[20x04] July 21st, 2013

[20x04] July 21st, 2013


  • Total voters
    268
Not too bad, SLS was pretty decent and the Hovervan was fun for once. It could be a little bit better if they actually tried to succeed. A shame they stopped the segment half way, they could've tried to continue imo. 7/10.
 
To say that 4 bad episodes in a row is bit strong. Last week was pretty good, This is week is not bad.

You may not like, that is too bad, however I felt in the past two series, they are attempting to do more traditional Top Gear instated of too mainstream like the India special.

Top gear has always been this way. They never made anything that is meant to be useful. That is not the point, they want to do something that was based off a car. It might be a plane, a rocket, anything, it done not matter. It about the automobile.
 
Hugh Jackman was a great guest and very entertaining, best SIARPC in a long time, and the best part of the whole show in my opinion. The film with the Mercs was also good, but it lacked something that would make the same test two years ago awesome. The Hovervan film was so stupid. Funny moments, yes, but completely impractical and useless.

When TG has made cars in the past, they're usually a take on something that already exists, and most of the time they are attempting to build something that is cheaper than an existing vehicle. In a downturned economy, cheap ideas appeal to the masses, not floating vans that cost hundreds of thousands to build. The Hovervan, while it worked, has to be the most successful machine ever made by TG at disrupting the lives of normal people and being a complete nuisance. I just imagined myself as one of those people trying to enjoy a nice meal by the river only to have my entire day ruined by 3 idiots from a TV show. It was probably staged, which makes it even worse. But if it wasn't, wow. I don't know why anyone would allow any TV show to come to their village and do that kind of damage and create that much of a disturbance.

There's a phrase used in America for TV shows called 'jumping the shark.' It comes from back in the 1970's when there was a show on TV called Happy Days. After a couple of seasons, viewership had dropped. To try and win back the audience, they shot an episode in Hawaii where "The Fonz" (star of the show) jumps a shark on water skis in some sort of daredevil type act. It was such a blatant attempt to try to conjure up a 'wow' factor that most of those who watched the show saw right through it. Soon after, Happy Days was off the air.

Top Gear has now 'jumped the shark.' 3 bad episodes in a row was unprecented. 4 spells the beginning of the end. They've either run out of ideas, or they no longer know how to make the show that I used to love. Or maybe it's just been on for so long that nothing they do can surprise me anymore. Either way, its appeal to me is almost gone, and Jeremy wearing a button down shirt open with a T-shirt for the first time isn't going to resurrect it. I just hope they find a way to end things on a high note.

You didn't like EP 3 of this series? I thought it was great and honestly if you didn't like that one that was more car oriented and you don't like the "cocking about" episodes why do you watch TG?

This has nothing to do with TG if ya ask me, more to do with your bitterness IMO.
 
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This was nothing like Geoff. To make Geoff they took an electric van and replaced the body with a shitty one on purpose to try and get cheap laughs. For this one, they worked really hard and it turned out to be interesting and funny. I gave it a 10.
 
Top Gear has now 'jumped the shark.' 3 bad episodes in a row was unprecented. 4 spells the beginning of the end. They've either run out of ideas, or they no longer know how to make the show that I used to love. Or maybe it's just been on for so long that nothing they do can surprise me anymore. Either way, its appeal to me is almost gone, and Jeremy wearing a button down shirt open with a T-shirt for the first time isn't going to resurrect it. I just hope they find a way to end things on a high note.

I was thinking the same thing after first two episodes, the last two episodes have shown me though that maybe there is still a little life left in these guys. You have to wonder though if it might be time to pass this show on to the next generation. The one thing about Top Gear US is how much younger the presenters are, it might be time to insert a little youth to Top Gear UK and maybe a fresh take on cars would happen.
 
You didn't like EP 3 of this series? I thought it was great and honestly if you didn't like that one that was more car oriented and you don't like the "cocking about" episodes why do you watch TG?

This has nothing to do with TG if ya ask me, more to do with your bitterness IMO.

Well as I said last week, I fell asleep before the show ended. That's how bored I was. And bitter is the wrong word. I am disappointed. When they have six months to film six shows and this is the best they can come up with, it's a disappointment.

Oh yeah about your Jumping the shark moment... That happened in season 5 of Happy days (1977) which went on for 6 more seasons (11 together, last one 1984) so saying it was canceled shortly after is a lie. The show went on for 7 more years after it "jumped the shark".

You are correct. That show went off the air before I was five. I was going off what I read on the internet after looking up 'jumping the shark.' Which goes to show you, don't trust the internet.
 
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I quite loved this episode, personally. I laughed my arse off at many of the hijinks the hovervan created. The SIARPC was excellent, and I thoroughly enjoyed the SLS segment.

I gave it 9/10. Not quite a classic, but an episode I'll definitely go back and watch again.
 
It wasnt bad, considering how dull some episodes were this season, this one was pretty fun. Though these "how hard can it be" are becoming annoying to watch. The first part/hovervan was fun, I lol-ed when they simply sunk after putting it together. Second part not so much. It probably cost as much as a Ferrari and needed a crew of like 20 to keep going. The whole point of the segment is getting lost on the way and with their huge budget.
 
I felt entertained. Not as good as last week, but still much better than the whole of Season 19. 8/10
 
The electric Merc is awesome but if I'm gonna buy a car that runs like a supercar I also want one that SOUNDS like a supercar :p But as a tech showcase it's incredible :)

News was short, but I totally agree with Jezza. I too, ALWAYS drive on the speed limit :angel:

SIARPC skipped as usual

Now... what to say about the hover van... I remember other 4 moments when the 3 decided to build a single vehicle: Geoff, the convertible people carrier, the Caterham Kitcar and the diesel BMW endurance race. The BMW is by far the most epic of all, but this one... I can't decide if this one is worse, or tied in last with the Geoff one.

Ah what the hell, last place. At least the Eagle i Thruster looked like something they built. The Hovervan really looks to me like a professional team built it, not the TG team (watching again, I don't even think that van still has wheels).

First part was very good, news was ok, and the "clowning about" segment not much funny.

4/10. Yeah a grade like that in school would earn me a spanking from mom :ph34r:


PS: For the ones thinking the dude they knocked on water was real: Awww C'mon! WHO in their right mind would row a boat while wearing a business suit? :idiot:

PPS: Voted 8 yesterday, but now that I rewatched I think I was too generous >_>
 
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This was nothing like Geoff. To make Geoff they took an electric van and replaced the body with a shitty one on purpose to try and get cheap laughs. For this one, they worked really hard and it turned out to be interesting and funny. I gave it a 10.

Actually they took the frame of a TVR Chimaera with Jeremys garage door and sheet metal body, and stuffed a milk van motor and some deep cycle fork lift batteries in it, until they brought on the diesel generator :D


I guess the episode a 6.5/10 but bad Top Gear is still better than 90% of every other TV show :cool:
 
That was the first time ever that I thought about shutting off a TG Episode...

The reason was that Hovercraft thing - it was just predictable and boring...

SLS comparo was okay - Volverine was a good guest as well :)
 
SLS film was excellent :) Clarkson finally likes an electric car! Ish... I'd still have the Black. Cool lap times as well. The news... uhh... well i'm in America so... that really didn't apply to me. The whole flooding thing was actually taken straight from Richard's film about how to make a top gear episode. He took an ice cream van and made it into a hovercraft. Still funny though, but a lot was scripted...I doubt that man was ACTUALLY involved in the accident (when he fell in the water) but the wash from the camera boat i believe was real. And the restaurant bit looked real... but i doubt it was. The weir actually was kind of scary looking :p and i'm sure Jeremy meant to blow up the engine. 8/10, it wasn't brilliant, but it kept me entertained.
 
I was properly entertained throughout. Some predictable moments in the hovervan segment, but I had fun! I would like it if they actually had some real news in the news segment though. The car world is pretty big, surely there are stuff to bring up every week? And not just stuff that pertains to Britain like speed limits...
 
I had heard the episode was just "eh" before I watched it, so I was not expecting much.

When I saw the SLS segment start off the show, I was like... What? This is actually pretty good!

Then the rest of the show happened.

There were a few ok things, though not the best. So I give it an "low" 7/10.

..
 
I can't believe I'm writing something as shallow as this, but the ep would have been far better if they replaced the hovervan segment with a longer Hugh Jackman interview - just because of the gorgeous girl behind him.

  • SLS review: Fairly good. Jeremy's review do become too much routine, though. Not much spirit in it.
  • News: Good. I actually saw Jeremy's argument about the speed limit coming, because it was absolutely logical. :D
  • SIARPC: Trailer for Wolverine looked blah, but I liked Jackman as a guest. Good.
  • hovervan: *insertfacepalmhere*

Overall: A 5/10, maybe.
 
7/10


The SLS segment was informative, as I am a fan of it. I never saw the SLS Electric ever moving on any video, and the SLS black really was something different to any other Black Series Merc, which usually look like wannabe Touringcars (although, I like those cars too because of that :lol: ), not stunned however what they changed on it, just some usual Superleggera-stuff, "lighter, louder, more power also more expensive).

News was disapointing, I dont care about speed limits! I'm German!

Hovercraft Transit was funny, although I thought immediatly as it sank first time, why remove the bloody doors? They save only about 20 Kilo's per side. :lol:

Also Captain No-sense-of-direction is doing the navigation, OMG!

What made me nearly wet my pants was when they ran over an rower and then try parking backwards to a restaurant, must've been a breesy lunch. :D


All in all, last weeks episode was way better, (it contained 4 rings :p )
 
I enjoyed the SLS review - it was refreshing (although I'm sick of the SLS on Top Gear, especially by Clarkson) because I didn't expect him liking the E-Car. Besides, smoking tires with Clarkson at the wheel, great cinema!
News- I thought it would continue, and was a bit disappointed but he made his point, rather logically.
SIARPC-nice guy, great interview. I liked how he called (was it his manager? have to rewatch) that guy up to tell him off.
Hovervan- I liked the Transit Fan name, too bad they didn't pick it. Also didn't like that they didn't finish, but that was clear from the beginning seeing how "fast" they were moving; 50 miles was never possible.
I gave it, for a good review, nice guest, random news, and the boys building something completely useless, a 7/10. I don't care about the scripting. I watched GRIP (german car show) before this, and some random stuff on youtube, and all of that was pretty not bad, but Top Gear tops it off. Nice one!
 
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