Oliver Owns Up

"Hello Oliver! Are you being a 'Good-Gracious' engine? Beg pardon, of course, but we really don't like this sort of surprise."

- Duck

Oliver Owns Up is the twenty-second episode of the third season. In the US, it aired on the Shining Time Station episode, "Schemer's Special Club".

Plot
Oliver is still new to Sodor and tells Duck how very grateful he is that Douglas rescued him and Toad from being scrapped on the Other Railway. That night, Gordon, James, and Henry praise Oliver. Unfortunately, all this praise makes Oliver puffed up in the smokebox.

After pulling some coaches to Tidmouth, Oliver is told by the Fat Controller that he must learn how to handle trucks. However, Oliver is so confident in himself that he ignores Duck's warnings. After arranging some loaded trucks and then shunting empties to the hopper, he goes back to take the loaded trucks. But, the loaded trucks do not want Oliver, preferring Duck, Donald, or Douglas instead.

Oliver bosses the trucks about and takes them anyway. But the trucks decide to show Oliver who is boss by forcing him down the tracks. Oliver puts his weight against the trucks, but they still push him on, unaware of the danger ahead - he is heading towards the turntable. Then the inevitable happens - Oliver ends up bunker-first in the turntable well.

Duck is very concerned about Oliver's predicament as now Donald and Douglas will have to work without the use of the turntable. That night, the breakdown train rescues Oliver. The Fat Controller says that Oliver has a lot to learn about the troublesome nature of trucks and Oliver agrees.

Once home from the works, Oliver is a much wiser engine and knows how to handle trucks.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Duck
 * Donald
 * Oliver
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Douglas (does not speak)
 * Bill or Ben (cameo)
 * Toad (cameo)
 * Annie and Clarabel (deleted scene cameo)

Locations

 * Tidmouth
 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Brendam
 * Ffarquhar Sheds
 * Sodor River Bridge
 * The Coaling Plant
 * Shunting Yards
 * The Viaduct

Trivia

 * This episode is based on the story Resource and Sagacity from The Railway Series book, Oliver the Western Engine.
 * This episode seems to imply that Oliver has never worked with trucks before, but the fact that Oliver escaped with his own brakevan, Toad, makes this seem highly unlikely. The story this is based on does not have this plothole and mentions that Oliver had experience with trucks in general, but not ballast trucks.
 * As Oliver falls into the turntable, his cab windows are blacked out. This is probably to hide the weights used to make him drop before his driving wheels reached the well.
 * In Norway this episode is named "Oliver Gets Wiser". The Italian title is "Oliver Changes his Mind". The German title is "Oliver Confesses". The Polish title is "Lesson for Oliver". In Japan this episode is called "Oliver, I'm a little Different". The Spanish title for this episode is called "A Lesson for Oliver".
 * In the restored version, when Oliver is at the bridge, the scene is slowed down.
 * In the restored version, there is a fade effect after Oliver pushes the empty trucks under the hopper.

Goofs

 * When Oliver crosses the bridge it bounces. In the same scene, his eyes are off-center.
 * The truck who says "Or Donald!" has a scratched left eye.
 * The trucks are facing away from Oliver when he takes them away, but when they force him forward they are all facing him.
 * As the narrator says "Oliver heard nothing" look at the tracks; they lead to a dead end.
 * When the trucks start to push Oliver his wheels are not moving. Then, in the next shot, his wheels are moving backward. Then, in the next shot, his wheels are moving forward. Then, when he approaches the turntable, his wheels are not moving again.
 * A few seconds after the truck closest to Oliver hits the tracks a boom can be heard.
 * There are more berths than the usual six in Tidmouth sheds.
 * A brakevan should have been added to Oliver's train.
 * When Oliver passes Duck at the tunnel, Oliver's train has an unneeded brakevan.
 * When Thomas passes Oliver in the yard, on the left of the screen, one of the truck's faces is very crooked.
 * When Oliver arrives with his red coaches at the station, the track he is on bounces.