The Grand Tour (Vol. 2)
Discussion
75Black said:
Definitely felt more like a old TG special than a "Grand Tour" but still decent nonetheless. Also I may have missed something, but what was with James May and the white sheet thing on his face?
“Wild ortolan buntings are hunted in southwest France in a cultural gastronomic tradition dating back to Roman times. After capture, the birds are fattened up in a cage before being drowned in Armagnac. Then they are plucked, cooked, and eaten whole, bones and all – everything but the beak.Ritualistically, diners eat the bird feet first in one mouthful with napkins over their heads. Some say the napkin captures the steaming aromas to enhance the gastronomic experience; others contend it hides the act from the eyes of God.”
Ryan_T said:
75Black said:
Definitely felt more like a old TG special than a "Grand Tour" but still decent nonetheless. Also I may have missed something, but what was with James May and the white sheet thing on his face?
“Wild ortolan buntings are hunted in southwest France in a cultural gastronomic tradition dating back to Roman times. After capture, the birds are fattened up in a cage before being drowned in Armagnac. Then they are plucked, cooked, and eaten whole, bones and all – everything but the beak.Ritualistically, diners eat the bird feet first in one mouthful with napkins over their heads. Some say the napkin captures the steaming aromas to enhance the gastronomic experience; others contend it hides the act from the eyes of God.”
Cack.
Whole thing was disjointed and felt like a series of unused films from what should have been the actual episode. They introduced their cars at the start as though they were planning the usual sort of road trip, a Grand Tour you could say, but then just drove some other cars up a hill and various other things that weren't particularly funny or entertaining. They could have got away with just driving the cars around the UK, generally causing scripted havoc and getting some nice shots in but they couldn't even manage that.
Things like 'our next stop was Wales', next stop from what and where? Absolutely nothing has happened and there's no context to anything. They didn't even introduce the episode or provide a brief premise.
Clarkson seems like an intelligent man (buffoonery aside) whose been in telly for a long time. How could he watch that back and be happy with it after the sort of fantastic TV they've made in the past e.g. Vietnam, North Pole, etc. Seems even worse when you consider that Amazon must give them a healthy budget.
The hot hatch racing was the only half decent bit but only really because the cars were cool.
Anyway, I watched it all and will almost certainly watch the next one because I'm a sucker.
Whole thing was disjointed and felt like a series of unused films from what should have been the actual episode. They introduced their cars at the start as though they were planning the usual sort of road trip, a Grand Tour you could say, but then just drove some other cars up a hill and various other things that weren't particularly funny or entertaining. They could have got away with just driving the cars around the UK, generally causing scripted havoc and getting some nice shots in but they couldn't even manage that.
Things like 'our next stop was Wales', next stop from what and where? Absolutely nothing has happened and there's no context to anything. They didn't even introduce the episode or provide a brief premise.
Clarkson seems like an intelligent man (buffoonery aside) whose been in telly for a long time. How could he watch that back and be happy with it after the sort of fantastic TV they've made in the past e.g. Vietnam, North Pole, etc. Seems even worse when you consider that Amazon must give them a healthy budget.
The hot hatch racing was the only half decent bit but only really because the cars were cool.
Anyway, I watched it all and will almost certainly watch the next one because I'm a sucker.
I like French cars and love/hate France and the French, so I really rather enjoyed it.
I didn’t find that much that was laboured and there were some genuinely funny moments. I also thought it was quite a lot better that current TG (which I like) - there’s a degree of similar crudity but the humour was a lot broader with nuance hidden amongst the banter.
Thumbs up - good from me:
I didn’t find that much that was laboured and there were some genuinely funny moments. I also thought it was quite a lot better that current TG (which I like) - there’s a degree of similar crudity but the humour was a lot broader with nuance hidden amongst the banter.
Thumbs up - good from me:
Enjoyed this more than I thought just going off the comments here and generally they’ve been quite poor. Maybe some of that is the nostalgia of having them on TV and it’s been a while since the last one. One every six months is a good pace perhaps.
It did feel very oddly edited though.
It did feel very oddly edited though.
Some of the poles at the French were spot on, eg Hammond parking by shutting himself a space. In Paris have seen a vehicle at the end of a line near a junction gradually punted out into the cross traffic.
Plus people really can be up in the hills having climbed some horrible track in their expensive and extremely capable 4x4, only to see the farmer already there with his absolutely scruffy Peugeot hatch.
Plus people really can be up in the hills having climbed some horrible track in their expensive and extremely capable 4x4, only to see the farmer already there with his absolutely scruffy Peugeot hatch.
Loved it. Absolutely loved it.
Felt like a proper old-school Top Gear in its prime (no pun intended), and for someone who has travelled extensively in France, has cans of snails in the kitchen cupboard, and owned 2 Pugs and a Citroen Saxo VTS, the humour totally landed with me and the OH.
" < Centre Ville Autres Directions >"
LOL
PS. Nice to see Sniff getting some airtime.
Felt like a proper old-school Top Gear in its prime (no pun intended), and for someone who has travelled extensively in France, has cans of snails in the kitchen cupboard, and owned 2 Pugs and a Citroen Saxo VTS, the humour totally landed with me and the OH.
" < Centre Ville Autres Directions >"
LOL
PS. Nice to see Sniff getting some airtime.
I thought that was a brilliant episode.
I found it light hearted, made me laugh out loud in a good few bits just an easy watch of people cocking about with cars.
The rally cross was fun as it was with cars that I was familar with, some of the weird french designs were great. Very good episode.
I found it light hearted, made me laugh out loud in a good few bits just an easy watch of people cocking about with cars.
The rally cross was fun as it was with cars that I was familar with, some of the weird french designs were great. Very good episode.
Ryan_T said:
75Black said:
Definitely felt more like a old TG special than a "Grand Tour" but still decent nonetheless. Also I may have missed something, but what was with James May and the white sheet thing on his face?
“Wild ortolan buntings are hunted in southwest France in a cultural gastronomic tradition dating back to Roman times. After capture, the birds are fattened up in a cage before being drowned in Armagnac. Then they are plucked, cooked, and eaten whole, bones and all – everything but the beak.Ritualistically, diners eat the bird feet first in one mouthful with napkins over their heads. Some say the napkin captures the steaming aromas to enhance the gastronomic experience; others contend it hides the act from the eyes of God.”
Also there was a quick nod back to the motorhome conversions they did when May converted his Lotus and Clarkson made the towering CX motorhome.
On the whole it felt like a segment stretched out into a whole show's worth. I was waiting for the big piece on great French cars, but it never happened. Not that the SM isn't great but I was expecting a bit more to follow: the DS, CS, Peugeot 505s and 205s, Matra Simba Talbot Rancho, Renault 5 Turbo, Alpine etc.
Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 18th December 11:02
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