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The Grand Tour |OT| ...of the world

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HariKari

Member
Still haven't hit their stride. The challenge was way too on the nose. American wasn't funny, again. The in-studio bits like Hammond being in the bumper seem forced.

"Shoo in Welsh" was the best line in the episode.
 

AlphaSnake

...and that, kids, was the first time I sucked a dick for crack
Clarkson's burn on Chris Evans was hoooly shit funny.

But the rest of the episode was a bit too scripted, unbelievable (really James himself made all of those bricks and was digging dirt?) and forced. It doesn't seem natural sometimes.
 
It wouldn't surprise me if there's one episode that's a single long film without a meaningful tent component (possibly an intro, but that's it) - it'd be inkeeping with their TG approach to specials.

It's been confirmed we're getting Christmas specials so, I'm quite hyped for that.
 

Fox318

Member
I enjoyed the show.

I actually think a living tree car could work aside from saftey restrictions. Living plants and trees actually are hard to burn since they are filled with sap and water.
 

Wiped89

Member
Clarkson's burn on Chris Evans was hoooly shit funny.

But the rest of the episode was a bit too scripted, unbelievable (really James himself made all of those bricks and was digging dirt?) and forced. It doesn't seem natural sometimes.

What was his burn? I missed it.

Loved the car challenge to start with and then it descended into scripted nonsense. Really starting to feel disappointed by this series.

The problem is that they've spectacularly missed what made them so popular in the first place. It wasn't that they were hilarious or that their scripts are oh so brilliant, it was the genuine chemistry of three mates messing about.
With all these silly cutaway moments and things catching fire or breaking off-camera it just completely loses that.

Top Gear Polar Special or the amphibious cars challenge (from about 2003!) Or even the final ever Clarkson Top Gear with the three classic cars Is a perfect example of high chemistry, low scriptedness that was these three at their best. I've seen very little of that so far in The Grand Tour.

About the only thing that is still as good as TG are Clarkson's road test review segments near the start.
 

Daffy Duck

Member
I thought that was hilarious, my sides are hurting from laughing for pretty much all of the episode.

The environmentalist cars feature was hilarious.

😂😂😂
 

Fox318

Member
Stuff they used to do was defiantly scripted but they did a better job of hiding if on top gear.

The ambulance special comes to mind.
 

LeleSocho

Banned
i love when real unexpected things happen, like when May threw the ball of yarn and it rolled back, Clarkson and Hammond were totally losing it there.
Wish it was more of that and less of the scripted problems.
 

JBuccCP

Member
I think it's time for me to move on from these chaps sadly. The only bit I liked in this episode was the car reviews, they've clearly long run out of ideas for segments and are relying on the writing for humor which just isn't very good.
 
Still not feeling it.

The car reviews are still great. And I want more of that.

But this challenge just felt overly scripted in a way that they didn't on TG. I didn't find the whole May building bricks thing very funny nor the other parts.

I miss the TG old car challenges and things like that.
 

enzo_gt

tagged by Blackace
The Porsche/M4 GTS segment was fantastic, tons of beautiful cinematography and effects as well. They're killing the track tests/reviews.

The American's lines weren't that bad this time around TBH, still the worst part of the show.

The Chris Evans/Top Gear dig was great. Conversation Street is great as usual. Those traffic lights are AWFUL.

Samsung product placement was.. ugh.

Environmentalism segment was fantastic. Truly shades of classic Top Gear challenges.
 

LT Snoshado

Member
How was last night's episode? So far the show had mostly held my attention but I do get where some of the complaints are coming from. I'm sure in another season or two they'll figure it out and cut the stuff that the audience doesn't like (hopefully!).

Definitely setting a reminder to watch the new episode this weekend 👍🏼

PLEASE GET RID OF THE STUPID AMERICAN CRAP
 
Episode 4 was fantastic, just like 3. This is the Top Gear I remember.

Just get rid of the American and the stupid Celebrity quiz segment and it will be perfect.
 

RoKKeR

Member
The "cars" were a little over the top in this one but I was laughing pretty hard at their race at the end.

American needs to go, honestly. It's just stupid. He can still be the driver but just shut the hell up.

Oh, and the BMW and Porsche segment was incredible.
 

doby

Member
I think it's clear Amazon are just trying way too hard with this. They're making suspension of disbelief really fucking hard when it's all so blatantly scripted.

All that money...jeez
 

plidex

Member
Generally this has been mostly the same as the last seasons of Top Gear, which is a shame. I had read that the Grand Tour would focus on doing episodes like the specials, which were the best episodes by far, so it's a shame to see it's just Top Gear with another name.

Episode 4 was pretty mediocre, but at least it wasn't as bad as the second episode, that was atrocious.
 

Wiped89

Member
Stuff they used to do was defiantly scripted but they did a better job of hiding if on top gear.

The ambulance special comes to mind.

The ambulance special was my least favourite Top Gear episode ever. Horrid. Unfortunately as with episode 2 of TGT, this series has at times veered closer to that than to the best of TG.
 

mrklaw

MrArseFace
It's been confirmed we're getting Christmas specials so, I'm quite hyped for that.

Think the Christmas special is Finland - latest issue of Radio Times talks about it.

"Happy Finnish Christmas" 23rd dec. To Kakslauttanen, Finland for a twinklin, snow-sprinkled festive episode full of cheer and goodwill to all men... or not. Richard Hammond's understandable excitement about the first right-hand-drive Ford Mustang is doused when Jeremy Clarkson claims the Ford Focus RS is the superior machine. Plus, James May provides a history lesson on the rivalry between Ford and Ferrari ad the Le Mans endurance races of the 1960s, and there's an unorthodox approach to car-themed Christmas gift guides.
 

terrible

Banned
The ambulance special was my least favourite Top Gear episode ever. Horrid. Unfortunately as with episode 2 of TGT, this series has at times veered closer to that than to the best of TG.

That and the Peugeot episode in season 22 were very much like the Grand Tour is now, quite different from earlier Top Gear.
 

slider

Member
Think it needs a few more shows (probably at least a series) to settle down and relax. I think the three presenters can grate each in their own way but what I'm most conscious of is how unnatural, and self aware, they all seem. Hammond has turned into/is playing unlikeable and obnoxious too well. And I'm not finding it that amusing. It's just a little trite.
 

Wiped89

Member
That and the Peugeot episode in season 22 were very much like the Grand Tour is now, quite different from earlier Top Gear.

Yeah definitely. But then series 23, that fateful final series, was actually much better and less silly. That's why I thought this would be (nope).
 

LoveCake

Member
Good episode this week, however I don't like that American Stig/Driver (nothing against Americans) it just doesn't work and it's not funny or ironic either.

I was thinking what would be better?

The only things I can think of is a robotic driver or a youth controlling via a joypad, I will admit that these two ideas are not the best though.
 

enzo_gt

tagged by Blackace
Good episode this week, however I don't like that American Stig/Driver (nothing against Americans) it just doesn't work and it's not funny or ironic either.

I was thinking what would be better?

The only things I can think of is a robotic driver or a youth controlling via a joypad, I will admit that these two ideas are not the best though.
I think it's tough because they've committed to it, even though they said they could add/drop things from season-to-season. I doubt him as the driver is going away or is going to get replaced.

Might just need to be written better (this last episode was mildly funnier than the rest), and maybe not the same American schtick episode-to-episode. Maybe theme his outfit or humour to whatever city they're in each episode?
 

Wiped89

Member
If the driver really needs to talk for legal reasons, why couldn't they have made him foreign, like Jerome D'ambrosio. Then he could speak Italian and they could do the funny subtitles as a long standing joke instead.
 

Number45

Member
If the driver really needs to talk for legal reasons, why couldn't they have made him foreign, like Jerome D'ambrosio. Then he could speak Italian and they could do the funny subtitles as a long standing joke instead.
They weren't particularly funny either though. I'd much rather hear what they think of the car, and I don't understand why that's not possible. :s
 

dubc35

Member
Skinner isn't too bad IMO. I would prefer the old stig style but were not going to get that.

The first thing I would cut would be the celebrity dying thing. How does this add value to the show, in tent audience, or watching online audience? The first couple were ok when I thought they were one off; recurring segments of it are a waste of everyone's time.
 

terrible

Banned
Amazon's fault, especially in Canada since they're supposed to launch Prime Video any day now, would have been much better timing to launch it shortly before the premiere of the Grand Tour.

I have prime in canada and I can use amazon.com or amazon.co.uk to watch it. That's what I've been doing.
 

JBuccCP

Member
Good episode this week, however I don't like that American Stig/Driver (nothing against Americans) it just doesn't work and it's not funny or ironic either.

I was thinking what would be better?

The only things I can think of is a robotic driver or a youth controlling via a joypad, I will admit that these two ideas are not the best though.
If he must talk they should just let the guy say what he actually thinks about the car he's driving. Then Jeremy could agree or call him and idiot.
 

dubc35

Member
If he must talk they should just let the guy say what he actually thinks about the car he's driving. Then Jeremy could agree or call him and idiot.

I like that idea but I wonder if it is more just an ego thing (mostly with Clarkson I would assume) considering how the Ben Collins Stig thing went. They may not want the possibility of the driver becoming more popular than the three of them. 100% speculation here.
 

Fox Mulder

Member
Skinner isn't too bad IMO. I would prefer the old stig style but were not going to get that.

The first thing I would cut would be the celebrity dying thing. How does this add value to the show, in tent audience, or watching online audience? The first couple were ok when I thought they were one off; recurring segments of it are a waste of everyone's time.

It's only like a minute though.
 
Let it go guise, as much as i'd love a proper old school car review like James May doing a comparo of previous to current gen civic or the new alfa romeo sedan, that's what built the fan base but what made the show a worldwide hit was the challenges, granted they reached a sweet spot somewhere in 07-09? but the way i see it to them anyway "there's no money" in that type of content
 
I don't get all the hate and people moaning about 'scriptedness'

It's always been scripted. I personally think episode 1, 3 and 4 have all been hilarious. Laughing loads. I've even rewatched them a couple of times.
 

Sec0nd

Member
I don't get all the hate and people moaning about 'scriptedness'

It's always been scripted. I personally think episode 1, 3 and 4 have all been hilarious. Laughing loads. I've even rewatched them a couple of times.

Sure, it has always been scripted. But you've got the super obvious scripted episodes and the subtle scripted ones.

The latest episode is getting closer to the Top Gear magic. Still a bit too scripted for my taste though. I would love just another shitty car challenge somewhere around the world. Just them touring about with crappy cars. Bit less of this over the top stuff.
 

Ativan

Banned
Esp 4 was amazing, the people who are saying they can't believe May for basically doing an industrial revolution has to remember May is one stubborn bastard that doesn't give up.
 
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