Well at long last Season 22 has came and went. And with it came many new faces, places, and stories. Being the first series titled under "Thomas and Friends: Big World! Big Adventures!" it was definitely a struggle to wait for, as to see just how much had actually changed with the format, and if the show still had respect and care put into it. And so with that, we begin with...
Number One Engine
Written by:
Davey Moore
If you asked me, with just this starting episode, not much apart from the highlighted changes feels too different. This story plays out much like an episode on Sodor would, just with new international themes and characters thrown into the mix. I honestly quite like it really.
The premise of the episode is Thomas working on the Chinese Railway, pulling two coaches named An An and Yin-Long. Along the way he encounters another blue tank engine named Hong-Mei, who just happens to be number one on the Chinese line! This leads to the two getting competitive and racing each other, which then leads to trouble.
I quite like how the episode plays out, it showcases off the Chinese landscape, lets us meet the new characters, and gives us the conflict of the story in good time. It certainly fits the new seven minute episode length quite well. I personally never really felt anything to be rushed too terribly and everything was developed pretty consistently. Plus Thomas as the narrator didn't feel that out of the ordinary, it actually went along with the story well, as since it's his story of his travels around the world, it makes sense that he would be the one to tell it.
I also like how they casually worked little tidbits of info about China and it's culture into the story. In my opinion, I didn't think any of it felt really out of place or just tacked on. The bit about Hong-Mei's number in Chinese characters was done nicely, the small bit about the color red was played off in a nice joke and the same with the word in Chinese for start. It was portrayed very well, just like the characters. They gave off the "I'm from China" vibe without being overly stereotypical, which in a series partially focusing on International cultures, is a very good thing!
Also the bits of racing between Thomas and Hong-Mei were very fun to watch, dramatic camera angles, beautiful scenery and also some great music from Chris Renshaw! All helped to focus on the fast pace of the scenes. All then leading up to the climax of Thomas on the high bridge and then his derailment by a rock on the track. Speaking of, I like how they acknowledge that Hong-Mei and Thomas are BOTH in the wrong in the end. Thomas for taking dangerous shortcuts so haphazardly, and Hong-Mei for going too fast leading to rocks from her trucks falling out. It really shows how nicely this show usually handles characters doing things wrong.
Now for the new characters. Firstly, I LOVE Hong-Mei! She's fast, fun and energetic! Plus she also seems quite cheeky too. A nice foil to Thomas, pretty much being what he is, which works well for this episode. Sure she needed a bit more development, but for this episode, her starting personality works well. As for An An and Yin-Long, they are polar opposites of Annie and Clarabel and that makes them stand out nicely. They egg Thomas on with his adventurous schemes and racing, whereas Annie and Clarabel would be definitely against it. Certainly makes them pretty memorable.
Lastly, the fantasy sequence. For this episode, it fit in alright. Sure it wasn't exactly super relevant to the story, but it didn't detract too much. Other future episodes it does feel kinda forced and may not pertain to the story, but in this episode it fits into the narrative of Thomas and his dynamic with An An and Yin-Long. I really like how they just don't buy it at all and immediately snap him back to reality. It's a nice funny way to cut off the sequence, and kinda makes it more enjoyable.
So overall this episode was great. It flowed well, gave us what we needed to know in a timely fashion, while also being fun and entertaining while also balancing the Chinese culture bits. It may not be as exciting as some other episodes from the series, and on multiple re-watches may seem a tad underwhelming, but it certainly stands pretty well on it's own right. So to me it's a pretty good start to the new format and season overall.
Rating: 8/10 - Great
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