Thomas & Friends: Season 8 (2004) in Retrospect - The Thomas Retrospective

[@IsleofPigsStudios]

You all gotta admit that the Atmosphere in Halloween is just chilling. The music and visuals make up for what sounds like a basic story on paper

[@matheusproductions.]

Agreed

[@Thomasmemoryscentral]

To think the music in the Smekters and the chase is all composed on a tv budget and it sounds movie quality!

[@joshuaW5621]

I recognise you from the Thomas wiki.

[@randomnessetc5600]

Thanks for remembering part of my past requests?

[@GWR_and_PRR_Productions_2008]

I wasn't expecting you here 😂

[@magnum_pig_2004]

Remember how much Awdry hated "Henry's Forest" way back in Series 3? I wonder what he would think of that writers' bible...

[@NitroIndigo]

"YOU CAN'T DO IT!"

[@jaredhebert942]

​​@@NitroIndigo*_"RULE 55!"_*

[@TheAdventuresOfJimiJaden]

“Once the Americans get a hold of it, it will be butchered and ruined”

[@bartzacky9639]

He would’ve be pissed and vowed to fight with HiT on court to sell the rights of his creation to the Awdry family

[@firstnamlastnam2141]

His urn would be spinning *hard.*

[@clown-cult96]

Season 8: “no big words! Everything is simpler and friendlier!” Also season 8: *constant hints to the imminence of death and existential dread*

[@TheArtKid120]

real

[@tomalator]

What really gets me about this is this is how children learn new words, through the media they consume. Books read to them by their parents, through shows they watch, etc. Surely a kid can figure out what "frightened" means when the engine is in a scary situation and they have a scared face. Kids are smarter than they get credit for, and that's exactly why Rev. Audrey was such a stickler for accuracy and consistency, because he knew the kids reading his books would notice

[@JonAschenbrenner]

They showed one of the Troublesome Trucks getting totaled in "Fish." It literally fell apart when it crashed into Salty's rear end. Died.

[@karenfan010]

@@tomalatorespecially if your consider the fact that they aired season 6 and 7 episodes in between which probably used said big words.

[@ThighFish]

@@JonAschenbrenner Salty's ass

[@realtrainbridge528]

These stories and videos feel more like whole documentaries than just a look over a kids story and it’s amazing

[@disgustof-riley8338]

Well, they _are_ documentaries. Tug is documenting the creation of, history of, and the plot of this Thomas season

[@TheRedStinger82]

That's why I like tug's videos

[@TheRedStinger82]

I actually have a soft spot for this era. I don't think it's nearly as bad as many others say. At least it's better than BWBA or Nitrogen

[@oliverstreet430]

Me to an underrated gem

[@magicjellybnm]

Same I grew up with this from a year old to around 8 and nitrogen then I discovered KZbin and watched the classic era. Horn battle

[@Ninja11125]

Fr

[@Ninja11125]

@@magicjellybnmI grew with nitrogen

[@killdozer7792]

I mean, EVERYTHING'S better than Nitrogen. XD

[@DanGamingFan2406]

We've finally reached the HIT era. I have a bit of a soft spot for it, as it's the era I grew up with. But looking back on it, it really doesn't hold up with the previous masterpieces. Still, Season 8 was a decent middle ground, where there was clear effort and the characters weren't completely screwed up yet. My favorite was a tie between "Squeak, Rattle, and Roll" and "Halloween." The former felt most like a classic episode, and the latter was a great change of tone. Also, for the next one, I'd cover "Calling All Engines" in the same breath as Season 9.

[@watershipup7101]

Got that right.

[@waterbullstudios9195]

"Halloween" was so good.

[@thusnameddigital9397]

Agreed

[@NeidhardtDerBlitzschnelle]

You're not alone. I too grew up mainly on this era.

[@brightredmogul1912]

James Goes Too Far is one of the best episodes in the entire HiT era and honestly? It’s a good contender for top 5 best James episodes period The episode actually uses the longer runtime to its benefit, which is something I’m surprised Tug didn’t talk about It’s not just random fluff - they actually take the time to establish James’ personality trait of wanting to feel important but constantly being left feeling otherwise, before jumping into a story where James breaks down as a result of wanting to feel important, and then redeems himself by putting Diesel of all engines over his own work. Like this is genuinely good writing

[@aliminator1310]

You know, it's funny. I literally GREW UP watching these newer seasons, yet I STILL enjoyed the older stuff when I was younger. I could even tell the difference between different eras, though I didn't know which years they were from.

[@Noriyaki_Kakyoin]

Yeah same

[@ZeeecksLegends]

Right on the nose with this one

[@cybershroom9240]

I agree, I was 6 to 8 when these seasons aired on PBS but even then I knew something was different and would just change the channel. I would keep my season 1-4 VHS if I wanted to watch thomas as a kid.

[@onceisaidtwiceaweek]

I was *born* when Season 12 was airing, but my memories from young childhood exclusively consist of Seasons 1-7. Goes to show how much better the old stuff was.

[@jcl5611]

Same here, I was born the year season 7 came out. I used to watch both the newer seasons on PBS and the older seasons on both Sprout and home media. I have a soft spot for the Hit era even though growing up made me see how seasons 8-12 weren’t that good compared to 1-7. Even still, I’d take the watered down yet still feels like Thomas era of Thomas over the cartoony, wacky, wannabe Paw Patrol era that it’s currently in

[@adamhickey396]

That writer's bible is just a document of cringe.

[@jordenfilmz]

It’s a disgrace to the original bible in general

[@jordenfilmz]

@@IceBlueStarCat I think it is a guide but they somehow labeled it as a bible because it talks about characters, past events, etc. but they talk about the wrong stuff which makes a little bit disrespectful.

[@adamhickey396]

@@IceBlueStarCat Because "bible" is a word that has different connotations. INFORMAL a book regarded as authoritative in a particular sphere. Cambridge dictionary - A bible is a book that gives important advice and information about a particular subject:

[@jessefainjr7391]

And all Thomas Fans say Amen

[@jessefainjr7391]

Couldn't have said it better myself

[@DraconicLeafTalarus]

Squeak, Rattle, and Roll is honestly my favorite episode of this season too. It was like he let his fear overtake his pride and to be reminded like “hey, you pull the express for the reason”. Plus Gordon’s fear didn’t feel too unrealistic here. Gordon wouldn’t have had any fear from the squeaks alone, but having it happen not too long after Diesel implanting the thought of scrap made him have that “oh no” thought.

[@TroublesomeSlateTruck]

Percy: Bust My Buffers! Sir Topham Hatt Wants To Scrap Me.

[@vanguardRailgun924]

It’s an episode that really reminds me of Gordon’s stories in the railway series especially when we got into the later years if I remember correctly it was the one where Pip and Emma were introduced.

[@LegendaryCaptain]

​@vanguardtrainer924 ngl one character trait of Gordon I find underrated is his underlying fear that he'll be outdated or flat out replaced stories like Tenders for Henry, Squeak Rattle and Roll and Gordon High Speed Engine show that wonderfully. Another trait about Gordon I like is how he'll INSTANTLY save an engine in trouble even if they were being an ass earlier such as trouble with mud, Gordon and Spencer, percy runs away and ofc down the mine

[@KingPercy_N6]

I’m probably most excited for these later Seasons since we never really see tug talk about them.

[@Xalerdane]

He never had the opportunity before; he kept having his channel taken down by copyright strikes.

[@FLSub2me_and_isub2u]

😮

[@FLSub2me_and_isub2u]

​@@Xalerdane😢 i try 2 post often btw

[@comicfan1324]

Honestly, unpopular opinion, but I also kind of prefer how Emily is characterized in the hit era. I think having her be one of the “snooty big engines” is actually pretty interesting. In a perfect world I think there could be a better balance between her mother Leaside and her more queenly controlling side, but if I had to choose one, I think the queenly side is more interesting to work with as a writer.

[@MrSleepy677]

I could see Emily as being the big sister figure to Thomas.

[@fanofeverything30465]

I'd go for a mix of both myself

[@Woodenfan]

It doesn't help that she gets extremely shafted in the CGI era, especially when Brenner et al. come around. I love the Brennaissance as much as the next person, but Emily didn't really do a lot that season, if I recall. I know she had an episode with Donald and Douglas that was pretty entertaining, as well as one where she's transporting a giant globe?

[@cinnamonmantrainsareawesom7224]

Hmm maybe

[@cinnamonmantrainsareawesom7224]

Maybe Emily is still the mother figure just more overbearing

[@altermike3197]

One thing I like about James in this season, is how vivid he is In older seasons, especially on old cruddy vhs tapes, he'd look almost orange; so I love James being a medium vivid red

[@percyfan06]

I mean, while I prefer his look in the previous seasons, yeah I do agree.

[@BluffsCastle]

This season was a semi decent start to the neoclassic era of Thomas (seasons 8-12) and had a few enjoyable episodes. “Halloween” is my favorite

[@TroublesomeSlateTruck]

10:00 A Layout?

[@wildstarfish3786]

wait I thought it was called the "new" series also I always called seasons 5-7 the neoclassic series because they stopped adapting railway series stories

[@Themasktrooper]

Unlucky Tug never fails went it comes to Thomas content

[@1685Violin]

Why does Tug sound like Trey the Explainer?

[@adambosman9611]

Being born in 2001, as good or bad as these HiT seasons are, I grew up with this era so I'll always hold some appreciation and nostalgia for this time.

[@bennewbury2572]

You and I are in the same coach my friend (Yes I purposely changed the pun; DEAL WITH IT)

[@eastlancsesteem]

“MuH nOsTaLgIa!!1” - 🤪🤓

[@Thomas1Edward2Henry3]

I wonder if the reason of not using any of the classic music was due to not having to continually pay Mike and Junior royalties. I doubt that's the case as I would assume the show would keep all the music rights but just a theory.

[@buzzytrombone4353]

I always found Percy's Big Mistake to be an interesting episode because of how it taps into how trigging the word "scrap" is to an engine when they are under stress. The convenient timing of the dockyard manager saying that he'll have to speak to The Fat Controller, and then The Fat Controller talking to his driver about the scrapyard is what sets Percy off. The only things that would have made it better is if Percy didn't speak to anyone after hearing The Fat Controller, and the scene with the pipes was removed. It would have given children a proper idea of what stress can do to the mind when they don't take care of themselves mentally and assess a situation.

[@nostaldec4705]

If I’d been the one writing that writers’ bible, I wouldn’t have said the Steam Team were all kids. I would have said Thomas and Percy were kids, James was a teenager, Emily was in her twenties, Gordon and Henry were middle-aged, and Edward and Toby were elderly.

[@giulianodervelociraptorder734]

If there's one thing I appreciate about Season 8 is how Edward was written in this season. It's the first time since Season 5 where Edward didn't have any out of character moments. "Edward the Great" is the only "Hit era"/"New series" episode where Edward is the main character and is in his personality. It was nice to see Edward beat Spencer, even though Edward is slower than Spencer. There was a moment in “Chicken to School” where Edward humiliated Gordon. In "Don't Tell Thomas", Edward was the one who told Harold that he was looking for Thomas. It's nice to have a moment between Edward and Thomas where Edward isn't out of character. (I’m looking to “Saving Edward”). In “James Goes Too Far,” Edward told someone that James fell by the wayside even though he was pressed for time. Edward had a good time in S8. It's a shame that 9-12, CAE and TGD did him dirty. From an old and wise engine who never gives up to a weak and stupid engine who is sometimes an ass (with a few exceptions).

[@TheRedStinger82]

I personally think that season 11 is my favorite season of this era because of the nostalgia factor it brings to me. Episodes like Hector the Horrid really stood out for me. Season 8 is definitely the second best in my opinion.

[@TroublesomeSlateTruck]

14:21-14:22 STH: Percy Has Been Late Too Often This Week, He Must Go To The Scrap Yard Tomorrow.

[@fanofeverything30465]

​@@TroublesomeSlateTruckPercy: 'Sir Topham Hatt wants to scrap me And all because I was late'

[@Deevster]

And thus begins the era that many 2000’s children, including me, grew up with. Season 8 for me has the most nostalgia because I remember watching it through many DVDs like “It’s great to be an Engine”. For some reason, the sets and especially the models stand out from previous seasons, and I can’t tell if they’re better or worse, or if they ended up being bland or all the same from a rushed production. However, growing up with one of the objectively “bad” eras of Thomas might’ve inadvertently taught me how to appreciate the good aspects of bad media.

[@BH-98]

I don’t think that's a bad thing. All media deserves a nuisanced discussion, even the ones that are labelled as objectively bad. As “bad media” like hit era Thomas has good aspects that deserve acknowledgment, like the model work or occasional decent episode.

[@GrumpyLoco6]

I feel that for a piece of media to be objectively bad, it has to be either bigoted and hate-filled (The Birth Of A Nation for example) or the people behind the scenes intentionally wanted to make something bad. As much as I dislike the Hit model era of Thomas, I don't think it's objectively bad, but I do consider it subjectively bad.

[@TheAdventuresOfJimiJaden]

Being born in 2007, I grew up mostly with the Clearwater Features era of Thomas with both Ringo Starr and George Carlin. The rest of the seasons felt pretty different to me.

[@GettingBetterwGbaby5422]

I grew up with classic dvds, hit dvds, and Miller episodes on tv, bug mostly hit and miller.

[@garrettsmith2776]

Same.

[@NightmareSkellington1993]

I grew up with the classic era, hit era, Miller era, and early brenner era(king of the railway and tale of the brave)

[@SkarloeyRailway01]

I've said this many times, but it's worth repeating here. Season 8 is like anti-nostalgia for me. It came at a time when I was growing out of Thomas' target demographic, and was kind of losing interest already. The new format didn't work for me at all, and I basically tuned out after that point, only occasionally watching when a younger sibling or cousin had the show on in the background. I don't think I saw any episode after S9 until I discovered this fandom. BTW, you hit the nail on the head with why all the sets feel so flat. I think the combo of fewer detail backdrops showing elevation change and the incredibly dull and flat color grading make the show feel so much more lifeless than it had previously. I'd never noticed how much the backdrops changed between S7 and S8! Makes a huge difference,.

[@EngineShedStudios]

I have a headcannon for why Spencer makes a jet plane sound. I think it’s all in his head. Like that’s what he THINKS he actually sounds like because he’s so fast. 😂

[@fanofeverything30465]

That makes sense

[@Dat-Mudkip]

Hah! I like that!!

[@xavierthomas1426]

I believe that since Duck was to be apart of the steam team, they wrote a lot of episodes for him, however when he was swapped for Emily, they adapted Ducks stories for her. That being the reason why she is more rude and bossy than she was in Season 7.

[@bartzacky9639]

Correct, but technically, Emily’s bossy personality mostly came from Lucy from Peanuts, as the writers wanted Emily to be more than just a generic girl character.

[@superxavxii421]

@@bartzacky9639 I always thought that was a good trait tbh. Yeah shes bossy, but that to me its more entertaining than her just being the nice girl of the group.

[@robertrowley4929]

@@superxavxii421same here. It indicated she had some form of mildly aggressive personality.

[@GLee-oe3op]

@@robertrowley4929maybe it shows how she adapted to Sodor and took on the more aggressive no nonsense spirit of Sodor

[@robertrowley4929]

@@GLee-oe3op indeed

[@pitchblackproductions6740]

One of the things I noticed upon rewatched the other seasons is that startin with season 8 there's a lacking sense of busyness. In prior seasons, yards were full of rolling stock and engines passing by when an engine of focus was parked somewhere. There aren't even engines just sitting in sidings facing away from the camera. An engine needs to be directly mentioned to be appearing in the episode. "James steamed by" "Emily puffed past" "Percy passed by". Another thing is that this season is start of episodes being in the middle of the day, but several engines at a time are just at the sheds not doing anything when they should have been working by now. There's just a big feeling of emptiness on the railway, and the simple three mainline tracks don't help it either.

[@armorpro573]

Yeah I can kind of see that.

[@emersoninfinitystone5785]

I'm just baffled as to why they needed to write an absolute atrocity that is the Thomas Bible that ruins so many characters & consistencies when they already had the IOS book to work off of. I get this was the model era and a brand new formatted season for those of younger ages, but they still had no excuse not to use it as a foundation and take a small handful of elements from it to craft a more grounded and recognisable world that not only stays true to Wilbert's, but at the same time could still feature all this new Hit-Era stuff they wanted that the kids can enjoy and also keeps us the fans happy. But, i digress. Season 8 is still pretty good for what it's worth with. I give it a 7/10.

[@agsproductions4303]

Fun “possibly dangerous” drinking game, take a shot every-time “confusion and delay” is said

[@PCMan8922]

Thomas and Friends's Season 8 Had Good Intentions.

[@vanguardRailgun924]

That’s kinda what I got out of the Production History section. They had good intentions and thought of great ideas to execute them (Like the Writers Bible for example) but they just didn’t use them correctly and didn’t understand Thomas. They didn’t understand Thomas was supposed to be a series for kids the age of I’d say 7 to even reaching up to teenagers and even for the parents watching with said kids as well as for railway enthusiasts in general.

[@fanofeverything30465]

​@@vanguardRailgun924Kind of like Thomas and the Magic Railroad

[@andydoms2001]

As a little kid I saw seasons 1-7 pretty much all at once, season 8 was the first new one. I saw every episode on TV from then on when they aired, so I kinda have a soft spot for this era, especially with he current state of the franchise with AEG.

[@johncrawley7667]

I hate the engine roll call, even though I grew up with it. The kid's vocals are just so annoying to me, and it feels unnecessary

[@DevyBoi]

Fr

[@eastlancsesteem]

Original intro theme clears!

[@handelunavailable]

The season 8 roll call also sounded cringe

[@Normalguy54321]

I grew up with season 13,but I have to agree that the kids vocals are annoying.I like the instrumental better

[@deadaccountpleasedonttagme]

Do you like the Season 18-21 version?

[@Anthonyvideogame]

I honestly hated how the drivers and firemen didn’t interact with the engines as much as in the previous seasons.

[@eastlancsesteem]

Because HiT sucks

[@TitanXecutor]

As a kid, even I noticed differences the classic season and season 8 had, and not just with the new theme song.

[@themodifiedtankengine631]

If your massively okay with more working on this topic, then yes including specials with their respective seasons would be pretty cool. And I thought you described Emily in season 8. And this season on its own pretty well I think.

[@Ryder-a-Blaze]

I used to despise the Hit era for a long time but after watch The Thomas Cynic’s reviews on it, I was finally able to see the good it in.

[@eastlancsesteem]

A few good only. This era is generally shit.

[@digimonlover1632]

@@eastlancsesteemNah, it’s good.

[@LimpBizkitMix]

Don’t Tell Thomas has always been my favorite of this season because ever since childhood the line “fine, if they won’t tell me, I don’t wanna know” and then he just runs off to be alone was always just a mood

[@selinapersaud7629]

I think it’s my favorite from the season two.

[@Error_Detected404]

I can't bring myself to hate on this season. I had DVDs as a kid with Season 8 on them and I always loved them. Halloween and Fish were some of my favorite episodes, and I'd always go back to them I know it's just my nostalgia, but much like Magic Railroad, I can't help but be happy they exist

[@eastlancsesteem]

“MuH nOsTaLgIa!!1” - 🤪🤓

[@olivermensinger6022]

@@eastlancsesteemok, we get it, you don’t like the HIT era. I don’t either. But, you don’t need to be a dick to these people for not sharing the same opinion as you. Be more civil.

[@jmredguppy2799]

I had huge nostalgia for this season. I would always watch these episodes on DVD and love them and Didn’t had the attention spam of seeing the problems. Now rewatching them, I think it’s Okay at best:) It’s not terrible, it’s not bad, it’s not perfect, it’s definitely still acceptable to watch even despite all the problems it has. For HIT’s 1st attempt at their own season, it was an okay one:) P.S. I’m split on How you should give Calling All Engines it’s own review or combine it with season 9, especially since both were worked on around the same time, heck season 9 technically started airing BEFORE CAE was released on Home Media!!!

[@eastlancsesteem]

“MuH nOsTaLgIa!!1” - 🤪🤓

[@iammaybeabro4598]

I honestly like to think that the HiT era takes place in its own continuity. I remember when they officially stated that the CGI wasn’t a different continuity that they considered season 8 the reboot. Therefore, it can likely be assumed that season 8 might as well have been a completely new thing.

[@Scsigs]

God, the way that Series Bible describes how to write the dialogue pisses me off. It REEKS of an overly protective helicopter parent mentality & treating kids as dumber than they are.

[@Percythecaterpillar]

First Hit Entertainment season bois , let's see how this era comes ✨

[@Iron_Blood_Enjoyer1933]

The era where the 'Top 3 characters with the most episodes' list will have Thomas at number one the whole time. Yeah, this will be a slog.

[@liladoodle]

​@@Iron_Blood_Enjoyer1933And not to mention that the SKR becomes nothing more than a glorified McDonalds Playplace.

[@mediatrainfan0282]

According to Mike O'Donnel in an interview, Hit thought the current kids back in 2004 wouldn’t think the classic era is Thomas to them. Which I call BS on that, because as I got older, I realized that I watch the episodes from Seasons 1-7 the most. Season 8 was the only season from the Hit era I’ve watched the most. I’ve never watched the Hit era while it was airing.

[@jayfray1235]

Seems like they were both out of touch with kids during that time and with the previous era, while also 14 years ahead of their time.

[@TheAdventuresOfJimiJaden]

Same here lol, I kinda thought the early CGI era was a fever dream.

[@eastlancsesteem]

Absolute BS indeed

[@FingerTightRacing8]

Interested people are interesting people, I have no deep connection to Thomas, but you make this seem so magical to me

[@NolanTheTugboat]

12:23 My favorite usage of sound effects in Season 8 is James’ siderods breaking in Thomas and the Fireworks Display. The boisterous snap of James’ couplings snapping, and then the metallic sound of the siderods themselves dragging. Even kid me was impressed by the sound design of that particular sequence.

[@selinapersaud7629]

Thanks for explaining that, I always wondered what happened to him. I don’t see well, so I wasn’t really able to see it.

[@Nightwing9597]

30:49 Tug: TOBY IS A BOX!! Me: **Wheeze** 😆😆😆

[@tpiet]

Can’t believe it’s the 20th anniversary of the 8th season

[@abdielgomez492]

Classic Era Season 1- Complete Season 2- Innovative Season 3- Big Season 4- Comfy Season 5- Peak Season 6- Cute Season 7- Eye Of The Storm Jack and The Pack- Quaint Hit Era Season 8- Milquetoast Season 9- ? ? ? ? I have mixed feelings about Season 8 not just because it was the season when I was born. I didn't watch the HiT Era at the time until I was 5 years old I only watched the classic series of Thomas before watching the HiT era going back and watching those episodes I could see why some people like it and hate it for many reasons. But over time, I still have a soft spot for Season 8, even if their episodes are good and bad at the same time.

[@fanofeverything30465]

What do you think Seasons 9, 10 and 11 will be

[@Wildcatt1999]

I can't believe I never made the Lucy (from Peanuts) comparison to S8 Emily XD And you know what, the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. A bossy sister-figure with a heart of gold.

[@1685Violin]

The Thomas Theorist, in his defense of Emily as a whole, including the Hit era, made further comment of the comparison between Emily and Lucy Van Pelt, pointing out that it originated from an interview by Paul Larson, who was working on the show at the time, who said that Lucy was the inspiration of Emily's personally in season 8.

[@dylanlyles9453]

@@1685Violin Well, I hate it. I like how Emily was in Season 7, but I like how frustrated she gets with the trucks it makes sense.

[@Nictrain123]

“Calling All Engines!” and the other specials are definitely worthy of their own retrospectives, which I’d be interested to see your takes on! :) Makes me wonder though, you think you would ever consider doing a retrospective on Shining Time Station itself?

[@disgustof-riley8338]

I think Calling All Engines is worth giving its own episode, even if it's shorter, because I'm sure there are movies you'd like to go more in depth with, and you may want to cover how the movies affected the seasons around it

[@whiteninji352]

We are finally here the true start of the HiT era and the notable 2nd major turning point for the show. While Magic Railroad started a reaction that caused the slightly veer, HiT was the notable point where the problems started to get really noticeable. Honestly excited to hear your thoughts.

[@eastlancsesteem]

HiT sucks

[@hi-viz]

I've always had a soft spot for Season 8. It's the only HIT era season I watched as a kid, and I think it still has some charm going for it. It's certainly the last time Michael Angelis feels like he's enjoying himself (at least to me), before they had him start talking slower and more monotone.

[@fanofeverything30465]

I agree

[@TheAdventuresOfJimiJaden]

Same here lol, I mostly watched Seasons 1/2 and a little bit of Seasons 3/6

[@eastlancsesteem]

“MuH nOsTaLgIa!!1” - 🤪🤓

[@olivermensinger6022]

@@eastlancsesteemdude. We get it. You don’t like season 8. But, you’re being a massive dick to everyone else just because you don’t agree with them on something. This season isn’t good, but the way you treat the people in the comments is shit.

[@flashdawnx]

@@eastlancsesteemyou’re not funny

[@BillandBenProductions6792]

This is the season when the show started to go downhill, but luckily, the show went back to normal in season 17

[@RailwayMaster56]

I agree that the worst episode in season 8 is "Chickens to School", I actually thought that before this video came out.

[@gabetrain8834]

Wasn’t expecting Big Blue as the first background song in the video. Made me a little more excited for the episode

[@sheevhernandez3869]

I really feel bad that his old channel is still gone. Seeing him at nearly 69k is nice but still, I still feel bad for him ☹️

[@drexlerjames2263]

I remember when Season 8 first came out on PBS and I remember watching it and thinking "This feels so different." I felt so baby-ish to me and I found myself only watching to say that I was watching Thomas as a long-time fan, but it took me several rewatches to get involved. Maybe a handful of episodes stood out but overall, it's more filler to me or background noise at best. I also appreciate that you shared the Thomas Bible. I didn't know this existed and it was interested to see how they viewed the Island of Sodor.

[@everettjones6018]

16:21 The Children's Television Act is probably why the HiT Era had to be more blatant in the messaging. Television was still prominent in 2004, so they needed to follow FCC regulations for children's programming in order to air Thomas in the US.

[@CrashFan03]

but the act was passed in 1990 and thomas was just fine for a decade as is with the act

[@ek9509]

43:49: Nah, do the specials, please. Sure, they’re not exactly feature-lengths like Magic Railroad, but, I still feel like they’re movies overall. Still, I guess I feel like you should put them in their own individual videos, much like the Magic Railroad analysis.

[@percyfan06]

I was born the same year as this season, that's probably why I think it's the only decent Hit Era season. Bias, am I right?

[@diogoargento7826]

Another great Thomas season review! I love how you manage to analise each detail of the series

[@WackyDude-lj8fr]

The first season for PBS/Nick Jr. Me being born in 2003 was a super fan of S8. Of course, this was before I knew about the classic seasons too, so that's probably why I like it so much. I see it as the best of the Hit Era as a whole, now that I think about it. Guess that's a good thing

[@RBenjo21]

For me the Hartshorne stuff is all a bit... samey. Unlike O'Donnell/Campbell's scores, you aren't going to be able to tell one character's theme apart from another.

[@pacecory1]

see this is how you be inclusive. not 'special train from foreign country that we must worship' but just 'including everyone equally.'

[@armorpro573]

Now if only the HIT era brought back some old characters

[@joshuaW5621]

@@armorpro573didn’t they do that in the other seasons?

[@AndriuV2]

Polish version of Engine Roll Call: Przyjaciół przedstawiamy wam! Wciąż coś wożą tu i tam! Czerwień, błękit, zieleń, brąz. Oto ich kolory są! Poprzez pola, miasta, wsie, gdzieś każdy z wagonami mknie! Kto przyjaciół takich zna? Tomek takich ma! Tomek - Bardzo śmiały jest! Kuba - Lubi bawić się! Piotruś - Z pocztą gna przez świat! Gabryś - Szybki jest jak wiatr! Emilka - Dobrze zna swój fach! Henio - Sapie: OCH i ACH! Edek - Wszystkim pomóc chce! Tobik - Z nim wynudzisz się! Przyjaciół przedstawiamy wam! Wciąż coś wożą tu i tam! Czerwień, błękit, zieleń, brąz. Oto ich kolory są! Poprzez pola, miasta, wsie, gdzieś każdy z wagonami mknie! Kto przyjaciół takich zna? Tomek takich ma! *Kto przyjaciół takich zna? Tomek takich ma!*

[@that1niceguy246]

I love seeing how they translate songs into other languages that have completely different syllable counts and how they rewrite lyrics to fit the rhythm.

[@haveacalmheart3010]

So I clicked the translate button, and... well, Google Translate really tried, it's hysterical "James likes to play!" "Henry **Gasp** OH and AH!" "Toby, you'll get bored with him!" 😆

[@AndriuV2]

@@haveacalmheart3010 Now check out this amazing remix of Engine Roll Call in Polish: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bp6Vd2ieqMSJZtUsi=JBqaujk-CnycGIgg

[@howlingwolfart8380]

I like the idea of combining the specials with the seasons. It might mean more work in the long run, but it will help to streamline the series in a good way. It'll also help those who don't know which specials were a part of which series to keep better track of it.

[@Cimozzen]

I was today years old when I learned about the 'ghost' at the end of HALLOWEEN. Thanks for having faith in your US audience, HiT!

[@deefox7333]

When looking back at season 8, despite being 11 years old by that time, I did find it to feel oddly enough like a love letter to season 1, but still enjoyable in some cases. Hear me out on this: I was watching Thomas VHS way before, around 97 98, and until 2002, I wanted to check out a season 8 just for the curiosity of it.

[@TheYellowStryker]

Great retrospective, but one episode I'm surprised you didn't mention at the end was Thomas Saves the Day. That episode was included in a '10 Hidden Gems of the HiT Era' video I made shortly after your first CGI episodes vid (Thanks for the inspiration btw). I really like Annie and Clarabel being Thomas's mentors. While I like their roles in the Brenner era, I adored seeing them be kind and patient towards Thomas and help him with his struggles with a difficult bend. I also find Thomas to be quite relatable as well. His anxiety about the bend reminds me of a crossroad I used to be terrified of crossing when I was younger. Seeing him conquer his fear through a not-so-bad runaway was good. Also, I agree with everything you said about Emily in this season!

[@kylehanna8001]

Maybe you can combine Seasons with the Specials: Season 9 & Calling All Engines (2005) Retrospective Season 10 (2006) Retrospective Season 11 (2007) & The Great Discovery (2008) Retrospective Season 12 (2008) Retrospective Season 13 & Hero of the Rails (2009) Retrospective Season 14 & Misty Island Rescue (2010) Retrospective Season 15 & Day of the Diesels (2011) Retrospective Season 16 & Blue Mountain Mystery (2012) Retrospective Season 17 & King of the Railway (2013) Retrospective Season 18 & Tale of the Brave (2014) Retrospective Season 19, The Adventure Begins & Sodor’s Legend of the Lost Treasure (2015) Retrospective Season 20 & The Great Race (2016) Retrospective Season 21 & Journey Beyond Sodor (2017) Retrospective Season 22 & Big World Big Adventures: the Movie (2018) Retrospective Season 23 (2019) Retrospective Season 24 (2020) (The Finale) Retrospective

[@Ryder-a-Blaze]

This season came out the same year I was born and while I did watch the HIT era a lot during my childhood, I’m still glad I was able to watch the classic series.

[@eastlancsesteem]

Classic series clear

[@Woodenfan]

I think, personally, you should combine the specials with their respective seasons. It's a good segue or capper to the seasons as a whole (e.g. Calling All Engines bridges Seasons 8 and 9 and The Great Discovery wraps up Season 11 and the model series as a whole). Depending on the special (CAE doesn't have a lot for its own review imo, but I could be wrong), you could make it its own thing? ...then again, there might be risk of overbloating the videos and you could release more individual ones. It's your call, but that's how I feel about it.

[@aidanlife9751]

You should totally have seasons 13,14,15 and 16 compressed into one video since it’s just that same thing over and over

[@cz.gazz.]

I’m definitely interested in hearing your thoughts on the specials (in addition to what you already said in your movie rankings), although if it creates a burden that slows down your ability to get a season’s review out, I’d rather you just go straight into the season review

[@alexanderkoons]

43:26 I don't know why this is the thing I noticed but Emily is puffing great smoke rings.

[@tobyytlai]

I think Season 8 is where I start to dislike Thomas as a character. Every episode is about Thomas, and he's always unreasonably dumb

[@eastlancsesteem]

Blame HiT

[@ryanfuller912]

Emily replaced Henry in The Big 3? This unpleases me.

[@eastlancsesteem]

Me too bro

[@iratepirate3896]

I'm not quite sure why the "inclusivity" is a self-evident positive in this case. Why would a small island off the coast of north-west England several decades ago have more than a small handful of non-white people? Even in 2021 Cumbria, just on the mainland, is 97% white according to the latest census. For me, the inclusivity aspect is just one more nail in the coffin of the show. Change for the sake of change, and dumbing down to appeal to a wider audience.

[@firstnamlastnam2141]

Yeah, it sounded odd. It's just glorified pandering. Plus as you mentioned with Cumbria, the neighboring Isle of Man is 94% white. The very "insular" Sodor doesn't seem like the kind of place to be like this, or even really be interested in trying to go for it.

[@TheSultan1470]

More like The Lucky Tugger, if you know what I mean

[@primrosevale1995]

I do really like Tug bringing up how you can show sides of a character that differ from the norm, but that it only really works when done in moderation. "One-sided" characters are called that for a reason; showing off different aspects of a character makes them feel more grounded and realistic, as opposed to vehicles (ahem) to progress the story. Also when it comes to Squeak, Rattle, and Roll, I could honestly see this as the first story of _Enterprising Engines_ with a few tweaks. Include the first section of “Tenders for Henry”, where Gordon finds out from D199 at Barrow about the scrapping of steam engines, the latter taking on a role similar to Diesel in the episode, which leads into Gordon’s talk with the Fat Controller {Gordon knew about his other siblings as he met some during his rebuild, but asks if even the ones he was built with were scrapped, which saddened him even more}. He then sets off after Topham tells him this, and Topham decides he needs to do something to cheer Gordon up. After all that he experiences the squeaks and rattles, which leads to him depressingly worrying he’ll be scrapped for a diesel, leading him to move slower, and when he has to take the Fat Controller to Barrow, he starts to go slower until he starts to wonder what the Fat Controller would think and starts to pick up speed, deciding he’ll make his last trip his best. After arriving at Barrow, the Fat Controller speaks to Gordon and the reassurance him that steam will always be at work on his railway is given, and then sends him to the works to be checked over, telling him they’ll be a surprise for him once once he gets back to the sheds. Once Gordon settles down in the sheds that night, he witnesses Flying Scotsman’s arrival that night with the Fat Controller alongside, showing him that he will always be true to his word.

[@thesudriana016]

Even in a favorite TV show like Thomas, it does tend to go through a seasonal rot in the middle, then back up again, only to stomp backwards towards the end of its run despite continuing its success. But it still kept its moments and is consistent in its original timeline, unlike other TV shows I can recall. Out of the HiT seasons, S8 is my favorite. I'll admit when I first saw Steamies vs. Diesels through my first exposure to this season, I did get a little surprised by this change but I never let that irk me and I still have nostalgia memories of that season. I even remember seeing a couple of airings on PBS Kids in childhood once (the second half of Personality, Listening and Surprises), especially Responsibility a few times on PBS Kids Sprout on Demand. I won't say it's perfect due to that writer bible, character regressions and inconstancies, etc. The part where you mentioned repetitive themes in two or three episodes also reminded me of Hamtaro where in each the same season, there are two episodes with the same theme (Hamtaro going missing and Laura getting worried sick in S1, Mr. Yoshi's mother telling Laura and Kana a scary story in S3, and the Ham-Ham gang being worried about space in S4). I do agree that Emily is the MVP of S8 and actually did more of what they can w/ her character that are the first steps into becoming a main in that era onwards (even if it was a little worse). Also, what you said about Arthur being the MVP of S7, I respectfully disagree cause I think Gordon is the true MVP of that said season for me as they really did so well with his character that it feels like his arc has come full circle. Favorite episode-wise, mine is also the stand-out episode Halloween, and my least favorite is Emily's Adventure. Finally, I really enjoy Michael Brandon's narration for it (though a few Angelis episodes I do like as well like James Goes Too Far). He does state in an interview that he had the idea to give the engines improvs when they react to a situation, adding more life to them (similarly to Johnny Morris in the RWS, but better).

[@krct2013]

season 9 retrospective

[@TopHatTITAN]

I am impressed there was no mention of the tonal change for the crashes. Before, there was a sense of urgency and looming danger before a crash. Now it's just silly horns and slo mo.

[@arthurengine]

35:35 I think Emily is more like Peppermint Patty in this manner. Since Emily wasn't always this obnoxious brat she was portrayed as. Peppermint Patty can be rude sometimes, but she has more positive moments. If anyone qualifies as the Lucy van Pelt of Sodor, it'd be Daisy.

[@eastlancsesteem]

S8 onwards is not canon to me. Don’t let the TV control what you think.

[@Jo-Wilbe-Dina]

Unpopular Opinion: *The Engine Roll Call/Season 8 Intro is just as enjoyable and great as the Classic Thomas Theme despite not being as iconic.* Any Engine Roll Call Enjoyers? Both are good, I just prefer the Engine Roll Call more.

[@realruntz2608]

Once they started doing CGI Thomas and cartoon Thomas, it died imo. These live action model sets are what made this franchise so cool. They seriously need to return to this style of Thomas.

[@mattevans4377]

I wouldn't call them stupid, I'd call them children. They act like Children, so are very relatable to Children. And while Children aren't dumb, they do make mistakes, or believe in magic. Compare that to the early CGI era, where even a toddler could figure out what to do, before the engines.

[@DaveTheMovieGuy01]

This guy is great at everything he does

[@6allmotivepowers363]

Guy uses a "BIG WORD" to describe a season where use of such words were discouraged - mad respect!

[@RockyWells]

this season is how i feel in love with Emily shes definitely in my top 5 favorite characters, thanks for all you're Thomas content.

[@1685Violin]

I have to wonder if Tug had watched videos defending Emily's portrayal during those model seasons made by A Sodor Life and The Thomas Theorist before making his season 8 retrospective. He should have his own opinions on her written down before watching those recommended videos when he made his retrospective or while making a _Sodor's Finest_ on Emily in the future just to avoid bias from others.

[@fanofeverything30465]

@@1685Violin Maybe he'll make one himself

[@eastlancsesteem]

@@1685Violin Her shitty S8 personality never needed defending, unless you’re a simp.

[@eastlancsesteem]

L gay

[@tannerwilburn9203]

Season 1-7 are like your taking a trip across the country. Seasons 8-16 are like if you stopped and started driving back and forth between the places you we’re already in .

[@fanofeverything30465]

Seasons 17-21 are like getting back on the right road Seasons 22-24 are like if you began to slip off the road

[@rizzonator987]

Annd 25 is a massive car crash with 300 deaths and a parking ticket fine

[@digimonlover1632]

Nah, that’s just seasons 13-16.

[@ThighFish]

@@rizzonator987 More like 9/11

[@usualblokeluke]

44:16 In answer to that, I'd say tackle the movies and specials like Calling All Engines, The Great Discovery, Hero of the Rails etc separately to the season retrospectives. For most of these specials there's enough plot and production specifics that you'll be able to dive into. In a way you couldn't when you did your movies and specials ranking video. The Great Discovery, Hero of the Rails and Blue Mountain Mystery especially so. I think it'd be great seeing you tackle them the same in-depth way you did with The Magic Railroad. Also, great retrospective as always!

[@DanknDerpyGamer]

24:26 - 25:10 THAT definitely seems to pinpoint Brandon's voice feeling kind of grating to me - seeing his post-season-8 episodes where adopted that nasaly sounding set of voices. Here, he sounds so much better, in season 8 I mean. Why, oh why did that change? ~_~

[@garrettsmith2776]

Probably HiT wanted Brandon to sound more cartoony or Brandon was not trained properly.

[@ToastTheThe]

I find the part of the writers bible at 5:50 absolutely hilarious cuz almost ALL of those words were used in the show prior to this. The selection of words was probably intentional to show that those words shouldn't be used *anymore* but I still find it really funny with them saying "we don't use" words that definitely have been used

[@HollenHays-xy5cu]

I think they gave Spencer the jet plane sound effect to make him sound and feel more like a really fast engine.

[@TracksideManiac]

Something interesting I wanna point out. Before coming to work on Thomas for the songs, Ed Welch was part of this children’s Construction Vehicle type show similar to Jack and the Pack. Coincidentally titled: Jim Henson’s Construction Site. Funny enough, Simon Spencer was also part of Construction Site, being director for some of the episodes. I really think it’d be fun if Nic did a video on Construction Site. Then again, he probably has more important stuff to work on.

[@joshuamorales4724]

I really do wonder if Thomas will ever get the MVP Award down the line.

[@WhiffTheRubbishEngine1869]

Another vid! Finally! Btw make Rebecca for the tug’s trains series

[@WhiffTheRubbishEngine1869]

Haha lol I’m first

[@eastlancsesteem]

F%ck Rebecca! We need a different male character called Winston with the same basis to replace her!

[@coralsnake2234]

Entering a new era of Thomas with this one!!!!

[@thecartoonmanist956]

27:45 Actually, Season 15 also didn't iintroduce any new characters. But Season 8 is the only model series not to introduce any new characters.

[@JamesWilliams-rp4ll]

A bit late, but here's an interesting observation. At @21:40, when talking about the snow, it seems that Hartshorne is subtly referencing the intro of The Doors' 'Riders on the Storm,' where the rain (instead of the snow) is simulated by a descending scale on a synth in the same fashion. Given the key of G Minor, this 'snow cascade' as I call it is nearly identical to the descending scale of the song 'Suppertime' from Little Shop of Horrors. It's a nice touch (though probably unintentional in the latter case, maybe not the former) from Hartshorne that does well to preserve some atmosphere.

[@penguinmaster7]

those padding intros are what I like to call AST intros: Adjective Season Time "It was a/n [adjective] [season] [time] on the island of sodor!"