Fortune Teller Schemer is the eighth episode of the third season and overall the forty-ninth episode of Shining Time Station.
Plot
A cold spell, has caused the signals to not be functioning properly, causing all the trains to be delayed. While passengers are stranded at the station, Ginny announces that Schemer's fortune-telling machine in his arcade recently correctly predicted this bad weather, and Ginny had taken steps to avoid disaster, by protecting her tomato crop, and sure enough, the weather got real icy, real fast, but her tomatoes survived. After hearing of this, Schemer becomes convinced that his machine actually can predict the future, and he lures all the stranded passengers into the arcade with his fortune telling machine. Ginny gets another fortune about an advisor, and Schemer declares himself the advisor. Ginny asks his advice on whether or not she should get a new hairdo. After looking at her currently gray and boring hair, Schemer says "Definitely." He starts to twist other's fortunes to his own benefit as well, like interpreting a fortune to "support the arts" to mean put money into the jukebox.
Midge is talking to Stacy about Schemer predicting the future. Stacy, who is greatly displeased about Schemer's latest stunt tries to convince her and the other passengers that Schemer can't actually predict the future, but no one listens. Schemer himself then walks into the station, dressed in a mystical turban and robe, addressing himself as the great and powerful El Schemo. This gets Midge to have her fortune told. She interprets her fortune about "nature submitting to her desires" as a command to rip out a bothersome patch of poison ivy on her property, with her bare hands. Eventually, Stacy, Mr. Conductor and the kids come up with a plan to discredit El Schemo, who currently is leading the passengers in chanting "Give Shining Time Station to him-o! Give Shining Time Station to Schemo!"
Later, Midge and Ginny both furiously storm back into the station. Midge shows El Schemo the rash, smeared in calamine lotion, all over her arms, that she got from ripping out her poison ivy. Ginny then shows everybody her new hairdo gone horribly wrong (her hair is now spiky and purple), to which many people shriek in horror at. El Schemo attempts to get an explanation from the machine, but at that point. the head of the doll inside becomes that of Mr. Conductor! The head talks, frightening El Schemo, and saying that he told lies to get people's money, that Schemer is a fraud, and that Ginny's tomatoes surviving the cold spell was a coincidence, etc. By the time he is done, all the passengers are furious at El Schemo. At that moment, the trains are finally running! The passengers run towards the platform. El Schemo beats them there, begging them to return. Stacy prompts El Schemo to apologize, at which he shouts, "Apologize?! El Schemo?! HAH!" The passengers storm out of the station. El Schemo hastily apologizes, but it's too late. Schemer finally admits his scheme went too far, and he vows never to do it again, "though it was fun while it lasted." Just to ensure he doesn't do it again, Mr. Conductor inhabits the machine again, and warns Schemer that he will come back to haunt him if he ever does try it again! He then makes an accurate prediction that Schemer will take a trip, as Schemer bolts out of the station, tripping and falling along the way.
Characters
Main Cast
- George Carlin as Mr. Conductor
- Didi Conn as Stacy Jones
- Erica Luttrell as Kara Cupper
- Ari Magder as Dan Jones
- Brian O'Connor as Horace Schemer
The Flexitoon Puppeteers
- Jonathan Freeman as Tito Swing
- Olga Felgemacher-Marin as DiDi
- Craig Marin as Rex
- Peter Baird as Grace
- Kenny Miele as Grace
- Alan Semok as Tex
- Steven Feldman as The Turkey (uncredited)
Guest Cast
- Robert Desrosiers as Passenger #2
- Myra Fried as Passenger #1
- Bobo Lewis as Midge Smoot
- Barbara Hamilton as Ginny Johnson
- Gwendolyn Pacey as Passenger #3
Mentioned Characters
- Billy Twofeathers (mentioned)
Thomas Stories
Jukebox Band Segment Song
Trivia
- In the Fox Family version, the Jukebox Band's song is cut out and the Thomas outro theme is added to the end of "Thomas and the Conductor".
- There are multiple differences between the Fox Family and Nick Jr. variants of this episode. Here is a list of all the changes:
- Fox Family:
- 1. The scene of Schemer asking Ginny if the machine actually predicted the future is missing the three second pause.
- 2. All Jukebox Band segments are cut.
- 3. The scene of Kara coming into Billy's workshop is shortened.
- 4. Mr. Conductor explaining that he's been giving a helping hand and saying he knew who was behind the sudden frost is omitted.
- 5. Checkpoint from Mr. C saying that Jack Frost loves to confuse people to Kara saying he could be Schemer's best friend is cut.
- 6. Mr. C appearing outside the workshop and saying that Kara is right is cut.
- 7. Some scenes were cut in "El Schemo's" introduction is cut.
- 8. Mr. C saying that Jack Frost finding Schemer's act hilarious s omitted.
- 9. El Scheme's song is shortened.
- 10. Ginny and Midge returning to the station is cut to El Schemo saying his lambs have returned home.
- 11. El Schemo telling everyone to silence is cut.
- 12. Some scenes with Schemer talking to the machine (Mr. Conductor) were cut out.
- 13. El Schemo asking the "machine" about Ginny's tomatoes is cut.
- 14. The scene of Dan saying the people didn't have to do what Schemer said up to when everyone leaves the station is cut in place of the commercial break.
- 15. The music for when Schemer speeds over to the steps at his arcade is heard instead when it comes back from commercial when he says, "Everyone thinks I'm no good!"
- Nick Jr.:
- 1. The beginning Jukebox segment with Tito, Slots and Didi remains intact for unknown reasons, while Turkey in the Straw remains cut.
- 2. Dan telling Mr. Conductor about Ginny's fortune is cut.
- 3. After the Thomas story "A Cow on the Line" it immediately cuts to Stacy telling everyone her plan.
- 4. El Schemo asking the machine to tell the future is cut.
- 5. There are multiple edits to the Thomas stories. These include:
- Thomas and the Conductor:
- 1. The opening scene plays at normal speed, but in the next shot after it, the rest of the episode remains sped up.
- 2. After the scene where Annie and Clarabel agree with Thomas, it immediately cuts to Thomas traveling under the road bridge.
- 3. After Annie says, "We haven't a Conductor!", it cuts straight to Thomas stopping at the signal.
- 4. Thomas' pause shot after the coaches say, "We've left him behind!" is omitted.
- A Cow on the Line:
- 1. The whole episode is sped up from the get-go.
- 2. The shot where the narrator says, "The sun shone, birds sang", is cut.
- 3. After Edward loses the end of his train, it immediately cuts to him arriving at the yard. The episode's sped up speed also slows slightly and remains that way for the rest of the episode.
- Fox Family:
| #01 Becky Makes a Wish | #10 Schemer Goes Camping | #19 Mysterious Stranger |
| #02 Schemer's Alone | #11 Mr. Conductor's Evil Twin | #20 Dan's Big Race |
| #03 Bully for Mr. Conductor | #12 Bad Luck Day at Shining Time Station | #21 Mr. Conductor Gets Left Out |
| #04 Stacy Cleans Up | #13 Mr. Conductor's Fourth of July | #22 Mr. Conductor's Big Sleepwalk |
| #05 Schemer's Robot | #14 Stacy Forgets Her Name | #23 The Mayor Runs for Re-Election |
| #06 Billy Saves the Day | #15 Schemer's Special Club | #24 Stacy Says No |
| #07 Billy's Party | #16 Mr. Conductor's Movie | #25 How the Station Got Its Name |
| #08 Fortune Teller Schemer | #17 The Joke's on Schemer | |
| #09 Billy's Runaway Train | #18 Dance Crazy | |