Just watched the Second episode of the new BBC Top Gear (Spoiler Alert)

Episode 2 was actually pretty good.

-LeBlanc is a bloody good driver to finish fastest by a good margin on both tarmac and gravel, especially considering how evenly matched the F-pace and his Macan are.

-Chris Evans wasn't as annoying, especially during the 675LT review. He was still shouty, but not obnoxiously so, and no more shouty than Clarkson was.

-The Rallycross gimmick hasn't worn off yet.

-Everyone seemed to really enjoy their role in the films.

-The Mercedes GLC300d isn't really well suited to off-roading, especially if not in off road mode. In fact, the Jag was the only one that didn't break anything on the trip.

-Matt opened up more on camera, and seemed to be a really good fit for the show.

-Cinematography was spot-on.

-Eddie Jordan is a cool guy, and provided great instructions on the "rally stage." I want to see more of him.

-Harris and Rory are going to be on the full show next week (as well as Ken Block). I'm excited. .

I give this one an 8/10. If they improved this much in one episode, I can't wait to see what happens for the rest of the show.

I finally watched #1 last night at a friend's house. I was hopeful that Evans was just super-excited about his new show. Hopeful that he did not remain a crack-addled smiley face Muppet the whole season.

In reply to Jerry:

He's still a smiley face Muppet, but he's traded the crack for some Pepsi.

Yeah, definitely much improved over last week. It seems like they are learning from feedback, which is very encouraging. Evans was not nearly as annoying in studio as he was last week, it seemed like mainly because they weren't letting him talk as much.

Matt is continuing to settle in, and he's improving too. I didn't like Eddie - I don't think he brings anything to the table that the others don't. Rory was given more room to run on Extra Gear, and I think he's proved himself the most natural presenter of all. Can't wait to see him on the big show.

Much improved, I agree. The Africa bit was downright entertaining. Though I'd love to see how they fixed the Merc. The fuel tank was literally lying on the ground.

Having Eddie Jordan as the third guy in South Africa baffled me a little. You've got Sabine and Chris Evans on staff but you farm out for the third driver?

All in all they're not doing such a bad job of it. I still haven't warmed to Evans, he's still very annoying. And the crying was annoying to.

That was a good episode.

A big step up from the last one, I really enjoyed this one. There seemed to be some legit chemistry during the off-road part. And Evans definitely isn't the driver the other two were - watching him scrub the front wheels off that poor Jag made me cringe. Matt seems like a really good fit for the show, although he's still working on his voiceover narration, trying to fit the rhythm of the editing. The blatant cheating by everyone by Matt during the challenges is pretty entertaining, and I liked the gold iPhones as a nod to the classic gold envelopes.

Jordan won't be a full-time presenter, he's busy with other things. But he was a fun addition to that film.

Jenson Button's bit was excellent. Evans looked properly terrified. I'm hoping that "trying to make Chris puke" becomes a recurring event, if only because it shuts him up for a bit.

The SIARPC replacement is awkward, both with the interview and the goofy rallycross bit.

I made it through the first episode because I felt I had to. This one was fun.

Nick (LUCAS) Comstock wrote: Having Eddie Jordan as the third guy in South Africa baffled me a little. You've got Sabine and Chris Evans on staff but you farm out for the third driver?

They didn't farm out for him. As Keith said, Eddie is a presenter, too. They just didn't get around to using him in the first episode.

Here he is in the group photo:

In reply to Tom_Spangler:

I had no idea.

FWIW, BBC is reporting that ratings dropped by a third from episode one to episode two.

kinda sad when Antiques roadshow pulled better ratings number than you did though. And not by just a little bit either. like 1.5M viewers. Hopefully it'll get Chris Evans canned soon so I can start to enjoy it again.

02Pilot wrote: FWIW, BBC is reporting that ratings dropped by a third from episode one to episode two.

And Evans is still trying to make excuses for it on Twitter. FACT!

He really needs to shut up about it and let the show speak for itself.

Better than the first for sure.

Evans is still annoying.

The rallycross segment was akward, especially with the gal driving.

I don't care for the curly haired guy with the Ringo glasses. He was boring as E36 M3. Maybe that's their version of James May?

My problem is they are still pandering to the audience too much as opposed to getting to the point.

It is better then the USA version, then again looking at a brick is more entertaining. I think they are trying to hard and do not have the natural flow, then again the previous cast was together so long, perhaps the first season should be taken with a grain of salt. I just saw the 1st couple minutes of the second episode and think JB would be a good cast member.

trigun7469 wrote: It is better then the USA version, then again looking at a brick is more entertaining. I think they are trying to hard and do not have the natural flow, then again the previous cast was together so long, perhaps the first season should be taken with a grain of salt. I just saw the 1st couple minutes of the second episode and think JB would be a good cast member.

You haven't seen the USA version in a while, have you?

Spoolpigeon wrote: Better than the first for sure. Evans is still annoying. The rallycross segment was akward, especially with the gal driving. I don't care for the curly haired guy with the Ringo glasses. He was boring as E36 M3. Maybe that's their version of James May?

If James May had ever started an F1 team, sure. Eddie's quite a character if you get him wound up.

Tom_Spangler wrote:

trigun7469 wrote: It is better then the USA version, then again looking at a brick is more entertaining. I think they are trying to hard and do not have the natural flow, then again the previous cast was together so long, perhaps the first season should be taken with a grain of salt. I just saw the 1st couple minutes of the second episode and think JB would be a good cast member.

You haven't seen the USA version in a while, have you?

I have, and didn't care much for it still. Faust has no personality (which I was looking forward to him the most), and the guy with the Brooklyn accent makes me want to throat punch him every other sentence.

Id rather watch the american version, then again i was never a huge fan of the original top gear. I usually only watch if the info on my tv leads me to beleive they may be driving offroad.

The second episode was better, but I'm thinking they have just too many people on the show - all the various hosts, the second after Top Gear show, and last night the three musicians plus the star in a car.

In reply to Keith Tanner:

I'm sure he is, as anyone who started an F1 team is bound to be an interesting person. He just came off very bland during the show.

Again, it's too early to really be too harsh on them.

Lost me at comparing the 675 to a F1 and doing it with a straight face. Sorry.

I just watched a new to me episode of American TG and it was vastly better than the two episodes of TG. That screening idiot needs to go. Reminds me of one of those people that when they are wrong they just get louder and are still wrong.

Chris Evans remains super annoying.
Easily the most compelling reason to not watch the show.

I mean, we in the states are used to seeing celebrities we've never heard of (in this case, any of the musical guests), so that wasn't an issue from where I'm sitting.
Leblanc did a better job I think, though I'm already tired of seeing him in a leather jacket.

I feel bad for the audience, standing there pretending to be having a good time.