U.S. Title: Rusty Helps Peter Sam
Air date: July 26th, 1995 (UK), October 28th, 1996 (US)
Adapted from: The Little Old Engine, "Trucks!"
Harold is returning from his inspection when he spots a little Diesel coming round the mountain. The Diesel is Rusty and despite his friendliness, Rusty has little time to chat and regards Harold as being cheeky. Rusty's arrival pleases Sir Handel and Peter Sam, but Sir Handel remains his usual grumpy self. The trucks dislike Sir Handel and repeatedly play tricks on him, making him dislike working with them. Sir Handel is advised by Gordon that if he were ill, he could not shunt trucks.
Sir Handel takes the hint and, when he feigns an illness the next day, Peter Sam is allocated his trucks. He takes them to the slate mines and waits for his full ones, but the trucks mistake him for Sir Handel and brake their coupling, smashing into him and cracking his funnel and denting his boiler. Rusty helps clear the mess and the Fat Controller reprimands Sir Handel for lying. On the way home, Harold spots Rusty again. This time Rusty mimics Harold from their previous meeting and uses his phrase, "Well done, cheers, and keep up the good work!"
Tropes featured in the episode:
- Adaptation Induced Plothole: What makes this adaptation a bit off putting; in the original novel, all the narrow-gauge engines were painted red (sans Rusty, who was black) which is how the trucks coming down the hill confused Peter Sam and Sir Handel. But since the TV series kept their respecitve original green and blue colors, it makes it a bit odd that the trucks cannot distinguish between the two of them.
- Book Ends: The episode starts and ends with Rusty and Harold talking on the hillside.
- Didn't Think This Through: Sir Handel gets Peter Sam to do his work for him, but doesn't count on the trucks mistaking the latter engine (whom they don't mind) for the former (whom they hate). Following Peter Sam's accident, Sir Handel openly admits that he "didn't think".
- Disneyfication: In the book's adaptation, the trucks yell "Scrag him! Scrag him!", which was an old British slang for "Kill him!" This wasn't put in the television adaptation for obvious reasons.
- Hates Small Talk: Rusty, although is friendly, had little time to chat with Harold, who is being a little cheeky towards him.
- Ironic Echo: Harold's "well done, cheers, and keep up the good work" in regards to Rusty. In the end of the episode, Rusty says the same thing to him.
- Jerkass: Gordon and the slate trucks who smashed Peter Sam as much as the empties told them to do otherwise.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Sir Handel was this when he apologised to Peter Sam.
- Karma Houdini: While Sir Handel is punished for Playing Sick, Gordon is never called out for suggesting it to him in the first place.
- Laser-Guided Karma: As punishment for playing sick, which led to the accident that damaged Peter Sam's funnel, The Fat Controller makes Sir Handel do Peter Sam's work as well as his own.The Fat Controller: That'll teach you to pretend you're ill!
- Misplaced Retribution: The trucks mistook Peter Sam for Sir Handel, but despite warnings from the other trucks, they all decide to crash into him anyways.
- Now You Tell Me: Since the trucks hate Sir Handel, he always hangs back while at the slate mine for safety's sake. However, he neglects to advise Peter Sam about this until after the latter's accident.
- Playing Sick: What Sir Handel does and pays for it.
- Toxic Friend Influence: Gordon's suggests that Sir Handel play sick to get out of working with trucks, leading to Peter Sam's accident and thus Sir Handle now having to cover for him.
