[01x04] October 20th, 2008

[SL65]

Seen it? Discuss!

And if you can identify the songs in this episode - please post them here!

[fbc]

Good, very solid episode - they're really coming along well.

Really enjoyed the GPS v tracker piece - interesting comparison, amusing, & with a very neat Australian touch. Nice job.

The news section was the best yet - loved the point about electric cars being coal-powered in Australia.

The 427 segment was spot on - you can't compare the car on pure figures to a Clubsport or GTS, it's far more special than those cars. And it's power-lap provided some of the best footage yet from the circuit, some real attitude on the car. But they're still lacking a few cameras - showing footage with the car out of sight is a bit of a stretch.

As for seeing my car used for lawn bowls... loved it, funny stuff.

Still sticking with a 7 this week, but they're mighty close to an 8. Keep up the good work guys.

[turbo lag]

That's was definitely quite promising, 8/10 from me. The humour is getting there, although I did laugh a couple of times, for the first time actually. It made me gain some more faith in it, so that itself tells me that they did a decent job.

[L2D]

I thought it was quite a decent episode.
Technology vs Tradition, I didn't see the first couple of mins but thought it was qute average
Same with news, didn't really watch, was watching two and a half men.
The 427 Segment was lright, I thought it was quite funny when he put cruise control and his hands off the wheel
Lawn bowls, it just feels very TGUK, which was just a copy

Even so, given it a 9

[Hidden_Hunter]

A very solid 7 from me, the only thing that really let it down for me was the guest. He looked like he would be more at home in the last segment....


For those interested in why the w427 only went to 250km/h, it's governed to that speed I beleive.

[Whitey Ford]

Lawn bowls got the most laughs out of me since TGUK went boating.

I enjoyed that episode, a lot.

[Richmondgal]

7/10 for me. The W427 review was great, especially the camera shots while doing the donuts and the proving grounds. The challenge was good too, you can see why you should stick to the Melways/Sydway/Brisway or street map of some sort. I really love the Lawn Bowls. Never thought of that one before.

[hypnotoad8128]

Good episode, I'll stick with a seven rating too.. I thought the lawn bowls segment was fun. It reminded me of the soccer match on TG:UK. The news section about coal power plants and electric cars had to make me giggle. It's good that the boys are sticking that old chestnut in personally as I'm sick of communists and ecologicals banging on about the damage the old fuel powered car is causing to the environment. If they were actually truthful about how much environmental damage is caused in making a prius, I'm sure not so many sheep would be buying them. The 427 story didn't interest me much and I'm not a revved up Holden bogun. The tracker feature was enjoyable.

Personally, I think the only thing the show is missing is better, more humorous writing for one and better camera positions when they're doing laps of the track to improve the sensation of speed.

[AusMX5]

quite disappointed really, only 250 KPH!!

definalty getting better, now they just have to relax a bit more in front of the studio cameras, then it will be a 9

and sadly no response from the audience! cmon people, liven up a bit and provide some feedback to the guys! just like the response Jeremy gets in the UK.

[Blink]

I have liked all the episodes so far, but havnt loved or totally enjoyed the three previous.

This episode though had me cracking up, and smiling a lot.

Loved it.

The challange needed a little bit of work, a map would have been great, and the Star needed a bit of work. The audiance is still lacking a bit, but was great at points.

I didnt think I was going to say this, but I enjoyed it as much as some recent UK Top Gears.

So far its been 6 - 7 - 8 for me.

This time, its a 9.

Well done guys!

[Stoopidflanders]

Someone voted a 2 up there ^^^. Jeez, whoever you are you are damn hard to please. You may as well just watch Australian Idol then.
I really enjoyed that episode and laughed many times.
Just gets better every week.
Though im sure some of you internerds out there will find more petty things to whinge about......

[Icedvovo]

Mmmkay.

Warren is still the star.

The Kimberly challenge was conceived by Dora The Explorer. Creek, Rock, Camp. Creek, Rock, Camp. Like all the challenges. And then, nothing happened.

Lawn bowls was pretty cool. Onya Warren. Anyone want a ex-demo Astra with freshly painted bumpers?! Crikey!

Overall, you're still left with the feeling "What would've Clarkson done with the W427?" Given it a serious caning, that's what!

6/10 (the challenge dragged it down for me)

[wikkedsnaab]

This is was the first episode I've watched live on TV rather than downloading. I was brushing my dogs at for most of the hour. Unfortunately, picking the buzzies out of their feet was frankly more entertaining than what was on the 'box.

Seriously, that was bad. Really, really bad. I know I've been harsh critic of the series so far but for the past 2 episodes I've felt that things have been slowly improving, with only minor script issues and arm waving to really gripe about. Unfortunately they've let all that go to waste.

Let's see the checklist:

1. Charlie waving his arms like a migratory goose within 4 seconds of the start of the show? Check.
2. Bad in-studio script - overwritten, dodgy iteration, lame jokes? Check.
3. Utterly pointless challenge? Checkity check check check. Of all the things they could do in the Kimberlys, they race a guy on a horse doing 3kmh with two guys in a car with a coordinate-only GPS system which absolutely no-one uses in cars. Boring, stupid and pointless. Charlie knew it because he randomly did a few burnouts to avoid going into a stupor.
4. Boring star-in-car? Check. Jack Thompson may well be Australia's most prolific actor (though off the top of my head I can't place him in anything notable) but he's a fucking boring person to listen too. And his idea of automotive excellence is a Peugeot 505... says it all, really....
5. Useless track footage? Check.
6. Decidedly average car review? Check. The HSV W427 was nicely shot but the script/premise was pretty bad and to be honest I don't think Pizzati is all that good a driver, sliding off the road and taking out a marker then only being able to do a few doughnuts in what must be the most disgraceful bit of bogan pandering since... I don't know... Rossi boots or something. Then again the car looked all over the place on the track so maybe it wasn't his fault.
7. Utterly bored audience. My fiancé picked up on this one, actually. Towards the end there's a girl behind Charlie who looks like she's ready to take her own life.

The only bright spot was the bowls challenge. To be honest I had no idea how they were going play bowls with cars and was pleasantly surprised with what Warren had come up with. Shame SBS's budget only stretched to 2 water filled gym balls. The front lips getting pwned by the bottom of the ramp unnecessarily was a bit cringeworthy too. I'm sure Holden would agree.

At this stage I'm thinking it might be a good idea to put series 2's budget into genetic research and can get the UK boys cloned, so they can tag team production duties and ensure year-round TGUK.

[JPDyno]

Camera work on the track is getting better. Still not good, but there were a few good in-car shots, and some better angles.

I didn't like the car lawn-bowls. I dunno...i just didnt think it was as funny wrecking brand new astra's like that. I know the UK did soccer with the toyota's (iSomethings?)... and i didn't mind that.... But it just felt more ok with such cheap bottom-of-the-barrel cars.. My mechanical sympathy kicked in when they trashed $20k+ Astras... Maybe its because we own one.. i dunno. hypocritical i know, but its how i felt.

GPS vs tracker was good... Main thing with that i think they could've improved the final race to the line, given it a bit of tense 'whose gonna win??' like the UK guys often do.

W427 was great. Whats with no-body commenting on Steve taking out the wooden post when drifting in the dirt? They should've given him a good ribbing for that!!!!


Anyway.. Its improving dramatically quickly. I think by season 2 we're gonna have a damn good show if it keeps up this rate.

[mitchtj]

I really enjoyed the W427 segment, there was a few things in it that just made me think *yes!*. It had a really cultural feel to it. That lang lang speed bowl, back in the kingswood days engineers have gotten in the back and gone to sleep it is a real aussie icon.

I would still like to hear a bit more feedback on the car itself, it was almost just "it goes fast, watch it do some burnouts", but they honestly felt the passion for the car, and i love that, thats what makes top gear so special, a bit of passion.'

Oh and i see someone else noticed him hitting that post on the dirt too! I wonder how much of a chunk of the car took out.

And may i say, despite the GTR lapping slightly quicker, that the W427 looked absolutely FANTASTIC. It sounded like a v8 supercar too, really special stuff.

[logifuse]

Really enjoyed it - first time I didn't cringe during an episode. Steve's voice didn't even get to me - his scripted voice overs are still a bit forced, but the natural rapport is coming along well.

[mitchtj]

Cox still annoys me, it all seems forced, he doesn't seem natural in his role at all yet.

Some of the Australian colloquialisms can also go, its not good to force someone mid show to work out what they are trying to actually say.

[mitchtj]

Originally Posted by AusMX5

quite disappointed really, only 250 KPH!!

definalty getting better, now they just have to relax a bit more in front of the studio cameras, then it will be a 9

and sadly no response from the audience! cmon people, liven up a bit and provide some feedback to the guys! just like the response Jeremy gets in the UK.

oh trust me, it will go alot faster than that.

250 on the electronic limiter.

LS1 Monaro's have seen 270kmh stock, i'd say she would sail on close to 300.

[wikkedsnaab]

Originally Posted by Stoopidflanders

Someone voted a 2 up there ^^^. Jeez, whoever you are you are damn hard to please.

I gave it a 2. I have my opinions and I will stand by them. I had/have high hopes for the show because I want it to be a success, but I think this ep was a real step backwards, which isn't good because it doesn't have so many steps backwards it can take before falling off whatever it is perched on. I dunno, maybe it's just 'cause I'm in a lousy mood this evening, but you guys can't seriously think it was better than last week's ep. Because it just isn't so.



See, I have irrefutable proof

[Tommo]

I put Mediacentre on pause just after the news segment while I had dinner, just so happens that it doesn't timeshift very far so I ended up with the 5 minutes of ads after the show had finished and that was all :\

Thanks Microsoft, with 100's of GB's left on the hard drive of course I'd only want to timeshift for 5 minutes. I guess I'll have to wait for other means of obtaining it