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So why do the engines in Thomas The Tank Engine get in trouble when they fuck up?

NoName999

NoName999

One Winged Slayer
Banned
Oct 29, 2017
5,906
IIRC, the engines are unable to start or stop on their own. Their drivers are the ones who operate them.

So why is it that the Fat Controller scolds the engines who literally have no self control and not their human operators?

It doesn't make sense.

To say nothing of the freight carts always getting away with their shit.

Halp
 
Mekanos

Mekanos

▲ Legend ▲
Member
Oct 17, 2018
44,358
The closest you're gonna get to a real answer is the original stories were based on real life railway accidents and the engines were anthropomorphized versions of a crew, so you can consider him yelling at the crew symbolically.

There are stories that contradict this and act like the engines have some degree of free will. It's not consistent, especially once they get away from the Awdry stories.
 
Mekanos

Mekanos

▲ Legend ▲
Member
Oct 17, 2018
44,358
The Thomas series is a good look at how the ruling class pits the working class against each other to make them fight over jobs and competition instead of aiming that frustration and discontent at their employer.
 
Ichthyosaurus

Ichthyosaurus

Banned
Dec 26, 2018
9,375
30JmQPF.png
 
Ogodei

Ogodei

One Winged Slayer
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
10,256
Coruscant
Mekanos said:
The closest you're gonna get to a real answer is the original stories were based on real life railway accidents and the engines were anthropomorphized versions of a crew, so you can consider him yelling at the crew symbolically.

There are stories that contradict this and act like the engines have some degree of free will. It's not consistent, especially once they get away from the Awdry stories.
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Basically. I used to watch those religiously and they certainly seemed to have a degree of free will despite having engineers.

Hell, the freight cars had wills of their own and would mess with the trains at times.
 
Mekanos

Mekanos

▲ Legend ▲
Member
Oct 17, 2018
44,358
Ogodei said:
Basically. I used to watch those religiously and they certainly seemed to have a degree of free will despite having engineers.

Hell, the freight cars had wills of their own and would mess with the trains at times.
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It's not made explicit but the impression I got is the engines can refuse to move. There are several stories where the crew can't make the engine start moving. However, they can't stop by themselves, this is made clear by all of the stories about runaways.
 
Woolley

Woolley

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
2,431
I didn't realize they were supposed to have someone inside controlling them. I thought they were autonomous.
 
Ovaryactor

Ovaryactor

Member
Nov 20, 2018
416
Skiptastic said:
Henry was being so prissy and wouldn't come out so he walked him up. Then let him out the very next episode. Let's not make more out of this than it is.
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"We shall take away your rails," he said, "and then leave you here for always and always and always"...


Go watch the video again (US version, apparently). It's pretty creepy.
 
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Starwing

Starwing

One Winged Slayer
The Fallen
Oct 31, 2018
4,130
Mekanos said:
The closest you're gonna get to a real answer is the original stories were based on real life railway accidents and the engines were anthropomorphized versions of a crew, so you can consider him yelling at the crew symbolically.

There are stories that contradict this and act like the engines have some degree of free will. It's not consistent, especially once they get away from the Awdry stories.
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Huh, that's interesting. Puts alot of the stuff I saw as a kid in new light, especially the times they got scolded.
 
tsampikos

tsampikos

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
2,613
They're being done a mercy, honestly.

It actually helps stave off the existential dread brought on by the reality of having a total lack of agency.
 
butalala

butalala

Member
Nov 24, 2017
5,388
Mekanos said:
It's not made explicit but the impression I got is the engines can refuse to move. There are several stories where the crew can't make the engine start moving. However, they can't stop by themselves, this is made clear by all of the stories about runaways.
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Maybe we can interpret that as the engines breaking down and the engineers are unable to repair them?
 
Cheesecakebobby

Cheesecakebobby

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,864
It's an allegory to the problem of determinism and free will. God is the omniscient creator and ultimate cause, yet we are held responsible for our actions put into motion by a supposedly all-knowing benevolent deity.
 
Dernhelm

Dernhelm

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
5,422
You've described the vast majority of workforce and management situations across capitalist society. As for why the carts get away with murder, it's because they're the money/custom.
 
Stop It

Stop It

Bad Cat
Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,357
Mekanos said:
It's not made explicit but the impression I got is the engines can refuse to move. There are several stories where the crew can't make the engine start moving. However, they can't stop by themselves, this is made clear by all of the stories about runaways.
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There's episodes where they decide to go and do things themselves, especially later series.

Frankly the writer of the original series was *evil*. The show gets properly dark.
 
Ichthyosaurus

Ichthyosaurus

Banned
Dec 26, 2018
9,375
Skiptastic said:
Henry was being so prissy and wouldn't come out so he walked him up. Then let him out the very next episode. Let's not make more out of this than it is.
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Getting "prissy" is not a reason to bury someone alive for the day to teach them a lesson.

SteadFast said:
You've described the vast majority of workforce and management situations across capitalist society. As for why the carts get away with murder, it's because they're the money/custom.
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This may be technically true it's not like other forms of government systems don't have their issues.

 
Mekanos

Mekanos

▲ Legend ▲
Member
Oct 17, 2018
44,358
Stop It said:
There's episodes where they decide to go and do things themselves, especially later series.

Frankly the writer of the original series was *evil*. The show gets properly dark.
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I don't think there's any episodes in the first four seasons (where it was mostly based on the books) where the engines can just go off and do whatever they want without a crew. There's quite a few stories where the engines run away by accident and can't stop because nobody is in their cab.
 
Stop It

Stop It

Bad Cat
Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,357
Skiptastic said:
Henry was being so prissy and wouldn't come out so he walked him up. Then let him out the very next episode. Let's not make more out of this than it is.
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At the time, it was said they would be left there forever.

Just saying that solitary confinement in the dark is considered torture. Using torture to punish someone for being stubborn is literally inhuman. Not sure why that should be considered fine for a show aimed at the under 5's.
 
Stop It

Stop It

Bad Cat
Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,357
Mekanos said:
I don't think there's any episodes in the first four seasons (where it was mostly based on the books) where the engines can just go off and do whatever they want without a crew. There's quite a few stories where the engines run away by accident and can't stop because nobody is in their cab.
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As a parent of a little one who watches the later shows, they most certainly do go off on their own will later on.

As you said, these are not based on the original work. There was a definite transition between manned units and people who are actually trains.
 
Ichthyosaurus

Ichthyosaurus

Banned
Dec 26, 2018
9,375
Stop It said:
At the time, it was said they would be left there forever.

Just saying that solitary confinement in the dark is considered torture. Using torture to punish someone for being stubborn is literally inhuman. Not sure why that should be considered fine for a show aimed at the under 5's.
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Even as a kid that was nightmare fuel.
 
It’s Time To Go

It’s Time To Go

Member
Dec 2, 2017
20,696
Better behave engines, or the punishments from the books are even worse than the tv show. One engine gets turned into a water boiler, another gets cannibalised for spare parts.
 
Huncho_Houdini

Huncho_Houdini

Member
Dec 31, 2017
7,128
BDS said:
"Thomas," starring Michael Keaton, wins Best Picture at the 2027 Academy Awards but is also blamed for a series of massacres committed via running people over with trains around the US
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Lol. dead.

Chikor said:
This is now a Thomas the Dank Engine thread.


www.youtube.com

Thomas Gon' Give It To Ya

Thomas the Tank Engine theme + DMX - X Gon' Give It To Ya.This was a lot of fun to make.
www.youtube.com www.youtube.com


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My god.
 
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apocat

apocat

Member
Oct 27, 2017
10,094
Skiptastic said:
Henry was being so prissy and wouldn't come out so he walked him up. Then let him out the very next episode. Let's not make more out of this than it is.
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Only in the american version. In the original he's walled in indefinitely.

In all US narrations, Henry being shut up in the tunnel was said to be a temporary punishment until he was ready to come out, with it being stating he needed to overcome his fear of the rain, while the UK narration stays true to the original format from the Railway Series where the Fat Controller intended to leave Henry in the tunnel indefinitely. The narration change was made in all US narrations so viewers would understand the context of the story-line better, so viewers can predict what happens later.
 
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