[02x07] June 22nd, 2009

[02x07] June 22nd, 2009


  • Total voters
    55
5/10, basically what tone76 said, can't even be bothered writing a whole review it was that average. FFS please get an interesting non SBS proper star in the bloody car, if I see another SBS employee I will be severely pissed. I'm mildly impressed they used the funky brain caps for the car/dude test but it wasn't that good really, but my one main gripe with this episode and the one reason which I'm giving it a low score is because THERE WAS NO ACTUAL CAR REVIEW.

Having said all that, it's all still better than season one, but we're half way into season two now so there's no need to make a comparison to the last season and this is not an improvement on last week.
 
how many of you guys are rating a 5/10 and 6/10 and so on based on the fact that you just got TGUK back the day before? think about that. we really need to make it a point to rate TGA based on TGA and not on TGUK. just think about that.
 
I enjoyed the ep. 7.5/10

SIARPC was boring again, but Warren, again is a very good interviewer.
The Postal run was really cool, i genuinely liked that.
The 4WD stuff was really cool as well, i liked that the GTR dropped like 2.5 seconds off it's time, and the guys facial expression in the old ad was hilarious.

But yep, like everyone said, definetely need a car review in every episode.
 
I actually gave it a 9! It was a fantastic episode. It didn't feel as rehearsed/scripted as most episodes do. The Chick attracting car bit was the low point. They should have scrapped it, and done a car review instead.
 
Really a 7 or an 8...

The does a car make you sexier bit was... ... out of place. To me it seemed like a segment that somebody in management thought would make a really cool segment. It was a nice idea... but... the execution... was lacking.

Top Gear UK's mantra is ambitious but rubbish. When Jeremy, Richard, and May have an idea, they carry it all the way out... even if it's a bad idea. E.G. Convertible Mini-Van; Renault Avantime into a race car; amphibious cars. When Top Gear Australia has an idea that just isn't panning out or delivering, the idea just sort of drops.

The mail run challenge was another case where it was a great and brilliant idea... but it would have been better as a 3-way challenge that lasted the entire show with proper reviews and commentary on the cars used. I say 3-way because it honestly would have been better if Morrison had been along.

Earlier in the season, somebody commented that many of the Warren and Steve segments seem to have been filmed before Morrison was actually available, although I forget who. I also commented earlier in the season that the format of TopGear Australia was probably to blame for some of the problems. I think the format is also showing up as an issue with allotted time for filming. The electric cars challenge, for example, would have been better if the filming schedule had allowed Steve time to fix his car... rather than running with the oh kitty litter, it broke, end of challenge.

I got the strong feeling in the mail delivery challenge that once again, a tight filming schedule was to blame for the lack of a proper conclusion to the challenge... and it wasn't the only point of the show to suffer.
The 4x4 challenge also reeked of format cutting.. as evidenced by the montage of clips that lead to the 80-degree incline and Morrison loosing the top to his truck.

The Star in a Bog Standard Car... I actually thought was one of the better ones so far. Warren is slowly becoming a better interviewer. That being said, it wasn't as good as last week's where the constant snide comments back and forth (exactly like an old married couple, there's no sex; did you hear that? No cheer ; once again, no cheer) really delivered a stellar interview.

The Nissan GT-R... not an unexpected result.

***

Okay, with Season 2 probably wrapping up, as I think only 8 episodes were ordered for filming... it's probably time to start looking towards next season.

Now, we know (or heavily suspect) that Andy W. reads over the FinalGear forums... and I'm pretty sure Mr. Clarkson probably reads them as well. I'd also lay money that the Australian producers probably have links and might be checking out the episode reactions as well.

I think if Top Gear Australia is green-lighted for another season, under the SBS commercial format, the show would be better off cutting down the number of episode events. Specifically speaking for Episode 7, both the Mail Challenge and the 4x4 could have stood on their own if they hadn't been shoe-horned into the same episode. If the 4x4 segment had been dropped from Episode 7 and the Mail Challenge fleshed out with 3 different small cars and all three presenters, there's little doubt that the chemistry between the 3 presenters would have had some time to bloom. Some of my favorite moments from the show have been all 3 presenters interacting, e.g.: the trampoline into car commercial; the mexican hat dance.

Conversely, if the 4x4 challenge had been fleshed out, with all 3 presenters, and the challenges gone into with more depth... It could have been awesome as well. The montaging (is that a word?) and short-cutting is just shooting the show in it's rump.

Now, I can just hear some beancounter saying they can't do that, they need as much variety as possible in order to retain advertisers. There is some argument that due to the advent of Commercial Skipping technologies, not to mention the ages old technique of just switching the channel or turning the TV off, many viewers don't see the commercial breaks and only see stuff that's advertised in the show itself.

However, depending on in-show advertising is a bit... stupid. Several posts in this forum alone have mocked some of the apparent advertiser stunts... e.g. the Dewalt Drills and Morrion's Mitsubishi Evo. We aren't the only ones who have poked fun at the Evo, the show itself has poked the choice as well.

However, the rapid fire delivery and film shooting schedule is keeping Top Gear Australia from really having a chance to mature. Re-tuning the show for longer challenge segments might drop the amount of screen time for specific advertisers... but developing a larger audience that watches a show that's able to deliver and resolve on it's events... is a lot better than having no show at all to advertise on.
 
I agree with the previous posts, the two challenges tonight had the potential to be single episode challenges, especially the 4x4 challenge. Hopefully, next season, with all 3 available, there can be some 3 way challenges, like there were in Series 1.

Abondoning the Smart car was bad, as was JM's refusal to go down the hill. I also spotted the rude "meat and 2 veg" tray
 
how many of you guys are rating a 5/10 and 6/10 and so on based on the fact that you just got TGUK back the day before?

I deliberately didn't see TG 13x01 until the day after TGA 2x07 went to air. And yes, I'm remembering to rate it in the context of TGA. And yes, 2x07 is the weakest S2 episode so far, and by a fair margin. It's still better (only just) than most of TGA S1, but there were some pretty major flaws in 2x07 - the main one being the fact that some bozo at Freehand or SBS decided it would be a good idea to not do a proper car review, and to replace it with some bullshit about which car picks up chicks. The only way they could have made that particular segment worse was to get Charlie Cox back as a one-off to present it ...

What makes it worse is that they were sitting on some gold in the Outback Mail Challenge. If more of the episode was dedicated to this, and Wazza + Steve were able to incorporate at least a proper mini-review of the Fiat 500 and Smart ForTwo in there somewhere, I could have let the lack of a formal car review slide ... so long as the expanded Outback Mail Challenge was at the expense of either SIABSC or that stupid 'which car pulls chicks' segment.

Same deal with the 4x4 Challenge. Why did the FJ40 lose its roof? Why didn't they do a more obvious comparo (say FJ40 vs 200 Series)? Why do the producers insist on getting James to chicken out of doing stuff? Whilst the Kombi in 2x05 was an amusing plot device, James' refusal to go down the steep incline made James look like a bit of a wuss for the sake of what might have been a cheap laugh ... but nobody laughed. Overall, the 4x4 segment was a brilliant concept but suffered from half-arsed execution.

So yeah ... 2x07 was a mix of wasted opportunity and cringeworthy moments.
 
Last edited:
They really need to make the content for 8 episode seasons, and then show 12 episodes, so they are forced to show more of the segments.

Why didn't they show Warren trying to fix the tyre with the foam? That would have been more useful than explaining that at the end. That first segment was pointless, and way too scientific for Top Gear, and it sends a horrible message to kids, now they'll all think their fully sick Skylines will pull all the chicks. At the very least, actually showing Warren, Pizzati and James in those cars would have had some potential for some humorous moments.

If they are going to keep getting SBS stars, how about Lee Lin Chin? The guy who hosts Global Village?

James really needs to start taking some risks, and that means the other two not letting him cop out. He's being un-Australian.

Too many segments, not enough substance.
 
If they are going to keep getting SBS stars, how about Lee Lin Chin? The guy who hosts Global Village?

She would be horrible. Dont forget she did Fashionista and does World News Australia very regularly.
 
I expected a page of reviews and I'm the third. Wow. Apathy has really set in.

The thread wasn't created until 5pm tuesday morning. There were plenty of people dropping by here to post about it on monday night, but there was no thread to do it in. Adunaphel is usually around and I send a PM his way if the thread hasn't been created after the show, but when I came by on monday night there were no moderators or administrators around.
 
8/10 - thought it was good. The chick pulling cars segment was interesting, particularly in relation to the stereotypes & specific cars.

The challenges still end a bit abruptly, but I thought James not going down the 80 degree drop was fair enough - I've got a friend who is 2 inches shorter since trying such a thing while in the army as a peace keeper in Bouganville.

SIABSC interview is still way too long, but I'm finding that if I know a bit about the stars it's more interesting - I'd already wondered about the Steve Bisley rivalry before it came up as I used to watch them both in Police Rescue.

They can't have an absolute cracker every week, but if you watch it for what it is, it's good fun.
 
James really needs to start taking some risks, and that means the other two not letting him cop out. He's being un-Australian

That actually really annoyed me in the Armored Car challenge. (yes, I know, fuss in the appropriate thread). The only logical conclusion I can come up with is that maybe James's music managers are leaning hard on him to not do anything stupid (e.g. he's listed as a guest soloist for the London Symphony).

Steven might have the luxury as a professional driver, and Warren the opportunity as a cartoonist, to not have anybody standing over their shoulder telling them to behave. This wouldn't be the first time that a studio has stepped on actors under contract. I remember one of Jeremy's interviews with an actor where the actor was forbidden to ride a motorcyle during filming.

Although, putting anybody on Top Gear and telling them NOT to be stupid and take risks... is a bit like putting Jackie Chan in a kung-fu flick and telling him not to jump over anything or punch anybody. People don't go to Jackie Chan flicks to see him sit and do nothing. People don't watch Top Gear to see a presenter chicken out on camera.
 
That actually really annoyed me in the Armored Car challenge. (yes, I know, fuss in the appropriate thread). The only logical conclusion I can come up with is that maybe James's music managers are leaning hard on him to not do anything stupid (e.g. he's listed as a guest soloist for the London Symphony).

I suspect that James was using his own Kombi (he'd spent his budget on the Merc that he didn't use) and didn't want it to get hurt.
 
Why didn't they show Warren trying to fix the tyre with the foam? That would have been more useful than explaining that at the end.

How useful would it have been showing expanding foam leaking out the major hole in the sidewall? A small can of foam wasn't going to fix that issue, you could clearly see how badly the tyre was damaged in the under car shot.

Although it might have been a little funny watching Warren get it all over himself.

I agree the whole chick pulling segment was a bit pointless, more time could of been spent on the outback challenge or the 4x4 challenge.

For those that say James is a wuss for not doing that 80 degree drop, how much better would of it had been if James got seriously hurt in it? I wouldn't do that sort of thing without roll over protection, just in case something went wrong, and the fibreglass roof is going to provide as much protection as soggy toast.

Also I think we will see more 3-way challenges in series three. Series two feels like it was set up to be the Warren and Steve show with most of the challenges. Things like the 4x4 segment, the Jetski race, armoured car challenge feel like they were rushed to accommodate James into the show.
 
For those that say James is a wuss for not doing that 80 degree drop, how much better would of it had been if James got seriously hurt in it?

They shouldn't have done the 80 degree drop at all, then ... or, at least they could have cut that bit out. I do wonder if the producers are trying to make James look less manly than the other two to try and soften the show up a bit? if so, it's doing both the viewers and James a disservice - he's actually a very good presenter and reviewer.
 
I think the show had great ideas, they could have put the small car in the outback and the new vs old 4wds into different episodes. Both could have been better, but they cut them too short. That's a waste of money doing the segment for something that could have been stretched out for 2 different great episodes.

Not having a review was OK because they had the GTR on the track.

Decent episode, but they ruined it by trying to fit too much in and the end result was average. 6
 
Sorry but I'm just not liking James as a presenter. His pieces to camera are stilted and he reads the scripted studio bits in a decidedly wooden way. Glad I'm not the only one to have spotted the wussiness...let's not forget that he was also the only one of the three who didn't blast away in the armoured car thing...

On the other hand, I think Steve and Warren really do work well together...several priceless exchanges in this ep. SIABSC segments heaps better this season compared to CCs woeful interviewing abilities...Warren really looks like he's interested in the guests, and he's obviously done his homework.

I'm wondering whether, in the current financial climate, there'll actually BE a series 3? I'm thinking not...maybe they'll do a George Lucas and do a cheaper animated version instead ;)
 
I haven't seen any of the new Top Gear...I have lame internet and can't download it, so I was rating this week's episode comparing it to the rest of season 2.

And yes, how the hell did the Skyline win!?!?! What an ugly piece of shit. Those ladies are giving the rest of us Aussie chicks a really bad name.
 
Top