"Maybe rust and hypothermia will teach you to not be so ... diesely."
In the Misty Island Rescue movie, there's an early scene wherein Hatt tells the engines that whoever is the most "Really Useful" that day will get to take an important job. In the Thomas universe, "Really Useful" also stands for "Spared From Death," and the steam engines eagerly race off. But a diesel engine (conveniently named Diesel, because when you're writing about trains, names become a ridiculous construct) has the following exchange with cheeky douchebag Thomas:
Thomas: I hope Sir Topham Hatt chooses me! Every day I'm a Really Useful Engine!
Diesel: What about me, Thomas? I'm a Really Useful Engine, too.
Thomas: No, Diesel! I'm sure Sir Topham Hatt means a Really Useful steamie! You'll never be that!
Sony Pictures Television
That's the thousand-yard stare of a train who's never been hugged and never will be.
Isn't Thomas like the Mario of this series? Because I certainly don't remember the part in Mario 64 where the plumber told Toad, "You don't deserve to work, you lesser-than." Whenever Thomas does this, there are no repercussions for his actions, nor is he ever forced to say he's sorry. Thomas the Tank Engine's watch broke on fuck-the-world o'clock, and he's never getting it fixed.
Unsurprisingly, Thomas gets to sail off to do this major job. But before he goes, Hatt makes Diesel say goodbye and good luck to Thomas. What? Thomas opens up a dialog with "You're not good enough to do the work I'm doing," and then the train that got dissed is the one who's forced to give him a pep talk? The moral of Thomas The Tank Engine is that if you're patient enough, the people whom you're a dick to will eventually come around.
Sony Pictures Television
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