They say it's proper form to deliver criticism in the form of a sandwich; open with something nice, then gently deliver the criticism, and finally close with a compliment. So let's start by acknowledging something positive.
The video-audio production quality of Top Gear [USA] is right on par with everything else being produced these days. So, that's good.
Now, the meat; The first point has to be that it's hosted on History Channel, which will for-ever make me think of this:
It really doesn't help the cause that they're constantly showing the History Channel logo and if not, then it's the #TopGear twitter logo or the "NOW Top Gear Season Finale" or Ads to "Own Top Gear on DVD and buy some shirts". It's almost like they think people who are into cars are the type of people to spend money frivolously.
It seems like Tanner Faust lowers his standards and his appeal by allowing his name and skill to be associated with the likes of Rutledge the "Expert" (in what exactly?)
his Wikipedia page basically begins with his career on Top Gear.
Adam Ferrara, the "wrecker" - the name says it all (we're on to you, Needles) as he wrecks most of the show through awful jokes and potty humor. Instead, team up Tanner Faust with the likes of
Ken Block, and Travis Pastrana of the DC shoes team.
Then you finally get a situation where the once all too confident T-fow may actually experience a moment of "second bested-ness". A challenge is where this kid could shine. It's nothing really against the two clowns, it's just that... well Gentlemen, the Top Gear brand has set a sort of precedent, probably because of the BBC, so you understand why it doesn't do it justice to use this platform as a career opener.
The nail in the coffin is the Season 3 finale, it was unbearably boring, nothing happened, they were in a desert, the cars - standard Mustang, old Town Car and Yaris? what kind of season finale is that... My mother drives a Yaris, and my grandfather the town car!
Writers! The story-lines make little to no sense, seems like they build the shows around trying to fit in all the ad-op's rather than just creating a quality show. They do idiotic things (which do not make for more entertainment) for no good reason - like drive through a patch of mud in which at least one of them was destined to get stuck, really the two clowns do.
The hosts claim they are "testing" things like; if rental cars could make it to the Moab... then they add crazy upgrades that no rental would ever come with - like a winch, hub-spacers, lift kit and giant rims and tires. If they're not really testing anything then it's just entertainment... and since it's not actually entertaining it's really just trash. It's this kind of "making something out of nothing" and not in a good way which bogs the show down. They take a break from the "regular" driving scenes to show each character attempting a perilous crossing with their rental cars - BS, that small dip was a non-issue and you wasted time making me watch that yellow Yaris struggle to mount some pebble path-way, and again on the Donkey Trail. I admit joy in watching that mustang take a beating though.
Watching Rutt try to bend the deformed skid-plate back into a flat shape by gingerly bashing it with a rock repeatedly is such a metaphor for this show - it's just never going to go. At the end of the season finalé, the winch down the cliff was cool and innovative - bringing in the crane though?... what's the damn point of this show? and why anyone would push a car off a cliff hoping it will survive is beyond me, but the fact that it landed on the bouncy castle somehow made things, alright - That counts as the closing compliment to the this critical sandwich, good.
In the end what this really comes down to is going to be the difference between a network like the History Channel and another like the BBC;
The BBC is a monster crown corporation that boasts the largest number of employees at any network - 23,000 staff. Where the History Channel is owned by
A&E Television Networks which is essentially owned 50-50 by Disney and Hearst anyways.
If you're going to put the Top Gear brand on something, we demand that it meet a certain level of quality. We're calling on you, oh loudest of mouths Jeremy Clarkson to belch up about this and stand for integrity! Give the viewers something better, or change the name of the show.
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