Daisy (episode)

"This is better, but whatever is that rubbish?"

- Daisy referring to Annie, Clarabel, and Henrietta

Daisy is the nineteenth episode of the second season.

Plot
Percy and Toby arrive at the station worried. Thomas has been sent away to be repaired after his accident and the Fat Controller waits for them in order to introduce Daisy, the Diesel railcar who will help run the branch line while Thomas is away. Percy asks if she will leave after Thomas returns and the Fat Controller responds that it depends on her performance. Regardless, he expects Percy and Toby to welcome her and help her settle in. The two engines happily agree, so the two start by taking Daisy to the engine shed for a rest.

Arriving at the engine shed, Daisy snobbishly tells Percy and Toby that she thinks the shed is "dreadfully smelly" and that anything smelly is "bad for her swerves". This makes Percy and Toby angry, but the two carry on and take her to the carriage shed. Daisy prefers it there, but asks what the rubbish is next to her. Unfortunately, the "rubbish" is Annie, Clarabel, and Henrietta who are greatly insulted by this. Percy and Toby are forced to take them out of the shed and stay up half the night trying to soothe their hurt feelings.

The next morning, Percy and Toby are exhausted while Daisy wakes up feeling full of energy as she goes to the station to take her first passengers. Arriving, she starts to show off and attempts to woo the passengers. However, her attitude changes when Toby couples a milk van to her. Daisy refuses to take it, despite her driver's arguments and eventually starts to shudder until she blows a fuse. Everyone at the station argues with her but to no avail. Daisy then claims that her fitter ordered that she never take any trucks saying that, because she is highly sprung and pulling is bad for her swerves.

No one at the station believes her story and everyone begins to despair that the Fat Controller has brought such a lazy engine to the Island. By now the train is late however, so the crew is left with no choice but to leave the milk van behind, allowing Daisy to enjoy her journey.

As she runs, Daisy chuckles at how well her story worked and decides that she will do only the work she wants from now on.

Characters

 * Percy
 * Toby
 * Daisy
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Henrietta
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Jeremiah Jobling (cameo)
 * Mrs. Kyndley (cameo)
 * Thomas (mentioned)

Locations

 * Elsbridge

Trivia

 * This episode is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book, Branch Line Engines.
 * This episode, along with Percy's Predicament, was never shown on Shining Time Station.
 * The crate of treacle that was later used in Woolly Bear is seen in the flashback of Daisy with her fitter.
 * This is the first time we see an engine shudder.
 * This episode marks Henrietta's last speaking role to date.
 * The Italian title of this episode is "The Temperamental Locomotive". The Danish title is "Here Comes Daisy". In Japan this episode is called "Daisy's Picky".

Goofs

 * When Daisy leaves the station, she has no driver until she reaches the engine shed.
 * When Percy, Toby, and Daisy leave the station, Toby's eyes jerk to the right.
 * Percy and Toby are smiling when Daisy insults Annie, Clarabel, and Henrietta.
 * The carriage shed is right next to the engine shed, but the engines leave in one direction and arrive from another.
 * When Daisy says "This is better", her face is slightly tilted.
 * When Toby, Percy, and Daisy leave the freight shed, a truck is seen in the siding to Daisy's left but when they arrive at the carriage shed it disappears.
 * As Toby comes to take Henrietta away, Percy's steam suddenly disappears and the lighting changes slightly, thus indicating a film cut.
 * Percy's face is crooked when he is sleeping.
 * When Daisy leaves the carriage shed and backs into the station, her eyes jump around.
 * Most of the small-scale railway staff figurines have severe paint chips.
 * Daisy could not back down if her driver was standing on the platform.
 * When Daisy shudders, a hand is reflected in her cab window.
 * In some shots of the passengers on the platform, you can see some blu-tak on their shoes.
 * Daisy's eye mechanism is visible through her front windows.
 * Toby is still at the carriage shed when Daisy backs up to the station, but he somehow ends up behind Daisy with the milk.
 * The narration says a milk van is coupled behind Daisy but a milk tanker is shown instead. This is likely a result of the episode's script being taken almost verbatim from the book.
 * In the scene where the milk tanker was uncoupled, a green wire is seen behind Daisy's door.
 * Before Percy, Toby and Daisy arrive at the engine shed, one of the trucks shown there is derailed.
 * In several scenes, Percy's left (viewer's right) cylinder is loose.