Air date: October 15th, 1986
Adapted from: Percy the Small Engine, "Duck Takes Charge"
One day in the sheds, Percy is eager to tell an uninterested Gordon and James some news. Both quickly tire of Percy's usual manner and the tank engine tells them that as the work in the yard is getting too hard for him, the Fat Controller getting a bigger engine to help him. James is unimpressed, telling Percy that if he worked more and chatted less, the yard would be a sweeter, better and happier place. Percy then leaves to do his work.
As he works, Percy notes to himself that, since he accidentally reversed at a signal, the larger engines now consider him to be a "silly little engine" and often order him about. Percy wants to teach them a lesson, but doesn't know how to do it. He then works very hard all day and by the end of the afternoon he's worn out. After bringing the express coaches to the station, he sees the Fat Controller on the platform who notes that Percy looks very tired, which Percy confirms. The Fat Controller cheers Percy up by telling him the new engine is bigger than him and can probably do the work alone. He then offers to send Percy to help Thomas and Toby on the branch line to help them build the new harbour which cheers Percy up straight away.
Soon the new engine arrives. The Fat Controller asks the engine his name and the engine introduces himself as Montague, but tells the Fat Controller he's often called "Duck" due to his supposed waddle. While he doesn't believe he has a waddle, he admits to liking Duck better than Montague. With that, the Fat Controller agrees that the new engine will be known as Duck. Percy arrives and the Fat Controller asks Percy to show Duck around.
Duck does his work quietly as he brings coaches to the station, leading Gordon, James and Henry to decide to boss him about like they do to Percy. Gordon and Henry then start to leave the station on either side of Duck, quacking and blowing steam at him. Percy sees everything and is cross, but Duck just wants to wait until the larger engines get tired of their teasing. Duck then asks Percy if the larger engines boss him about and Percy confirms that they do. Duck decides to take charge and put a stop to it and tells Percy what they will do.
That afternoon, the Fat Controller sits at his desk looking forward to having toast for tea. Suddenly, he hears a horrible noise coming from the yard and, looking out of his office window, he sees Percy and Duck blocking the turntable and preventing an angry Gordon, James and Henry from reaching the sheds. The Fat Controller grabs his hat and rushes to the yard.
At the sheds, Gordon, James and Henry are furious at Percy and Duck and start whistling loudly when the Fat Controller arrives and commands silence. When Gordon says that Duck and Percy won't let them in, the Fat Controller demands an explanation from Duck about this behavior. Duck politely explains that, as a Great Western engine he likes to do his work without any fuss but wants the other engines to know that he and Percy will only take orders from the Fat Controller. As the three larger engines start blasting their whistles again, the Fat Controller angrily snaps at them to be quiet. The Fat Controller then tells Duck and Percy that he is pleased with their work that day, but not with their behavior that night as they've caused a disturbance. Gordon, Henry and James began to snicker at Percy and Duck's dilemma, but they stopped suddenly when the Fat Controller turns back to face the three larger engines and angrily tells them off as their actions have been much worse, he declares that they made the disturbance by ordering the two tank engines around and that Duck is right: that this is his railway and he is the one to give orders, not them. With that, the three engines quickly fall back into line.
Soon Percy went away to work at the Harbor on Thomas' branch line, leaving Duck to do the work alone, something he manages easily.
Tropes featured in the episode:
- Arson, Murder, and Lifesaving: An inverted example.The Fat Controller: Percy and Duck, I am pleased with your work today, but not with your behavior tonight. You have caused a disturbance.
- Both Sides Have a Point: While the Fat Controller is less than pleased towards Duck and Percy for blocking the big engines despite being pleased with their work, he's also more angry at the big engines for bullying the two tank engines into doing this in the first place.
- Bratty Half-Pint: Percy starts irritating Gordon and James again in the start of the episode.Percy: Do you know what?
Gordon: What?
Percy: Do you know what?
Gordon: Silly! Of course I don't know what, if you don't tell me what 'what' is! - Bully Hunter:
- Duck and Percy stood up against Gordon, James and Henry.
- The Fat Controller also doesn't take nonsense from the big engines as he tells them off for ordering the two tank engines about.
- Compressed Adaptation: There are a few things left out from the book's version.
- The coaches and trucks misbehaved around Percy, making him tired.
- Duck putting the troublesome trucks in their place when they tried to play tricks on him.
- In the book's version, Gordon, Henry and James order Duck around continuously, but in this adaptation, they only make quacking noises at him.
- Face/Heel Double-Turn: A downplayed example. Percy was previously being an annoying trickster to the big engines, but it appears that in this episode after bugging them, Percy rants about how the engines push him around and gets angry when they had harassed Duck, the new engine.
- Gang of Bullies: Gordon, James, and Henry act in this manner in ordering Percy and Duck around.
- Hypocritical Humor: James is dismissive of Percy needing help as a shunter, scoffing that "any engine could do it". This being the same engine that loathed shunting to the point of going on strike. However:
- Hypocrite Has a Point: James was right to tell Percy the yard would be a happier place without him always talking rubbish and playing tricks.
- Hypocrite: After deceiving Gordon and James, Percy is mad when they join with Henry bantering Duck.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Duck's real name is Montague, but he prefers to be called Duck.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: James gives one to Percy after hearing him talk about the news about The Fat Controller bringing a new engine, Duck, to help with the yard work.James: Rubbish! Any engine could do it. If you worked more and chatted less, this yard would be a sweeter, a better, and a happier place.
- Silence, You Fool!: The Fat Controller does this to Gordon, James and Henry who were whistling at Percy and Duck. Narrator Ringo Starr clearly had fun narrating this moment.
- Also doubles as a Big "SHUT UP!" moment.
- Sixth Ranger: Duck is the 8th engine to join Sodor.
- Skewed Priorities: "Silence! (US: Quiet!)"
- Vocal Evolution: George Carlin gives Duck a deep posh accent for his first few lines. It's a rare case that doesn't even stick till the end of its first episode, and afterwards he uses his natural voice for Duck.
- What the Hell, Hero?:
- After angrily shouting at the big engines to stop whistling, The Fat Controller tells Percy and Duck that he is pleased with their work that day, but not with their behavior that night for blocking the big engines from getting inside Tidmouth sheds, causing a disturbance.
- After that, he angrily tells off the three larger engines that they've been much worse as they made the disturbance by ordering Duck and Percy around in the first place and telling them that Duck is quite right: that this is his railway and he gives orders, not them.
