Top Gear, Series 21

"Chairman Kaga" (mike-mckinnon)
02/05/2014 at 10:26 • Filed to: None

Am I just getting surly and curmudgeonly in my old age, or was that the single worst episode of Top Gear ever? I'll reserve specific comments, but generally it was too scripted, too forced, too farcical, and a little bit insulting.

DISCUSSION (26)

OtizzyStarBai > Chairman Kaga
02/05/2014 at 10:29

I have to agree.. I wasn't every impressed with it all. And their car choices aside from Jeremy's GTi were horrible.

MooseKnuckles > Chairman Kaga
02/05/2014 at 10:30

I laughed pretty good at some parts. Can't remember exactly which parts, that was days ago. But I thought it was good, 6.5/10

andriukas > Chairman Kaga
02/05/2014 at 10:31

Agreed..but I'll still keep watching it. I thought there was going to be an actual comparison between the hatches of the 80's and the hatches of today like how they used to do their car challenges. Instead we got lazy brainless entertainment. Much disappoint.

willkinton247 > Chairman Kaga
02/05/2014 at 10:33

Honestly, I think they were over the top scripted on purpose. I've heard them freely admit that it's scripted, and my hunch is that they were mocking everyone who decries them for being scripted.

Harrycarry250 > Chairman Kaga
02/05/2014 at 10:34

I enjoyed the episode a lot! I have a theory going on about people's views on long running television shows. When you first started watching it, it was the best thing ever so no episode can rekindle that feeling you got from the first. Also, every shown is heavily scripted, what else are they going to do? Spend an hour trying to think of something funny to say?

matthewtyzack > willkinton247
02/05/2014 at 10:36

Script-ception!

CalzoneGolem > Harrycarry250
02/05/2014 at 10:39

The first episodes I saw were season 10. Then I watched season 1-10. I think my favorite seasons were 16+. I'm still reserving judgement on this episode.

Chairman Kaga > andriukas
02/05/2014 at 10:39

I guess that's my specific complaint about this episode. It was RICH for some real gearhead porn, but they went for dumb laughs using cheap setups. It seemed like the kind of comedy you'd get from an early 80s BBC sitcom.

I've watched Top Gear as it aired since series 3 when I was living in England. There have been bad episodes before, so I don't plan to stop based on this one. But it's a little disconcerting when this is the first ep of a new series after a looong break.

dinobot666 > Chairman Kaga
02/05/2014 at 10:42

They don't take themselves too seriously, which I appreciate. It had silliness that only Brits can pull off.

Deven > Chairman Kaga
02/05/2014 at 10:45

I still haven't seen it because amazon hasn't put up the episode yet

interrogator-chaplain > Chairman Kaga
02/05/2014 at 10:55

I found myself enjoying it more than most of the episodes of last season. The very end was a little played, but everything up until that was pretty good in my opinion.

Fred (FreddsterExprs) > Chairman Kaga
02/05/2014 at 10:59

I would agree on everything expect "a little bit insulting". In what way did they insult anyone?

Lekker > Chairman Kaga
02/05/2014 at 10:59

Well, yes and no. It was funny and entertaining. If you were hoping top get something useful out of it, then you are probably pretty upset. I enjoy the episodes for what they are and just laugh. If I was to take any TV show seriously I would also start believing what the news say...That being said, the scripting and silliness level seems to be a response to some criticism (as others say). It did seem a little too scripted, but they went with the flow and it didn't look too bad.

Forgetful > Chairman Kaga
02/05/2014 at 11:09

It wasn't a great episode, but I enjoyed it as much as any of their other average episodes.

Those mustaches tho.

For Sweden > Chairman Kaga
02/05/2014 at 11:11

The episode was ambitious but rubbish!

PRBot II > Chairman Kaga
02/05/2014 at 11:29

There were no car reviews, no Stig laps.

The only thing that could have made this episode worse would have been "racing" one of the new hatchbacks against some "youths" doing parkour through a building.

Chairman Kaga > Fred (FreddsterExprs)
02/05/2014 at 11:30

I felt the comedy bits were pandering, especially Hammond's run through the supermarket. I dunno. Like I said, it seemed forced. There was plenty of comedy that could have come organically, but this was just too scripted for my tastes. Reminded me more than a little bit of Mr. Bean. Not that I dislike dumb old BBC comedies, but that style of humor and Top Gear just don't mix.

Fred (FreddsterExprs) > Chairman Kaga
02/05/2014 at 11:33

I agree to 100%. It was a bit too obvious. The wrapping especially. Although Jeremy's "lap of your own car" was excellent.

But what I was really wondering is how you managed to find it a bit insulting? Jeremy kept it down on racial stereotypes this time, that will change soon!

Chairman Kaga > Fred (FreddsterExprs)
02/05/2014 at 11:35

It insulted my intelligence and sense of humor, mostly. Also my gearhead proclivities. The hot hatch challenge was RIPE for badassness, and I think they went all soft and lazy.

Fred (FreddsterExprs) > Chairman Kaga
02/05/2014 at 11:41

Now it gets clear.
Yeah, I had big hopes for the Hot Hatch thing. Real modifications, proper challenges. And the police pursuit thing took literally 25% of the program's broadcasting time.

Haimatox > Deven
02/05/2014 at 12:32

Go to streetfire.net, almost all Top Gear episodes are on that, as well as a bunch of other car stuff.

Dusty Ventures > Chairman Kaga
02/05/2014 at 21:16

Not necessarily the worst, but bottom 10 for sure. I was hoping for something akin to "cheap Italian exotics" or "British Leyland," what we got was "Mythbusters special: nothing but explosions."

stephen mcknight 2011@ hotmail.co.uk > Chairman Kaga
02/06/2014 at 15:59

your for getting that the boys are getting older, in Jeremy case he 54 year old. off course you ar going to script scence, that will protect him as he broken his right ankle 3 time making Top Gear.

James too has had a lot of injuries, so the producers are over protecting Jeremy and co. by doing it this way they got, another 2 years out of these three. watching Chris Harris, Steve Sutcliffe and Jethro Bovington videos, none of them are capable of running Top Gear at this time.

i think in 12 months time those three will be ready, to take over as Jeremy and co will be totally exhausted by then. right decision by the BBC, Top Gear come before the talent as it a national insutition with 37 years on British Television. keep them going for another year, and then bring in the younger talent.

Chairman Kaga > stephen mcknight 2011@ hotmail.co.uk
02/06/2014 at 17:32

Do you think Chris Harris is a shoe-in as the surly, over-opinionated but eminently respected gearhead/journalist to replace Clarkson?

I've always liked Tom Ford for the same reasons I like May. He's a geek. He's obsessed with minutae. He looks like a wookiee.

Hammond is the wildcard, and the hardest to replace. He's the likeable one. The youthful energy. The balance to the other two host's bad attitudes. I have no idea who that night be. But you MUST have 3. It's the only way Top Gear can work.

stephen mcknight 2011@ hotmail.co.uk > Chairman Kaga
02/06/2014 at 18:12

Yes Tom Ford is a fine writer on cars, and has spent 12 year working under both Jeremy Clarkson and Tiff Needell. Jeremy want him to take over, but he like Clarkson can be a loose cannon.

Victoria Butler Henderson would be a good fold for Wookie, as she know him for 12 years and they work together in the past. a wildcard replacement for hammond would be Jim Holder over at autocar, completly neutral and well thought by his peers.

it good fun playing fantasy top gear lineup for all we know clarkson might stay on.

KingKai > Chairman Kaga
02/08/2014 at 05:51

I agree... It was very scripted and very boring. Did we really need another hot-hatch episode?