Excellent Emily

"All of your engines are 'excellent' engines!"

- Emily

Excellent Emily is the eighth episode of the twelfth season.

Plot
Following a terrible storm, many engines are stuck, except for Emily who is the only one to finish her jobs on time and is thus called "excellent" by the Fat Controller. The Fat Controller tells Emily that she must take Trevor from Farmer McColl's to the airport as some metal tanks are blocking the runway, making Jeremy unable to land. Just as the Fat Controller leaves, Murdoch arrives; he is going to Farmer McColl's also and he advises Emily to take the Wellsworth track due to flooding. But Emily decides to take the forest track as it is much faster. Emily goes through a flood on the forest track, but it does not stop her.

In the forest, Emily meets Thomas, who warns her about a fallen tree on her line and tells her that she must wait for Harvey. But Emily says she does not need Harvey's help, so she finds the tree herself and decides to push it out of the way. However, the tree sticks on her front as Emily pushes it uphill. Once at the summit, the tree rolls out of the way and Emily carries on.

At a junction, Emily meets Duck, who tells her that not only is Trevor waiting for her, but the tracks ahead are very muddy and she must avoid them. But once again, Emily's belief that she is "excellent" causes her to ignore him, so she carries on regardless.

However, Emily gets stuck in the mud and the track sinks beneath her weight. Emily sees Murdoch already at Farmer McColl's, realising that she should have listened to him. Emily apologises to Murdoch and he pulls her out of the mud. After collecting Trevor from Farmer McColl's, Emily is about to leave when she remembers to ask Murdoch about which track to take to the airport. Murdoch tells her to take the valley route as Gordon's Hill is still being cleared of fallen trees.

Emily goes along the valley route, but soon sees a telegraph pole blocking her way. Remembering Thomas' advice, Emily waits for Harvey to clear the telegraph pole. Then, at a signalbox, Emily is told by the signalman that the short-cut is muddy; remembering Duck's advice, she takes the longer track. Once at the airport, Trevor clears the runway and Jeremy is able to land at last. The Fat Controller praises Emily again, but Emily tells him that all of his engines are "excellent engines".

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Duck
 * Emily
 * Murdoch
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Harvey (does not speak)
 * Trevor (does not speak)
 * Jeremy (does not speak)
 * Dowager Hatt (does not speak)
 * Farmer McColl (does not speak)
 * Henry (cameo)
 * Gordon (cameo)
 * Bulgy (cameo)
 * Cranky (cameo)

Locations

 * McColl Farm
 * Brendam Docks
 * Sodor Airport
 * Gordon's Hill

Trivia

 * This episode marks Duck's first appearance since the seventh season, and his first speaking role since the sixth.
 * This episode marks Dowager Hatt's first appearance in CGI.
 * Murdoch gains a Scottish accent in the UK narration.
 * The town Emily passes is made up of buildings from Great Waterton.
 * This episode marks Jeremy and Bulgy's last appearances to date.
 * This episode marks Murdoch's first speaking role since the seventh season and his last speaking role to date.
 * This marks the final appearance of the Sodor Airport to date.

Goofs

 * The narrator said that lots of engines were broken down. This is wrong; the narrator should have said "and lots of engines were stuck".
 * When Murdoch pulls Emily out of the mud, her driving wheels aren't moving.
 * Trevor's driver is too big compared to Trevor.
 * It was incredibly dangerous for Jeremy to land while going over Trevor.
 * Farmer McColl's farm is situated at the end of Thomas' Branch Line, so Murdoch and Emily should not have been down there due to his weight.
 * Bulgy appears in his old red livery.
 * Duck's face is smaller and is missing its prominent cheekbones.
 * It seems illogical that the airport did not have any machinery of their own to clear the runway.
 * Throughout the episode, Emily's driver and fireman are not in CGI.
 * A brakevan should have been added to Emily's trains.
 * When Trevor trundles across the runway, his driver is steering him whilst sitting in his coal bunker, which is empty.
 * Emily would not be able to push the tree all the way up the hill.
 * The express coaches by Thomas should not have been on the Main Line.