"Would something that always stayed the same way before ever stay the same? The statement differs once thought after wondering carefully. Like aging, we cannot stay the same for a long time. We will all eventually lose something we love, no matter how cherished or unfair it seems. Reality is one of the harshest things anyone can experience."
—Final lines of the Opening Narration, First video
Sodor's Dark Times: A Frenzy Payback is a reimagination of the original Dark Times.
After a tragedy that shakes the island of Sodor, the engines are faced with coping changes and death around them. But is it fate that brings about all this or is it something more sinister?
Made by Trainz 4 Days, the first episode was released on September 3rd 2016. However near the end of 2019, episode one was remastered. It is currently on it's second act with the 8th episode overall being released on June 12th 2021.
Can be viewed here.
A quick note: Spoilers will be abound (though they will be marked of course.) so read at your own risk!
Sodor's Dark Times: A Frenzy Payback provides examples of:
- Adaptational Heroism: Alfred who was the main villain in the original is merely at worst a pompous jerk. After being sent away, he returns a better and wiser engine.
- Adaptational Villainy: That said, many characters are far more evil than they were in canon.
- Splatter and Dodge are far more malicious than in canon. They even say that Diesel seals his fate after he tells them off for causing the death of Oliver.
- Captain Sudrian or Stepney as he was once know as is the biggest one. He is the second in command of all of the death and tragedy occurring as he watches with a smile on his face.
- The Horrid Lorries have no problem aiding in attacks against the North Western Railway after being sent away.
- Frankie is a remorseless double agent working with Captain Sudrian compared to her canon counterpart where she did apologize for her behavior.
- The Atoner: Throughout the series, Diesel is shown to be this after helping Spatter and Dodge murder Bill and Ben.
- Big Good: Sir Topham Hatt of course.
- Darker and Edgier: Well what do you expect when the work was inspired by the original dark times? Less humor, characters we love are killed by "accidents" and with engines having to cope with the death and change around them.
- Death by Adaptation: Henry, Bill, Ben, Oliver and Diesel 10 are all dead in this fan series.
- Five-Second Foreshadowing: Henry’s last words right before he dies?
- Henry: I don’t know driver, maybe this really is the end of the line.
- Jerkass Ball: Thomas grabs it hard in “Lost” as he’s more irritable and snappy towards both Percy and Derek. Given the events that have transpired though, it’s hard to blame him.
- Killed Off for Real: In this order:
- Henry is offed in the first episode.
- Even before Henry, Bill and Ben were killed in the China Quarry incident shown in the second episode.
- Oliver is killed off in the third episode after taking some Welsh Coal that explodes.
- Meaningful Name: This series tends to do this from time to time though here’s just a few examples.
- “Guilt” goes two ways in that it’s not only about the guilt the engines feel regarding Oliver’s death, it’s also about how Diesel feels guilty for aiding Spatter and Dodge with the murder of Bill and Ben.
- “Lost” is about how after the attack on Brendam Docks, the engines are unsure of what to do next.
- Parting-Words Regret: Gordon clearly regrets telling Henry to just do his job in a jerkish way right before he dies.
- Uncertain Doom: It's unknown if Billy, Molly and Nia are dead thanks to the mayhem caused by Captain Sudrian and his group.
- Wham Line: The series overall has many of these:
- In Episode 8, Edward recounts the fact that he seemed to have met the cojoined engines that are running patrols around the island before, back during the tail end of World War II in the Barrow Blitz. Except there's one major problem...
- Edward: [If I've met this engine before on Sodor]...Then why did Sir Topham Hatt claim it's his first time here?
- In Episode 8, Edward recounts the fact that he seemed to have met the cojoined engines that are running patrols around the island before, back during the tail end of World War II in the Barrow Blitz. Except there's one major problem...
