As I was posting the Barney-as-tantric-sex-teacher story to WLUP.com, I got into a conversation with my friend Lou about what has to be the darkest children’s TV show ever.

In the early days of Thomas the Tank Engine, a lying train named Henry was forced to pay the ultimate price for his transgressions. He was essentially buried alive, forced to live out his last days watching helplessly as well-behaving trains zipped by with big smiles plastered onto their smug train faces.

Imagine the horror when Henry was told, “We shall take away your rails and leave you here for always and always and always.” That’s when the “Fat Controller” and his minions built a brick wall to entomb Henry in a tunnel. Shortly thereafter, “his fire had gone out.” And then, the narration: “I think he deserved his punishment… don’t you?” Um, nope. Holy crap. NOPE.

This episode has everything. Pathos. Drama. Suspense. The promise of terrifying children into correcting bad behavior. Check it out: