| For other uses, see Thomas, Percy and the Dragon (disambiguation). |
- "Maybe we do get scared sometimes but, if we're not afraid to tell each other, then that means we're quite brave too."
- ― Thomas to Percy
Thomas, Percy and the Dragon is the seventh episode of the third series. It is based on the magazine stories Percy's Night Out and Percy and the Dragon written by Andrew Brenner.
Plot
Percy is still ribbing Thomas about the time he thought Percy was a ghost. At first, Thomas pretends that he knew it was a trick the whole time. When that doesn't work and Percy jokes about him being afraid of the dark, Thomas simply goes to sleep. The next morning, Thomas is asked by the Fat Controller to collect a special load from Brendam Harbour. Thomas wonders what it is but the Fat Controller tells him to wait and see.
Meanwhile, Percy gets stuck in a siding while shunting at Lower Suddery and has to stay there for the night due to jammed points while waiting for Henry to pass with a goods train. His driver and fireman go home for tea and Percy watches the other engines heading back to Tidmouth. The misty night comes and Percy starts feeling very lonely in the siding. He gets scared when he hears a shrieking noise, not knowing it is only an owl and wishes Thomas was with him.
When Thomas is waiting for his load at the harbour, he is horrified to find it is a dragon but his driver tells him it is only a paper one and needed for a carnival, to Thomas' relief. Workmen put lights on the dragon for Thomas to travel safely and he sets off into the mist for the carnival. Percy is sleeping until Thomas passes by with the dragon, which wakes him up and terrifies him to the point that he refuses to open his eyes until his driver returns.
The next day, the points are mended and Percy tries to tell Gordon about what he had seen. Unfortunately, the big blue engine thinks Percy has been in the sun too long and puffs away with the express. This soon leads to the other engines ridiculing him about it. He begins to think he might have imagined the dragon but later sees it again and is just plain indignant when he sees Thomas pushing it. Thomas explains what happened and the two make up for their teasing.
Characters
- Thomas
- Gordon
- James
- Percy
- Sir Topham Hatt
- The Lower Suddery Signalman
- The Chinese Dragon
- Henry (does not speak)
- Duck (cameo)
- Diesel (cameo)
- Bertie (cameo)
- Big Mickey (faceless, cameo)
- Percy's Ghost Engine (mentioned)
Locations
- Tidmouth Sheds
- Tidmouth Goods Station (deleted scene)
- Lower Suddery
- Brendam Docks
- The Valley Bridge
- Knapford
- Elsbridge
- Dryaw Canal Runby (deleted scene)
Trivia
- Going by the Shining Time Station airings, this was the first third series story told by George Carlin.
- According to the script, this was originally going to be the eighth episode of the third series.
- A promotional image shows Gordon passing Percy in the siding. He is also pulling the red express coaches as well.
- This episode marks a few things:
- The first episode to air on television in the US via Shining Time Station before airing in the UK. However, the first sixteen episodes of this series were released on home media at the time before airing a year later in 1992 for British audiences.
- The last appearance of Thomas' sleepy face.
- The only appearance of the Chinese Dragon until the tenth series episode, Percy and the Funfair and its only appearance in Britt Allcroft era.
- In the original UK dub, the music played when Percy waits for Henry to pass by, Percy at Knapford and the other engines laughing is omitted. The music played when James teases Percy is also omitted in both the UK and most international dubs, excluding the Ukrainian voice-over.
- The first draft was written on 18 March 1991.
- The owl's shrieking noise is heard twice in both the UK and international dubs, excluding the US dub and Ukrainian voice-over.
- In the restored version, during the shot of Percy at the jammed points, his eye movement and steam coming out of him is different compared to the original version.
- Big Mickey and S.S. Vienna from Tugs, the sister show of Thomas & Friends, make their first appearances in the show as background characters. Big Mickey continued to be a background character, even making it into CGI series, until he gained a face in the twenty-first series episode, New Crane on the Dock. S.S. Vienna would be repainted and named the S.S. Roxstar from the fourth series onwards.
- A reference to the second series episode, Ghost Train is made by Percy.
- The episode can be seen in a Japanese game, Magical Adventure.
- When repeated on CITV on 19 February 1993, the end credits were entirely removed, save for the Britt Allcroft endboards. Steve Ryde provided voiceovers from this episode onwards.
- In a promotional picture, Percy has his shocked face when he sees the dragon at night.
- The events of this episode were later mentioned by Thomas in the twenty-third series episode, Wish You Were Here.
- This episode was shown alongside the previous episode in an airing of Storytime with Thomas.
- A deleted scene of Thomas passing Percy on his way to the harbour to pick up the dragon was shown in the song, Thomas' Anthem. In a draft of the dialogue script, he was shown to have whistled "Good-Bye!" to Percy as he passed him.
Goofs
- JEI TV's Korean title of the episode is "토마스와 퍼시와 용" (Tomaseuwa Peosiwa Yong). This is incorrect grammar, as the correct title should have been "토마스와 퍼시 그리고 용" (Tomaseuwa Peosi Geuligo Yong).
- In the restored version, in the last shot of Thomas and Percy in the shed, the narrator says Thomas went to sleep but he looks cross. This is an unused shot for this scene that included them both in frame, as it does not appear in the original version of the episode at all.
- In both the US dub and Ukrainian voice-over, Percy says to Thomas "I hope the guard leaves the light for tonight." The word "guard" is usually replaced with the word "conductor" in the US version but, in George Carlin's narration and the Ukrainian voice-over, it is kept as it was in the UK version.
- Percy's eyes are misaligned in many scenes throughout the episode.
- The dragon was said to be covered in lights but it was actually lit up from underneath.
- The steam vent goes off too early when Thomas blows steam at Percy.
- When Percy puffs up to Gordon at Knapford Station, one of the coaches behind Gordon is derailed.
- In the shot of Henry, James and Duck, Henry's front wheels are derailed and his brake pipe and tender misaligned. His eyes, along with James and Duck's, are also misaligned.
- The end of the set is visible behind Thomas in the shot where he goes under the bridge, the track he was on ends behind him.
- In the overhead shots of the jammed points, a truck next to Percy is derailed.
- In the scene of Thomas and Percy in Tidmouth Sheds, Thomas is in a middle berth. The morning after, however, Thomas has moved to the berth on the far right.
- Wires can be seen under the tarpaulin on the flatbed in front of the dragon when Thomas passes Percy. These are most likely wires connecting the power source to the dragon's lights. In addition, when it becomes daylight, Thomas loses this flatbed.
- When Henry puffs by Percy, a gap can be seen between his face plate and eye.
- When Percy's driver and fireman leave, Percy's face is crooked.
- Before Thomas arrives with the dragon towards the end of the episode, Percy's cab and the coaches' roofs are crooked.
In Other Languages
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Merchandise
- Motor Road and Rail
- TrackMaster (UK only)
- Books - Thomas and the Dragon and Thomas and Percy and the Dragon
- Buzz Book - Thomas, Percy and the Dragon
Home Video Releases
PC Game
Episode
US narrationReferences
| #01 A Scarf for Percy | #10 The Trouble with Mud | #19 One Good Turn |
| #02 Percy's Promise | #11 No Joke for James | #20 Tender Engines |
| #03 Time for Trouble | #12 Thomas, Percy and the Post Train | #21 Escape |
| #04 Gordon and the Famous Visitor | #13 Trust Thomas | #22 Oliver Owns Up |
| #05 Donald's Duck | #14 Mavis | #23 Bulgy |
| #06 Thomas Gets Bumped | #15 Toby's Tightrope | #24 Heroes |
| #07 Thomas, Percy and the Dragon | #16 Edward, Trevor and the Really Useful Party | #25 Percy, James and the Fruitful Day |
| #08 Diesel Does It Again | #17 Buzz, Buzz | #26 Thomas and Percy's Christmas Adventure |
| #09 Henry's Forest | #18 All at Sea | |