[04x01] August 30th, 2011

[04x01] August 30th, 2011


  • Total voters
    54
OK, watched it all now. The surfing thing was just bearable .. only because they didn't try to stuff the record attempt up, but they didn't need to mutilate the review to do this. Worst segment, by a country mile, was the blind rally thing ... done on the cheap, lots of tedious yelling, predictable cheating, no result. They seem to have been given an episode formula which states that "there must be a challenge, any challenge". The result, more often than not, is a perfunctory effort to fill time and fulfil this compulsory requirement.

I agree with Hbriz, they need to relax a little more ... especially Ewen. His Volvo bit was all over the place. He starts out saying he loves Volvos, then he spends the rest of the segment dissing them. If he likes them, why does he spit out the "matronly hips" and "drawn by a 10 year old" comments in such a disapproving fashion? He's annoyingly capricious, rather than being whimsical or quirky. I don't know why the ditched Warren. Maybe Warren ditched them.

A generous 3.
 
I reckon they're sitting in the TGA office saying...

"Yeah but, no-one mentioned all the effort we spent on the fake rally sponsor stickers..."

Consider it acknowledged. ;)
 
I liked it. A lot of the things they did were very TopGear, however some were just rehashes of TGUK bits such as the "let's take a V8 and power something stupid with it". Still fun to watch though :nod:


Also, does Australia not have the slightest bit of H&S? The driving around the studio looked genuinely terrifying from an audience perspective.
 
^ of course we have H&S .. we were colonised by British Trade Unionists after all ..... but here it is called Occupational Health & Safety.

The thing is that a lawnmower travelling at (?) 20 km/hr just doesn't cut it as dangerous in a country with 10 of the worlds top 10 most deadly snakes, spiders that kill and the platypus (a cute little fellow whose sting is so painful that not even morphine can relieve it).
 
We were colonised by what now?!? :unsure:

Australia does have OH&S laws, but our death toll from workplace accidents is still four times higher than our road toll. On average, 21 Australians die at work every day.
 
Not too bad, this episode didn't seem to have any particular flow to it, but it was the first show so I'll give it time.

Shane Jacobson really carries this show, or at least this episode he did. Not a bad thing in itself, but Steve and Ewen are in danger of becoming the 'other guys'. They could have filmed the entire thing with only Shane and it would have been no worse. Steve's a good driver, so they should take a leaf out of TG US's book and allow the 'driver' to showcase his talents a little more. Ewen needs to interact better with the camera if he wants to play that Adam Ferrara style character.

I reckon they're sitting in the TGA office saying...

"Yeah but, no-one mentioned all the effort we spent on the fake rally sponsor stickers..."

Consider it acknowledged. ;)
Haha I quite liked them too. Nice touch. ;)
 
Wasn't bad but I'm still not laughing out loud like I do when I watch the UK one. Like other people have said, they need to find their own groove because it's just not moulding together.
Oh, and I can't stand that Pizzati, or however you spell it, guy. He looks like a male witch with his massive pointy nose, kind of like our PM..., and the only reason he is on there is because they wanted someone short to fill in Hammond's role.
Shane is ok, and I reckon Ewen is the best but I didn't see the bit with the esky in this episode.
I started 15 mins in but I would rate it about a 6 - 6.5.
 
We were colonised by what now?!? :unsure:
Let's start at the top. Julia Gillard. Born in Wales, official with the Australian Union of Students. British born Australians are 50% more likely to be trade union officials than the rest of the population.

Australia does have OH&S laws, but our death toll from workplace accidents is still four times higher than our road toll. On average, 21 Australians die at work every day.
Sorry stiggie. Where do you get that statistic from? Notified Workplace Fatalities are 1/10th of the annual road toll in Australia. The most recently published figures project a total of about 140 deaths for 2010/2011. The annual road toll is about 1500.
 
I reckon they're sitting in the TGA office saying...

"Yeah but, no-one mentioned all the effort we spent on the fake rally sponsor stickers..."

Consider it acknowledged. ;)

where there funny stickers? At least if the UK go to the trouble of creating witty stickers, they make sure you can't miss them. I can't say I noticed...
 
where there funny stickers? At least if the UK go to the trouble of creating witty stickers, they make sure you can't miss them. I can't say I noticed...
It was on the rally cars. They used the same typeface as the respective companies, just changed the names.

Greatyear (GoodYear)
Strap-on (Snap-on)
Peski (Pepsi)

Those were the ones I remembered, there were some others.
 
Also, does Australia not have the slightest bit of H&S? The driving around the studio looked genuinely terrifying from an audience perspective.

As mentioned, we do have quite stringent OH&S laws. And TopGear et al would pay a fortune in public liability insurance. Which makes what they did even more unexplainable.

It was almost like the were deliberately trying to lose their insurance. Hmmm. No, they wouldn't play that card, would they?

Ewen should know better.

Seriously, I agree it was a cringeworthy, perineum-twinging moment.

Some more stickers...

STD (STP)
Some Oil Co.
Walliart (Ralliart)
Peski (Pleski?)
Pizzati Hut (Pizza Hut)
Ewen's (Something east coast)
Jacobson Aussie Whisky (no idea)

I also noted that there's no date for the next ep. So, are we down to single episode seasons now? *wink*
 
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Just watched and while I'd agree they are still using TGUK ideas they are putting an unique Oz twist to it. I watch UK, Us and Oz TG and enjoy them all but while others might disagree I think US and Oz are now as entertaining as UK was/is. I've found UK rather hit and miss the past couple of seasons. US is just starting to hit its own stride. The cars etc are closer to home (Canada) but we also had a lot more UK vehicles here. The Oz cars are different so while the locals might yawn a bit at see these, for me its interesting to see the differences. I'd say the lowest bit was the v8 ball gun. However it wasn't just someone firing it up and mashing a pedal (v8 blender comes to mind) there was someone dumb enough to get in the way without wearing a suit of armour. The chemistry with the hosts is pretty good. They look like they are having fun instead of reading jokes from the script on the table. If/when they break the mould a bit I think they might be the top show.

I don't rate them by buying the DVD I rate them by how many good laughs I get out of the shows. That or how many time I want to groan and roll my eyes at what they are doing. You Oz guys might find things a bit familiar but from the outside looking at it I'd say it is pretty damn good and you guys are lucky to have it. ;-]
 
Sorry stiggie. Where do you get that statistic from?

From a TAFE course I was required to take for my work that was taught by somebody with a masters degree in workplace safety. I trust that he knew what he was talking about.

I guess no HD rips are available??

It isn't broadcast in HD. GEM is Nine's HD channel and will remain so at least until the ridiculously drawn-out digital switch over is complete.
 
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It isn't broadcast in HD. GEM is Nine's HD channel and will remain so at least until the ridiculously drawn-out digital switch over is complete.

OH..Or yeah, how stupid of me...#9 is only 576/25hz....Yeah their HD (GEM #90), a channel No one watches... with rubbish TV.
 
The networks are only allowed one digital HD channel (and two SD) each while the analogue channels are still being broadcast. Because some people only have SD set-top boxes, they broadcast their main service in SD.
 
i think james morrison did well in season 2. bring him back. warren, james, shane.
 
Let me just announce my bias right at the start here. I HATE the "Star in a reasonably priced car" segment, in all it's forms, on all versions of Top Gear. Sure, if you get a really interesting or funny guest, the interview might not be totally cringe-worthy. But the lap is only worth watching if they put it up on two wheels, or spin off and roll backwards at a camera crew. At it's worst, it is a boring person, doing a plug for their latest contractual obligation, then driving a boring car round a track.

Aside from this, the Australian version has two major flaws. First of all, they use a 20+ year old ute. Sure, it is uniquely Australian, but it still looks like a bucket load of crap. If I wanted to watch idiots driving utes, I'd go to a B & S Ball in the country somewhere. Second, the track. I am now convinced that there is no possible camera angle that could make that track look good. Even watching supercars go round in the hands of the Stig looks terrible. Seeing a '90s era ute do a lap has me looking to change the channel.

Maybe, for power tests, hot laps, and celebrity contractual obligations, they should ditch the airfield and just use an actual race track. The only reason to stay with an airfield is for a long, flat, straight runway to V-max cars on, which the Aussie show never seems to do anyway.
 
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