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So in my last Thomas and Friends discussion, I gave my thoughts on the Big World! Big Adventures! (BWBA) era of Thomas and how I thought it was the weakest era in the series. But now, I'm going to talk about something that I've had my mind on for a while now. Something that I'm really happy to talk about: "How to Fix Season 24 of Thomas and Friends".

How can I make this as the final season in the main canon (since I'm considering Season 25 as Season 1 of an alternate timeline, based on what we've seen from the promo... even if the look of Thomas is just a prototype)? Well first, it all came from an idea I had on how to just wrap up BWBA before the transition to 2D Thomas, since it looks like there's no standard transition this time around (unless you count my theory of Nia and Emily possibly getting written out of the series). But then as more and more ideas flooded my head, it began to evolve into more than just that; E.I. all of Season 24.

My first idea was to make two more 22 minute specials, one that takes Thomas around the world one last time and one that takes place on Sodor at the same time. Would these be 2 new specials that would go along with the other 3 specials that we have? Well, I wanted to at first, but then I thought about what would happen if I worked on the actual show, and I had to stick to just 3 specials. And the one way around this, is to scrap 2 of the 3 existing specials and replace them with my new ideas. Obviously we can't get rid of "Thomas and the Royal Engine" because that's the 75th anniversary special (but I do have an alternative take on that one). So by a quick process of elimination, we would have to get rid of the 2 Marvelous Machinery specials; "A New Arrival" and "World of Tomorrow". Now this wouldn't be much of a loss since a lot of people hated the two parter (while I brushed it off as enjoyable bad). However, because we lost these two specials, we've also lost the introduction of Sonny, Kenji, and Ruth the Inventor; and they play a part in 6 of the episodes. With 3 new characters out of the picture and 6 episodes missing, how can we salvage them?
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1) Let's start off with Ruth because the answer is very simple with her. We don't! Nothing against Ruth since I think she's serviceable, but her whole existence relies on the whole invention story arc; between the Marvelous Machinery two parter, "Thomas and the Inventor's Workshop", "The Inventor's Spectacular Bridge", and the two Cleo episodes. Speaking of Cleo, I can't say much about her since I haven't seen her episodes yet. But like Marvelous Machinery, many people didn't like this character and felt like she didn't belong in the Thomas universe. I mean, she does look cute at least. But if she's one of Ruth's inventions, then sadly she would have to go too. I do have another reason why Ruth and her episodes should be cut, and that leads into our next character; Kenji.

2) In case you left the series before Season 24 or are not a Thomas fan, Kenji is based on the Japanese Bullet Train. And when I first saw him, I thought that Thomas was going to Japan, and that the whole Marvelous Machinery thing was going to happen there. But nope, it all happens a Sodor. I think this was a BIG missed opportunity to bring Thomas to Japan. But since BWBA was a big flop, they wanted to step as far away from the "Around the World" aspect as possible and just solely focus on Sodor, with only 5 episodes taking place around the world; one for each country that has already been shown. I'm fine with them cutting down on the number of Fantasy Sequences (because I also found some of them to be really stupid), but Seasons 22 and 23 had half of the episodes taking place around the world, and I feel like Season 24 should have followed that trend too. So to make up for that, I would replace two of the Ruth episodes as well as redo the Kenji episode with 3 Japan episodes; one for Thomas, a new one for Kenji (making him the new token international engine), and one for Hiro.

Oh yeah, in Kenji's original episode, "Kenji on the Rails Again", Hiro was abruptly written out of the series when he traveled back to Japan with Kenji. I feel like he should've been given a proper send off, especially since he was the first new character to be introduced in CGI. And here's how I would've done it.

"While in Japan, Thomas notices that Hiro isn't too happy about returning to Sodor soon, while at the same time not feeling too happy about staying because a lot has changed since he first moved to Sodor. He explains to Thomas that when he went back after being restored, the railway line he used to work on didn't feel like home anymore. Not only that, but also all of his friends were gone, assuming that they have all been scrapped. Hiro tried to adapt to the changes, but he just couldn't accept them, and he started to miss his new home on Sodor. This could've explained why Hiro came back so quickly between the end of "Hero of the Rails" and the last 3rd of Season 13. Thomas tells the manager of the railway how Hiro is feeling, and the manager gives Hiro a big surprise; reuniting him with two of his old friends, who he was able to find and save from being scrapped. Hiro has an emotional reunion and the 3 of them work together in a montage, which ends with them exploring a part of the railway that looks exactly like their old home. This is enough to convice Hiro to stay and Thomas supports his decision."

To me, this is the best way that you could write Hiro out of the series and give him a proper send off.

3) OK, we've taken care of Ruth and Kenji (and wrote off Hiro in the best way possible at the same time), it's time to talk about, in my opinion, the best new character of Season 24; Sonny. To me, he's the token new character for the season (not counting Kenji). From the moment I saw him, I was already invested in knowing more about him (something I haven't felt with any of the newer characters of late). And his episode, "Sonny's Second Chance", is easily my favorite episode this season (which it feels like something from the Andrew Brenner Era), which is why I want to keep that episode in. But how do we go from Sonny's introduction to his second chance? Well I would set it up the same way it was set up in Marvelous Machinery, but instead of inventions, it would be about a certain little railway show.

At the start of the season, there was an episode called "The Great Little Railway Show", where Percy thought that there was going to be a show all about the smaller engines, when in reality, it's actually about model trains (BTW: I'm one of the few who felt a little disappointed by this one). However, instead of ending the episode with the show, it sets up the idea the Earl has about having the show be both about model trains and real life small trains. I should also mention that these models were made by Wilbert Awdry himself, since his likeness exist in the show now. And in the final scene, we see Sonny arrive on Sodor with his original owners; two crooks named Baz and Bernie (who look like Thomas versions of Abbott and Costello, but that's just me).

Now, since we've replaced the two Ruth episodes with two international episodes, let's replace the two Cleo episodes with Sonny and the continuation of The Great Little Railway Show. And this is where the aspects from Marvelous Machinery come into play.

"In the first episode, Sonny arrives at Ulfstead Castle with Baz and Bernie, and the two crooks go undercover as workers while trying to figure out what to steal. Meanwhile, Sonny is put to work by the Earl to get things ready. While working, he meets up with Thomas, and the number one engine helps him out. Both he and the Earl call him really useful afterwards, and this is what causes him to chance his ways. During that time, Baz and Bernie notice the model engines and decide that that's what they're going to steal."

"In the next episode, while the crooks plan their heist, Sonny tells them off that he doesn't want any part of their schemes anymore, but is then threatened by Baz (who is still the smart one while Bernie is still the dumb one). Before the show starts, the Earl and Awdry notice that the models have gone missing. Just then, Thomas notices that Sonny is leaving the scene quickly and chases after him. He and his crew learn that Sonny's controls were rigged by the two crooks as a distraction (and as a way to get rid of Sonny after his little outburst the night before) while they escape on one of the other small engines; like Percy or Duck. This leads to Thomas, Sonny, and the other small engines chasing after the two crooks, and saving not only their friend, but also the models. Baz and Bernie get arrested, the show is a grand success, and Sir Topham Hatt gives Sonny a second chance."

And then we wrap up Sonny's story with the second chance episode. I've noticed that with this set up, it feels like these 4 episodes are like something out of a Railway Series book.
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And with that, we have solved the issue of losing Ruth, Kenji, and Sonny by replacing the original 6 episodes with 5 new episodes, all while keeping Sonny's Second Chance. And we've also added 3 new international episodes into the mix. But now we need two more in order to balance the international and Sodor episodes. And the only way to do that is to replace two more Sodor episodes. And I know which two they are; "Emily's Best Friend" and "Thomas' Animal Friends".

With the Emily episode, it felt unnecessary since Emily already has lots of best friends. And another reviewer brought up the point that all of Emily's episodes feel the same; having her feel like she's not special or that she does not do or have anything that the others do or have (and I can see that). It does look like the writers don't know what to do with her anymore, and it further proves the rumor that she could get written out after this season.

As for the Thomas one, I watched it and it really is nothing but a 7 minute long commercial to promote the Trackmaster toy line where Thomas, Percy, James, Gordon, and Rebecca dress up like animals. But I will admit that the scene with Gordon dressed as an elephant was funny.

So where can Thomas go in the last two international episodes? Well, there are two locations from the movie that we haven't revisited yet; Africa and the United States. I'm going to go with the United States for the last two because I want to save Africa for the last international special. I don't know what would the stories be about, but I do know that one of the could take place at the San Francisco docks (where Thomas will bump into Natalie and Vinnie again, and maybe have the episode continue off the rivalry between Thomas and Vinnie from "The Great Race") and the other one takes place in Arizona (where Thomas reunites with Beau, the Arizona Diesel (A.K.A. recolored Frankie), and maybe even Sam).

There, we now have 10 Sodor episodes and 10 international episodes. I guess I can now talk about my ideas for the 3 specials, right. Actually, I do have one more episode idea, and I want to change two scenes from two of the episodes.

First, the two scenes. In "Thomas' Not-So-Lucky Day" and "Thomas' Fuzzy Friend", they both have a toilet humor joke and I don't like seeing them in this. OK, the one in "The Missing Breakdown Train" I'll allow given that the location was by the sea and that there are lots of seagull droppings close to the pier, and the fact that the two breakdown cranes are not main characters. But instead of a seagull pooping on Thomas after he goes under a ladder in the Not-So-Lucky Day episode, why not have a can of paint hanging off the ladder fall onto him when he goes under it? Or, even funnier, instead of seagull poop, have it lay an egg mid flight and have it land on Thomas? Sure, it's unrealistic, but most of the stuff in this era isn't realistic either. And instead of a dog pissing (off-screen) all over James' wheels in the Fuzzy Friend episode, the dog begins to act up a bit (the way dogs do when they need to go), James ask what wrong with him, Nia mentions that the dog needs to go to the bathroom, the dog starts walking up to James, James freaks out and says that he's not a fire hydrant, and then bolts it in reverse before the dog gets any closer. This causes Thomas and Nia to laugh while the dog goes to the bathroom somewhere else off camera. Other than those two scenes, the rest of these episodes are OK the way they are.

Next, my final episode idea. I wish we had gotten an episode centered around the Steelworks crew; Merlin, Hurricane, Frankie, Theo, and Lexi. OK, we already had a Merlin episode, but what about the others? They only appeared in "Journey Beyond Sodor" and they deserve to appear in at least one episode, even though the one that would be the star of it is Hurricane. And the episode would be called "Hurricane's Hurricane".

"When a hurricane hits the mainland, the Steelworks team take cover inside the Steelworks. However, Theo the Traction Engine hasn't returned yet and gets caught up in the storm. So Hurricane braves the storm and brings his friend back home safe and sound."

This would not only give these engines an episode to appear in, but also give my favorite newcomer from that movie an episode to really show his stuff. But if I want this episode to happen, I would have to replace another episode with it. For me, it's "Nia and the Unfriendly Elephant". I haven't seen this one, but I do know how it ends, and unfortunately, that can't happen with what I plan to do her.

And that perfectly segways into the main topic of this discussion. I've held this out long enough. It's finally time to talk about the specials. And we kick things off with the final international special titled; "Nia Goes Home".

"Nia begins to feel home sick and wants to visit Africa for a while. Sir Topham Hatt grants her her wish and he sends her, and Thomas, off to Africa. When they arrive, Nia reunites with her old friend Kwaku and they both exchange stories on what has happened since they last met in the movie. During their stay, they come across a new engine who is not a friendly sort, and thinks that Nia is here to replace him/her. So the new engine tries to set Nia up and make it look like that every that has gone wrong was her fault. However, one attempt goes too far and disaster strikes. I can see the disaster be something similar to the TUGS episode "Munitions" where one careless act causes the whole dock to go up in flames. And like in the episode, Nia would do something that saves the day, but also almost causes her to die. Everyone declares her a hero and the new engine is sent away after being caught. But without the new engine, the manager needs to find another one. Then, Kwaku suggest that Nia should be the new replacement, and that she would finally have a new shed since her old one was gone (as stated in the movie). Nia is unsure about this, but Thomas says that it's OK and the African tank engine stays behind as Thomas returns to Sodor. And as a final exchange, Nia tells Thomas to give her place at Tidmouth Shed to someone else."

What a better way to wrap up BWBA's international episodes than by going back to the very first country that Thomas visited. Also, we were able to write Nia out of the series by having her go back to where we first met her, almost retconing her existence and BWBA while still keeping it canon.

Next up is the special that takes place during the Africa one, and I want to put the focus on Edward and Henry for this one. Again, keeping things canon while also retconing some things. I really don't have a well thought out title for this one, so let's just call it "Edward and Henry" as a placeholder. First off, Edward's part of the special.

"It starts with Edward waking up one morning and noticing that Philip the Cab Box Diesel is not in the sheds with him. Sir Topham Hatt explains that unfortunately he had to send him away to the mainland because they needed another engine to help out there. I've heard that a lot of people don't like Philip, so just abruptly writing him off like this wouldn't be that big of a deal, unlike some others. The other engines hear this news and are upset that another Sodor engine has moved away, and they even mention some of the other engines that have left the island; like Neville, Molly, and Murdoch. This could easily explain why so many well-known characters are no longer in the series. So Sir Topham Hatt sends Rosie to help Edward out for a while, and the two form a nice friendship. And during that time, Edward would share his knowledge and wisdom with Rosie, kind of like a student/mentor relationship (something that The Unlucky Tug on YouTube came up with). Then one day, Gordon gets stuck on his hill and Edward is sent to help push him (since being a back engine is one of his jobs). However, Edward is not as strong as he use to be and can't help push Gordon by himself. Luckily Rosie comes along and together, they both get Gordon to the top of the hill. Sir Topham Hatt is very impressed, and Edward ask if Rosie can stay with him so that she can help him out; and maybe take his place when it becomes his time to retire in the future. Both Rosie and Sir Topham Hatt agree and the two engines happily work together everyday,"

It's not that big of a send off for Edward, but I do think that it is a good "handing off the torch" story for him. Now, let's move onto Henry's side of the story.

"When Henry hears the news that Rosie will be staying with Edward for a while, he is both happy and sad; happy that she would be helping out his old friend, both sad that he would have no one to talk to in the sheds for a while. And one night, after being alone for a while, he decides to stay at Tidmouth Shed for a while. He is very happy to be with his friends again, and so do the others; especially Gordon. But when Henry hears that Rosie would be staying with Edward for good, he begins to feel upset again and worries that he'll always be alone in Vicarstown. To help him feel a bit better, the others said that he can stay with them until Thomas and Nia return from Africa. But little do they know that it wouldn't be temporary. A few days later, Gordon and Rebecca have to pull two express trains, since there were a lot of extra passengers that day. However, things don't go right when both of them breakdown (with Rebecca breaking down first, followed by Gordon further down the line). When Henry sees what has happened, he jumps into action and pulls Rebecca and pushes Gordon to the station. Think of this as a modern day version of "Super Rescue", but with Gordon and Rebecca instead of D199 and D7101 (Bear). Everyone celebrates Henry's heroic action and Sir Topham Hatt rewards him by planning on expanding Tidmouth Shed from 7 spaces to 8, so that he can move back in with the others; which of course makes Henry very happy. But then, the next evening, everyone gathers at Knapford Station as Thomas returns from his journey to Africa, but are surprised and upset that Nia wouldn't be coming back. You know (as I'm writing this), this special would teach a very good lesson that sometimes people that you like/love have to go away and you might not see them again, but it's OK to still remember them; kind of like Percy and Gator's friendship in "Tale of the Brave". Thomas then tells Sir Topham Hatt about Nia wanting to give her spot in the sheds to someone else, and since he was planning on moving Henry back in, he gives him her spot. And at the end of the special, Percy comes in with the mail and delivers an important letter to Sir Topham Hatt, and everyone is surprised to learn that it is from... The Queen."

This is a fantastic way to celebrate Edward and Henry, give Rosie a proper place in this series after her rebrand, and bring Henry back into the Steam Team. Also, the ending ties in perfectly with the final special; which we have now come to.

Let's finally talk about how I would do Thomas and the Royal Engine (which I won't be calling it that, but I'll save the new name for the end). Of course I would still keep the concept of Thomas and Sir Topham Hatt going to London for a special reward ceremony. But in my version, all of the original Steam Team members (Thomas, Percy, James, Emily, Gordon, Henry, Edward, and Toby) would go to London. Also, I would keep the introduction with Prince Harry, but I would also make him a special guest narrator (and possibly the final narrator in the series) for this.

"The special starts where the Edward and Henry one left off, where Sir Topham Hatt gets a letter from The Queen and that he and the Steam Team must go to London for a special reward ceremony being held tomorrow. The next day, Sir Topham Hatt, his wife, and the 8 engines head off to London (with Rebecca staying behind to do Gordon's express work and Rosie doing Edward's work), and we have a nice minute long montage of the engines traveling across the countryside (and maybe even a glimpse of the Steelworks too) before arriving in London. But when they arrive, they are surprised to learn that The Queen had to leave town for an important meeting and wouldn't be back until tomorrow. This could be early hinted at with a Station Master trying to stop Sir Topham Hatt and the engines from leaving, but arrives too late to tell them the news. And to make matters worse, Gordon bumps into a certain London engine; Big City Engine from "Gordon Goes Forgein". They both start to bicker as we transition to a CGI recreation of the story; from their first meeting, to arguing about the names of the London train stations, to Gordon pulling BCE's train after he had derailed. Big City Engine brags that London engines are more superior to other engines, and that makes Gordon and the others very cross. Just then one of the queen's guards shows up with news that The Queen made it to her destination safely, but her private engine Dutchess has broken down and can't bring her back home tomorrow. So Big City Engine sets off to bring them back and tells Gordon that pulling the Royal Train is not something for a Sodor engine; which makes Gordon extra angry since he was the one to pull the train when The Queen visited Sodor."

"During the night, a big storm hits the mainland. And by morning, the storm disappears, but it left a big mess everywhere. The guards think that they'll have to cancel the celebration, but Thomas and the others come to the rescue by cleaning up the mess, so that the ceremony can go on as planned (even if it means getting dirty). Later on, Big City Engine takes The Queen and Dutchess back to The Palace, all while telling Dutchess that he should replace her as The Queen's private engine. But halfway home, Big City Engine crashes into some of the debris left by the storm and both he and Dutchess get derailed. When the news of the accident hits the Sodor engines, half of them (Thomas, Gordon, James, and Emily) race to the rescue while the others (Percy, Toby, Edward, and Henry) stay behind to clean up the last of the mess. Emily (now being labeled as the Rescue Engine) takes a brakedown train to lift Big City Engine and Dutchess back onto the tracks, James shunts Big City Engine, Thomas shunts Dutchess, and Gordon pulls the Royal Train. They all arrive back at The Palace just as the others finish the last of the clean up. The Queen is so grateful to the Sodor engines that not only does she give Sir Topham Hatt his reward for his services to the island, but also presents all 8 engines with a special crest and a knighthood at the ceremony. Everyone congratulates the engines, Big City Engine is sent away to be repaired in disgrace, and Sir Topham Hatt is very proud that his engines have proven once again that they are Really Useful."

What a fitting end to the series. All the original main engines play a part in the story and they get a knighthood in the end for their services to The Queen. I do have some final notes about the ending that I would like to touch on. First, I would have Spencer and Flying Scotsman attending the celebration; with Spencer just as a background character who brought The Duke & Dutchess to the ceremony and Flying Scotsman congratulating Gordon on his reward, saying that while he maybe faster than Gordon, getting this reward was something he couldn't do and that it should be something to be proud of, and Gordon agrees with him. Also, I would have the young prince and some of the other children meeting up with their favorite engines; some liking Thomas, and others preferring one of the other 7 engines. They all mention some of their favorite stories (Seasons 1 - 7 and Seasons 17 - 21). And half of the children and boys, and the other half girls (proving that the show didn't need gender equality to bring in a female audience, because even girls liked the stories just as much as the boys).

This special is the prefect way to celebrate Thomas 75th Anniversary as well as ending the series on a high note. And the name that I would give this special...

"Sir Topham Hatt's Royal Engines"

Now wouldn't have that been nice?
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Thomas and Friends belong to Mattel

Description
So in my last Thomas and Friends discussion, I gave my thoughts on the Big World! Big Adventures! (BWBA) era of Thomas and how I thought it was the weakest era in the series. But now, I'm going to talk about something that I've had my mind on for a while now. Something that I'm really happy to talk about: "How to Fix Season 24 of Thomas and Friends".

How can I make this as the final season in the main canon (since I'm considering Season 25 as Season 1 of an alternate timeline, based on what we've seen from the promo... even if the look of Thomas is just a prototype)? Well first, it all came from an idea I had on how to just wrap up BWBA before the transition to 2D Thomas, since it looks like there's no standard transition this time around (unless you count my theory of Nia and Emily possibly getting written out of the series). But then as more and more ideas flooded my head, it began to evolve into more than just that; E.I. all of Season 24.

My first idea was to make two more 22 minute specials, one that takes Thomas around the world one last time and one that takes place on Sodor at the same time. Would these be 2 new specials that would go along with the other 3 specials that we have? Well, I wanted to at first, but then I thought about what would happen if I worked on the actual show, and I had to stick to just 3 specials. And the one way around this, is to scrap 2 of the 3 existing specials and replace them with my new ideas. Obviously we can't get rid of "Thomas and the Royal Engine" because that's the 75th anniversary special (but I do have an alternative take on that one). So by a quick process of elimination, we would have to get rid of the 2 Marvelous Machinery specials; "A New Arrival" and "World of Tomorrow". Now this wouldn't be much of a loss since a lot of people hated the two parter (while I brushed it off as enjoyable bad). However, because we lost these two specials, we've also lost the introduction of Sonny, Kenji, and Ruth the Inventor; and they play a part in 6 of the episodes. With 3 new characters out of the picture and 6 episodes missing, how can we salvage them?
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1) Let's start off with Ruth because the answer is very simple with her. We don't! Nothing against Ruth since I think she's serviceable, but her whole existence relies on the whole invention story arc; between the Marvelous Machinery two parter, "Thomas and the Inventor's Workshop", "The Inventor's Spectacular Bridge", and the two Cleo episodes. Speaking of Cleo, I can't say much about her since I haven't seen her episodes yet. But like Marvelous Machinery, many people didn't like this character and felt like she didn't belong in the Thomas universe. I mean, she does look cute at least. But if she's one of Ruth's inventions, then sadly she would have to go too. I do have another reason why Ruth and her episodes should be cut, and that leads into our next character; Kenji.

2) In case you left the series before Season 24 or are not a Thomas fan, Kenji is based on the Japanese Bullet Train. And when I first saw him, I thought that Thomas was going to Japan, and that the whole Marvelous Machinery thing was going to happen there. But nope, it all happens a Sodor. I think this was a BIG missed opportunity to bring Thomas to Japan. But since BWBA was a big flop, they wanted to step as far away from the "Around the World" aspect as possible and just solely focus on Sodor, with only 5 episodes taking place around the world; one for each country that has already been shown. I'm fine with them cutting down on the number of Fantasy Sequences (because I also found some of them to be really stupid), but Seasons 22 and 23 had half of the episodes taking place around the world, and I feel like Season 24 should have followed that trend too. So to make up for that, I would replace two of the Ruth episodes as well as redo the Kenji episode with 3 Japan episodes; one for Thomas, a new one for Kenji (making him the new token international engine), and one for Hiro.

Oh yeah, in Kenji's original episode, "Kenji on the Rails Again", Hiro was abruptly written out of the series when he traveled back to Japan with Kenji. I feel like he should've been given a proper send off, especially since he was the first new character to be introduced in CGI. And here's how I would've done it.

"While in Japan, Thomas notices that Hiro isn't too happy about returning to Sodor soon, while at the same time not feeling too happy about staying because a lot has changed since he first moved to Sodor. He explains to Thomas that when he went back after being restored, the railway line he used to work on didn't feel like home anymore. Not only that, but also all of his friends were gone, assuming that they have all been scrapped. Hiro tried to adapt to the changes, but he just couldn't accept them, and he started to miss his new home on Sodor. This could've explained why Hiro came back so quickly between the end of "Hero of the Rails" and the last 3rd of Season 13. Thomas tells the manager of the railway how Hiro is feeling, and the manager gives Hiro a big surprise; reuniting him with two of his old friends, who he was able to find and save from being scrapped. Hiro has an emotional reunion and the 3 of them work together in a montage, which ends with them exploring a part of the railway that looks exactly like their old home. This is enough to convice Hiro to stay and Thomas supports his decision."

To me, this is the best way that you could write Hiro out of the series and give him a proper send off.

3) OK, we've taken care of Ruth and Kenji (and wrote off Hiro in the best way possible at the same time), it's time to talk about, in my opinion, the best new character of Season 24; Sonny. To me, he's the token new character for the season (not counting Kenji). From the moment I saw him, I was already invested in knowing more about him (something I haven't felt with any of the newer characters of late). And his episode, "Sonny's Second Chance", is easily my favorite episode this season (which it feels like something from the Andrew Brenner Era), which is why I want to keep that episode in. But how do we go from Sonny's introduction to his second chance? Well I would set it up the same way it was set up in Marvelous Machinery, but instead of inventions, it would be about a certain little railway show.

At the start of the season, there was an episode called "The Great Little Railway Show", where Percy thought that there was going to be a show all about the smaller engines, when in reality, it's actually about model trains (BTW: I'm one of the few who felt a little disappointed by this one). However, instead of ending the episode with the show, it sets up the idea the Earl has about having the show be both about model trains and real life small trains. I should also mention that these models were made by Wilbert Awdry himself, since his likeness exist in the show now. And in the final scene, we see Sonny arrive on Sodor with his original owners; two crooks named Baz and Bernie (who look like Thomas versions of Abbott and Costello, but that's just me).

Now, since we've replaced the two Ruth episodes with two international episodes, let's replace the two Cleo episodes with Sonny and the continuation of The Great Little Railway Show. And this is where the aspects from Marvelous Machinery come into play.

"In the first episode, Sonny arrives at Ulfstead Castle with Baz and Bernie, and the two crooks go undercover as workers while trying to figure out what to steal. Meanwhile, Sonny is put to work by the Earl to get things ready. While working, he meets up with Thomas, and the number one engine helps him out. Both he and the Earl call him really useful afterwards, and this is what causes him to chance his ways. During that time, Baz and Bernie notice the model engines and decide that that's what they're going to steal."

"In the next episode, while the crooks plan their heist, Sonny tells them off that he doesn't want any part of their schemes anymore, but is then threatened by Baz (who is still the smart one while Bernie is still the dumb one). Before the show starts, the Earl and Awdry notice that the models have gone missing. Just then, Thomas notices that Sonny is leaving the scene quickly and chases after him. He and his crew learn that Sonny's controls were rigged by the two crooks as a distraction (and as a way to get rid of Sonny after his little outburst the night before) while they escape on one of the other small engines; like Percy or Duck. This leads to Thomas, Sonny, and the other small engines chasing after the two crooks, and saving not only their friend, but also the models. Baz and Bernie get arrested, the show is a grand success, and Sir Topham Hatt gives Sonny a second chance."

And then we wrap up Sonny's story with the second chance episode. I've noticed that with this set up, it feels like these 4 episodes are like something out of a Railway Series book.
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And with that, we have solved the issue of losing Ruth, Kenji, and Sonny by replacing the original 6 episodes with 5 new episodes, all while keeping Sonny's Second Chance. And we've also added 3 new international episodes into the mix. But now we need two more in order to balance the international and Sodor episodes. And the only way to do that is to replace two more Sodor episodes. And I know which two they are; "Emily's Best Friend" and "Thomas' Animal Friends".

With the Emily episode, it felt unnecessary since Emily already has lots of best friends. And another reviewer brought up the point that all of Emily's episodes feel the same; having her feel like she's not special or that she does not do or have anything that the others do or have (and I can see that). It does look like the writers don't know what to do with her anymore, and it further proves the rumor that she could get written out after this season.

As for the Thomas one, I watched it and it really is nothing but a 7 minute long commercial to promote the Trackmaster toy line where Thomas, Percy, James, Gordon, and Rebecca dress up like animals. But I will admit that the scene with Gordon dressed as an elephant was funny.

So where can Thomas go in the last two international episodes? Well, there are two locations from the movie that we haven't revisited yet; Africa and the United States. I'm going to go with the United States for the last two because I want to save Africa for the last international special. I don't know what would the stories be about, but I do know that one of the could take place at the San Francisco docks (where Thomas will bump into Natalie and Vinnie again, and maybe have the episode continue off the rivalry between Thomas and Vinnie from "The Great Race") and the other one takes place in Arizona (where Thomas reunites with Beau, the Arizona Diesel (A.K.A. recolored Frankie), and maybe even Sam).

There, we now have 10 Sodor episodes and 10 international episodes. I guess I can now talk about my ideas for the 3 specials, right. Actually, I do have one more episode idea, and I want to change two scenes from two of the episodes.

First, the two scenes. In "Thomas' Not-So-Lucky Day" and "Thomas' Fuzzy Friend", they both have a toilet humor joke and I don't like seeing them in this. OK, the one in "The Missing Breakdown Train" I'll allow given that the location was by the sea and that there are lots of seagull droppings close to the pier, and the fact that the two breakdown cranes are not main characters. But instead of a seagull pooping on Thomas after he goes under a ladder in the Not-So-Lucky Day episode, why not have a can of paint hanging off the ladder fall onto him when he goes under it? Or, even funnier, instead of seagull poop, have it lay an egg mid flight and have it land on Thomas? Sure, it's unrealistic, but most of the stuff in this era isn't realistic either. And instead of a dog pissing (off-screen) all over James' wheels in the Fuzzy Friend episode, the dog begins to act up a bit (the way dogs do when they need to go), James ask what wrong with him, Nia mentions that the dog needs to go to the bathroom, the dog starts walking up to James, James freaks out and says that he's not a fire hydrant, and then bolts it in reverse before the dog gets any closer. This causes Thomas and Nia to laugh while the dog goes to the bathroom somewhere else off camera. Other than those two scenes, the rest of these episodes are OK the way they are.

Next, my final episode idea. I wish we had gotten an episode centered around the Steelworks crew; Merlin, Hurricane, Frankie, Theo, and Lexi. OK, we already had a Merlin episode, but what about the others? They only appeared in "Journey Beyond Sodor" and they deserve to appear in at least one episode, even though the one that would be the star of it is Hurricane. And the episode would be called "Hurricane's Hurricane".

"When a hurricane hits the mainland, the Steelworks team take cover inside the Steelworks. However, Theo the Traction Engine hasn't returned yet and gets caught up in the storm. So Hurricane braves the storm and brings his friend back home safe and sound."

This would not only give these engines an episode to appear in, but also give my favorite newcomer from that movie an episode to really show his stuff. But if I want this episode to happen, I would have to replace another episode with it. For me, it's "Nia and the Unfriendly Elephant". I haven't seen this one, but I do know how it ends, and unfortunately, that can't happen with what I plan to do her.

And that perfectly segways into the main topic of this discussion. I've held this out long enough. It's finally time to talk about the specials. And we kick things off with the final international special titled; "Nia Goes Home".

"Nia begins to feel home sick and wants to visit Africa for a while. Sir Topham Hatt grants her her wish and he sends her, and Thomas, off to Africa. When they arrive, Nia reunites with her old friend Kwaku and they both exchange stories on what has happened since they last met in the movie. During their stay, they come across a new engine who is not a friendly sort, and thinks that Nia is here to replace him/her. So the new engine tries to set Nia up and make it look like that every that has gone wrong was her fault. However, one attempt goes too far and disaster strikes. I can see the disaster be something similar to the TUGS episode "Munitions" where one careless act causes the whole dock to go up in flames. And like in the episode, Nia would do something that saves the day, but also almost causes her to die. Everyone declares her a hero and the new engine is sent away after being caught. But without the new engine, the manager needs to find another one. Then, Kwaku suggest that Nia should be the new replacement, and that she would finally have a new shed since her old one was gone (as stated in the movie). Nia is unsure about this, but Thomas says that it's OK and the African tank engine stays behind as Thomas returns to Sodor. And as a final exchange, Nia tells Thomas to give her place at Tidmouth Shed to someone else."

What a better way to wrap up BWBA's international episodes than by going back to the very first country that Thomas visited. Also, we were able to write Nia out of the series by having her go back to where we first met her, almost retconing her existence and BWBA while still keeping it canon.

Next up is the special that takes place during the Africa one, and I want to put the focus on Edward and Henry for this one. Again, keeping things canon while also retconing some things. I really don't have a well thought out title for this one, so let's just call it "Edward and Henry" as a placeholder. First off, Edward's part of the special.

"It starts with Edward waking up one morning and noticing that Philip the Cab Box Diesel is not in the sheds with him. Sir Topham Hatt explains that unfortunately he had to send him away to the mainland because they needed another engine to help out there. I've heard that a lot of people don't like Philip, so just abruptly writing him off like this wouldn't be that big of a deal, unlike some others. The other engines hear this news and are upset that another Sodor engine has moved away, and they even mention some of the other engines that have left the island; like Neville, Molly, and Murdoch. This could easily explain why so many well-known characters are no longer in the series. So Sir Topham Hatt sends Rosie to help Edward out for a while, and the two form a nice friendship. And during that time, Edward would share his knowledge and wisdom with Rosie, kind of like a student/mentor relationship (something that The Unlucky Tug on YouTube came up with). Then one day, Gordon gets stuck on his hill and Edward is sent to help push him (since being a back engine is one of his jobs). However, Edward is not as strong as he use to be and can't help push Gordon by himself. Luckily Rosie comes along and together, they both get Gordon to the top of the hill. Sir Topham Hatt is very impressed, and Edward ask if Rosie can stay with him so that she can help him out; and maybe take his place when it becomes his time to retire in the future. Both Rosie and Sir Topham Hatt agree and the two engines happily work together everyday,"

It's not that big of a send off for Edward, but I do think that it is a good "handing off the torch" story for him. Now, let's move onto Henry's side of the story.

"When Henry hears the news that Rosie will be staying with Edward for a while, he is both happy and sad; happy that she would be helping out his old friend, both sad that he would have no one to talk to in the sheds for a while. And one night, after being alone for a while, he decides to stay at Tidmouth Shed for a while. He is very happy to be with his friends again, and so do the others; especially Gordon. But when Henry hears that Rosie would be staying with Edward for good, he begins to feel upset again and worries that he'll always be alone in Vicarstown. To help him feel a bit better, the others said that he can stay with them until Thomas and Nia return from Africa. But little do they know that it wouldn't be temporary. A few days later, Gordon and Rebecca have to pull two express trains, since there were a lot of extra passengers that day. However, things don't go right when both of them breakdown (with Rebecca breaking down first, followed by Gordon further down the line). When Henry sees what has happened, he jumps into action and pulls Rebecca and pushes Gordon to the station. Think of this as a modern day version of "Super Rescue", but with Gordon and Rebecca instead of D199 and D7101 (Bear). Everyone celebrates Henry's heroic action and Sir Topham Hatt rewards him by planning on expanding Tidmouth Shed from 7 spaces to 8, so that he can move back in with the others; which of course makes Henry very happy. But then, the next evening, everyone gathers at Knapford Station as Thomas returns from his journey to Africa, but are surprised and upset that Nia wouldn't be coming back. You know (as I'm writing this), this special would teach a very good lesson that sometimes people that you like/love have to go away and you might not see them again, but it's OK to still remember them; kind of like Percy and Gator's friendship in "Tale of the Brave". Thomas then tells Sir Topham Hatt about Nia wanting to give her spot in the sheds to someone else, and since he was planning on moving Henry back in, he gives him her spot. And at the end of the special, Percy comes in with the mail and delivers an important letter to Sir Topham Hatt, and everyone is surprised to learn that it is from... The Queen."

This is a fantastic way to celebrate Edward and Henry, give Rosie a proper place in this series after her rebrand, and bring Henry back into the Steam Team. Also, the ending ties in perfectly with the final special; which we have now come to.

Let's finally talk about how I would do Thomas and the Royal Engine (which I won't be calling it that, but I'll save the new name for the end). Of course I would still keep the concept of Thomas and Sir Topham Hatt going to London for a special reward ceremony. But in my version, all of the original Steam Team members (Thomas, Percy, James, Emily, Gordon, Henry, Edward, and Toby) would go to London. Also, I would keep the introduction with Prince Harry, but I would also make him a special guest narrator (and possibly the final narrator in the series) for this.

"The special starts where the Edward and Henry one left off, where Sir Topham Hatt gets a letter from The Queen and that he and the Steam Team must go to London for a special reward ceremony being held tomorrow. The next day, Sir Topham Hatt, his wife, and the 8 engines head off to London (with Rebecca staying behind to do Gordon's express work and Rosie doing Edward's work), and we have a nice minute long montage of the engines traveling across the countryside (and maybe even a glimpse of the Steelworks too) before arriving in London. But when they arrive, they are surprised to learn that The Queen had to leave town for an important meeting and wouldn't be back until tomorrow. This could be early hinted at with a Station Master trying to stop Sir Topham Hatt and the engines from leaving, but arrives too late to tell them the news. And to make matters worse, Gordon bumps into a certain London engine; Big City Engine from "Gordon Goes Forgein". They both start to bicker as we transition to a CGI recreation of the story; from their first meeting, to arguing about the names of the London train stations, to Gordon pulling BCE's train after he had derailed. Big City Engine brags that London engines are more superior to other engines, and that makes Gordon and the others very cross. Just then one of the queen's guards shows up with news that The Queen made it to her destination safely, but her private engine Dutchess has broken down and can't bring her back home tomorrow. So Big City Engine sets off to bring them back and tells Gordon that pulling the Royal Train is not something for a Sodor engine; which makes Gordon extra angry since he was the one to pull the train when The Queen visited Sodor."

"During the night, a big storm hits the mainland. And by morning, the storm disappears, but it left a big mess everywhere. The guards think that they'll have to cancel the celebration, but Thomas and the others come to the rescue by cleaning up the mess, so that the ceremony can go on as planned (even if it means getting dirty). Later on, Big City Engine takes The Queen and Dutchess back to The Palace, all while telling Dutchess that he should replace her as The Queen's private engine. But halfway home, Big City Engine crashes into some of the debris left by the storm and both he and Dutchess get derailed. When the news of the accident hits the Sodor engines, half of them (Thomas, Gordon, James, and Emily) race to the rescue while the others (Percy, Toby, Edward, and Henry) stay behind to clean up the last of the mess. Emily (now being labeled as the Rescue Engine) takes a brakedown train to lift Big City Engine and Dutchess back onto the tracks, James shunts Big City Engine, Thomas shunts Dutchess, and Gordon pulls the Royal Train. They all arrive back at The Palace just as the others finish the last of the clean up. The Queen is so grateful to the Sodor engines that not only does she give Sir Topham Hatt his reward for his services to the island, but also presents all 8 engines with a special crest and a knighthood at the ceremony. Everyone congratulates the engines, Big City Engine is sent away to be repaired in disgrace, and Sir Topham Hatt is very proud that his engines have proven once again that they are Really Useful."

What a fitting end to the series. All the original main engines play a part in the story and they get a knighthood in the end for their services to The Queen. I do have some final notes about the ending that I would like to touch on. First, I would have Spencer and Flying Scotsman attending the celebration; with Spencer just as a background character who brought The Duke & Dutchess to the ceremony and Flying Scotsman congratulating Gordon on his reward, saying that while he maybe faster than Gordon, getting this reward was something he couldn't do and that it should be something to be proud of, and Gordon agrees with him. Also, I would have the young prince and some of the other children meeting up with their favorite engines; some liking Thomas, and others preferring one of the other 7 engines. They all mention some of their favorite stories (Seasons 1 - 7 and Seasons 17 - 21). And half of the children and boys, and the other half girls (proving that the show didn't need gender equality to bring in a female audience, because even girls liked the stories just as much as the boys).

This special is the prefect way to celebrate Thomas 75th Anniversary as well as ending the series on a high note. And the name that I would give this special...

"Sir Topham Hatt's Royal Engines"

Now wouldn't have that been nice?
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Thomas and Friends belong to Mattel