[01x08] December 31st, 2016 [Namibia Special, Part 2]

[01x08] December 31st, 2016 [Namibia Special, Part 2]


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5/10. Beautiful cinematography, but this came off as a daft planet earth. Seemed like there was no direction or idea for being where they were. It felt like there wasn't actually an epic journey/road trip that occurred, even though I think the presenters did actually drive all that distance. It all felt very random, somewhat enjoyable at times, but mostly pointless. Why have the bits about tents, and giovanni? Have a point or a goal or something to offer. Show us how you really slept out in the desert, if you did at all?

I'd also like to point out that it felt like the presenters were completely detached from their cars. They didn't build them, they likely had zero input on them being built and were mostly completely uninterested in them.

Perhaps there was some production talent left at the BBC? I can't really believe there wasn't more to aim for during this episode. This is receiving 4-5 day standard shipping after selecting free 2-day prime.
 
Did not flow as well as the first part. The "pranks" (tents, poaching, James' car catching fire) felt unnatural and detracted from the flow of the journey and from the cars.
I was excited after the first part, which had more of a "epic journey" feel like the old Botswana and Vietnam Top Gear specials, but this is sort of disappointing.

I'd also like to point out that it felt like the presenters were completely detached from their cars. They didn't build them, they likely had zero input on them being built and were mostly completely uninterested in them.

It seems like builders where briefed about the presenters "personalities" and told to prepare 3 cars without too much knowledge about the actual conditions of the trip. James' car was obviously set up more for street use. I'm sure that if he had more involvement in the build process, he would have specified more suitable tires, and a stock or lifted suspension.

Also, unrelated to the film, but as a Beetle owner I'm hoping they later put up some behind the scenes content about how the cars fared and the problems they had on the road. I feel like Baja Bugs with the deck-lid's in place would probably have been more suited to the trip. The exposed engines look cool but for a vehicle meant to be used off road and in the sand it's a fundamental design flow that I never understood about Baja Bugs and Beach Buggies, especially since the engine is air-cooled and can be affected by dirt in the cooling fins, shroud, fans etc..
 
I said in the previous thread that I liked the first part because it cut out most of the fluff and was just as long as it needed to be. For this, the opposite is true. It just went on, and went on, and went on! You could cut all the good bits from both episodes into a hour long episode.

The camping shopping, poaching, racetrack, helicopter and other pointless bits proved that they traveled to Namibia and during the filming they struggled to think how to fill 105 minutes of TV with just driving on shitty sand roads. The poaching bit was the worst offender, with almost 10 minutes filled with Top Gear Comedy? completely unrelated to the cars.

I liked the first episode because it felt tight, well timed, authentic and genuine. The second part is the exact opposite. I cringed at the predictable gags - Clarkson shooting one of the co-hosts, Clarkson running out of fuel, Clarkson's "great ideas", something catching fire and the obvious dick jokes. (Speaking of which - I know that they no longer are leashed by BBC, but why the fuck is the whole season filled with 5th-grade level dick and animal genital jokes? Top Gear had much less of them, in GT they have at least one each episode).

I often checked on the player's timeline to see how long it is until the end, and I couldn't believe that there was more than half left. Which makes me sad because if the editing was tighter and they were less tolerant of the boring, predictable and repetitive bits, they could make one 10/10 episode rather than one 10 and one 6 episode. Beautiful cinematography (as always), some great moments and an astonishing country.

The irony is that my review comment has become exactly like the episode - pointlessly long and repetitive.
6/10
 
Now that was a mighty fine piece of civil engineering that three tv presenters managed to construct from nearby scrap parts in one morning. Bravo.
 
Sigh. Not really sure what to vote.

Remember that TG ambulance episode or the young hot hatch one? TGT feels like every episode is going that way.
 
[01x08] December 31st, 2016 [Namibia Special, Part 2]

Sigh. Not really sure what to vote.

Remember that TG ambulance episode or the young hot hatch one? TGT feels like every episode is going that way.

Actually those are among my favorite episodes

You know, with some of the critics here I get the feeling you could give them a gold bar and they would say: "The color sucks".

10/10 from me because it was easily as good as the Botswana Special.
 
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I enjoyed that very much then again I dont have any preconceived conceptions of what it should be plus I watch to enjoy not review so maybe thats why I liked the Special in its entirety.
 
I rated S1E8 as an "8", and better than the previous half (or 2/5ths). More interesting scenery, more varied situations, and less "sh!t" remarks. Dialog overall seemed more realistic (as such things go). I suspect they were wise to make the "butler" clearly non-native, as the risk of offense to native peoples, even honestly inadvertent, would be too high.

The poacher side-track was the most jarringly off aspect, and yes, far too predicable in the outcome.
 
It was all in all a decent special. Obvious use of green screen in parts kinda temporarily killed the little mood it had , but other than that, no real complaints. 7/10
 
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It was all in all a decent special. Obvious use of green screen in parts kinda temporarily killed the little mood it had , but other than that, no real complaints. 7/10

Which parts were green screened?
 
Meh, posted on the wrong one, haven't watched this one yet.
 
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7/10

Mostly has this rating due to the scenery and few brief funny bits of banter between them. Disappointed that it felt discombobulated and random. I didn't like any of the cable car stuff, seemed almost out of place. But I will take all of this boredom and randomness over that crap in the tent.
 
Oh dear...didn't think much of either part,and usually I LOVE the big foreign specials. Too aimless, too pointless, too silly, and yes, though I know very well how it all works, far too 'scripted'. The cable car was a waste of Amazon's money, and for what, really?
 
7/10, same rating as part one.

There is still potential, but they manage to waste it yet again. To me it would have been so much better if they had made a single 60 minute episode instead of 2x 45 minutes.

And they really need to lay off the toilet humor, it's embarrassing! We should keep a tab of their newfound vocabulary. In this special alone, off the top of my head we have:

- shit
- anus
- rectum
- dick
- penis
 
I really liked this one though I kinda felt it was a bit anti climactic. For some reason I was expecting something to happen after they used the cable car thing but Hammond just got stuck and that was that. In the old days they'd have said, "Back to the studio" and then cap off the episode but for some reason with this special they didn't bother. I guess it's the hassle of setting up the tent but when I think about it, it was sort of missing here.
 
As we all know Top Gear is dead. And The Grand Tour can't rekindle that fire. Even if it's the same producer in charge with the 3 that everyone wanted. That flame can't live.
While honestly I did enjoy these two episodes; it still not enough. The magic, unfortunately is gone.
I still stand with what I said that after these 3 seasons that Amazon contracted them; Amazon will cancel the show. And Jeremy, Richard and James will go back to the BBC for one last if not two seasons of Top Gear. That is of course if they're not too old by then. Because we already know the BBC wants them back, especially after the disaster of last season of Top Gear.
Amazon has a lot of money. And they can subsidize the losses of TGT, but even Amazon with all their money will eventually say enough is enough.
Season 2 of TGT has to greatly improve for my prediction to not come true.
 
As we all know Top Gear is dead. And The Grand Tour can't rekindle that fire. Even if it's the same producer in charge with the 3 that everyone wanted. That flame can't live.
While honestly I did enjoy these two episodes; it still not enough. The magic, unfortunately is gone.
I still stand with what I said that after these 3 seasons that Amazon contracted them; Amazon will cancel the show. And Jeremy, Richard and James will go back to the BBC for one last if not two seasons of Top Gear. That is of course if they're not too old by then. Because we already know the BBC wants them back, especially after the disaster of last season of Top Gear.
Amazon has a lot of money. And they can subsidize the losses of TGT, but even Amazon with all their money will eventually say enough is enough.
Season 2 of TGT has to greatly improve for my prediction to not come true.

Too pessimistic. I think the first series on amazon is going well enough to improve greatly in the second series. I have hope it gets better. They were all off for more than a year so a little rust is to be expected. And definitely expected since they had to also create a new platform with so much they cannot use from TG. Have patience, it'll get better. :)
 
I really liked this one though I kinda felt it was a bit anti climactic. For some reason I was expecting something to happen after they used the cable car thing but Hammond just got stuck and that was that. In the old days they'd have said, "Back to the studio" and then cap off the episode but for some reason with this special they didn't bother. I guess it's the hassle of setting up the tent but when I think about it, it was sort of missing here.

Totally agree, it was better than the first part, but the ending prevents me from giving a 10. Nice 9, 8 overall.
 
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