After a very clunky first show that showed fewer positive signs than worrying ones, those who stuck with it were rewarded with a genuinely enjoyable hour of telly. Despite this, or perhaps because it’s getting better and people simply don’t want to see the show succeed, many on social media are still calling for Chris Evans’ head. If you watched the show, but skipped Extra Gear, I implore you to go back and watch it, because there was a moment of humility so genuine that I think everyone needs to consider before rushing to judgment.
The Show Gets Better
First though, my take on the episode – what a difference a week makes. Though Evans teases that he’ll be even more shouty, the first segment featuring the McLaren cars was simply classic Top Gear. Exploring the rich racing heritage of the McLaren Long Tail name and its old and new applications is a tried and true method of striking the right chords for gearheads, and I think Evans did a good job with it. Not great, just fine (again). When Jenson Button joined him though, I thought the segment really shined, and I really won’t be surprised if he pops up on a motoring show when he hangs up his racing mittens.
The SUV challenge, despite the somewhat mismatching vehicles both in power and size, was seriously entertaining. The mix of guest stars was great and their interaction with the hosts was really fun to watch. The scenery was beautiful as ever in a Top Gear film and the challenges were a fun twist on the familiar, especially the back-up camera bit. Matt LeBlanc was, again, one of the best parts of the segment and Eddie Jordan was a surprisingly amusing character as well. Whether Evans was a bit toned down from his sort-of-irritable attitude in the first episode or he was watered down by the other guests is anyone’s guess.
Speaking of guests, the Star in a Rally Car segment really needs some revision. The same formula from the first episode persisted and I think the structure really doesn’t let us learn much about the guests or the interviewer’s style. And there were way too many people on the couch. Evans is a professional at this bit, script it less and see how it goes – I bet we end up with a better banter.
Ratings Matter
There’s no getting around the fact that ratings were poor for the second episode. Yes, they usually drop off in the second in a series and yes, they were competing with Soccer Aid, but the sharp decline should be sending a message to the show’s producers that the first show really wasn’t up to par with what viewers are expecting. Given how much better the second episode was, those viewers who tuned out really missed out, and I’m hopeful they’ll reconsider future episodes after streaming the second. After all, nobody wins with fewer motoring shows out there.
One thing that isn’t helping is Chris Evans bleating on about ratings on his Twitter account. Sure, some of the most negative statistics aren’t really representative of how the show’s actually doing, but his job is to present the show, not defend it, and all he’s doing is hardening his critics against him. He had an impossible task taking over the helm from Clarkson, but one thing Jeremy never did was try to fight with people over ratings numbers. Hot food was a different story.
Chris Evans is One of Us
On to the Extra Gear bit – Rory Reid and Chris Harris had some wonderful chemistry in the first episode, and they explored a bit about Sabine’s personal life, which was fun and strange, which those who know some German people will expect. The second episode though, shined a light on Evans which burned through the script and on-screen shouty persona we’ve come to know from the first episodes of Top Gear.
We know Evans struggled to drive and speak at the same time, and in that regard, a script undoubtedly helped structure what he had to be saying, making it easier for him to do both simultaneously. What we, as the viewers, lose out on in that equation is the sort of authentic, personal quips and emotion that we came to expect from Clarkson, May and Hammond, but that changed with Extra Gear.
While driving the McLaren F1, a hero car for many of us true petrolheads, the enormity of the situation seemed to get to Evans, who welled up and couldn’t carry on with his script. In discussing what happened with Rory, he tried to explain that, as someone who loves cars as much as he does, the chance to drive one of his heroes evoked all of the emotions he’s ever had about what cars meant to him, including the fact that his mom bought him his first car when she couldn’t afford it. And the waterworks started again.
This won’t matter and will probably seem strange to most; that driving a car could make you cry, but I get it and I suspect a lot of you do too. When you truly love something and commit a major portion of your life to learning about, talking about, experiencing and caring about it, a lot of who you are becomes invested in it. Whether that’s your full-time job, your family, sports teams, knitting, scrapbooking or even automobiles, all of these things mean different things to different people. For we petrolheads, we with scars on our knuckles, oil in our veins and whose bedroom walls were (and maybe still are) adorned with posters, magazine pages and our own sketches, cars and motorbikes can evoke powerful emotions because we love them. And Chris Evans loves them.
This doesn’t mean you then have to love Chris Evans, but for 22 seasons, he too was a fan of Top Gear. If you were given the chance to host the biggest motoring show in the world, the chance to drive cars the rest of us will only dream about, the chance to meet your heroes and go on amazing adventures, wouldn’t you take it?
Authored by
Devlin Riggs
Headline Photo Credit Maartin de Boer via Getty Images