The Grand Tour-Season 2, Episode 2: Media Reactions

Episode 2 of The Grand Tour Season 2 came and went, and there was a very familiar feeling with this latest outing. In what was probably the most “Top Gear”-esque episode yet, we see the return of the popular Car vs Public Transport races, and the results didn’t disappoint. With Jeremy in a new Ford GT and James with an injured Hammond in tow, laughs were aplenty as the boys made their way from Manhattan to Niagara Falls.

Let’s see what some major media publications had to say about the episode:

Digital Spy had some positive words for the second episode, stating: “The Grand Tour’s second episode is a fun ride with a genuinely gripping final showdown Stateside and some more enjoyable chatter in the show’s regular ‘Conversation Street’ segment.”

As far as the main challenge goes, “We all know that the challenges on The Grand Tour are staged to within an inch of their lives, but it’s still fun to see Clarkson bump his competitors down to economy class with no drinks while May, described as “the world’s worst carer”, wanders ahead of Hammond, leaving him to negotiate stairs and turnstiles with his hefty crutches alone.”

Finally, Catherine Pearson lauded the fact that new driver was a woman, saying her inclusion was “a win for women everywhere, even if Clarkson’s phone does show up the word ‘Vagina’ in place of Hammond’s name.”

The Telegraph had a less glowing review of the second episode, instead opting for a piece dripping with sarcasm. “Clarkson and co lark around New York State, some unremarkable sports cars are slid under the microscope and the team continues to wrestle with Life After Stig.”

The review is quick to point out how un-funny the episode was, with zingers such as “Your ribs have by now surely cracked from injection-fuelled chuckling” and “The Grand Tour nearly, almost, virtually squeezes a laugh out.”

And finally, regarding Abbie Eaton as the new driver: “A nameless test driver, with obscured features and an under-wraps identity? With your sparkling originality you are bowling us over, Grand Tour.”

https://twitter.com/NESNFuel/status/942808869255962627

This NESN piece is less an episode review and more of a praise piece on the hiring of Abbie Eaton as the new driver, but it still bears mentioning. Pay McAssey mentions that “Given the overwhelmingly negative reaction to The American, “The Grand Tour” apparently didn’t want its new wheel-women to be a character.”

“Her premier on “The Grand Tour” is especially significant as it came roughly one week after Carmen Jorda — who claims women are at a disadvantage to men and should compete in a separate championship — was appointed to the FIA Women In Motorsport Council.”

Finally, McAssey ends with a poignant “Amazon couldn’t have given girls a better role model.”

“It mostly consists of what felt like hours of watching men on public transport.” @stuartmcgurk https://t.co/IZcFevfUv2

— British GQ (@BritishGQ) December 16, 2017

Here we have a review by someone who admits to not caring one bit about cars and having never finished one episode of The Grand Tour. Sounds like the perfect person to review an episode, right?

“Seriously, how do you people watch this stuff?”

“Oh, I almost forgot, there’s also a review of another car, which is green. For car enthusiasts, I can tell you that it did very well in its rubber-oscillated-I-don’t-give-a-fuck-u-lator, and split-differn-I’m-not-even-Googling-this-shit-for-you-beretor.”

That’s some quality journalism right there, folks.

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