Duck Takes Charge

"Do you know what?" "What?" "Do you know what?" "Silly. Of course I don't know what, if you don't tell me what, "what" is!"

- Percy and Gordon

Duck takes Charge is the eighth episode of the second season.

In the US, this episode first aired on the Shining Time Station episode Just Wild about Harry's Workshop.

Plot
Percy is hard-pressed in the yard and so the Fat Controller buys a pannier tank named Montague (nicknamed "Duck"). Percy is quick to befriend him, but the big engines try to take advantage of him. The two decide to get revenge by barring the big engines entry to the shed, which turns out to be a bad decision when the Fat Controller comes to investigate and gives all five a telling-off, but no more is said of the matter and when Percy leaves to go work on Thomas' branchline Duck manages his work easily.

Characters

 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Duck
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Thomas (does not speak)
 * Toby (mentioned)

Locations

 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Knapford Yards
 * Knapford

Trivia

 * A "Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus" poster is seen at Knapford.

Goofs

 * In the panning shot of Percy, Gordon, and James, the breakdown train, on the far left, is derailed.
 * Thomas is seen pulling red coaches instead of Annie and Clarabel.
 * In the first close up of Gordon his eyes look wonky.
 * When Ringo Starr narrates, James says "rabbish!" instead of "rubbish!"
 * When Percy puffs away to get the coaches, studio equipment is visible at the top of the screen.
 * When Percy and Duck first puff away, a crew member's shadow briefly passes in front of them and a truck with a first season-style face can be seen in the shed.
 * Duck's eyebrows are missing when the engines "wheesh" him and a weird noise can be heard after they do so.
 * The narrator says, "Duck and Percy calmly sat on the points...", but they're not; Percy's on the turntable and Duck is on a line outside a berth.
 * Percy's roof is lifted up when Duck says "We'll do it later."
 * In the US, this episode aired before Percy and the Signal, so early American viewers wouldn't understand the latter being mentioned.