[02x01] July 24, 2011

[02x01] July 24, 2011


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    168
I do like this Episode. For me, they're really getting on to something. And, unlike most, i don't dislike Adam. He's needed, because he always brings the crappiest cars :D
8 for me
 
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I do like this Episode. For me, they're really getting on to something. And, unlike most, i don't dislike Adam. He's needed, because he always brings the crappiest cars :D
8 for me

I didn't particularly like Adam during season 1, but I absolutely loved him this episode.
 
Adam's one-liner after "give it a quick tug" might've been the hardest I've laughed watching broadcast TV in months.

Challenges can be good, challenges can be daft, but what's going to make or break this show is the hosts -- and they all were fantastic in this episode.
 
Challenges can be good, challenges can be daft, but what's going to make or break this show is the hosts -- and they all were fantastic in this episode.

Nothing felt forced between them. Everything just flowed naturally. I said in another thread that it took 24 episodes for the UK guys to get to the point that the US hosts did in five episodes. Now the US guys have just taken another quantum jump. The relationship here is fast approaching Season 6 of TGUK. If people just abandon the belief that the hosts' relationship has to be of the same nature as the UK hosts and appreciate the US hosts' relationship for what it is, something a lot more American, then the criticism may end.
 
8. I think the editing could be better and smoother. Too many sudden cut outs when you're expecting more. Over all, a good solid episode.
 
To me this episode was a leap forward, but still falling short. It could have been cropped down quite a bit, this would have been a great single segment, but it was a whole episode, it just ended not being epic enough. They didn't try and tie everything together with a score board to bicker about, and I think that it needed that. I think that top gear US is still lacking something in the hosts its not that any of the hosts themselves are bad.. but none of them are the obvious leader that Clarkson is.

This might be a little bit Meta, but at least to me its obvious that for most of these the UK hosts plan out in advance what cars to bring along so that they are a little bit more thematically linked.. this seemed haphazard,

It reminded me somewhat of season 12 episode 2 of UK . American Muscle cars.. where they only went with one Muscle car.. the Charger, ignoring the mustang and the cameo, to round out the big 3. It was alright, it just didn't quite workout.
 
6/10

*Ya gotta have Jessica. Remake it with a Rock'n'Roll vibe if you have to keep the big-fuckin-explosion-America-Fuck-yeah! opening titles.
*It was slooooow.
*Running into each other once or twice. Hilarious. Doing it every. single. time. they. stop. got tiresome.

IMO, this would have been better like the Alaska trip, a season finale. It just didn't have enough whizz-bang-wow as an opener, for me.

I did like the out-of-the-hanger bits tho. Nothing wrong with a bit of a change of scenery.
 
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I gave it a 6. I liked that they are at least trying a new theme and opening, even though it was cheesy, I liked the outdoor studio bits (why not they are in California), and it was well shot, but overall I started to zone out about 5 minutes in, and it struggled to keep my interest throughout. These three guys just bore me, none are very interesting. Tanner I can least admire and respect for his driving skills, but I'm not sure why the other two are there.
 
It was alright. I'm hating Rutledge. I don't understand him. It's like he's trying to hard to be stupid.
 
I thought last nights episode was hopeless TBH.

However, it did make me laugh once (which is 1 more time than I laughed all of season 1).


They didn't have a SIARPC (or BSSC), nor did they have a track test of a car.

What gives?

45 minutes of only one segement; doesn't cut it for me.

Production team seems to be good.

I've always liked Tanner, and I don't mind the other two, but I don't think any of them are funny.

So far, the highlight of U.S. Top Gear was the Evo vs Skiers challenge IMO.

I will still watch every week, and I hope it gets better, but for now, it just doesn't work for me.
Edit:

I don't like how the three presenters now have labels (Driver, Expert, and Wrecker).
That's just cheesy.
Especially because I don't see how Wood can be considered an "expert," nothing about him seems to tell me he knows more than the average gear-head.
And "the wrecker" for Adam?
C'mon now.

The challenge was supposed to be about high fuel prices, and finding a new alternative for trucks right?
So why the hell did Adam get a V8 muscle car?

5/10 <_<

Having said all that: I am keeping my head up and hoping for the best in TG America, but right now it's not looking good for me.

I've only watched one TG Australia episode, and that was a few years ago (idr anything about it other than the fact that I watched it), so I can't compare them; however, from what I'm reading, TG America is better already than TGAU so things are looking promising,
 
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3/10: As good as some of the episodes were towards the end of last season, this was just horrible in every way. Didn't care for the new theme song, the whole episode being about cars converted into pickups was just over done and should've been chopped to about a 20 minute segment AT THE MOST. I'm also getting the vibe that Rutledge is trying to hard to act stupid and girly, and Tanner is carrying an ego big enough for the entire crew on the show.
 
I really liked it. It wasn't without its faults, of course. The monster trucks were cool to look at, but you know they just bolted their cars onto real truck frames with real truck suspension, which defeats the purpose a bit. But it was still fun to watch. I also disliked the little titles at the beginning. Racer, Expert, and Wrecker? Uhh, okay. Creating characachers already?

But I really couldn't care less about them dropping the traditional TopGear intro and music. I'm actually glad they did, to be honest. That was the one thing I always hated about the spin offs, it was the same music, with the same sets, and the same Stig posters hanging from the rafters. It was annoying. Now I'm not saying the new intro/music is any better, but at least it's unique.

And I thought the length and speed of the episode was pretty good. I hate when shows feel rushed. I'd much rather the show take it's time and tell the story properly, than to rush through it at a million miles per hour. Don't forget that because of the commercials, these TGUS episodes are only ~45 minutes long. You can do a lot with an extra 15+minutes, which TGUK has the luxury of. I hate commercials and the way they break up the show, but it's just one of those evil things that can't be helped. But I do agree with those saying the return from commercial to the the studio bits was unnecessary. The episode flowed much better without them.

Anyway, I give this one an 8/10. Mainly because I really like the way the hosts are starting to get comfortable and act more naturally. I thought they were all fantastic this time around.
 
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I don't really think this was worthy of a full episode. I think they could have shortened it a bit, especially the boring cattle part, and instead stuck in a short regular review.

i got bored and went to the NSFW section of the forum halfway through.... not impressed. needs "jessica" as the opening theme, and the way the torrent was chopped made my head hurt!

I did however find the poop bit funny!
 
meh it was alright, but I think they made a mistake by changing the theme song and starting the season with a "special".
 
meh it was alright, but I think they made a mistake by...starting the season with a "special".

I blame TGUK for that. There seems to be a direct correlation between cocking about and ratings that they're always trying to push. The show is only partly about cars anymore, since those parts don't appeal to the largest audience group. TV in America kinda sucks when it comes to that. They decide if a show will be renewed or canceled within 10 minutes of the first episode airing. If they didn't use a strong "cocking about" episode for their season premier, the audience numbers may not have been high enough for the executives at the History channel. Better to try and start strong with one of their more "entertaining" episodes, than with some boring episode that's actually about cars.
 
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Pleasantly surprised! Had me laughing out loud a few times.

But, like others have said, not without faults. I HATE the cheesy labels it just makes it look like they are trying too hard.
 
HUGE range of opinions so far, it seems! I quite liked it myself, very entertaining, and the hosts seemed to quite have fun in the events. Improved from the first season for sure, and the next episode seems to be even better.
 
Got a 7 from me. There were some slow parts in the episode where I did get bored, like when they were all around the campfire. I was like, Alaska anyone? That has been done. Overall I liked the episode and definitely laughed out loud a few times.

I was disappointed to see that the opening studio scene, or rather outside the studio scene, that was supposed to introduce the episode was cut. It was however nice to see myself in the audience in the last scene.
 
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