, but not that he has taken all of his coal and water.
As Donald passes Thomas at Crovan's Gate, Thomas questions where Douglas is. Donald says he left Douglas back at the junction as he leaves the station. Thomas quietly notes to Annie and Clarabel that Donald has both his own tender and Douglas'.
Back at the junction, Toby passes Douglas, who tells Toby that he has fallen out with his twin. Toby offers Douglas' help, which Douglas politely refuses. Toby leaves with Douglas' crew. Douglas doesn't mind; his fire has not gone out, so he is able to melt the snow on him.
Donald is on the other side of the island when he meets Thomas again. Thomas tells Donald that he has both his own tender and Douglas' tender. Donald is horrified, realising this means his brother is stranded in the snow without any coal and water.
Douglas' fire has gone out, so the snow is piling up around him. Donald passes him at the junction, but does not see or hear him, so he continues to search for him. Meanwhile, Douglas' crew has joined Toby's crew for cocoa at Toby's shed. Donald arrives and asks Toby where Douglas is; Toby tells him that he is still at the junction where Donald left him. Because the snow is getting deeper, Donald rushes back to the junction with Douglas' crew to find his twin.

Donald finds Douglas in a deep snowdrift. The twins apologise to each other, but Donald has run out of water. However, he does have Douglas' tender, so Douglas allows Donald to use his water. Donald leaves his snowplough at the junction and shunts Douglas to the Steamworks, happy to be back with his twin again.

What a lovely way to give the Scottish twins, Donald and Douglas, an episode in over 13 years! Love those references to Twin Trouble and The Deputation at the beginning.

I would like to say how odd it was that Donald was calling Douglas "Doogie". Looks like Joe Mills is only voicing Oliver the Western Engine, Toad and Douglas now, since Rob Rackstraw is voicing Donald now, and I'd like to call this episode the moment where Rob Rackstraw has run out of voices. I mean, Rob's voice for Donald is just Toby's voice with a Scottish accent. Speaking of Toby, he had a wonderful role here even if he's not a main line engine.

And here's the small problem I have with this episode. It proves that HiT and Mattel are spoiling Thomas the Tank Engine, appearing in every episode of Seasons 19 and 20. Douglas said "We should stay on the main line and clear the line for Thomas!" For Thomas?! Why Thomas? Thomas is not a main line engine! He shouldn't even be working on the main line! Edward could've easily had this role instead of Thomas, even if he's not a main line engine either.

But flaw aside, this further proves that tender engines do need tenders, and it was mighty fine way to have Donald and Douglas take the lead role. And this title was a clever reference to Elvis' song of the same title.

My rating: 10/10.

Season 20 scorecard:

8. Pouty James: 3/10.

12. Love Me Tender: 10/10.

24. Buckled Tracks & Bumpy Trucks: 8.5/10.
25: Tit for Tat: 10/10.

26. Mike's Whistle: 9.5/10.

27. Useful Railway: 9.5/10.

Season 20 rating so far: 8.5/10.