Emily Saves the World


 * “Clattering Columbus! The world's heading straight for us!”
 * ―Salty

Emily Saves the World is the twenty-first episode of the eighteenth series.

Plot
One bright day, Emily is passing through Crovan's Gate when she overhears Duncan and Rheneas discussing some very special deliveries they have made. Duncan tells of how he delivered an elephant statue while Rheneas reminisces of himself delivering a dinosaur skeleton. Emily is just carrying sand and feels a bit left out. At Maron, Emily meets up with Gordon and asks if he has ever made any exciting deliveries. Gordon tells her that he has had an opera singer, some actors and even the Queen on his express. Emily thinks that is very exciting indeed.

Eventually, Emily arrives at Brendam Docks with her train of sand, feeling rather sorry for herself. She asks Thomas if he has made any exciting deliveries and Thomas tells her about the time he had to deliver a jet engine and ended up flying around Sodor at supersonic speed. Emily admits that she has never had an exciting special, but Thomas is sure she must have had something. Emily thinks and remembers the time she had to take Sodor United's football kit to the laundry. Then, Bill and Ben clatter in and laugh at Emily; dirty laundry is nowhere near as exciting as a jet engine.

The next day, the Fat Controller sends Emily to collect a special. Emily is sure it will be more sand, but when she arrives at the Shunting Yard, she gets a big surprise. On a flatbed is a giant model of a globe of the world and Emily has to take it to the Animal Park. Emily thinks it is the most exciting special ever and can't wait to show it off.

Emily chuffs up to the Steamworks with her giant globe, but when she gets there, Victor and Kevin are nowhere to be seen. Next, Emily passes through Crovan's Gate, but there are no engines there either. Eventually, Emily finds Gordon at Maron Station collecting passengers, but by the time she reaches the platform, Gordon has steamed away.

Presently, Emily arrives at a junction. She desperately wants someone to see her special delivery so she decides to look for more engines instead of going straight to the Animal Park. Soon, Emily runs into trouble when she encounters a low bridge. The bridge breaks the strap that's holding the globe to the flatbed and the globe is now rolling about. As Emily passes over a bridge, the globe comes off the flatbed, falls over the side of the bridge and lands on Hiro's train. Emily does not notice and carries on.

Soon, Emily meets Thomas. She tells him to take a look at something exciting on her flatbed, but Thomas is confused; there is nothing on her flatbed. Emily realises that she must have lost the giant globe and sets off to find it; worrying that she will never be given an exciting delivery every again.

Meanwhile, the giant globe is still sat on Hiro's train. Eventually, Hiro passes under a signalbox and the globe hits it and is knocked off the train. The globe rolls over a hill and disappears. Emily is still searching everywhere for the globe, but she does not see it roll over the line behind and through Wellsworth Station. The globe starts to climb Gordon's Hill, but it comes to a halt near the summit and starts to roll back towards Wellsworth. As it passes through the station again, Emily spots it, but it does not stop.

Eventually, the globe stops outside a tunnel and James runs into it, sending it flying back down the line. Meanwhile, Thomas is pulling his branch line train and discussing how silly Emily was to make up a story about carrying a giant globe with Annie. Suddenly, Clarabel calls out to say that the giant globe is chasing them. Thomas quickly pulls onto a loopline and sees the globe pass by, followed closely by Emily. The globe and Emily pass through the Animal Park where the Fat Controller is anxiously waiting for her, but he does not see her or the globe rumble through.

At last, the globe arrives at Brendam Docks. The globe heads straight towards Salty and Porter, but Cranky is able to stop it by dropping a crate in front of it, sending it back in the opposite direction. Then, the globe hits Thomas and Emily, and ends up in the sea. Emily fears that the globe has been lost forever until they hear Captain call out; he has got the giant globe and he pushes it back to the dockside. Soon, Cranky lifts the globe and it is put back onto Emily's flatbed and she sets off to complete her delivery, but not before thanking Cranky and Captain for their much-needed help.

Finally, Emily arrives at the Animal Park very late. The Fat Controller is not happy, but Emily apologises. Despite causing confusion and delay, the Fat Controller is only pleased she has finally arrived. The globe is soon put into place inside the Animal Park. Thomas pulls up and says that Emily's special must be the most exciting delivery ever, but Emily thinks it may have been a little too exciting.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Bill and Ben
 * Emily
 * Salty
 * Rheneas
 * Duncan
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Cranky
 * Captain
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Simon the Signalman
 * Hiro  (does not speak)
 * Porter  (does not speak)
 * The Dock Manager  (cameo)
 * The Teacher  (cameo)
 * The Bird Watcher  (cameo)
 * The Blond-haired Boy  (cameo)
 * The Ginger-haired Boy  (cameo)
 * Two Schoolchildren  (cameo)
 * Headkeeper Jack  (cameo)
 * The Welsh Bird Watcher  (cameo)
 * The Lady with the Big Hat  (cameo)
 * The Female Puppet Show Entertainer  (cameo)
 * Big Mickey  (faceless, cameo)
 * Victor  (mentioned)
 * Kevin  (mentioned)
 * Queen Elizabeth II  (mentioned)
 * Sodor United Football Team  (mentioned)
 * Allicia Botti  (not named; mentioned)

Locations

 * Crovan's Gate
 * Skarloey Engine Sheds
 * Sodor Steamworks
 * Victor's Shed
 * Maron
 * Brendam Docks
 * Sodor Shipping Company
 * Knapford Yards
 * Animal Park
 * Wellsworth
 * Knapford Iron Bridge
 * Gordon's Hill
 * Rail Under Road Bridge and Signalbox

UK

 * Ben Small as Thomas and Rheneas
 * Keith Wickham as Gordon, James, Salty, Captain, and The Fat Controller
 * Jonathan Broadbent as Bill and Ben
 * Teresa Gallagher as Emily, Annie and Clarabel
 * Tom Stourton as Duncan
 * Matt Wilkinson as Cranky

US

 * Martin Sherman as Thomas
 * Kerry Shale as Gordon, James and Sir Topham Hatt
 * Jonathan Broadbent as Bill and Ben
 * Jules de Jongh as Emily
 * Keith Wickham as Salty and Captain
 * Teresa Gallagher as Annie and Clarabel
 * Ben Small as Rheneas
 * Tom Stourton as Duncan
 * Glenn Wrage as Cranky

Trivia

 * References to the fourth series episode, Paint Pots and Queens, the sixth series episode, Thomas the Jet Engine, the seventh series episode, The Runaway Elephant, the eighth series episode, Percy and the Magic Carpet, the ninth series episode, Rheneas and the Dinosaur, and the fourteenth series episode, Pingy Pongy Pick Up are made. These references were added into the script by Sam Wilkinson.
 * Salty interjection of "clattering Columbus" a reference to Italian explorer, Christopher Columbus.
 * An arrangement of Emily's theme from Series 8-12 is played at the beginning of the episode.
 * This episode marks Captain's first speaking role since the fifteenth series episode, Stuck on You and his first appearance in an episode since the sixteenth series episode, The Christmas Tree Express.
 * This episode was on The Earl's Quiz before it came out in the UK eight months later and in the US two years later.
 * Unlike in the US dub of Pingy Pongy Pick Up, Sodor United's uniforms are still referred to as a "Football Kit" in the US dub.
 * This episode marked the last of a few things:
 * Duncan's last speaking role until the twentieth series episode, Engine of the Future and his last appearance until the twentieth series episode, Saving Time.
 * The last episode written by Paul Larson and Laura Beaumont to date before their departure from the series.
 * The Skarloey Railway Sheds are shown in their Railway Series formation.
 * This episode's plot somewhat resembles the fifth series episode, Rusty and the Boulder.

Goofs

 * ARC producer Brian Lynch was not credited for producing the episode in the UK credits.
 * Antarctica is not shown on the globe. Despite being part of Oceania, New Zealand is also absent from the globe in a number of shots, but it is present in some close-ups.
 * In the US version, when Emily says "How am I going to tell Sir Topham Hatt?" her lip movement was not edited, as they move to say: "The Fat Controller." This was only fixed on PBS airings.
 * Duncan has three coaches in the first shot of Crovan's Gate, but he only has one coach in the next shot.
 * When Emily says "Well, there was that time I took Sodor United's football kit to the laundry," Thomas' face freezes.
 * When Emily leaves the Docks, Thomas' goods train has a narrow gauge brake van.
 * When Emily arrives at the Steamworks, the ballast on the main line has been replaced with grass.
 * When Emily takes the globe through Crovan's Gate, the globe is too tall to fit under the pedestrian bridge. The globe nearly hits the bridge when the scene cuts to Emily and the globe being on the other side of the bridge.
 * When the globe falls off Emily's train, it seems to bounce up on its own before rolling onto Hiro's train.
 * In the shots of Thomas when he says he cannot see the globe, Emily does not appear to be on the tracks.
 * In the scene of the globe chasing Thomas, Clarabel disappears.
 * When Captain is pushing the globe in the water, the reflection on the globe shows Cranky holding a crate, even though he had dropped it onto the tracks seconds before.
 * When Emily enters Maron Station, Gordon's whistle is heard but no steam comes out of it
 * When the globe enters Wellsworth, it is on the middle line, but when it goes past the people at the station it is on the left line, and in the next shot it is on the middle line. When it rolls back through Wellsworth, it enters on the middle line, but when it goes past the people again it is on the left line, and when Emily shows up, it is back on the middle line.
 * When Thomas and Annie ask "Why?" to Clarabel, Thomas is not coupled up to Annie.

Merchandise

 * Magazine Stories - Emily Saves the World
 * Random House Books - Dinos and Discoveries/Emily Saves the World double pack