Saved You! (Thomas & Friends)

Saved You! is the 10th episode of Season 12 of Thomas & Friends, it aired on September 12, 2008 in the UK and on December 28, 2008 in the US.

Why It Didn't Save Us

 * 1) Addressing the elephant in the room, the infamous scene at the end where Thomas gives a weird smile, which is not only creepy, but very cringe-worthy at the same time and is perhaps the biggest example of how poorly Season 12's visuals have aged.
 * 2) Thomas is told to collect a fire fighter who is to be awarded a medal for rescuing a cat from a tree, not for saving people's lives.
 * 3) Though some think that "Thomas and the New Engine" started Thomas' flanderization, compared to that episode, this episode officially marked the start of his flanderization, as he thinks he should be a hero and seems to have forgotten all of the heroic acts he had done in previous seasons and what he had learned from those acts.
 * 4) Thomas should have been able to see that Rocky was lifting the water tower. Also, the way Rocky was lifting the tower was very dangerous, if they were going to move the water tower, they should have disassembled it and loaded it piece-by-piece. On top of that, Duck's flatbed was too short to carry it.
 * 5) Thomas was right to move Toby off the main line, but there was no need for him to hide Toby beyond being a cheap way for him to make a mistake. Also, they were right by a signal box, so the signalman should have made sure that Gordon stopped.
 * 6) Duck, Donald and Douglas' appearances are obviously to satisfy the fans, as they serve no real purpose. Donald and Douglas don't have any trucks or coaches, they're just there! Duck was to move the water tower, but that's something that practically any engine could have done.
 * 7) This episode sends the bad moral that you can cause a lot of trouble for others and get no punishment. This makes Thomas come off as a Karma Houdini as he normally would be scolded for his actions, but here, they brush it off like it was nothing.
 * 8) Like most episodes in the Sharon Miller Era, this episode follows the same stupid "three strikes" formula which is extremely tiring.
 * 9) Duck's conflict is never resolved, despite the moral being about fixing mistakes.

Redeeming Qualities

 * 1) Duck, Harvey, Donald and Douglas' appearances may have been added into the episode in order for the three strikes to happen, but it was nice to see them, nonetheless.
 * 2) Duck's face is the correct size in this episode, rather than being smaller as it is for his other appearances in the season.
 * 3) All of the characters in this episode (except for the now flanderized Thomas) are likable characters.

Reception
Saved You! was despised by many Thomas fans with it being considered one of the worst episodes of Season 12 and one of the worst episodes of the entire show. It received a 3.6 on IMDb.