"CivoLee" (civolee)
06/07/2016 at 23:46 • Filed to: None
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"CivoLee" (civolee)
06/07/2016 at 23:46 • Filed to: None | 2
| 6 |
So now we’re two episodes into what is being called “New Top Gear” and “New New Top Gear” (with “Old New Top Gear” being the Clarkson, Hammond, and May years, after the “Old Top Gear” of BBC Midlands origin)-though I prefer the term Top Gear Mk III, as both an acknowledgement that this is essentially the third iteration of the program(me) and a tip of the hat to Spinal Tap Mk II being that band’s brave new jazz fusion direction (“On the bass, Derek Smalls! He wrote this!”)-and so far, the reactions have ranged from “What rubbish! I’m done with this crap permanently,” to “Meh, I’ll give it time...maybe it’ll get better.” The internet has been abuzz with how the show’s ratings have tanked after just one episode, even being outdone by Antiques Roadshow, of all things! And elsewhere in cyberspace, where the blue birds chirp and Tweet, lead presenter Chris Evans has been on the defensive.
Honestly, I kind of feel bad for the guy. It can’t be easy stepping into the shoes of someone like Jeremy Clarkson, and on top that it seems his already existing hatedom from his BBC radio show has spread to disenfranchised Top Gear fans around the world. I won’t argue that in many respects he comes across like a reprehensible human being sometimes, but is he the only problem with Top Gear Mk III? I would say no.
More on that in a moment. First, some background on Top Gear and myself...
I first had my exposure to Top Gear some years ago when something I was reading linked to a YouTube video of the Tesla Roadster test (the one where it ran out of juice during filming and Tesla said it was rigged). Some years after that, for whatever reason I started watching various other segments on YouTube. I figured that, judging from the age of the cars and some of the songs featured, that the series had come and gone some time ago, with little to no recognition outside the UK. But soon after that I discovered the show was not just more popular than I first realized, it was still in production and a feature of Monday nights on BBC America! So from that day forward, Monday became Top Gear Night. I’d watch as many episodes in a row as my work schedule for Tuesday allowed, and later on when I got my Netflix subscription I watched all the older episodes BBC America no longer showed. (A similar thing happened with me and the 2005-to-now Doctor Who, but that’s a whole other story.) It did eventually get to a point where I saw certain episodes so many times I had them memorized, and the announcement of a new series was like an oasis in an increasingly arid desert. But then the 2015 debacle began, and it all came crashing down, #BringBackClarkson, etc...
So...now. What do I think should done to help rescue one of my all-time favorite shows?
Keep Evans, but keep him in the studio. Have him announce a segment or two, do the Star in a Rallycross Car interview, participate in The News, and close out the show, but no more. And please, don’t turn the “we’re not doing the bombshell thing anymore” into the new bombshell, if you get what I’m saying.
Ditch the Stig. I get that he’s the show’s mascot and all, but the new cast does not know how to handle him well. I think Matt LeBlanc’s doing a fairly good job so far, but the cadence of his voice doesn’t fit the “Some Say...” bit very well, and having he, Evans, and the audience all shout, “THE STIG!!!” in unison just feels awkward. I don’t know how IP law works in the UK, but I’d argue that Jeremy Clarkson, Andy Wilman, and even Richard Porter have a greater claim to the character than the BBC, as they created him in the first place. Instead, have Sabine Schmitz and Chris Harris do the Power Laps—no wait, even better, feature two cars in the opening film, and have Sabine and Chris race each other in them around the Top Gear test track! That’d be both new and different as well as be more entertaining then just one faceless, emotionless guy race the times of the other cars. It doesn’t seem like he’s listening to any weird music to comment on anymore, either.
Lose the Extra Gear. I’m getting tired of “inside the episode” after-shows for everything, and Top Gear is the last show that needs something like that. It has no character arcs to comment on or special effects to reveal the secrets behind. I don’t care about the creation of the new rallycross track or Chris Evans breaking down emotionally over the McLaren. There’s no reason Rory Reid and Chris Harris can’t be part of the main cast, nor a reason to not have The News be part of the main show. And having another celebrity interview beyond the Star in a Rallycross Car part just feels redundant.
TL;DR: Top Gear Mk III could be improved by limiting Chris Evans’ role to his strengths instead of making him the star, the Stig needs to go, and James May summed up my feelings about Extra Gear pretty well when talking about the Aston Martin Virage’s firm suspension-”That is not necessary!”
Alex Zapata
> CivoLee
06/08/2016 at 00:00 |
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I don’t think asking the Stig to go is realistic, aside from the trademark stuff (I can assure you if anybody had bigger claims than the BBC over it, they wouldn’t be using it, creating =/= owning) it would get rid of all the supercar benchmarks they have over several years of running the show, not even going through two Stig deaths erased that.
I think they should try doing the show with Evans, but forcing him to quit the radio show and focus solely on TG and see what happens, I think he has the chops, he just seems too overly-wound right now, decreasing his stress levels may be the way to go; I mean even his radio crew agree that his personality took a heavy turn for the worse when he started doing both at the same time.
I’m gonna give it the season (as I’m sure at least the BBC will too), but I am sure Top Gear will survive, maybe not as successful as the latest iteration, but even as a small show it will make it.
valsidalv, reminding you that infiniti is an option
> CivoLee
06/08/2016 at 00:12 |
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So many people here are clamoring for more Extra Gear. What? It’s a 30 minute segment and a good 10 of those is taken up by a really boring interview. I am ok with a little behind-the-scenes but would like more nerdy car stuff that didn’t make the cut for Top Gear.
Wheelerguy
> CivoLee
06/08/2016 at 00:49 |
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This particular Stig (post-Ben Collins) has probably driven the last 10 or 20 cars tested on Dunsfold, spannign both generations, so he’s more or less the only constant from which marques and stat nerds like us would rely on.
Alex from Toronto
> CivoLee
06/08/2016 at 00:58 |
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I haven’t watched the show yet, but to me it seems like they are trying way to hard to be better then the old crew. If they just acted themselves it will be better.
Hot Takes Salesman
> CivoLee
06/08/2016 at 07:06 |
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I don't care about the bombshell joke- just get Evans to shut the fuck up.
Quadradeuce
> CivoLee
06/08/2016 at 08:45 |
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They need to get rid of the childish gimmicks. As soon as they put laser guns on the viper and Corvette i hit the fast forward button.
They also need to bring back the spirit of leaving someone behind. What I mean is, the presenters need to genuinely compete with each other. I feel like there is a PC police officer on set making sure they are nice to each other.