Emily in the Middle

Emily in the Middle is a twenty-first season episode.

Plot
Donald and Douglas were called to Brendam Docks to deliver a very long load of steel pipes to Vicarstown, but began arguing of who is to push from behind, as none of them want to be with each other. As Thomas was leaving, he met Emily, who was on her way to help the twins with the load. He warns her about the arguing, of which she says she can tolerate. When she arrived and said that she'll push the load from behind, Douglas was more than happy to join her, whilst Donald, not wanting to be left behind, pulled from the front. Douglas bumped into Emily from behind before hooking up, and together, the long train began to leave the docks.

As they were puffing along, Emily explained of how happy she is of helping the twins. First mistaking Douglas as Donald, of which he corrected, followed by what he can describe about his twin. This made Emily laugh, but as she laughed, her laughter echoed through the steel pipes, to Donald, who began to overhear the conversation. As Douglas explained to Emily about Donald's accidents, and with Emily laughing so hard about it, it made Donald so cross that he stopped the train. He tried to shout back that he doesn't want to pull anymore, but Douglas and Emily were so far behind that they couldn't hear him, so Donald uncoupled, puffed back along the train and told Douglas about the conversation and laughter between him and Emily. He also said that it was so lonely at the front, that he now wanted to swap places with Douglas. Emily agreed as she would like to have a conversation with Donald. Douglas uncoupled, but as the twins were backing up, Toby with some trucks were coming from behind, and seeing the two engines in his way, he diverted into a siding, and crashed into the snow, causing him to have a snowy white beard. Donald and Douglas apologised to Toby, whilst Toby's driver helped to dig him out of the snow. When Douglas was going round to the front, a grumpy Gordon with his express had to stop, as the front of the steel pipe train was in the way of the express line at Suddery Junction.

As the long train came to Gordon's Hill, Donald asked Emily of what Douglas had been telling her, and she answered that it was more to do with the twins. Donald then told her about Douglas's accident, of which made Emily laugh so hard, that her laughter went through the pipes, to Douglas, who overhearing stopped the train, uncoupled and went back to tell Donald that they're swapping places. Emily thought this is getting silly, as an argument then began to mount. Donald was uncoupled, went onto the other line, and was chased up the hill by Douglas. But whilst the twins argued, Emily was left to hold the very long and heavy train, in which was starting to push her back down the hill. As the twins began bumping into each other, a lump of coal fell from Donald's tender, and rolled down the hill, turning into a huge snowball. It was then that the twins realised the runaway train with Emily at the end, and the snowball, that they stopped arguing and began to chase after them. The snowball hit Emily off the tracks, and when the twins arrived, they began to argue of who's fault it is until Emily whistled loudly to stop the arguing. She scolded them saying that she was trying to help them, and if they could stop arguing for one minute, then they would know that she now really needs their help.

Harvey then came to help Emily back on the tracks, just as the still snow bearded Toby, James and Gordon came by. Gordon sniffed and said that it was the twin's fault for the accident. The twins were about to blame each other, when they finally came to even ground to blame themselves. At Vicarstown, as Thomas was leaving the station with some trucks, he saw Emily now in front, pulling the long steel pipe train. He asked her of how she handled things with the twins, she answered that it's gotten better now, and that she had learned in future to never be in the middle of the twins whenever they start an argument. Far at the back, Donald and Douglas happily explained that they should've let Emily be in front, and them be at the back in the first place, of which then started an argument of who came up with the idea.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Toby
 * Donald and Douglas
 * Emily
 * Porter
 * Salty
 * Cranky
 * Harvey (cameo)
 * Rosie (cameo)
 * Caitlin (cameo)
 * Big Mickey (cameo)

Locations

 * Rail Under Road Bridge and Signalbox
 * Brendam Docks
 * Sodor Shipping Company
 * Suddery Junction
 * Gordon's Hill
 * Vicarstown

UK

 * John Hasler as Thomas
 * Keith Wickham as Gordon and Salty
 * Rob Rackstraw as James, Toby and Donald
 * Joe Mills as Douglas
 * Teresa Gallagher as Emily
 * Steven Kynman as Porter
 * Matt Wilkinson as Cranky

US

 * Joseph May as Thomas
 * Kerry Shale as Gordon
 * Rob Rackstraw as James and Donald
 * William Hope as Toby
 * Joe Mills as Douglas
 * Jules de Jongh as Emily
 * David Menkin as Porter
 * Keith Wickham as Salty
 * Glenn Wrage as Cranky

Trivia

 * References to the episodes Break Van, Twin Trouble, and Love Me Tender are made.
 * This episode marks the third time an engine is hit by a snowball, the two being Percy's New Whistle and Snow Tracks.

Goofs

 * Carly is absent from the docks and Big Mickey does not have a face. Cranky is also missing in one scene.
 * Some of the ships at the docks are floating above the waterline.
 * At the docks, and on Gordon's Hill, Donald and Douglas somehow turns round to face each other without a turntable.

UK/US

 * Christmas On Sodor