Mucking About

"Silly blue engine! You're not number one, we're number one!" "Yeah and there's two of us; so that makes you... number three!"

- Monty and Max

Mucking About is an episode from the twentieth season.

Plot
One day, the Pack is working near Thomas' branch line. However, Max and Monty continuously mess around instead of working. They drive recklessly on the road next to the tracks and even cross the tracks in front of Thomas. Edward advises Thomas to ignore them completely.

When Max and Monty return to the dig site, Monty runs over a rock, where one of his tyres launches it at Oliver. This damages his arm, preventing him from working. Thomas has to take Oliver to be repaired and is even more annoyed with Max and Monty as a result. They are taking some construction waste to the dump when they decide to save time by dumping it over the edge of a bridge, unaware that they are right above Thomas' branch line.

Later that day, Thomas is taking a repaired Oliver back to the dig site, but his track is blocked by a large pile of construction waste which has been built up from several of Max and Monty's loads. Thomas hits the pile and derails. That night, Oliver is digging up the pile of rubble while Judy and Jerome put Thomas back on the rails as Sir Topham Hatt watches. In the midst of all of this, Max and Monty dump another load into the pile. They are confronted by a policeman, who orders them to take all of the rubble to the waste dump before the morning.

Late into the night, Thomas is returning home when Max and Monty apologise to him. Thomas accepts their apology but insists that he will not be racing them again. As he leaves, Max and Monty decide to race to the dump with their last load, making dirt fly into Jack and Alfie's faces much to the annoyance of them.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * Judy and Jerome
 * Jack
 * Alfie
 * Oliver (The Pack)
 * Max and Monty
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * A Policeman
 * Ryan (cameo)
 * Rocky (cameo)
 * The Foreman (cameo)

Locations

 * Rail Under Road Bridge and Signalbox
 * Thomas' Branch Line
 * Whiff's Waste Dump (mentioned)

Trivia

 * This is the first episode where all three breakdown cranes are used.
 * This episode marks the first of two things for Max and Monty:
 * Their first speaking roles since the Jack and the Sodor Construction Company episode, Alfie Has Kittens.
 * Monty's first speaking role in the main series.
 * The US dub credits "Jam Filled" for producing the episode, while the UK dub credits Arc Productions.

Goofs

 * William Hope and Joseph May are credited in the UK credits despite none of their characters speaking in that dub.
 * Throughout the episode:
 * Max and Monty's eyebrows phase into their heads several times.
 * Max's wheels can be seen moving backwards when he is actually driving forwards.
 * Both Max and Monty's steering and wheel speeds are out of sync with their movements.
 * In the US dub, when Max and Monty dump their loads over the bridge the second time, they swap voices.
 * The sound of Monty's wheel hitting the rock is heard before he actually hits it.
 * When Max and Monty dump their first loads on the rails, they both have the exact same tree branch in their trays.
 * Thomas' side rods are duplicated when he crashes into the pile of dirt and tree branches. The duplicated side rod is moving, contrary to the non-moving wheels and the audible braking sounds.
 * Oliver's arm was too tall to fit under the bridge.
 * Thomas appears to be damaged and dirty after his accident, but he is completely fine and spotless in the final scene.