Thomas And Friends right is in the middle of a big relaunch with a new special currently doing the rounds of both Netflix and Youtube. However it is still important to look back on when the show began and it's early years as nine times out of ten that you find a true gem of a story with the story that i'm going to be reviewing for you all today perhaps being one of those hidden gems from the shows first season and so then join me as I review the episode that sees Thomas going fishing with the episode is question being called simply just "Thomas Goes Fishing" enjoy.
The plot of this episode is when Thomas needs to take on water but can't due to the pump at a station being broken he and his crew find something unexpecting when they use water from the local river. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual plot 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 plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty not that bad. This episodes plot was a pretty fun almost nothing plot as it doesn't advance Thomas as a character and is just there just to have some jokes in it and while this is something that does make the episodes plot feel like a filler plot. It's a filler plot that's done rather well as it does give the chance to show us some of Thomas's branchline and it does give us the chance to see how Thomas's crew have to sometimes improvise and while yes the plot of this episode is one that could have been a bit more better as it is a nothing plot and it is one that could have had a more stronger plot to it but given the fact that in the series canon are building up to the debut of Percy and those two episodes it does make sense that we would have a more lighter episode in the lead up to those two episode but again it still would have been nice if this episodes plot was alot more stronger as having the whole thing revolve around Thomas struggling to get some water isn't all that compelling of a story and is something that would have been better of being just a throwaway scene in another episode with the plot of this episode also being really rather entertaining and as well being really rather engaging as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.
Starring in this episode is Sir Ringo Starr with him really making for a really good narrator for this episode. As he does have alot of youthful energy for for this story and with it essentially being a solo story for Thomas this is something that does work well enough in the episodes favor as the episode can't relay on the other characters to make the story interesting and therefor Sir Ringo does have to sound perfect when he's voicing the character with this something that he does pull of with ease with you getting the feeling that this was a story that he either liked growing up as a kid or that he himself read it to his kids as he does sound full of life when he's reason this story as it wouldn't make sense for him to sound this full of life if he didn't have some sort of personal connection to the story. While Sir Ringo doesn't usually do any voices for this first series of the show this is something that does really work in this episode due to the fact that really only four characters talk and none of them have any distinct voices to them in the first place however this is something that does also cause an issue within the episode as if you close your eyes and just listen to the episode outside of a few scenes where the episode outright says who is talking you wouldn't be able to tell just who is talking to who and this is something that really isn't Ringo's fault as he isn't a trained actor and he never will be therefor to expect him to give all of the characters voices would have been a but to much of an ask as he was only hired in the first place due to the fact that he was at the time a very well known name and therefor having him sound as much as he normally does is something that does makes sense but it still would have been nice if we did get to hear more distinct voices in the episode tho.
Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual acting 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 acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty not that bad. The fact that we have some really good acting in this episode is somethin that really isn't all that shocking as this show has always had some really good narrators in it and while of course the show would get better narrators the more it goes on there is no denying the fact that Sir Ringo Starr does make for a good narrator in this first series with him being really good in this episode as his voice does lend itself really well to telling this story. With the best actor in this episode of course being Sir Ringo Starr as he is the episodes only actor with him having the kind of silky smooth voice that is just right for this more relaxing story and it is something that is put to good use in this episode with him hitting all of the right notes performance wise and just overall being fun to listen to in this episode and while any of the shows UK narrators would have made for a good choice to do this episode what Sir Ringo brings to the episode from a performance point of view is a sense of childlike wonder as you do get the feeling he is just a big kid having fun reading this episode and it is something that does work for this episode with him having this natural charisma that really does sine through in this episode. 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 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.
This episodes setting was something that did look really good as it's not all that often that we get to see alot of detail hidden in the shows sets. With us getting alot of fun little details going on in the background of the sets for this episode like for example we get workers working at a train station and we get to see people fishing in river these are small things yes but they also help to make the world of Sodor feel more alive as these are things that we would get to see in our everyday lives therefor it would make sense that we would get to see it in this episode and while later model seasons had dropped this aspect of the sets it is something that we get in alot of the first series episodes and it's something that should have been kept in alot of the show. In this show and in this episode it's the little things that help to make the biggest difference like showing that people are not only working but also on the train station it helps to make that station look busy and it tells us the audience that that is a popular station on Thomas's branchline or the fact that we et to see people fishing in the background this is something that it could be argued lets us know that this is where Thomas got the idea to try fishing out in the first place and it's something that is missing in alot of the later model seasons of the show with those sets making up for it by having alot of dynamic camera moves here tho the makers of this episode couldn't do that and therefor they instead chose to add in bit of detail that no one would notice upon a first or even second viewing but it's something that once you do notice them you can't unsee them as they feel right at home in the scene.
Thomas in this episode felt kind of off in this episode as he is pretty much halfway between completing his series long arc with Gordon and learning to be more grown up and still being his cheeky self. Which is something that does lead to him feeling a little bit off in this episode as we get a scene with him calling James a stick in the mid or saying that engines don't go fishing and yet even this more childlike version of Thomas wouldn't want to go fishing as as he says in quite literally the next episode he like's his rails and therefor why would he want to do something that would require him to get away from his rails and be away from being able to move and yet when they do get the fish out him it's clear that he hasn't really learnt his lesson as he just repeats what James said earlier. To be fair this episode is one of the early episodes of the show as it's only the twelfth episode of the show and therefor the makers of this episode are of course still trying to work out just who there version of Thomas is and while they do have a helping hand in this regard due o the fact that all of the stories at this time were being adapted from the books there still would have to have been changes made inorder to make the story work for the show and part of those changes would have been how certain characters are handled therefor the makers of this show would still be trying to work out who there version of Thomas is and to be fair this is something that we do see in this episode as he acts neither fully childlike and nor does he act fully wise either when it would have helped the episode out a bit if we did start to get hints of him becoming more wiser, it is possible that this episodes script was one of the first written due to the fact that the episode doesn't portray Thomas as neither childlike or wise which if so then fair enough but there still could have been changes made when they found what the running order was going to be for the episodes in this first series.
This episode is very much a nothing episode but its really a nothing episode in all of the right ways possible. As even tho the episode doesn't advance Thomas's series long arc of learning to trust Gordon more this is something that would stop the episode from being alot of fun to watch as sometimes being more fun to watch is more important then advancing a characters plot as this is something that would have bogged the episode and it wouldn't have made sense for Gordon to be on Thomas's branchline in the first place therefor having the episode be a more fun episode is something that does work in the episode with it even allowing for there to be more jokes in the episode as the episode doesn't have to worry about character arcs it can just be a fun episode and that's it. This is something that is great as not every episode of this or any show needs to be about advancing a characters arc even more so if the show like this one is is aimed at little kids as sometimes just being a fun episode is more then enough to get people to like it and while yes this episode could be seen as being one of the more weaker series one episodes which is something that would be a fair point to make it could also be argued that the things that make it weak are also the things that make it alot of fun to watch and to a little kid being more fun to watch is more important then advancing a characters arc as that's what there going to remember the next day and this is something that this episode does have going for it as there are alot of fun aspects in this episode with the fact that the episode does go out of its way to tell us how many holes are in the bucket and then tell us how long it took them to fill Thomas's tank along with the episodes more lighthearted nature being things that do make this episode alot more fun to watch.
While it is hard to say on if this episode is a fan loved episode or not as there really isn't anything to this episode. The thigs that the episode does have it has going for it rather then working against it as it would have been super easy for the makers of this episode to just write this episode of as being a filler episode and not put that much thought and effort into it which they would have had every right to do and yet they didn't as you can tell in alot of the episode there is alot of thought and effort going into making this episode which you could very easily skip over and miss nothing important to the series and yet there is still alot more thought and effort put into this filler episode then what there really needed to be. Be from as was mentioned things going on in the background to real life train facts like Thomas's driver and fireman putting up danger signs around Thomas to warn not only other trains but also other people that Thomas is in series danger this is something that real life work crews would have to have done in order to make sure that there wasn't a major accident and it's something that the makers of this episode put into the episode yes granted they pretty much had to do it as they were adapting a story from the books but it's the fact that they did it in the first place that does show that this show does teach you things about how trains are run which is something that does make it more of a family show and less of a straight forward kid show as yes there are things in this show that only little kids will love but then as is the case with this episode there are things that the whole family will love and this is something does need to be taken into account when people say that this show is just for little kids because while yes they are the target demographic the whole show is for the whole family to watch together.
Now then this episode has / had an exact grand total running time of exactly five minuets and thirty two seconds. Which is pretty much the bogstanderd running time for alot of these early episodes to have and to be fair this is an episode that does work best within that time frame as the story is so weak and so small in the first place that to stretch this plot out to even ten minuets would be pushing the plot beyond breaking point as it would means that we would have to have alot of filler scenes in the episode which is something that would make the episode feel more like a chore to sit through as we'd be sitting through five minuets worth of filler content just to get to five minuets worth of plot with the episode really having the right amount of plot there to really cover that amount of running time in the first place. With the episode not really using it's running time all that wisely due to the fact that the episode really doesn't take the time to fully develop its plot granted there really isn't all that much plot there to develop in the first place but it still would have been nice if the episode did add things to the plot that help it feel more developed like showing or telling us why Thomas wants to go fishing in the first place which is a small thing but given that that's important to the episodes plot it would have been nice to find out why he wanted to go fishing in the first place with the makers of this episode being more focused about having the opening music in the episode play for a good while into the episode then they were about giving the plot for much needed plot development. The same thing is also trye for the episodes character development as one of the episodes character get character development which given that this show made for little kids is kind of understandable and you can always argue the at the characters would get there development in later episodes of the show but we still needed for there to be something in this episodes that makes the character feel alot more development with the makers of this episode putting more thought and effort into showing the human characters fishing then they did into giving the characters some 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 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 really good. The episode really does have alot of funny moments in it with them even bringing back the fact that The Fat Controller is to lazy to do things from the "The Sad Story Of Henry" episode with him here just telling Thomas's crew how to fish and not willing to help them with it himself. With the best joke in the whole entire episode even involving The Fat Controller as when we find out that Thomas's crew had cooked the fish and eaten the with Chips for there lunch we see him wiping his mouth clean with Sir Ringo adding in adding in an "Mmmm" making it sound like that he really enjoyed it which was a really cute joke to have with it being something that does catch you of guard with it working because of the fact that you didn't see it coming with the joke itself even making sense in the context of the episode as of course these characters would eat there fish with chips and of course The Fat Controller would openly admit to enjoying it as that is in his character to do so and heck this joke even got a little chuckle out of me when watching it as it is a joke that really does work with there not really being anything that could have been to make the joke be all the more better as it's one that does work as well as its ever going to with the rest of the episodes jokes being just as good as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.
Overall whilst it is hard to say if this episode is a fan favorite episode what can be said for sure is that it is a fun episode that whilst it doesn't have much in the way of a plot as the plot for this episode is pretty bare bones at best it more then makes up for that with its rally funny jokes in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. Now then i've talked abut all of the good and as well as all of the bad things that are in this very episode in this very review and such that really es mean that this very episode really does earn itself a grand old score of exactly a 6.5 out of q0 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.