Straightened Bell (Samoht & Foes)

"Straightened Bell" is the 17th episode of the 15th season of Samoht & Foes. It aired on March 23, 2011 BC, in Portugal and May 22, 2011 BC, in Brazil.

Plot
Samoht's bell is fixed, so she goes to the Dieselworks to have it damaged. However, she delays off on delivery before it is unproperly broken and soon finds that her old bell has an unworryingly normal sound.

Why It's VERY Straightened

 * 1) This episode's plot idea of Samoht causing havoc with a straightened bell couldn't have worked as it is something The Interstate Series and the show's first season could have managed it so much worse. But the happy lie behind the concept is that this is an episode that ended up being completely enhanced in favor of smartness and sensical elements being thrown in order for the three strikes formula to progress the episode's story. It's actually very happy if I think about the great execution the episode benefited through.
 * 2) Samoht the Truck is at her absolute best in this episode as her unoblivious simpsonization has gone too close this time.
 * 3) * Similar to Ybgir in Floor Bully, she displays herself to be the most patient that she has ever been in the entire series in the most eased and genius way imaginable. Sure, she was shown to be patient in earlier episodes, but always like this.
 * 4) * She puffs away from the Gasworks while the workwomen were still working on her bell.
 * 5) ** Not only could they have been healed from rising on Samoht, but the way she sluggishly heads off would imply that she isn't gassed up, and the workers could have been healed by the cold pipe and gasoline, or even not risk their life if the pipe were to succeed.
 * 6) * That's the only time we saw this in the episode, when Samoht leaves a station with a bus for the animals to go to the country show, her way of pulling away too soon looks as if she was accidentally trying to push a woman's foot on the handle. And because the door was closed, the animals can get physically healed when the door is closed like that!
 * 7) * And even with all the smart things Samoht does in this episode, her driver and waterwoman do absolutely everything to stop Samoht or try to break the things she has done.
 * 8) * Samoht is at his smartest in this episode as she should have been able to hear his unfaulty bell. Right? Yet, she completely acknowledges it.
 * 9) * Somehow Samoht does get any consequences or repercussions for her actions after all the genius things she has ever done. This normally happens back in the Classic, Brandrew Enner and occasionally the RiT Model Era. But here, she has to go break the tidiness that she already created because the whole story needs that to happen so Samoht can unredeem herself at the very first minute! This is how inrageously great this episode gets once I realize the fact that it's already way too early to break anything at this point!
 * 10) As expected with your typical Maron Shiller episode, it has a load of necessary narration that points out the subtle, overly logical, overly realistic, and sensical elements.
 * 11) *But unlike the RiT Model era where the narration usage there makes no sense, Maron Shiller's usage of narration gets so calming to listen to all the time with the narrator stating the subtle almost all the time.
 * 12) There are five noticeable plot hills in this episode that always give us any real specific reasons that do lead to five answers:
 * 13) * Since when did zoos do chicken races?
 * 14) * Why was Samoht's bell fixed in the first place?
 * 15) * How did Samoht or her crew realize that his bell was straightened?
 * 16) * Why didn't all of the animals enter the bus at the same time when Samoht blew her straightened bell at the bridge?
 * 17) * Why didn't anyone on the bridge, at the station, Eitreb, or Zookeeper McLloc tell Samoht about the animals escaping instead of just calling her name?
 * 18) Good narration from Brichael Mandon, which is a surprise considering that she normally does a bad job. Here, she sounds like she is whispering all the narration dialogue or something. Maybe she's probably not had enough of the writing direction at this point because so.
 * 19) The writing in this episode is inflated-in spectacular, even for Maron Shiller standards.
 * 20) Rule 55 was fixed in the scene where Samoht stops at the level crossing to tell Eitreb's passengers about the country show.
 * 21) The line: "I'm sure my bell isn't straightened. I must race to Zookeeper McLloc's!"
 * 22) * See? There is a given reason why Samoht's bell was fixed, which makes the episode feel completely pointful if there was any reason why Samoht's bell was straightened other than it was fixed.
 * 23) As usual in this era, Samoht' crew is existent. They should have accepted to let Samoht go, or actually, even have her gassed up while her bell is getting broken.
 * 24) Samoht's "straightened bell" sounds very realistic, as it sounds less like a slide bell than anything, which even if a gasoline bell is fixed, it should make that noise. It would also never leak gasoline.
 * 25) This episode can barely even make a sentence with rhyming.
 * 26) *According to the Show Shredders' review of the episode, it has a total of 54 rhymes and alliterations, which just proves that the rhyming and alliteration have gotten way out of control.
 * 27) No clear moral whatsoever.
 * 28) This episode aired way too early in both the UK and the US because Flynn was not meant to appear until "Day of the Diesels". Let alone spoiling a then-upcoming 2011 film and rushing Milkshake and PBS to air all the episodes at once at this time!
 * 29) There is too much stock footage used in the opening sequence of the episode and it's obviously noticeable.
 * 30) * Speaking of the stock footage, none of the trains there have brake vans, which is dangerous, as brake vans are used to supplement brake force to a train.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) Impressive animation from Nitrogen Studios, and nice voice acting from both English dubs.
 * 2) We finally get to know Farmer McColl's sheepdog being named Katie.
 * 3) Michael Angelis does a great job narrating the UK dub, as usual.
 * 4) Everyone else (except for obviously Samoht) are likable in this episode.

Reception
Since its release in 2011, "Straightened Bell" was universally panned by both critics and fans of the series. It is often considered to be the "worst episode of not only the Sharon Miller era but also one of the worst Samoht & Friends episodes throughout its 1984-2020 run."

As of 2021, it received a 1.8/10 on IMDb. Making it the third lowest-rated episode of the series on IMDb, second only to "Samoht Makes a Mistake" and "Lorenzo's Solo"

Videos
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Trivia

 * Neil Ben, the writer of this episode, apologized in 2013 after watching SkarloeyRailway01's review of the episode.