Air date: October 3rd, 2004
The Fat Controller sends Thomas to help Arthur at the Fishing Village as the fishermen have caught a huge catch of fish. When Thomas arrives, he sees a very long line of trucks waiting for him. Arthur tells him that, due to the rough tracks on the route to Brendam Docks, he must take five trucks at a time and go slowly and carefully. So, Arthur buffers up and takes five trucks, but Thomas prefers to get the smelly job over and done with and buffers up to all of the trucks in front of him.
However, the trucks take full advantage of the rough tracks and make fish fly into Thomas' face. When climbing up Gordon's Hill, the trucks are very heavy and on the way down, they pull Thomas, making him go way too fast. Unfortunately, Salty is at the bottom of the hill waiting for a signal. The trucks crash into Salty, sending fish everywhere. Thomas apologizes to Salty, but Salty does not mind; the smell of fish reminds him of the sea.
Soon Harvey arrives to clear up the mess and the Fat Controller scolds Thomas for neglecting Arthur's advice. Once the mess is cleared up, Thomas takes five trucks and finds it easier. After the first batch of five fish trucks, Thomas collects another five, and then the final three, arriving at the Docks just in time. The Fat Controller praises Thomas for a good job well done, especially as he knows that Thomas does not like fish.
Thomas goes to the washdown where Arthur and Salty are being cleaned and they all agree that being cleaned is the best part of the day.
Tropes featured in the episode:
- An Aesop: Don't take too many things at once.
- A Tragedy of Impulsiveness: Thomas collects too many trucks in an attempt to finish his work quicker, which leads to an accident with Salty.
- Too Kinky to Torture: Salty seems completely unperturbed by being covered in fish after the crash. After all, being a seadog, he enjoys the smell of fish.
