[17x07] December 28th, 2011 [India Special]

[17x07] December 28th, 2011 [India Special]


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Kind of disjointed and aimless with the usual TG gags. Watchable, but they've done better.

I'd give it an 8 for two reasons: They genuinly seemed to just be screwing around and having fun, which is fine and in fact appreciated for a Christmas special. And, Hammo's mini tow service adventures. Haven't laughed that hard in a while.
 
I thought it was a good example of what they do which is "on the road movies" like Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour in Road to... In fact look at the Road to Utopia and tell me that it is not the polar special. http://img189.imageshack.**/img189/453/roadtoutopia1946.jpg

I have to defend this special and especially when its compared with the Bolivia Special. Obviously there is going to be difference of taste but for my money (which is none) Bolivia does not fall in the top of the specials. My personal run down would be the Polar, Botswana, Vietnam, India, US, Bolivia and then Iraq.
 
The garden party bit was absolutely the worst. It was like Jackass, except not even dumb-entertaining. It was just dumb.

I'm also starting to dislike the characters they are playing. It's ironic if you think about it. Take a regular Top Gear season, the news segments are always about those three making fun of stupid shit that is automotive related. And then minutes later, they go to do the exact same kind of stupid shit they were making fun in the first place.
 
Anyone notice this:

tuc1.jpg


and then:

tuc3.jpg


I mean obviously the accident is staged but they could at least give them the same t-shirt, or use the same person.
 
new kind of special

new kind of special

it was a new kind of special, James got revenge on Jeremy and the Hamster. They didn't have challenges but they screwed up as always. Very beautiful and with lots of contrasts as India really is. I laughed a lot with this episode. A 9 from moi.
 
Well I can honestly say that this was the worst episode of TG I've ever seen. I usually look forward to each episode and the specials are at the top of my not to miss lists.

This time it just totally lost the plot.

I reckon if it was edited down to the last few minutes, where the lads finally reached an interesting road and there was real humour with the 'Straight Six Cricket', then included it within a standard program, that the result would have been much much better.

Sorry to be so down about it but when I got to work this morning, everyone said the same thing, so it's not just me!

The Cameraman
 
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I hate spoilers more than I hate spoilers on anything with less than 600bhp.

Last years Christmas special had about 45 minutes of waste.
Bets on James crashing?
Not a V12 XJS?
3 great cars... Dicky wins.
Not bangers for once, should be interesting.
Please no TG comedy.
Ugh.
Mini roofs fucked.
25 minutes of waste already.
Didn't see that happening In the queue...
35 minutes of waste.
Fucking hell Jimmy nearly died.
I swear I saw the muff coming. :blink:
Its illegal to disperse aircon gas... I think
Hmmm not that great so far.
FFS Mexico isn't funny anymore, mainly because you pussied it at the time you short arse.
Who wrote the script, the Chuckle Brothers?
Its a bad version of Top Gear Ground Force, yeah I didn't think it was possible either.
Oh fuck you its not funny.


The worst thing I've ever seen, and I've seen Transformers 3.
Waste of 90 minutes.

Are you more pissed that the hosts, the producers, and their camera team did not make a joke specifically tailored for you or something? I've never seen someone so bitter over an episode. Either you are Indian and thus offended somehow from the episode or you are a monumentally cranky person.
 
I have had some thoughts on how some people are still entertained and the "it is still better than most of the shit on TV" comment I always hear and I have come up with the only other show that I watch that has this level of silly running gags.

My Little Pony.

I am serious. The only show I have watched lately that I had deemed worth actually watching and has the humor aim this low is a tv show that at it's core level exists to sell pink plastic ponies to 8 year old girls. I can forgive a children's cartoon based on a toy line for predictable scripts and immature jokes because clearly you need to turn your brain off to some degree for that, but Top Gear? I have said this a few times but it just gets more true, the US top gear spinoff at this point is wayyy more enjoyable than the new episodes of the real thing because it is less forced than this. The AUS one that I think got canceled, that last season was more fun than the main show too. That says something about the state of this show.
 
Well I've just read the first comment page, and honestly wasn't surprised at all.
This isn't their worst special yet, it's their worst episode yet. And yes, I have seen the earlier episodes with the portly guy the name of whom doesn't spring to mind.

I've never been harsh in rating TG episodes since ... As MWF's quoted person, I believed that no matter how low it got it'd still be better than virtually everything out there. This special really reached what, as yet, has been an unknown abyss to TG.

Contrary to other specials, I didn't get emotionally involved vis-?-vis the cars, nor did I find myself cheering for one to work again (Yes, sometimes it's better if they break down a lot). Moreover, never did I laugh wholeheartedly at something or smile as they did. I also do agree, the theme on which they based the episode is exceptionally unpromising and seems almost purposely chosen to give the adventure no potential for greatness at all.

Be you an entertainment seeker or a petrolhead this shouldn't do it for you. I do not support defeatists who say that TG has died "long ago"... But I would urge everyone to voice their discontent at this lousy effort. This shouldn't happen again.

Not even on the same planet as the Vietnam special, which is relatively my favorite.
Rated it a 6, or a 5 .. Can't even remember, but it is my all-time lowest.
 
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Are you more pissed that the hosts, the producers, and their camera team did not make a joke specifically tailored for you or something? I've never seen someone so bitter over an episode. Either you are Indian and thus offended somehow from the episode or you are a monumentally cranky person.

No I think he was pissed off with the fact that in spite of huge resources they managed to turn out a pile of lame, predictable, pointless, rehashed garbage. As was I.

As for your comment about him being Indian, given how pissy the USSD is about TG and their previous antics you're a fine one to talk.

Aston Martin monumentally cranky? Nah.

You want monumentally cranky I can provide that in abundance.

That's the trouble with TG. When it's good it's great and we all have a decent discussion about its relative merits. When it isn't this place fills up with five-post fanbois and gurlz posting "ZOMFG that was hilarious! When Dicky fell over (again) I nearly wet my nappy laughing!!!!! LOLOLOLOL!!!". Then they start laying into the regular members who don't automatically bow down and suck at the Cock of Clarkson. I despair some times I really do.

Now get off my lawn! :wheelchair:
 
Sorry to be so down about it but when I got to work this morning, everyone said the same thing, so it's not just me!
It definitely isn't just you. I registered just to say this special was the lowest of lows.

I was looking forward to this, although I really don't enjoy India that much as a scenery for shows, and was very very dissappointed. Thankfully BBC Entertainment and Knowledge are playing (some of) the previous specials during the holidays. Even the Vietnam episode, which I think is pretty mediocre but still enjoyable, was hugely better than this one.
 
I didn't hate it and I was nowhere near switching it off but I was disappointed. I just didn't laugh in the same way I would normally and that made me a little sad. It was too obviously scripted and I just really didn't get the whole trade mission angle because that was obviously not going to work from the beginning. There wasn't enough peril with the cars either, they just worked. At no point was anyone in danger of the back up car.

I don't want to dislike the episode or have a downer on TG in general because I love the guys and the show but this just left me feeling sad for what could have been.

On the plus side I loved seeing Andy and the Jeremy/Richard interactions were great. They seemed far more relaxed than James, or maybe they're just better actors? The straight-six cricket was good too.
 
I don't like people saying you can't criticize the Show because the is worse stuff on TV...

I've been watching TG since season 1 of the new format, and after this, I just felt that wasn't what they could have made of it.
There is not so much that was wrong where I could put my finger on, it just didn't have a good feel to it.

For example, I really liked the hill climb against the locals - that just felt "real", and you could see that both the Boys and the Indians were having fun.
Also the driving on the dual carriageway, and the Cricket - if only more of the episode had felt that way.

If you see that they still can create such moments, and then for most of the time, they just don't - why wouldn't you be disappointed?
 
Someone give this guy a :+1: please? I'm out of ammo for my blob gun. Thanks.

Oh and :welcome:
 
I had a pretty good laugh when the banners got ripped off of the train. However, you could tell that was obviously staged.
 
1 hour and 28 minutes of total failure, waste of my life actually. Didn't even see Top Gear entertainment there, just random irrelevant jokes that were very predictable.
Never when watching a top gear episode I've gone for a smoke, without putting it to pause. This time I didn't..

Well have there was maybe a couple of parts that made me laugh, but that was just couple of minutes of the show. 4/10
 
Lmao, reading this place after an episode of Top Gear is fucking priceless. It's either the second coming or the end of the bloody world.

And if you didn't find English Muff funny you have no soul.
 
When did Top Gear turn from a show about cars into a show about destroying nice cars?

I gave it 4/10, and wish I gave it less.
 
I was expecting more , maybe it was the long wait that had me hyped for something amazing , it isnt the best , maybe the worst special , but that doesnt mean it was awful and a waist of time , just not the best they have done. I hope the coming season doesnt follow a declining slope . id give it a 8/10 .
 
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