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“Are you lost?"
"Would you like some help?"
"No, thank you. I'm not lost.”
― Duck, Oliver, Toad and Gordon

Gordon Takes a Shortcut is the fifteenth episode of the twelfth series.

Plot

Gordon is waiting for Stanley at Knapford Station to collect his passengers for him to take to Brendam Docks, but he is running late. Stanley soon arrives and apologises for being late, having taken a shortcut but got lost, to Gordon's annoyance. The Fat Controller then announces that some VIPs and a group of workmen are waiting at Great Waterton and that whoever gets there first will take the VIPs. Determined to beat Stanley at Great Waterton, Gordon drops off his passengers and tries to take a shortcut to beat Stanley there.

Gordon's attempt at a shortcut leads to him meeting Duck at a washdown. Duck offers him advice on directions, but Gordon turns down his help because he believes that he knows the island enough. He soon sees a bridge which he believes to be the bridge from Great Waterton, but he instead ends up in a repair yard, where he sees Oliver and Toad. They too offer him help, but he again declines it. Gordon starts getting more and more worried as his shortcut keeps getting him nowhere when he sees another bridge, but it is not the Great Waterton Bridge either; it is the logging station's shunting yard.

After hearing Stanley's whistle from the track below, Gordon attempts to catch up to him. Unfortunately, he instead ends up banging into Ben's flatbed of logs, spilling them onto Stanley's line, and he realises that trying to take a shortcut had not been such a good idea after all. Gordon knows he must stop Stanley from hitting the logs, so he asks for advice from Ben on how to get down to Stanley's line. Ben offers him some directions, but Gordon soon comes to a fork in the track when Oliver and Toad turn up and they tell him to take the left track. He soon comes to another fork, but is able to get advice from Duck who tells him to take the track on the right. Gordon soon sees the logs and manages to stop Stanley just in time. The two of them go to Great Waterton, and as a sign of friendship, Gordon allows Stanley to take the VIPs.

Characters

Locations

Trivia

  • A sample of the episode with Pierce Brosnan's original dub is featured on Dino Athanassiou's website.
  • Stock footage from the eleventh series episode, Gordon and the Engineer is used.
  • This episode marks Oliver's first speaking role since the seventh series episode, Snow Engine as well as Toad's first appearance since then, not counting his faceless cameo appearance in the eighth series episode, Thomas and the Circus.
  • This is the fourth episode (third in the UK) to have the same half title Gordon takes, the others being the first series episode, Gordon Takes a Dip, the sixth series episode, Gordon Takes a Tumble and the eighth series episode, Gordon Takes Charge.
  • This episode aired before The Great Discovery premiered in the UK. It was originally supposed to be shown after The Great Discovery but was brought forwards for unknown reasons, meaning the audience may have not known about Stanley or Great Waterton.
  • Harvey appears in the annual story of this episode, which means he may have originally played a role in this episode.
  • A barn building from the fourth series can be seen in the Lumber Yard.
  • This episode marks the last of several things:
    • Ben, Toad, Oliver, Bert and 'Arry's last appearances in the model series; this also marks the last of a few things for these characters:
      • Ben:
        • His last appearance until the seventeenth series episode, Percy's Lucky Day.
        • His definitely second, possibly third, and last appearance without Bill.
        • The current last appearance of his smiling and shocked faces.
        • The last episode where he does not have red wheels, and without his headlamp.
      • Oliver and Toad:
        • Oliver's last appearance until Tale of the Brave, and the last time he appears without his headlamp
        • Toad's last appearance and Oliver's last episode appearance until the eighteenth series episode, Signals Crossed and both of their last speaking roles until Toad's Adventure.
        • The last appearance of Oliver's smiling face and Toad's happy face.
      • 'Arry and Bert:
    • Duck's last speaking role until the seventeenth series episode, Henry's Hero, thus, his last speaking role in the model series and the last appearance of his smiling face.
    • The last appearance of the Railway Board, but three members only.
    • The last episode until the seventeenth series episode, Luke's New Friend and thus, the last episode in the model series, where Thomas does not appear at all.
    • The last episode written by Wayne Jackman, as well as the only episode written by him in the twelfth series.
    • The last appearance of Gordon's smiling and sad faces.
  • The Korean title of this episode is the same both on Kids 1 and EBS.

Goofs

  • Toad's face is bigger than usual and wider than his body in some scenes.
  • Gordon's tender shakes in several scenes.
  • One of the vans in the siding with 'Arry and Bert is derailed.
  • When Gordon collides with Ben, the front end of Ben's flatbed is propelled upwards and the logs remain on the flatbed, but in the next shot, the back wheels of the flatbed, as well as the logs, are in the air while the front is on the ground.
  • As the logs roll down the hill, the ground bounces.
  • When the narrator says, "But Gordon didn't know which track to take to find Stanley," Ben's eyes are misaligned.
  • Right before Gordon says "Thank you" to Duck, his tongue clips through his teeth.
  • When Stanley stops in front of the logs, his brake coach's roof is lifted.
  • The narrator says that Rocky arrived to clear the logs, implying that he got there on his own, but Rocky cannot move by himself. This clearly meant that another engine (possibly small and standard gauge) probably appeared, but Stanley's coaches hid the engine from view.
  • Towards the end of the episode, when Stanley picks up the inspectors, his side rods are bent a bit.

Merchandise

In Other Languages

Language Title
Brazilian Portuguese Gordon Pega um Atalho
Chinese Mandarin 高登选择走近路
Czech Gordon to bere zkratkou
Finnish Jorin Oikotie
French Gordon prend un raccourci
German Gordon nimmt eine Abkürzung
Indonesian Gordon Mengambil Jalan Pintas
Italian Gordon Prende una Scorciatoia
Korean 지름길로 간 고든
Latin American Spanish Gordon Toma un Atajo
Polish Gabryś Jedzie Skrótem

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