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Only $10 for all 2024 SX, MX, and SMX series (regularly $30).
I will definitely be watching The Grand Tour. been waiting for a while now.
Can't wait for The Grand Tour to begin.
The Shop
I'm about 150km away and just opened this days first beer (more to come), so I guess I'm not going there either.
My DVR is 95% full and its all Top Gear. The good stuff not the new ones or US ones
John
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-hBAwaH6CI
Pit Row
Other favorites were the caravan creations with the high rise that tipped over and the sports train racing past scum class.
It's on Kodi by the way, if you don't have Amazon.
It does seem a little stiff, though, thus far, with the script showing through the banter.
Of course, it's always been scripted (Top Gear) but the seams didn't show, as it were.
They've still got Richard Porter as the script doctor, and Jezza is doubtless still laying awake at night agonizing over the details, as ever, but I'm looking forward — and trusting — that it'll get better as it loosens up.
In classic TG episodes — mostly to be found in seasons 6 through 18, which is a hell of a run — it seemed more like they were just throwing the "lads" into situations and letting the hilarity ensue. Seasons 21 and 22 seemed to be a little flat at times, and I certainly continue to hope that the "new" format (not so much, obviously) will breathe a little new life into the old boys.
Beyond the opening scene, first episode was good but not great. (Best part for me beyond Jeremy smiling as Hammond and May pulled alongside in the Mustangs was Captain Slow showing up at the track with the Ferrari in a transport truck "unexpectedly" and then the other two freezing him out of the first two challenges.)
Second episode wasn't, particularly, well, good. (The whole sketch thing could have been vastly improved, IMHO, by having a couple of other cars aside from the Audi and throwing a bit of an actual car shoot-out into the scripted pretend shoot-outs.) I got the whole premise, but I didn't much care for the Tom Cruise movie in the first place and I don't play Call of Duty, so, well, yeah....
Third episode was more what I've always loved about the show, but could have been still better with the inclusion of producer-type "challenges." Seemed like they were just meandering along without any real purpose, and Hammond's antics wore a little thin after awhile. Again, just my opinion. Still, much closer to the mark. (Instead of cutting the painting — a gag used before — Hamster shoulda just shrugged and threw it into the tire truck. Then cut to Clarkson and May being miffed at the easy solution....)
Definitely hoping for a little cheap car challenge-type mucking about in upcoming episodes.
Without a doubt, the cinematography has been epic, as expected. The closing shots in episode one of the "trinity" drifting in close succession, beautiful.
The American schtick I can do without. Not sold yet on the ebola track, but the old TG track didn't seem that cool early on either. Definitely had more room for the cars to roam though.
And I expect they'll eventually just kill the killing the guest star joke, as it is really only sort of funny (barely) if it involves a parachute gag or the like. Maybe the jet ski thing in the next episode (probably, anyway) will be okay. Death by rattlesnake, lions, or sea gulls? Meh.
Oh, and the drone gags have been pretty good. As a recurring theme, sure, keep that.
To each his own and all that, but my favorite episodes of the old series were either the silly stuff like making a train-car or the really epic stuff like taking a truck to the North Pole or the combination of both, like Jeremy racing May and Hammond in a car versus a bullet train or private plane.
And yeah Michael, Viet Nam special was awesome. The Bolivia special too. And the one where they got stoned in Alabama. (Not that kind of stoned.)
Years ago when they were filming the Blue Ridge Parkway/N. Wilkesboro speedway segment, I was living in Boone, NC and had my M3. I got a text saying there were 3 sportscars being followed around out on the parkway and 421 by a camera truck. Of course I had to investigate. After not having much luck, I remember driving back up into town and seeing the 3 of them blast down a section of 421 between Deep Gap and North Wilkesboro on the way to the track just jackassing around. The funniest part was the section they were on is notorious for speed traps and has a good section to hit triple digits with ease. Slight jealousy set in.
John
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