Percy's Predicament

"We must now try to run the branch line with Toby and a diesel. You have put us in an awkward predicament."

- Sir Topham Hatt Telling Percy Off.

Percy's Predicament is the twentieth episode of the second season. In the US it first aired on the "Mister Moose's Fun Time" episode, "Art Appreciation Day" on Fox Family.

Plot
Daisy's time on the Island of Sodor is going badly for everyone concerned. Not only is she frightened of bulls and cows, she remains lazy, bad-tempered, stubborn, and refuses to do jobs she does not want to do.

Percy grumpily shunts trucks one day, as Toby pulls in noticing Daisy has once again refused to take the milk wagon, forcing Percy to make a special trip with it after his normal work is done. Wanting to help, Toby offers to take the milk if Percy fetches his trucks from the quarry in return. Their crews agree to this and Percy sets off.

Percy goes to the quarry to fetch the trucks. Having never been there before, he starts enjoying himself by ordering the trucks about. The trucks do not take kindly to a stranger entering the quarry and giving orders and vote to pay Percy out.

While running along, Percy whistles to the guard to pin down his brakes only for the trucks to push him along. The signalman is too late to switch Percy into the runaway siding and Percy crashes into a brake van, destroying it and perching himself on top of the remains of a truck.

The next day, Toby and Daisy help clear up the mess and the Fat Controller arrives to speak to Percy, telling him that now the branch line will have to be run with only Toby and a diesel, leaving him in an awkward predicament. Percy, very much stuck in his own predicament, understands fully what he means. The Fat Controller tells Percy he is going to be left where he is until everything else is cleared up, hoping the experience will teach him to be more careful with trucks in the future.

The Fat Controller also scolds Daisy for her laziness, declaring that he sends lazy engines like her away. Daisy is left feeling ashamed of herself, but the Fat Controller has decided to give her another chance given how hard she worked after Percy's accident. Daisy is happy and promises to work hard with Toby's help. Knowing Toby has a lot of experience with running a branch line, the Fat Controller is satisfied.

The next day, Thomas returns from the works and is happily reunited with Annie and Clarabel while Percy is sent away to be repaired. All the engines are now friends and Daisy learns a lot from Toby, leading her to become a really useful engine.

Characters

 * Percy
 * Toby
 * Daisy
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Thomas (does not speak)
 * Annie and Clarabel (do not speak)
 * Henrietta (does not speak)
 * The Policeman (cameo)

Locations

 * Crocks Scrap Yard
 * Anopha Quarry
 * Elsbridge
 * The Carriage Shed
 * The Quarry Tramroad

Trivia

 * This episode is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book, Branch Line Engines.
 * Stock footage from Percy Runs Away and Percy and Harold is used.
 * The small truck wears the Spiteful Brake Van's angry face.
 * A deleted photo shows that Thomas came back just before Toby was coupled up to Percy's flatbed.
 * In the English version, the sign says "All trains stop to pin down brakes". In the Welsh version, it says "Stop! All trains [must] wait". In the Norwegian version, it says "To all trains: Stop. Brakes must be checked." However, the sign wasn't translated in the episode itself, only in a VHS trailer. In the episode, the narrator just says "Stop! All brakes must be checked!".
 * This episode along with Daisy were never shown on Shining Time Station.

Goofs

 * Percy's trucks' faces continuously disappear and reappear.
 * When the narrator says "Percy had never been to the quarry before," he shunts four trucks together and there is a gap between the last two trucks and the brake van, but in the very next scene, a fifth truck appears and the brake van is now behind the last truck.
 * When the first truck says "Pay Percy out" its face is on the back end.
 * When Percy passes the signalbox, his brake van changes.
 * When Percy passes by the signalbox, the signalman moves slightly, since Percy's weight moves the ground where he is standing.
 * Just before Percy crashes into the brake van, a stone used to lift Percy on top of the trucks is seen on the track that the brake van is on.
 * Percy's cab reveals part of the motor casting after the accident, during the panning shot from Toby to Daisy to Percy.
 * The brake van is already broken before Percy destroys it.
 * After the accident, the van behind Toby has a face, but in a deleted scene, it does not have a face.
 * When Thomas couples up to Annie and Clarabel his driver is facing the back. However, when Thomas puffs away, his driver is still looking back.
 * Because stock footage is used, Percy's load of gravel changes into stone slabs and Percy is smiling when he cries "Help! Help!"
 * When the narrator says "'Come along,' puffed Percy," the truck on the right of the screen does not have a chain on his hook.
 * Percy only has half of his screw-link coupling.
 * When Percy crashes, his whistle is crooked.

Quote

 * "What Toby doesn't know about branch line problems isn't worth knowing. Our Toby is an experienced engine." - Sir Topham Hatt

Merchandise

 * Buzz Books - Percy's Predicament
 * Magazine Stories - Percy's Predicament
 * Ladybird Books - Daisy &amp; Percy's Predicament & Woolly Bear
 * My Thomas Story Library - Daisy (discontinued)

UK

 * The Deputation and Other Stories
 * The Best of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends
 * Edward's Exploit (UK DVD)
 * Ghost Train and other stories/Time for Trouble and other stories
 * Chases, Races and Runaways
 * The Best of Percy
 * The Complete Series 2

DVD Boxsets

 * Classic Collection
 * The Best of Friends

US

 * Daisy and Other Thomas Stories
 * Best of Percy
 * Thomas & Friends Classic Volume 2

VHS/DVD Packs

 * Thomas' Fan Favorite Adventures
 * Best Tales on the Tracks
 * Best of Collection
 * Platinum Edition
 * 3 DVD Lunchbox Set

AUS

 * The Complete Series 2
 * The Deputation and other Stories

DVD Boxsets

 * Complete Series 1-10 (Boxset)
 * Classic Collection
 * Series One and Series Two Double Pack

JPN

 * Thomas the Tank Engine Vol.10 (Japanese VHS)
 * The Complete DVD Box 1
 * The Complete Works of Thomas the Tank Engine 1 Vol.4
 * Will Not Stop

PHL

 * The Deputation (DVD)

KOR

 * Stories to Raise Cooperation

NZ

 * The Deputation and Other Stories
 * Bumper Video Collection Volume 3

UKR

 * A Train Thomas and Friends

GER

 * Thomas and His Friends Vol. 5

NOR

 * Ghost Train (Norwegian VHS)

SER

 * Thomas the Tank Engine 4 (separate from main feature)

HRV

 * Better Late Than Never (Croatian DVD)

SA

 * Volume 4 (VHS)

ITA

 * The Brave Locomotive

IND

 * Pop Goes the Diesel and Other Stories

MYS

 * Thomas Comes to Breakfast and Other Thomas Adventures (Malaysian DVD)
 * The Deputation and Other Adventures

ROM

 * Thomas Comes to Breakfast (Romanian DVD)

DVD Packs

 * Triple Pack 2

CHN

 * Thomas and Friends Season 1-4 (DVD)

THA

 * Thomas and Friends Volume 5 (Thai DVD)
 * Thomas and Friends - Volume 7 (Thai DVD)

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