[24x07] April 23rd, 2017 - SsangYacht

[24x07] April 23rd, 2017 - SsangYacht

  • Total voters
    42
Damn, ninja'd. I was going to call it 'Surf & Turf'. :p

Well, the final episode of this season. We were promised a good show to end with and I believe that's exactly what we got, this was easily my favourite episode of this season.

I was impressed that they dared to question Porsche on its choice of engine for the new Coxster and I'm happy knowing that should I want one I'm better off buying an older, cheaper one. I believe Jay kay was a great guest as I'd expect, getting involved in the discussions in a way that non-petrolhead guests just don't and giving us some excitement on the track.

Naturally, I want the 8x8 Shaman and I enjoyed Matt's review of it. I didn't think the thing was actually road legal, I'd certainly think twice about driving it on the road myself. Looking at the area and the terrain I was reminded of Clarkson climbing a similar hill in the Discovery 3 and was expecting some comment about not leaving with the keys but alas, no such luck. The interview with Bernie was very nicely done, Eddie did a great job (I never thought I'd be saying that) despite Bernie clearly not wanting to give much away. I really got goosebumps at the end.

Finally the big build and I think they really pulled it off well, like everyone else I hadn't seen the yacht-like qualities of the Rodius but when it becomes a boat it all just makes sense... sort of. The gags were nicely done but they didn't dwell on them like I fear CHM would've done and I sincerely hope that Chris falling over wasn't faked, it certainly didn't look like it.

Overall a pretty damn memorable episode, probably the first one I'd happily go back and watch again for some time. These boys have a bright future doing this, much brighter than last time around anyway.
 
I thought it was a bit pedestrian for a final episode at first but in the end I quite liked it. Maybe I expected a bit much of Jay Kay to assume he'd be top of the time sheet but I quite enjoyed the sang yacht more than i expected.
 
Four Five Eight said:
I thought it was a bit pedestrian for a final episode at first but in the end I quite liked it. Maybe I expected a bit much of Jay Kay to assume he'd be top of the time sheet but I quite enjoyed the sang yacht more than i expected.
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Very much the same thoughts did arise. Not the best episode, but a good solid one to this season. The boat looked so much more finished than any of the old TG projects.

The season really exceeded my every expectation so much I cannot even understand. TGT has a huge job to be on the top after this.
 
Honestly, just a great season of motoring related television. Of course there has been and will be better, but Matt, Rory and Chris have really elevated the show into something that last year, seemed an impossible task.
I now want that Shamen thing. Its almost like the Caterham 7 of off roaders when you think about it.
Anyone else think the SsangYacht was actually a bit of a looker?
 
Four Five Eight said:
I thought it was a bit pedestrian for a final episode at first but in the end I quite liked it. Maybe I expected a bit much of Jay Kay to assume he'd be top of the time sheet but I quite enjoyed the sang yacht more than i expected.
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What he said - went out somewhere between a bang and a whimper. Still bodes well for the future once they get a bit better.
 
Honestly, no criticism of anything in this episode. It's the perfect new TG for me.

A few highlights:
- Cayman review was on the point. Expected to hear the usual Porsche praise that everyone has gotten numb to, but this was actually interesting not only due to pretty cinematography.
- Eddie's interview of Bernie was bizarre in the best way possible, both are such awkward and strange individuals, where you just can't be sure if conversation is genuine or sarcastic. This is the best use of Eddie in the series, for sure.
- The SsangYacht was delightful. I love how the new team does not make a farce out of everything. They took a ridiculous task and tried to make it work. "Only a lunatic would do such a thing", as Eddie perfectly summed up the spirit of TG challenges.

This is also probably the first show where Rory felt naturally part of the team for me.
 
Hey MXM we both know why we voted a 10, there are no two opinions about it, right? :lol:
 
Since apparently I cannot post in the right thread, I'll quote myself...

RdKetchup said:
When the "conversion to boat" started, I basically said to myself "not that shit again", thinking they were going to go the usual way (half-assed project, mindless destruction).

And then they surprised me by actually doing it right, not destroying anything, and proving Rory's point.

Bravo!
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Ha ha ha. I was confused when I saw your response in the other thread... Although I *COMPLETELY* agree with it!
 
Thank you BBC for making car show great again! :D

Great ending of great season. If TGT does not improve dramatically (and I highly doubt it will) then its TG >> TGT from now on.
 
I'll just say it would have been impossible for CHM to pull off the SsangYacht this well. They would have ruined it at some point, crashed it into a pier, capsizing it with Clarkson looking at the screen with his gormless "forced catastrophe" face, shrugging "How could this possibly happen?" That's happened with every single one of their comedy builds, and I applaud the current TG crew for being able to steer around the usual script pitfalls.
 
7/10 - solid, good, the show now has a steady foundation and something to build on. Agree that the lack of "ambitious but rubbish" was a step in the right direction. I still find that quite funny but it's CHM's trademark, so making the SsangYacht actually work put some clear water between the two approaches and it worked brilliantly. Now, how about a cross channel race again with three amphibious cars that won't sink and it's actually a real race...?

One thing that dawned on me is that Extra Gear is making more sense. CHM were allowed to develop their version when (literally) nobody was watching, prior to season 5 (or so), bearing in mind that Hammond and May were more or less new to TV, they had time to hone their craft. On Extra Gear, Harris and Reid are being afforded the same luxury. There's obviously less scripting and they're more relaxed. It's kind of a Top Gear lab...
 
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The whole series is solid foundation they can build on. Looks like a fun show now.
 
Really great episode. What I really liked about it was that the guys were comfortable in their roles. The jokes were there but they were subliminal and not dwelled upon too much to make them obvious. Surprised that Jay Kay did not get on top of the leader board and he face showed that he was gutted to be second best.

I also want to know how much they spent on that Ssang Yacht. That boatmaker must have charged BBC an arm and a leg to create such a nice boat out of such a pedestrian van.
 
Actually, they didn?t do a conversion.

They just remove the engine and axels from the ugly car, and put the body on top a real boat. They did a good job blending them both, but it was not a conversion at all.

cheers
 
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