[09x01] January 28th, 2007

[POWERRR!!]

You have to be a major asshole NOT to like this one. I can't understand how anyone can criticize that there weren't enough car reviews, or that the roadworks segment was a waste of time. Isn't the fact that Richard Hammond is still alive to do the show enough to make you people happy? Just purely based on that makes this the best episode of Top Gear ever.

 

[Ghostwolf]

You have to be a major asshole NOT to like this one. I can't understand how anyone can criticize that there weren't enough car reviews, or that the roadworks segment was a waste of time. Isn't the fact that Richard Hammond is still alive to do the show enough to make you people happy? Just purely based on that makes this the best episode of Top Gear ever.

Yes it made me quite happy to see him back, that's why I don't bitch about there
weren't enough car reviews and blah and blah and blah. For Hamster he already spent
eight of his nine lives so I doubt TG producer would let him drive any fast car.... for now.

 

[Melkus]

As a long-time lurker and TopGear nerd, I thought I'd dedicate my first post in the regular forum to the first ep of this series. Forgive my bad English and my American spelling

Here are my thoughts about this ep:

1) Hammond's comeback and the crash scenes were handled with great style and exactly the right mix of humor and serious emotion. They really couldn't have done it better. Kudos to the producers and to Hammond, May and Clarkson.

2) After the second-to-last last run, Hammond said "I've never felt so alive!" You could see and hear that he truly meant it, and it was a very inspiring moment. But if he hadn't been so lucky, these would have been the most tragical last words ever spoken by a man. Which makes me even more glad that he survived ..

3) Many people already made comments about the editing of the Jag/Aston test. Some seemed to find it too artsy, others said that it was the best work of sound/film editing ever on TG. I clearly belong in the latter group: I thought it was utterly, breathtakingly brilliant. The TG editors have always been in a class of their own, but they've outdone themselves here.

Clarkson's review itself wasn't worth a damn, it was just the usual shouting and powersliding with the odd simile thrown in for good measure. Had it been produced for one of Clarkson's crappy DVDs, it would have been very, very boring. But the editors worked their magic on it and injected an unbelievable amount of excitement and adrenaline. The way they synchronized the film cuts and the sound bits and made the camera dance to the music was just mesmerizing. You can watch it over and over again -- it just doesn't get old. My hat is off to these guys. I hope the BBC pays them well because their work is one of the reasons why TG is such an outstanding show. And I agree with one of the other posters that these geniuses should get free lines of coke and pull all the hot women at the parties. Sadly, this isn't likely to happen. I do admire their work, but not even I have bothered to read the credits ..

4) As for the "How hard can it be" part, I have to admit that I had hoped they would get rid of this idea after the last series. These DIY challenges are always good for two or three laughs, but they are too predictable, and they usually drag on for more than 20 minutes, and that's way too long. I suspect that these challenges cost a lot of money to organize, but they still look like cheap, under-produced filler stuff to me. Not on par with the rest of the show. I hope they come up with better ideas in the next series or go back to arguing about cars. I mean, how hard can it be to feature cars on a car show?

Other TG fans seem to like the DIY pieces, but I think that this is the first time that people's opinions are so divided. No one has ever questioned the "Car vs whatever" races or the other challenges that the TG producers came up with to get away from the old "drive a car around the track" recipe. But these DIY pieces are met with very mixed responses. I think that this points to a problem with the idea itself, and I hope that they recognize the problem - hopefully sooner rather than later.

On another note: thanks for this great forum and hi everyone

 

[hungus]

"It sounds like Tom Jones gargling a Nascar." Funny comment until I heard the Jag...and whoooo, he couldn't be more right. But having the cash, who wouldn't take the Vantage. Those black rims make the AM look sooooo race ready.

 

[Narcolepsy]

4) As for the "How hard can it be" part, I have to admit that I had hoped they would get rid of this idea after the last series. These DIY challenges are always good for two or three laughs, but they are too predictable, and they usually drag on for more than 20 minutes, and that's way too long. I suspect that these challenges cost a lot of money to organize, but they still look like cheap, under-produced filler stuff to me. Not on par with the rest of the show. I hope they come up with better ideas in the next series or go back to arguing about cars. I mean, how hard can it be to feature cars on a car show?

Yeah - I totally agree. I think these 'how hard can it be' films are kind of flimsy. I much perfer when the central segment is Car v whatever races or where they buy cars on budget then compete. Plus its not like this is just a 3rd way and they alternate - it seems to have really taken over. The caravan thing was fun, but the paving and the people carrier and the radio station I thought were lackluster comparatively. Anybody else with us on this? - I think I'm going to start a poll on which season was best.

 

[SVTWANNABE]

So I managed to watch it tonight.

Everyone was there awaiting the moment of the crash footage. I know it's not the lively of the shows, but what can you expect? A human being nearly died! It felt almost like you're going to a celebration just after a tragedy - you're supposed to have a good time but that cloud of somberness floats in the air. Still, seeing the crash was just eerie.

Regarding that guy that shouted something from the crowd, I wonder if he was prompted to say something to get rid of an awkward feeling in the crowd.

The paving bit didn't interest me really. But, they should have done it in the heat of summer with 30C hot, hazy humid conditions like that in Southern Ontario

Overall, given the circumstances, it was an excellent episode and I'm glad to see the show back.

 

[JosefCarlin]

All right look, there's only one "Return", okay, and it ain't "of the King," and it ain't "of the Jedi," it's "of the Hamster," and it was brilliant! The opening was foolish, over-the-top, and joyous perfection. The ending was gravely serious but with lighthearted recognition that it could have been so much worse. The middle is what it always is, a little about cars, a little about popular culture, and a jumbo serving of sacred cows (with extra cheese) and a side chips.

Hamster looked great walking down the stairs and he handled it with skill, grace and just a bit of embarrassment, to a packed crowd being videotaped for had to be the most watched Top Gear episode, in the world .... ever. Yes his eyes were a bit puffy, but how emotional do you think he and the rest of the crew were prior to taping? He has never stood so tall nor has his teeth ever been so white. How hard could it be, not only Richard but for Jeremy and James as well? My god, Jeremy nearly lost one of his best friends and he and James must have had some feelings of guilt, justified or not. That was real admiration and awe you saw Jeremy's eyes and that is not something Clarkson gives easily.

The BBC has told me I'm like eight-hundred-ten-thousand, forty-twelfth in line for tickets to Top Gear. By the time my number is drawn the review will probably be for the Mr. Fusion powerplant (new-q-lear, what ever that is) in the new Kia-Daewoo AFX-10000-GQ Deluxe hot hatch, with the Sports Package. Jeremy shall hate it (paying too much for the prestigious badge), James will complain its too fast (even though it is built in UK), and Richard will giggle as he powers slide it around the track. And me, I shall laugh my arse off at how silly I am for flying to the UK just to watch and giggle along.

 

[Austere]

[rant]

I find it ironic that Clarkson constantly takes jabs at Big Brother and how they're only concerned with ratings while the exact same thing is happening to Top Gear. Top Gear used to cater to a specific audience... petrol-heads. Now, it's almost as if the show is aimed at people who are just looking for a cheap laugh. Screw those people; Top Gear should go back to it's roots and forget about "labradoodles", caravan holidays, and all those other scripted segments that have no relevance whatsoever.

[/rant]

Hear, hear!

The cars should be the number one focus of the show! They've proven that they can have just as much 'car content' as Fifth Gear and still blow Fifth Gear out of the water in terms of humour and entertainment.

There are plenty of shows for people who want a laugh but not so many shows for petrolheads. And only one 'petrolhead' show has every really been worth watching...

 

[Brian]

Brilliant. The editing work for the XKR segment set a new benchmark for an already fastidious crew.

 

[Ottobon]

it was below TG standards imo.

It's good to have the show back, but the whole roadworks thing was boring as hell.

always somebody to complain

i ended up liking the roadworks because they actually succeeded in something for a change, i think i remember why i never read these stupid threads, theres too many whiners, atleast one person to hate on any of the segments, i suppose its fair enouph but i can't see the point anymore in reading other peoples opinions on a show i just watched, this is why im now wondering why im typing this :lol: as well post 8 ^^^ killed it for me

 

[Austere]

I can't understand how anyone can criticize that there weren't enough car reviews,

I can explain it for you if you like: There was only one car review... and that's not enough. It's pretty simple, really. What don't you understand?

or that the roadworks segment was a waste of time.

The roadworks segment didn't accomplish anything, It wasn't funny, I sure as hell didn't learn anything from it and it had virtually nothing to do with cars. It was twenty minutes (time) being spent doing nothing (waste). Get it?

Isn't the fact that Richard Hammond is still alive to do the show enough to make you people happy? Just purely based on that makes this the best episode of Top Gear ever.

That's absolutely absurd. You're suggesting that a show can be enjoyed purely because the people on it haven't been killed? I'm very happy that Richard is OK but it doesn't change the fact that the roadwork segment sucked.

You have to be a major asshole NOT to like this one.

That's real nice. Do you always get personally offended by strangers voicing their opinions of TV show? What are you? Twelve years old?

 

[surfgurl]

I liked it. The episode had just enough other stuff in it to keep the tension down.
Maybe if the crash hadn't happened and they weren't showing the footage of it, the roadworks feature may have been better received. It was eerie to watch that segment and see the date when they were doing it (from the road closed sign) it was two weeks before the crash.

If I had the chance to be a part of a road works crew, I would do exactly as them. As to the relevance of it to a car show, well Britain is a pretty small place, there are roadworks everywhere here. In my town they are building a new supermarket. The road is shut for 7 months while they build the connecting road and resurface everything. How I wish the TG crew could come and work this one.

Jade Goody deserved everything JC threw at her. The numerous mentions of her and Celebrity Big Brother was because they were doing their final show over on another channel at the time TG was shown on TV.

 

[upyourego]

I imagine if it wasn't for the crash the episode would have had at least one other car review as well as cool wall and news so would have been a better balance.

 

[Polly]

Mmh, pretty much anything said about this ep.

Did anyone mention so far, that the Aston looked fantastic with those greyish wheels?

 

[stuntfreak]

Not bad.. The Stig should be in the studio to welcome back hamster and where is top gear dog ?

 

[Narcolepsy]

Brilliant. The editing work for the XKR segment set a new benchmark for an already fastidious crew.

Well, the hanger thing was sweet, and the effects were beautiful, but it cut too much. I think the editing is terrible in that you never have enough time to look at the beutiful shot - I feel like every shot should have gone on for another full second. Its actually hard to watch from all the jump cuts.

 

[HH.]

Such a weak episode I almost stopped watching. Lousiest challenge yet, how utterly boring watching a road being repaired. Boring car review, they did the Jag in the last series - why not begin the new series with something completely fresh. And Clarkson is soo predictable - if he starts with slagging off the car, you know he'll praise it in the end, and if it's a Jag he'll praise it no matter what. When the fcuk will they drop the SITRPC??? How many times do we have to watch the same people going round that track?? Not only that, it drags on forever, they could've used that time REVIEWING CARS - preferably ones that regular people can afford. Only intresting thing in this episode was Hammond talking us thru the crash. The rest was rubbish and a waste of time.

 

[Donington]

REVIEWING CARS - preferably ones that regular people can afford.

Have you been watching the same Top Gear as me? I don't recall much of the above.

And for god's sake, why create an account just to slag off the programme?

 

[the_eye]

I personally don't have a problem with people who say they didn't like some specific bit of a show or something like that .. I mean hey, it's a free world (well, parts of it).

I kindof get irritated at people who state their opinion in a way that sounds like they want to dictate how the show should be made .. i.e. the use of the phrase "they should do more X" is kindof .. icky.

Well anyway.

As for the episode, I liked it quite a lot. The roadworks-bit was funny, but not as much as some earlier bits of the same kind. So I guess I'd prefer the more car-centered cocking-about features to the recent ones, but as long as I get that much entertainment, I'm not really complaining. AOL about the Jag vs Aston-bit, wholy mackerel, that was some fine editing!

 

[eshangar]

hello there, i'm a new member...would love to watch the new season of top gear but the fu**ing ISP of mine is currently blocking p2p connection to maximize the bandwidth..this measure will go on till the cables in Taiwan are fixed...used to use Azureus to download TopGear n watch but i can't do the same now... fellas out there,,any idea?