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[22x08] June 28th, 2015 [The Final Clarkson, Hammond, & May Episode]

[22x08] June 28th, 2015 [The Final Clarkson, Hammond, & May Episode]

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gtrNL said:
Typical TG episode clips, was as expected.
The studio bits were eerie with no audience. Solid ending with the sincere 'thanks for watching and... Goodbye'.
Gave it 10/10 because given the circumstances it could not have been better.
Click to expand...

This is what I was going to say.

Its been a fun ride.
 
When I heard that they'll have an elephant to replace Clarkson in the studio, I figured we're going to have a lot of gags, and a lot of Clarkson call outs, references.
Instead, we got none. The elphant, if anything, was merely symbolic, and wasn't really meant to be a comedy factor after the initial reveal.

Richard and James - but especially Richard - had everything written on their facial expressions. It's just... unreal.

Everytime we cut to the films, the classic TG feel of cocking about and laughter got to me - and both films were great, much like I think Mr Wilman said it wasn't their best, but they both portrayed the main reason as to why people across the globe came to love this show. Both films had a lot of inside jokes, cocking about and 3 of them having a good time.

But then, everytime we gone back to the studio, there was that sinking feeling... which was topped with the last 30 seconds. One of, if not the most sincere good bye's I've heard not just on TV but on anywhere other than my own family. It's heart wrenching. And then of course BBC had to ruin the silent credits with a fucking stupid commercial. Just one last kick from them, I guess.

10/10 no doubt.
 
It never really occurred to me, until this episode, how much life the studio audience brought to those segments. The scenes with R and J in the studio just felt dead.
 
A 5 vote from me. I actually liked the studio bits. They were sincere, and the elephant in the room was very funny.

The classic car film was OK, but the challenges were pretty lame. And the entire "bungling" into japfest were typical silly (not in a good way) TG. The 4x4 film just continued from there. It could have been good, but the scripting ruined it. Again. All to predictable, and apart from James faceplanting in the mud, just not funny.

I'd hoped for better, but i didn't really expect it. In many ways what TG has become, although the earlier part of this season was generally pretty good and promised much. That the era ends now, with these films, are probably very fitting. It just had run its course in its current form.

Thank you Jeremy, James, Richard, Andy, and all TG crew for much fun through the past many years, can't wait to see what you're up to next (please just don't let it be on Netflix).
 
Great episode. 10.
I laughed very hard, many times watching this.
Nobody mentioned Hammond flying ontop of that plane. Is that just a thing he does or was that genuinely frightening as it appeared to me?
Also, after all this "fracas" situation which I didn't real all the details about: The pub thing, after not being able to find one due to May's pickiness. Was that very deliberate? I mean, was it supposed to make us viewers think, ok after a day like that (driving unreliable cars, not finding a pub) it could lead to someone punching someone? Then they had the team meet in the pub, to make sure everybody is in good spirits again after dinner. After all of that, (after the montage) Jeremy is better, happy, and they continue.

Who's estate did they ruin in the SUV part? That must have been much much fun.
 
I'm sad to see it end... don't want to say more at the moment.

Nothing to do with the episode itself, but how tone-deaf do you have to be (does the BBC have to be) to squeeze even those end credits and blabber about some other programme? Couldn't even give the viewers that one moment to say thanks and goodbye to the people who made the show for us.
 
10/10

An outstanding ending to Top Gear. The ending was really hard to watch and I can't imagine how difficult it must have been to film. All you can really say is thank you to Jeremy, Richard, James and the entire crew behind Top Gear.

To hell with the BBC and whatever stupid shit they brand as Top Gear.
 
I know I am in minority but based on these two segments, I am relieved it all ended there. It was pitiful. I liked the classic car challenge far more than the SUV camper trip. But both ideas were just recycled feats presented few times before over the past decade.

How many times do we need to see caravans being smashed ? raced around the circuit ? and SUVs rolled down a hill? I mean how could they possibly take on lifestyles with water and boats more than the two attempts at crossing the English channel? We've had camper races, we've had caravan burning stunts, we've had caravans races and smashes, the self made motorhomes, the caravan turned train cars. This "caravan pain" might be quintessentially British, or European and I personally wouldn't be caught dead towing anything that is not self-propelled (albeit stranded or damaged) with my Grand Cherokee but really it felt that they ran out of ideas. No amount of downhill rolling of SUVs will match the Bolivia Special rolling downhill of the FJ Cruiser or the indestructible Toyota Hilux. I always liked their races (especially the ones that pitted a car against other modes of transportation; or cars against other pro athletes in some mega mountain downhill battle) but sadly there weren't any in recent series.

I really hope they do collaborate on a new show, albeit refreshed. As for a series finale, or I should say a show's finale, shame on BBC for not letting Jeremy stage a proper send-off. I think something akin to 13 x 07's ending when Jeremy drives off into the distance with that Jaguar, and right at the end saying "good night" with a subdued voice is probably how I would have done it.
 
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Nice that they still released this, however the series would have been 10 episodes and this was parts of 2 put into 1, so there is 1 episode they left out completly in this right?
 
The elephant in the room. Gold.
Hammond's beard like the front of a VW Up. Gold
The Jeep doing what a Jeep does well. Gold

The end of the REAL Top Gear. Sad.

See ya guys. Thank you for my Monday evenings under the verandah in Adelaide, South Australia watching dodgy TG 'scene rips' with my young lad. Gold

Thank you Andy for pushing the limits of the craft and making others play catch up. Nobody does the tobacco filter, vignettes and the Russian arm like you guys.

We'll be there ready for your next adventure.

God speed lads. God speed.
 
I've voted on the content of the episode rather than arbitrarily giving it a 10 just because its the last ever Top Gear episode with CHM. The cheap car challenges were made to be part of a regular episode each so I'm voting for it like a regular episode.

Indeed last episode, it was business as usual which I appreciate. Nothing like going out doing what you normally do with dignity rather than throw bells and whistles on it. Not a bad episode I'll say. I seriously doubt Jeremy would say the stuff about buying classic cars the way he did. Maybe he was really wound up about what the Americans did the car he bought. Only low point for me was at the very end. I knew from previous experience that the audience at the dinner evening were put up to that. They knew it was going to be one of the presenters in the usual Top Gear-comedy fashion and were asked to look serious and unimpressed and when the cameras stopped rolling they'd all have a good laugh. It reminded me of the wedding episode which I really hated.

Still, a 8 out of 10. It was reasonably enjoyable.

Also, the BARB ratings in case anyone doesn't know. 5.4 million. Best of the evening for sure but only a smidgen up on the previous episode on March. Surprising it didn't beat out the Lewis Hamilton episode from 2007.
 
I think that is in part down to it being an isolated show which didn't exactly get much publicity from the BBC itself, almost like they had to show it to appease the fans but were slightly embarrassed at having to broadcast something with Clarkson in it.

Several people I know have said they had either forgotten it was on and weren't even aware of it.
 
Hopefully the numbers on Iplayer will be high enough to break records. And I'd love to know what the worldwide viewing figures were for this last series. I haven't been able to find those numbers anywhere.
 
'The elefant in the room' was brilliant :lol:

Classic car segment was OK, 4x4 segment was cringeworthy at times, still impressed on what those old clunkers were able to survive, 'inducing wonderment about cars you would not glance twice at otherwise', I quess that makes it real TopGear.

Then there was the ending, I needed a beer after that......I expected some kind of surprise, some clip of Jeremy adressing the viewers perhaps, some greatest hits clip, something, anything, but what we got was more right in the feels then any of that would have ever been: 2 blokes saying a heartfelt goodbye to an audience that loves them.
This might just be my imagination, but somehow it felt a lot more like a 'good bye' that a 'good bye for now and see you on the other side of the fence', I will never be more happy to be proven wrong.
 
So the classic cars and the SUV bit... weren't there 3 films shot that didn't make it out? That's only 2...
 
I think it was just those 2 films, unless the limo thing that Jeremy did was counted as a film. I think Richard and James both did a car review, but I remember thinking pre-fracas what was going to be in the last episode.
 
Has anyone heard when (or if) the final episode will air on BBC America in the USA? All of us Top Gear UK fans out here can only read the reviews but they haven't shown it nor have I heard anything about when it'll air. ARG! :mad:

Thanks!
Larry.
 
neutron said:
I really liked that. Reminded me of Rains of Castamere episode of Game of Thrones, they leave you thinking, processing the impact the episode.
Click to expand...

Except the continuity woman was rambling all over it.

To be honest at times it hit the funnybone, and was brilliant - but the moment Clarkson emerged from his classic car I thought "damn he really looks too old for this" Maybe it was because I knew it was indeed the end, I've found the same with "classic" episodes too where I'm finding signs maybe it's a good time to wrap it up. I liked Hammond's VO intro too. "Oh this is embarrassing"

It's been a hell of a ride, and I wish it had ended differently.
 
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