Thomas is a character that has been coming back into the mainstream alot over recent years be it the announcement of a new animated series or the wonderful Wonders Of Sodor video game. Yet we should all remember that this little franchise first started to gain popularity in the eighties as a little kids show that no one thought nothing of and well since it's been a good while since an episode of this show was last covered it only made sense to cover another classic series episode and so then join me as I review the episode that is the first episode of the show to have the show's trademark catchphrase "and then there was trouble" be said in an episode with the episode in question being called simply just "Edward And Gordon" enjoy.
The plot of this episode is when Gordon teases Edward one of the eldest engines on Sodor he makes Edward feel bad but things take a turn when Gordon gets stranded on a hill and the only engine that can save him is Edward. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual plot thats actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty not that bad. This episodes plot is one that while yes it is simple its delightfully simple as it doesn't need to have a big incident between the two engines to occur and nor does it need to show us why Gordon is acting all boastful in this episode as all it needs to do is just show us the plot play out and that's that. Would it have helped the episode a little bit if the plot was a tiny bit more complicated yes but we must always remember that these stories are kids stories and therefor you have to take that into account when your judging the plot of a kids TV show and to give this episodes plot some credit it does treat it's kid audience with some respect something which could also be said for alot of the early episode of the show due to the fact that we do get as we do get alot of talk in this episode that the kid audience just wouldn't understand like for example having Gordons crew talking to him when he's on the hill and refusing to move the kids won't know that he is going to cause an accident but the adults will and while the episode doesn't say that there could be an accident if Gordon doesn't move it's easy to see from the context that that is something that might happen with the plot of this episode also being really rather entertaining and as well as being really rather engaging as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.
Starring in this episode is Sir Ringo Starr with him being just as delightful in this episode as he is in all of his episodes. With this being due to the fact that he isn't a trained actor and while that might sound like a bad thing in a show like this it can also be a good thing as it allows the shows narrator to sound more natural something which is the case in this episode as while he doesn't give the characters any distinct voices he does give a slight snobbish voice to Gordan which is something that is perfect for his character as he is someone that would sound like that and while he doesn't alter his voice for Edward you could argue that due to Sir Ringo Starr himself being quite old that is something that does make sense. With that being something that adds to the more natural sounding aspect of his performance. As without Edward sounding quite old it would be at odds with his character as he is meant to be one of if not the oldest engine on the show and therefor him having this more mature sounding voice is something that really does work for Edward as a character much like for Gordon sounding more like a snob works for his character as Gordon is someone who does act like a posh snob alot of the time and therefor it does make sense that Ringo would make him sound like one in this episode even tho he didn't really put on a voice for Gordon in the previous episode and yet at the same time the character really didn't need a slightly post and boastful sounding voice in this episode either as we the audience could figure out from the context given that this character is acting boastful with us not really needing a voice to help to hit that point home even more.
Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual acting thats actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good. With Sir Ringo Starrs acting in this episode really improving even tho this is only the show second ever episode with this really hitting home the fact that he really did understand the task at hand as while he might have only have been hired just because of his name alone he did still manage to put on a good performance and while his performance from an acting point of view would of course improve during the shows and his final second series just based of this episode alone you can still see him starting to improve as a performer. With the best actor in this episode of course being Sir Ringo Starr as he does put in alot of effort into giving us a good performance and while he doesn't give the characters different voices that as was just mentioned is something that really does harm the episode at all with his acting being something that makes all the difference due to the fact that when he's acting as Gordon he does act more boastful and posh and when he's Edward he's just himself, it is made clear in this episode that while Sir Ringo wasn't and never will be a classically trained actor he does have alot of love for the franchise with that love for not only the franchise but it's characters and world being something that does make his performance in this episode such a joy to watch with the acting that's in this very episode really being helped by the fact that this episodes script is just so good that all this episodes actor has to do is just say the lines as they are a written and a good performance will come out of him naturally which is something that really does help to raise the overall quality of the acting that's in this very episode.
There is not way to talk about this episode and not talk about Gordon as he is such a big character in this episode. Gordon in this episode was handled really well as he is essentially the main villain of the story and that is where the character gets t act his best as while it is fun to see him acting like the god guy in alot of the episodes its alot more fun t see him acting post and boastful as that's when we get to see him at his best with him here basically refusing to pull a goods train because to him it is something that is beneath him. Whilst of course we know that all manner of trains are asked to do a lot of jobs to Gordon someone who is used to mainly pulling passengers to him pulling a goods train is something that would be beneath him as to hm he is just to posh to do something like that and that is something that we would see carried out in other episodes of this show as it is something that does make him stand out as a character and while it was exploited better in other episodes with his ego always being his downfall here it is something that does still work as Gordon is someone that you can see really getting upset like this to the point where he would refuse to go up a hill that is quite literally named after him and with him being rude to Edward at the start of the episode it is something that does make his downfall all the more fun to see as the episode does give us plenty of reasons to want to see Edward best him and really prove himself and whilst the episode doesn't really give us a reason to like Gordon all that much you could argue that the previous episode where he was the main hero of that story did exactly that and while there might be other better characters in this show Gordon has to be a really good character as when he's a good guy he's OK but when he's the villain of the piece that's when he gets to be the most fun as a character.
Edward on the other hand is almost the exact opposite as Gordon as while Gordon is meant to be like the older brother who is still at home Edward is the older brother who has moved out of the house for a few years and is more experienced because of it. With him being one the more kinder engines on the show with him being able to make friends with anyone and just being happy to be let out of the shed as that mean that he gets the chance to do something and be a useful engine with this being something that makes it worse when Gordon does tease him for being old and for not being used as much as him with the episode going to great lengths to make sure that we care for Edward as a character. Which to be fair is something that does work really well as by the ed of the episode we are not only happy that Edward got let of the shed in the first place but are also happy that he did kind of get back at Gordon not by pulling a joke on him like say for example Thomas or James might do but just for being kind to him by helping him out when he was in trouble as that is true to Edwards character as while yes he can get mad and he does get mad alot of the time in the later episodes of the show but alot of the time he is just this nice and kind engine that is willing to give others advice based on his own expirences, while Thomas might be the franchises main character Edward is a not a character to slept on as he does all of his work no questions asked and will do it with a smile on his face and while yes he is prone to anger as are we all those times don't happen all that often with this episode showing us just how helpful he is by having him be the one that comes to Gordons rescue without a second thought and without the thought of teasing him about it later where as if this was Thomas or Percy for example the first thing that they would do is tease Gordon for being stuck on the hill in the first place.
Where this episode does somewhat start to faulter is in the fact that while it is good that the episodes plot might be simple it might also be a little bit simple as kids can handle slightly more complex things if we give then the chance to and given the fact that this era of the show is known for having things that are more true to how trans are run in real life it would have been more fun to see that come into play in this very episode as then we could not only get to find out more about how trains are meant to be run but also be entertained by this episode instead of just having one over the other as all that does is make it feel like that the makers of this show aren't willing to teach kids about how trains are meant to be run on a railway. Whilst yes granted this is a small issue in the grand scheme of things and it doesn't really effect the episodes plot all that much it is still something that would have added an extra layer of realism to the episode as you can teach kids things about how other things are meant to be run whilst at the same time still entertaining them with a funny little story about talking trains as kids are capable of understanding these things if you teach it to them in a way that they'll understand it's why kids TV shows of the nineties and eighties were alot more better then the kids shows that we get today as alot of them did teach us things about the real world whilst also being fun to watch and that's something that this episode had permission to do and yet for one reason or another the makers of this episode chose not to do that which might be fair enough as this was only there first series but it is something that would have made be all the more mature because of it.
Whilst it is understandable that the makers of this show did use whatever props that they had lying around to fill up scenes with characters that are yet to be introduced it is something that is in this episode was a little bit distracting. As they straight up have James sleeping next t Edward in one scene when they very easily could have moved Henry or Thomas over into that slot and look granted this show didn't have a huge budget and therefor they couldn't have built new trains just for one shot of a random throwaway episode and while having James make a silent cameo in the episode much like he did in the first episode doesn't really harm the story it is something that does make you wonder where in the time line that this episode is meant to take place. As it can't be before James joins the show as we see Thomas not working on his branchline but at the same time due to James being there it has to be after Thomas gets his branchline in the show and while it doesn't harm the episode as you could always argue that since the show never outright says that it is James in the shed in the episode that it could just be another engine which is something that would be fair a point and it is understandable why they used his model as they wouldn't have had alot of models there that they could have used for the episode it is still something that does make this episode very hard to place in the timeline, heck you could even make the statement that this episode takes place in an alternate world where James joins the team earlier and to be fair to the episode the scene does give a chance to see Edward acting a little bit more boastful which is understandable as he is saying that he and his driver will be going out again tomorrow to do some more work which for Edward would be something to boast about.
Now then this episode has / had an exact grand total running time of exactly five minuets and thirty two seconds. Which to be fair to this episode is pretty much the bogstandard running time for this show at this point and this episode really didn't need to be any longer then that as the episode really only had one new character to set up and introduce and that's really it with the episode being more then capable of being able to do that and still tell a good and somewhat heartwarming story in that amount of running time with the episode also having the right amount of plot there to really cover that amount of running time in the first place. However tho the episode really doesn't use it's running time all that wisely due to the fact that it while it does take the time to fully develop it's plot as well as it perhaps could have done with there being alot of scenes in the episode that are all about advancing this episodes plot forward and giving the plot itself alot of focus they do leave some questions unanswered as they never explain why it has to be Edward that has to go and Gordon as it very easily could have been Henry then went to help him out with this being something that does make the episodes feel a little bit more weaker and feel like they had to find a way to get Edward into the conclusion of the plot. The episode also really doesn't take the time to fully develop its characters which is something that is understandable as you could always argue that the characters get all of there character development in other episodes of the show and with this being one of the first episodes of the show it wouldn't make sense for either Gordon or Edward to get there character development in this episode this is despite th fact that the episodes plot does allow for Gordon to get some form of character development but I really will admit that this episode really does have some really good pacing to it tho.
So now then as this is a comedy that really does mean that I have to actually talk about the actual comedy that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual comedy that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty not that bad. While this episode doesn't have any laugh out loud moments in it part of what does make this episodes lets be honest here cute comedy work as well as it does is the fact that alot of it does feel very character driven and alot of it does feel very true to life with both of those things coming out in full force as they manage to make would could be seen as being very unfunny moments seem slightly funny. With the best joke in the episode being when Edward does help Gordon over the hill Gordon just straight up forgets that Edward is right behind him with Gordon speeding up and carrying on his journey as if he wasn't there all the while poor Edward is left out of breathe which is funny as it does highlight the fact that Gordon can be forget at times something which we do see come back into play in a later episode, it is also something that does feel very true to life as we have all done something but then forgotten the person that helped us do it and just carried on anyway and while yes granted that joke isn't that funny with there being better jokes in other episodes of the show but given the fact that this show was till trying to do slice of life stuff and not lean into it's comedy as much it is still a really funny joke with the makers of the episode putting alot of thought into making the joke work not only for the episode but for the characters as well with the rest of the episodes jokes being just as good in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.
Overall this was decent episode as it does give you a really pretty good idea of just who Edward is a character whilst also showing us Gordon as a heel which is something thats always fun to see but it is an episode that could have been alot more better as the episode really did have the potential to be a great episode of the show in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. Now then i've talked about all of the good and as well as all of the bad things that are in this very episode in this very review and as such that really does mean that this very episode really does earn itself a grand old score of exactly a 7 out of 10 from me.
Now then as for where I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review well then boys and girls and as well as ladies and gentlemen I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review from Amazon . Co . Uk and Google Images. With my personally preferred website to use to get the images from this very episode that I used in this very post being the really great Google Images really simply just due to the fact that really alot of if not really all of the images that are all really from this very episode with alot of them really being really better quality then what you'd really think of and all of the images are really of course up and really on Google Images really are also really all fairly high in quality and as well as them all being really fairly freaking high in definition.