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- “Well, little Thomas. Now you know what hard work means, don't you?”
- ― Gordon
Thomas and Gordon, retitled Thomas Gets Tricked in American releases, is the very first episode of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends, excluding the Unaired Pilot, and the first episode of the first season. It first aired on Shining Time Station in the episode: A Place Unlike Any Other in 1989, and later reaired in Stacy Forgets Her Name in 1993.
Plot
Thomas is a blue tank engine who acts as a station pilot for the bigger engines. His job is to fetch coaches for the other engines and then take them away when the engines need to go to the sheds and rest. Thomas thinks no engine works as hard as he does and is often very cheeky to the bigger engines, especially Gordon, the big blue engine who pulls express trains.
One day, Gordon returns from a long journey and wants a rest, so he finds a siding to sleep in. Then Thomas comes up in his cheeky way, telling Gordon to wake up and work harder. This wakes the big engine up, but instead of falling back asleep, he vows to teach Thomas a lesson by showing him what hard work really is.
"Hurry, Hurry, Hurry!"
The next morning, Thomas' crew is unable to make him start. Gordon impatiently waits outside the station for Thomas to bring him his coaches. Finally, Thomas starts. He hurries to get the express coaches and brings them to the station platform behind Gordon. Gordon then enacts his plan and quickly backs down, couples to his train and hurries his passengers to get in. Thomas usually pushes from behind the big trains get to help them get a good start, but he is always uncoupled from the coaches first. This time, however, Thomas' crew forgot to uncouple him and Gordon quickly starts off, with little Thomas behind. Gordon races through the Sudrian countryside as fast as he can to show Thomas how hard it is to pull the express. It is not long before Thomas is quite out of breath.
After a while, the two blue engines come to a stop at a station. Thomas has never gone that fast before and is very tired and feels very silly. He has a nice long drink from the water tower and puffs wearily home as learns to never be cheeky to Gordon again.
Characters
- Thomas
- Gordon
- Henry (cameo)
- James (cameo)
- Clarabel (cameo)
- Sir Topham Hatt (cameo)
- Stephen Hatt (cameo)
- Jeremiah Jobling (cameo)
Locations
Trivia
- This episode is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book, Thomas the Tank Engine, which is based on a real event that was happened at Liverpool station with an express train who left with the pilot.
- The George Carlin narration wasn't released on DVD until 2006, when it was part of Thomas' Halloween Adventures.
- The events of this episode were remade in CGI for the 2015 special, The Adventure Begins.
- Thomas tired face was reused and remodeled in the Season 8 episode, Chickens to School.
- Gordon is seen backing down on his train as Henry leaves Knapford at the beginning of the restored version.
- In the original version, the studio equipment and edge of sets are not seen, but in the restored version, there are.
- Music cues from this episode were used in some audiobooks of Thomas & Friends, which were only released in Germany.
Goofs
- In the very first shot of Thomas, studio equipment is reflected off of his smokebox and the edge of his boiler is chipped. In the same shot when he starts rolling his eyes, his face moves just a little bit.
- In the first shot of Thomas' wheels, the paint on his middle wheel is chipped and his smokebox is scratched.
- When we see Gordon first pulling express, we can see a studio equipment reflection in the lake
- When the narrator says "It was nearly time for the Express!" there are no coaches on the track next to Gordon. When Thomas puffs in, they suddenly appear.
- Gordon was waiting outside platform 2 for his coaches, but when Thomas puffs in, Gordon and his coaches are outside platform 3 and 4.
- In one scene, there is a set of points leading from the track outside platform 5 to the track outside platform 4. In the next scene, it disappears.
- Just before Thomas reaches the water tower, the background shows trees and bushes instead of Wellsworth.
- When Gordon backs down on his train and shouts, "Get in quickly please!" something can be seen moving behind the station.
- When Gordon and Thomas leaves Knapford Station they then go through Henry's tunnel, but that would be impossible since Henry's tunnel is located on the opposite end of the line.
- And when they exit the tunnel, The tracks bounce in the air.
- When Gordon is sleeping in the siding, his buffers are crooked.
- When Thomas stops inside Knapford at the beginning, Henry is in his new shape.
- When Thomas wakes Gordon up the second time, the tracks in the siding in front of Gordon aren't connected to the buffers, Thomas moves a little and his smoke vanishes due to a film cut.
- In a rare picture, there is no one in Gordon's cab as he and Thomas cross the Viaduct.
- When Henry leaves the station, Gordon's eyes are a bit wonky.
- When Thomas says "Hurry (up) yourself!" the coaches cannot be seen in front of him.
- When Henry and James puff out of Knapford, two of Henry's wheel arches are missing.
- When Thomas puffs into Knapford in the opening scene, Henry has no coaches. In the next scene, he leaves the station with coaches, a van and a brake van.
- In the restored version:
- The top of the set can be seen over the church when James and Henry pass by.
- Studio equipment can be seen as Gordon pulls Thomas around the bend.
- In the closeup of Thomas tried out, the train in front of him is missing.
- When the train crosses the viaduct, the edge of the set is visible.
- When Thomas backs up to the turntable, a camera stand is visible and a small white mark is visible on his tank in the UK narration.
- Just before Thomas starts puffing to the water tower, the track ends behind him.
- In the closeup of Gordon smiling, there is studio equipment in the back, Thomas and the Express disappear and his tender bounces a little.
- When Thomas backs into the turntable, a camera stand is visible.
- On the Amazon Prime digital release of the Classic Series, this episode features an excerpt of one of Ringo Starr's narrations when Gordon stops at Wellsworth.
- When Thomas puffs up to the coaches at Knapford, a workman is seen next to the coaches, but in the shot where Thomas puffs backwards, the workman disappears.
- Henry and James appear briefly, but they were not introduced until The Sad Story of Henry and Thomas and the Breakdown Train respectively.
- According to the writings of Awdry, the Express is not meant to stop at Wellsworth.
Merchandise
- Books - Thomas and Gordon
- Board Books - Thomas and Gordon
- Magazine Stories - Thomas and Gordon
- My Thomas Story Library - Thomas (discontinued)
In Other Languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| German | Thomas und Gordon | Thomas and Gordon |
| Spanish | Una lección para Thomas / Thomas y Gordon | A Lesson for Thomas / Thomas and Gordon |
| Hebrew | תומס וגורדון | Thomas and Gordon |
| Italian | Una bella lezione | A Good Lesson |
| Norwegian | Thomas og Gordon | Thomas and Gordon |
| Icelandic | Tommi og Gyrðir | Thomas and Gordon |
| Swedish | Thomas och Gordon | Thomas and Gordon |
| Danish | Thomas og Gordon | Thomas and Gordon |
| Brazilian Portuguese | Thomas Aprende uma Lição | Thomas Learns a Lesson |
| Japanese | トーマスとゴードン | Thomas and Gordon |
| Croatian | Tomica i Gordon | Thomas and Gordon |
| Finnish | Tuomas-Veturi ja Jori | Thomas the Tank Engine and Gordon |
| Slovenian | Tomaž in Gorazd | Thomas and Gordon |
| Chinese | 托马斯和高登 | Thomas and Gordon |
| Korean | 토마스와 고든 | Thomas and Gordon |
| Russian | Серьезный урок | Serious Lesson |
| Welsh | Tomos a Gordon | Thomas and Gordon |
| Hungarian | Thomas és Gordon | Thomas and Gordon |
| Dutch | Thomas en Gordon | Thomas and Gordon |
| Polish | Tomek i Gabryś | Thomas and Gordon |
| French | Thomas et Gordon | Thomas and Gordon |
| Romanian | Thomas şi Gordon | Thomas and Gordon |
| Czech | Tomáš a Gordon | Thomas and Gordon |
| Slovak | Thomas a Gordon | Thomas and Gordon |
| Serbian | Tomas i Gordon | Thomas and Gordon |
| Thai | บทเรียนของโธมัส | Thomas' Lesson |
Home Media Releases
Episode
| #01 Thomas and Gordon | #10 James and the Express | #19 The Flying Kipper |
| #02 Edward and Gordon | #11 Thomas and the Guard | #20 Whistles and Sneezes |
| #03 The Sad Story of Henry | #12 Thomas Goes Fishing | #21 Toby and the Stout Gentleman |
| #04 Edward, Gordon and Henry | #13 Thomas, Terence and the Snow | #22 Thomas in Trouble |
| #05 Thomas' Train | #14 Thomas and Bertie | #23 Dirty Objects |
| #06 Thomas and the Trucks | #15 Tenders and Turntables | #24 Off the Rails |
| #07 Thomas and the Breakdown Train | #16 Trouble in the Shed | #25 Down the Mine |
| #08 James and the Coaches | #17 Percy Runs Away | #26 Thomas' Christmas Party |
| #09 Troublesome Trucks | #18 Coal | |