It was not a good day for James. After he spotted Rosie in her cherry red livery, he challenged her to a race, but after his brakes failed to stop him quick enough, Rosie suggested that he go have them fixed. James overlooked the problem and now, in his gullibility, he ended up speeding all along the line and now, he had crashed right through Tidmouth Sheds. Evening was closing in now and the Construction company was about to start work repairing the sheds. But they had to get James out first. Rocky came along beside James and started turning his crane to the red engine, when suddenly, a voice of shock and surprise split the air.
"Cinders and Ashes! Our shed!" Thomas exclaimed as he and the other engines approached the turntable.
"Dear me! This is awful!" said another voice. Philip had come along to visit the sheds but wasn't expecting to see a scene of destruction.
"What…happened?" Gordon gaped. The Fat Controller came back in his car to explain the situation.
"James has been rushing about with faulty brakes and didn't think to fix them. As such…well, there's your answer," he said, not very interested about the matter. All the engines reversed into their berths, shocked and astounded by what had happened to their home sheds.
"Come on, James," said Rocky. "We better get you to the Steamworks." And he began to lift James out of the debris and onto his flatbed.
"James!" Emily exclaimed behind her. "What were you thinking? We're gonna have to all sleep elsewhere now, like when these sheds were destroyed to make my berth!"
"Not quite Emily. Don't worry about that," said the Fat Controller. "Not all of you will need to leave. However, until we get these sheds repaired, two of you engines will have to find new homes. Uh, Edward…where can we house you?"
Philip suddenly got an idea when he heard that question. "Oh, please sir! Edward can come and share my shed!"
"Thank you, Philip," Edward grinned.
"Yay! A sleepover!" Philip rejoiced. "This is going to be so much fun!" As Philip and Edward went on their way to the box-cab's shed at Wellsworth, the Fat Controller turned to Thomas.
"Now, Thomas, there's an empty shed for you at Knapford," he said. Then he turned to leave. "On your way now."
"Thank you, sir," said Thomas. He started to go to the turntable when Emily's voice stopped him.
"Ah-ah-ahh. Not by yourself, Tommy," she said coyly. "You know you can't sleep there without me."
"Of course," smiled Thomas. "Why didn't I think of that?" He let the turntable turn himself right around so he could face Emily. She then came forward and buffered to him. And together, they huffed happily to their favourite place to sleep.
On the way, they saw Molly idling by herself in the yards. "Thomas? Emily?" she asked. "On your way to Knapford Sheds again?"
"We are, Molly," said Emily. "Tidmouth Sheds is being repaired after James crashed into it."
"W-what?!" gasped Molly.
"He's at the Steamworks if you want to talk to him," said Thomas. "Rocky helped him out as we all returned to the sheds." As Thomas and Emily kept on their way, Molly decided to see James right away after hearing about his accident.
At Knapford Sheds, Emily saw she was in front of Thomas, meaning she was the dominant one again. She took her chance and gently shunted him inside, purring sweetly.
"Mmm…Thomas," she whispered. "This is lovely. We can sleep here every night until Tidmouth Sheds is repaired."
"Well, I think we should be thanking James for this," smirked Thomas.
"Maybe," Emily smirked back.
"So, Emily…how do you think Edward will like sleeping with Philip?" asked Thomas.
"I don't know, Thomas. Philip is a bright and chipper engine. He's a lot like Percy, just not as timid," said Emily.
"I hope he and Edward form a good friendship, Emily," Thomas said.
"I'm sure they can, Thomas," smiled Emily. She and Thomas touched their faces together and shared a soft kiss to the lips, keeping their eyes open so they could see each other's twinkle in the center. After almost a minute, their lips came apart and they exchanged another smile.
"I love you, Emily," said Thomas. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Thomas. I love you too," said Emily. And the two engines fell peacefully asleep.
Meanwhile, at the Steamworks, James was now left to stay until he was fully repaired.
"Well, James," said Victor. "The Fat Controller told me what happened…perhaps that brake fluid on the floor here was from you?"
James suddenly realized. "Oh dear," he sighed. "That must have been the problem…why didn't I stay here to be fixed?"
"The answer is rather obvious, so I won't mention it," said Victor, obstinately. At that moment, Molly whistled into the Steamworks.
"Good Heavens!" she gasped. "James! Whatever has happened?"
"I will let James give you a full explanation," said Victor. "Although his foolishness speaks for itself," he murmured to himself as he left the two engines alone.
"Oh, Molly. I've been rather foolish again," moaned James. "Today, I was rushing about today, stopping quite sharply at stations. Thomas and Emily told me not to do so as it was bad for my brakes…but I was feeling proud over being the fastest red engine on Sodor…until Thomas told me that Rosie was repainted red."
"Rosie's red?" said Molly. "Well, that's a smart colour for her."
"It certainly is, Molly," said James. "Anyway, I was shocked to hear such news, but I tried to forget it…until I saw Rosie for myself and she really was red. As we were both going to Crovan's Gate, I challenged her to a race to see which red engine really was the fastest…but after my brakes worked poorly to stop at a red signal, Rosie suggested I come here to check my brakes."
"And how did you end up here in such a wreck?" Molly frowned.
"Well, on my way here, my brakes didn't make any terrible noise…" James said shamefully. "So…I thought the problem was gone and didn't wait…and soon enough, my brakes failed, I went speeding all over the line, until I crashed right through the sheds."
Molly was annoyed at James' ignorance to his problem, but couldn't help but still feel sorry for his position now.
"James, you were quite foolish to ignore your problem…but I can't stay angry at you. You look so hurt right now."
"It's not as bad as it looks," sighed James. "But please, Molly…will you join me for tonight? After such a bad day, seeing you is such an uplift."
Molly thought for a moment, then answered. "Of course, James," she smiled. "I'll stay with you if it will help heal your bad day."
James smiled too as Molly buffered to him, in spite of his badly bent front.
"Sweet dreams, my Shining Sun," whispered James.
"Sweet dreams, my Radiant Ruby," said Molly. And the two engines fell asleep in peace, just like Thomas and Emily did.
The next morning, Thomas and Emily woke up in Knapford Sheds with a smile. They bade each other good morning and shared a kiss together.
"Did you sleep well, Emily?" asked Thomas.
"It was lovely sleeping with you, Thomas, as it always is," smiled Emily. She rubbed her nose to Thomas' and giggled as they came out of their shed and set off to start their day's work.
Sometime later, at the Steamworks, James and Molly woke up too. Molly still felt bad for James as she remembered seeing him looking so broken.
"Good morning, Molly," groaned James.
"Good morning, James," she replied. "I guess you'll be here for a while until you're fixed."
"Maybe so," said James. "Perhaps you could join me again, tonight?"
"I hope so," said Molly. She gave James as smile as she left the Steamworks and went to start her own work.
But Edward was not in the best mood. He wanted to have a fair night's sleep with Philip, but Philip, being young and energetic could be quite a chatterbox. He had talked endlessly about his race with Gordon and when he rescued James from the bridge and many other things that Edward already knew about. Philip had talked so much that by the time the sun rose, Edward had not slept at all and was having second thoughts about returning to Wellsworth that night.
He decided to visit Tidmouth Sheds to see how long it would be before he could move back in. The Fat Controller was there, and so was the Construction Company, still clearing away rubble and debris from where James crashed.
"Oh dear. It's going to be a while yet before this place is all fixed up again. It would take at least a week," said the Fat Controller.
"A week?" groaned Edward.
"Lucky you got a nice quiet place to sleep, Edward," said the Fat Controller. Edward looked at the damage being repaired and wearily went on his way.
"I have to find somewhere peaceful to sleep tonight," he yawned weakly.
Later that day, Thomas and Emily were taking passengers together, looking forward to the coming night to sleep together again…when they saw Edward up ahead. The two engines huffed along either side of him and Thomas could see he was behaving slowly and wearily.
"Edward? How did you get so tired?" Thomas asked. "You look like you haven't slept all night."
"I didn't Thomas," groaned Edward. "Philip really talks a lot, and I was kept awake."
"Oh, that's too bad," said Emily. "I would think you and Philip would have been good shed mates together."
"He's friendly and generous, but also a little too energetic for me," said Edward. "And the sheds won't be repaired for a week at least!"
"Hmm…well, why don't you find somewhere else to sleep? Somewhere peaceful?" asked Emily.
"That's what I'm hoping to do," said Edward. "But where?"
"Well, why not the docks?" suggested Emily. "When Thomas and I slept at Arlesburgh while visiting Donald and Douglas, it was peaceful there. The only sounds there were the ocean and the whales. It was quite lovely."
Edward thought this could work. "Thank you, Emily," he managed to smile. "But what about Salty and Porter?"
"I'm sure they'll be happy to accept a visitor," assured Thomas. Then he and Emily huffed on and left Edward alone. Edward felt a little better now that he had a plan, but it still wasn't going to be easy.
That night, while Edward made his way to the docks, Thomas and Emily settled in at Knapford Sheds again.
"So…" Emily giggled as she kissed Thomas' nose. "We'll be here for another week, Tommy."
"I like it," Thomas smirked as he kissed her nose in return. "It's better than I thought."
"I just hope Edward will do better tonight. Salty and Porter should understand."
"They surely will, Emily," said Thomas. "Edward's request will be granted. Meanwhile…I have a request myself…"
"What's that, Thomas?" asked Emily.
"Before we go to sleep…can we have some fun together?" asked Thomas, looking right into Emily's eyes.
Emily smiled seductively. "Don't we always?" she purred. "Kiss me, Thomas…"
"Yes…my queen…" whispered Thomas as he and Emily came together and began kissing and licking each other's cheeks for as long as they pleased.
James was still in the Steamworks after being checked everywhere to see what needed fixing, and the workmen had been making efforts to get started, but with all the dents James had been dealt, it wouldn't be an easy fix. As such, Victor had arranged a plan to tell James later.
Then, James saw Molly come back as he had hoped.
"Oh, hello again, Molly," smiled James. "So nice to see you again."
"You too, James," said Molly. "How are you doing?"
"It's going to be a complicated fix, Molly," said James. "A lot of dents, a bent front and cracked funnel. But it would have been worse. What's important is that you're here again, and I'm very happy for that."
"Even though Victor and Kevin are here every night…I feel that you shouldn't be without me, James," said Molly. "I can see you really depend on me, like Thomas depends on Emily."
James smiled. "Thank you, Molly. I love you."
"I love you too, James," said Molly. "You won't be alone…" And she and James fell asleep for another night together…
The next morning, when James and Molly woke up, they bade each other good morning, just as Victor came by to explain a plan to James.
"James, my friend, with all the damage you have been dealt, the Fat Controller told me that he wants you repaired as soon as possible," he said.
"So?" asked James.
"So…" said Victor. "Until you're ready to go, we are calling for a second work crew to keep fixing you…at night." Then Victor left. James looked at Molly.
"Oh dear, James," she said. "I don't know…it could be quite noisy here at night. But what about you? I don't want you to be lonely."
James didn't want to be alone at night, but he didn't want Molly to lose sleep…so he made a choice. "Molly, I think it's best that you don't come here anymore until I'm repaired," he said. "You deserve your sleep."
"Are you sure, James?" asked Molly.
"I'm doing it for you, because I love you," he smiled. "I don't want you to lose sleep just for me. I'll be fine here without you. As long as you're comfortable, I'm comfortable. Besides, with the second crew, I'll be fixed much sooner." Molly looked at James for a moment, then left to start work…but little did she know that she was in for a most unexpected surprise by the end of the week.
Meanwhile, Edward was feeling even more tired and a little disappointed. He didn't return to Philip's shed that night and tried sleeping at the Docks with Salty and Porter. They kindly agreed to let him stay, but then Salty began singing "Sea Shanties," in his sleep. Porter had gotten used to it, but to Edward, it was too much to take in. All he could do was stare at the ceiling with Salty's singing keeping him awake all through the night.
"Oh! Good morning, Edward!" exclaimed Philip, still quite excited and only enjoying hearing himself talk. "You look tired. Oh, it was such fun when you stayed the night at my shed! But, I thought you would come back again last night. Didn't you like it there? How about the size, was it big enough? Too big? Too small? Oh, it's too small, wasn't it?"
"I have to go now. Bye," said Edward as his signal went green and he set off again, leaving Philip confused and curious.
Thomas and Emily were working together again, this time with goods trains. They stopped at Elsbridge Station and saw Edward again.
"Did you sleep at all last night, Edward?" asked Thomas.
"No, Thomas," yawned Edward. "Salty and Porter gladly let me stay, but then Salter began singing in his sleep, leaving me awake again."
"I'm so sorry, Edward," said Emily. "I didn't know Salty did that. Just keep trying and maybe you'll find somewhere peaceful enough to sleep."
"I hope I do, Emily," said Edward.
That night, James was waiting for his second crew to start work. He was lonely without Molly, but still happy that she wouldn't be bothered by all the noise. He fell asleep shortly before Edward arrived. Edward explained his problem to Victor and Kevin and they agreed to let him stay.
"Have a good night's sleep, my friend," smiled Victor. Lost in an even deeper sleep for only a moment or two, Edward snored drowsily only once, when a sudden bang broke the silence, bursting him awake again. Hammering and sparking echoed through the Steamworks.
"It's still the middle of the night!" exclaimed Edward.
"Sorry, my friend," said Victor. "We have a second crew working all night to get James repaired as soon as possible."
Edward groaned with disappointment before scurrying out of the Steamworks to find another place to sleep. He was a patient engine with much experience, but all the same, he needed his sleep. In desperation, he tried sleeping on a small cargo ship. But just as his eyes shut again, the ship's horn blew, making him exclaim and jump, then he was splashed with a huge water smoking him from buffer beam to tender.
The next day was when the two naughty boys tampered with Stanley's controls and made a runaway engine out of him. Edward had heard some of the whistles and shouts from Rosie and Stanley, but he was too tired to care at this point, and as such, he didn't hear anything about the new red engine's brave rescue of Stanley and her reward of becoming Vicarstown's new station pilot. Edward was even more tired and tried not to speak to any engines. Not even Thomas and Emily, who felt sorry for their old friend. That night, Edward desperately decided to sleep in the Ulfstead Mine, only for a working crew to perform a blast, shaking the entire mine, making Edward whistle in alarm. When that didn't work, he tried sleeping in a siding surrounded by trees…only to be awoken by too many hooting owls, flying all around him. It wasn't fair for an old engine like him at all.
By noon the next day, just after Rosie left for her new job at Vicarstown and Stanley went off with his own work, Edward was approaching Knapford Station. After four sleepless nights, his energy had been drained dry. He tried with all his strength to keep his eyes open…but ultimately it was no use. Despite the bright sun, his eyes shut and he began to sleep…while he was still pulling his train. He went right past Knapford's signal junction, past his red signal when Philip huffed by again.
"Hey, Edward!" he called. There was no answer…and then something happened. Gordon was huffing quickly along the line when he suddenly had to slow down as Edward crossed the points.
"Edward! Watch out!" scolded Gordon.
"Huh? Something's wrong!" said Philip. The cheery box cab carefully huffed alongside his old friend.
"Edward? Are you OK?" he asked. But then…
"Oh no! He's asleep!" And indeed he was, snoring quietly as he was nearing Percy at the platform.
"Oh no! Edward, please! You have to wake up! EDWARD!" Philip cried urgently, blowing his horn. That managed to make Edward's eyes open slightly.
"Edward!" cried Percy.
"Whoa!" cried Edward. He applied his brakes and just barely touched Percy's buffers.
"Sorry, Percy…and thank you, Philip," sighed Edward.
"That's what friends are for," assured Philip. "But it's a shame you don't like staying in my shed anymore."
"It's not that," said Edward. He finally decided to explain the problem. "It's just…well…I really need my sleep and I can't stay up all night talking."
"Oh, you should have said, Edward! I can be a bit of a chatterbox, can't I? But don't worry. This time, I will try really hard not to disturb you."
"Ohh…Thank you, Philip," Edward shuddered with peace.
And so, Edward slept with Philip for the next three nights. On those nights Philip politely asked whether or not Edward was awake. If Edward didn't answer, Philip knew that was a sign not to talk and that Edward needed his sleep. At last, Edward managed to sleep peacefully and untroubled. Now that Philip had learned his own lesson, Edward didn't need to deal with any more hassles…but another change was about to come over Edward, and the rest of the Steam Team.
It was now the end of the week and the sun was beginning to rise. Edward and Philip had been informed that James was fixed and Tidmouth Sheds were fully repaired. They both went to the sheds to see for themselves. Thomas and Emily had also come back too.
"Hello, Edward. The work is all finished, and everyone's moved back in…including James," said the Fat Controller, looking notably at a guilty-smiling James.
"Ohh…I wish you could stay with me," Philip sighed sadly.
"I'm sure Edward can't wait to get wait to get back to his old shed," said the Fat Controller.
Edward looked at the empty berth, then at Philip, thinking a little more. After Philip let him sleep for three nights, he saw a new friend in the box cab, and he didn't want him to be sad.
"Well…perhaps I could stay one more night with Philip…if that's alright with you, sir," said Edward.
"You can stay as long as you like! Forever even!" smiled Philip.
"Well, it is nearer my branch line," said Edward.
"Well Edward, if you want to move to Wellsworth, that's fine by me," agreed the Fat Controller.
"Yay! Brilliant! Oh, you hear that, Thomas? I have a new roommate!"
"We'll miss you here at the sheds, Edward," Thomas smiled sadly.
"I'm sure we'll see each other all the time," Edward smiled back.
All the engines watched Edward, the No. 2 Engine, and one of the oldest engines on Sodor leave with Philip. Gordon had often doubted Edward ever since the beginning, thinking that he was unreliable sometimes. Henry had been good friends with Edward too, after he and Edward took the express together when Gordon's safety valve burst. James once thought Edward was old and slow, calling him "old iron," only to be proven wrong after Edward saved him from being a runaway himself. Percy had been great friends with Edward too, working together on Thomas' branch line while Gordon, James and Henry were locked in the sheds for their strike.
Emily also really liked Edward, even though they didn't do much together. Edward had comforted her while Thomas was missing on Misty Island, and he really admired their powerful relationship, not caring if they were polar opposites in engine class. And of course, Edward was Thomas' closest friend when he first arrived on Sodor, always working with him in the yards, and helping each other in need through all those years.
Now, things were going to change. "I wonder who will be joining us here at Tidmouth Sheds…" wondered Emily.
"Well, we'll just have to wait and see," said Thomas.
As the engines set off to start work, they wondered about the change that took place that morning. They wouldn't see Edward every evening anymore unless he visited on his own accord. But they were also excited to find out who their new shed mate would be.
James was back at work again too, with more trucks. After his race with Rosie and his accident, he didn't care. He was going to be really useful, even without coaches. On his way to the next station to pick up or set down trucks, he met Stanley.
"Oh, hello, James," smiled Stanley. "You're back at work, I see."
"Hello, Stanley," said James. "I'm doing much better now…and I'm going to be careful with by brakes. Rosie was right to warn me."
"She told me everything that happened, James," said Stanley. "I'm glad you're OK. She's got a new job now. She's moving to Vicarstown to be the new station pilot."
"Really?" said James. "That sounds good for her…strange, because Edward just moved out of Tidmouth Sheds this morning to live with Philip at Wellsworth."
"Hmm. I see," said Stanley.
"Now, we're all wondering who will join us…" said James. "The Fat Controller should let us know eventually." Then Stanley's line turned away from James and James was left on his own again.
Meanwhile, the Fat Controller was in his office, thinking about a new shed mate for Tidmouth. Then he heard an engine whistling through the station. Just as he looked up he thought he saw the end of a yellow tender just disappear past his window.
"Hmm…" he said to himself with a grin. He got up and returned to his car to follow the engine he just saw.
By early evening, Thomas was finishing his Branch Line run with Annie and Clarabel, still wondering about Tidmouth Sheds like many other engines were too…when he saw Molly huffing down the other line with an excited smile on her face. She looked like she was trying not to exclaim in joy about something.
"Well, Molly, this is quite a surprise," said her driver.
"Shh! Shh!" Molly hushed excitedly as she huffed past Thomas.
"What's that about?" he asked.
"I don't know," said Annie.
"Not at all, dear," said Clarabel.
"Molly certainly seems happy," Thomas said to himself.
Later that evening, all the engines, except Edward came back to Tidmouth Sheds. They were all still wondering who would join them and when. Then, the answer came right down the line. Some workmen came walking into the yard…and a tarpaulin with wheels came huffing towards the shed. All the engines had no idea what was going on, but they all assumed it had something to do with who would join them here.
Just then, the Fat Controller drove in and got out.
"Sir? What's the meaning of this tarpaulin?" asked Thomas.
"Under that tarpaulin is our new shed mate, everyone," said the Fat Controller. The engines were excited and all began questioning at once with eager voices over who it was.
"Now, now. Take it easy," said the Fat Controller. James in particular looked intently at the tarpaulin, guessing to himself who it could be. Then…
"Hello, James," said the tarpaulin. James perked up with a sudden jolt in his heart. Then the workmen swiftly removed the tarpaulin to reveal who was within. It was Molly!
"Well, how's this for a new shed mate?" asked the Fat Controller.
James could not believe his eyes. Another lady was joining the sheds…and there were now two couples at Tidmouth Sheds. All the other engines were pleasantly surprised too.
"Until further notice, or if Edward wishes to visit sometime, Molly will be staying here with all of you," said the Fat Controller.
"Hello!" greeted Thomas.
"Welcome!" chimed Emily.
"Hi, Molly!" peeped Percy.
"Hello, my lady," said Henry and Gordon together.
"Hi, everyone," Molly bubbled joyfully. She happily huffed onto the turntable and smiled to all her new shed mates…until she turned to James' berth. She crossed the turntable, buffered right to James, then looked around. All the other engines could see her and James, making her blush shyly. She shut her eyes and gave James a quick kiss on his cheek. All the engines gasped quietly, except Thomas and Emily, who already knew too well of James and Molly's love.
"Well, Molly. I'm sure you'll enjoy your time here, and everyone else will like you here too," said the Fat Controller as he returned to his car and drove away. Molly turned round on the turntable, and backed into Edward's former berth, right beside James.
"Oh…Molly…" said James. "I never thought you'd be living here with us…"
"Neither did I," replied Molly. "The Fat Controller told me about Edward moving to Wellsworth and invited me to come here."
"Well," said Thomas. "We're all very pleased to have you here, Molly. This is certainly a surprise."
Percy turned to Molly with a curious expression. "Molly? We saw that you…you kissed James. A-are you…?"
Thomas could see what Percy was asking and decided to explain. "Yes, Percy. Molly and James are in love?"
Percy, Gordon and Henry all turned to Thomas.
"James? In love?" They all said at once.
"It's a long story," said Emily. "We'll be quick with the details…"
Thomas and Emily briefly explained to the other three engines about how they came to learn about James' relationship, how James told the two engines every evening about how he met her then lost her and how he tried to get her back. They also explained about his daring rescue and their happy reunion after all those years.
"My goodness," said Henry. "I never thought James had romantic feelings like Thomas does. Congratulations, James."
"Yes indeed," added Gordon. "I must say this is most unexpected."
"But happy," said Percy. "You really are lucky to have a girlfriend yourself, James."
James and Molly smiled.
"Thank you, everyone," said Molly. "James and I do have a lovely romance like Thomas and Emily, and I'm just happy to be with all of you."
"You're most welcome," said Thomas.
And all the engines settled down with their new shed mate until such a time Tidmouth Sheds would have another change. For Thomas and Emily, sleeping together was quite easy, but now for James and Molly, they wouldn't be alone at night for a long time.
And now Edward is out of Tidmouth and Molly has temporally taken his place, at least until Nia and Rebecca show up. Now I want to make this clear; I don't mind Edward and Henry leaving, I see why out of all the Steam Team that they were the one's replaced since, as said my many other people, including the writers of the show themselves, Edward and Henry are the hardest characters in the Steam Team to write for, and that's more obvious with Edward since in the entire Brenner era there have been only two episodes that star Edward as the main character.
Edward works at his best when he's playing the supporting role, that's where his character shines the most, and that's especially true throughout the Brenner era. There isn't an awful lot that could be done with Edward as a main role besides the fact that he's older than most engines and we've already seen that with "Old Reliable Edward". Besides that, there really isn't much to with him, otherwise we get episodes like "Edward Strikes Out", and please God have mercy!
As for Henry...I've never really cared for him at all honestly. The only reason Henry has had as many roles in my stories as he has is strictly because Jeremy must REALLY like Henry an awful lot, which is perfectly fine...but I've never cared about him that much. I mean sure, Henry may gotten two of the best episodes in Season 20, but besides those two episodes, I'm usually indifferent to a lot of his episodes, so in that regard I really don't have a problem him leaving the Steam Team.
Now I know that Edward and Henry were two of the very first characters introduced in the Railway Series, and I understand why people are upset about them leaving the main group, but honestly it's better for the both of them because they both work better as supporting characters and this can lead to better opportunities for their characters. As for their replacements though...OK, I will at least be optimistic about Rebecca, because I honestly do believe that she has the potential to be a decent character, if the writers handle her well.
Nia on the other hand...No. Nia is not a character. She is nothing but a failed marketing ploy, an advertising campaign and NOTHING else besides being an Kenyan representative for the series, and no her being from Kenya is not my problem with her, it's that that's all they do in order to sell her to the audience. Not to mention she has the most hideous face of any character in the entire series. I have no hope for Nia, I would like to be pleasantly surprised, but unlike most of BWBA, which despite having low expectations I am going to give it a chance, I have no have no expectations for Nia whatsoever. If they wanted to have a foreign character as a main character so desperately they should have used Ashima, since that was the ENTIRE PURPOSE for her being in "The Great Race", instead of literally making Nia an exact copy of Ashima only much worse.
OK, I've gone on long enough, tell us what you thought of this story in your reviews and I'll see you all eventually with the next story.
