"Hunt the Truck", also known as "Hunt the Car" in North America, is the thirty-third Christmas episode of the ITV hybrid series Thomas & Friends, produced and aired as the twenty-sixth and final episode of the twenty-second series.
Plot[]
Edward arrives at Brendam Docks with trucks for Bill and Ben to take to the Clay Pits when he finds a frustrated Nia searching for a covered truck, which had disappeared while she went to refuel. The details given allow him to immediately deduce that Bill and Ben hid it while Nia was absent. Unsurprisingly, the twins loudly deny it and while Nia throws in an argument, Edward spots her missing truck, and after a round of laughter from the twins, threatens to take away their trucks if they do not give Nia hers back. They relent, and Bill goes to fetch it, but not before calling Edward a spoilsport. Edward apologizes to Nia, saying that their latest game consists of hiding trucks and making other engines hunt for them. Ben then gloats that nobody can hide truck better than he and Bill, who gives Nia her truck back. Thanking Edward, she sets off, and the twins promptly tease Edward about being no fun and very boring as he leaves rolling his eyes.
The twins find a red van with a wreath on the side at the docks the next morning, and thanks to Porter, they find out that the truck was for Edward to collect. Still sore about Edward ruining their fun the last time, the twins decide to hide his truck as payback, leaving it in a empty yard. But that's where their troubles start.
Later that day, as a smirking Edward arrives for his truck, as soon as he spots the twins, he begins acting shocked, worried, and sad. A confused Porter then replies that he was certain that the truck was at the docks earlier, with Bill and Ben snickering at their supposed success. But Edward then reveals the truck's contents, the Earl's Christmas party supplies and the consequences without them, leaving the twins both shocked and horrified. After realizing they were spotted, they make an excuse and leave. Porter is confused by this behavior, but Edward just smiles smugly.
The twins race to the spot where they hide the truck, but to their horror, the sidings are completely empty. Bill then lists the main concerns and notes one thing: they have to find the truck before Christmas is ruined. The twins then get into a short-lived argument on who is to blame, which is interrupted by Salty's horn. They then ask if he has seen the truck, and he gives a monologue and a joke, saying that the truck could be anywhere on the island by now. This last statement horrifies the twins, and busy as bees, they rush off to hunt the truck, leaving a confused Salty behind.
They look everywhere for the truck, through Knapford Station, in a shunting yard, where they briefly bash a truck in frustration, and finally, a tunnel that Bill enters to try and find the truck before being chased out by Gordon, who made enough vibrations to cause a small pile of snow fall on top of a very annoyed Ben.
Going over their options, the twins decide to tell Edward the bad news. When they spill the beans, Edward surprises them by revealing the truck was at Ulfstead Castle the whole time. Bill and Ben are left with a loss of words, and just after Thomas arrives with the party guests, Edward reveals that he had set things up to give the twins a taste of their own medicine, revealing he knew all of their hiding places as well. The twins were left both relieved and disappointed, something that someone have a laugh at as soon as the party begins.