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My take...
The show was broken into "Top Gear" for the first 60 minutes which was hosted by Chris Evans and Matt LeBlanc with a cameo by Sabine Shultz. Here they had the same goofy challenges and writing straight out of the Clarkson, Hammond, May edition. This was kind of off-putting as it sounded like Evans was trying to sound like the old cast. The reality is that they need to let Evans and the rest of the new cast find their own voices.
Immediately following was "Extra Gear" (with Rory Reid, Chris Harris, and more Sabine). This was another 30 minutes of stuff that didn't make the main show. Extra Gear was where it was at. The show seemed fresh, young, and more for gearheads than its' bigger brother which played like a sit-com or variety show.
For both shows the editing was poor at best. It killed the continuity and hurt the "story telling" aspect of the shows. This needs a fix hasta pronto.
Also, the cast seemed to have very little chemistry. Seeing as this is their first show and none of them likely knew each other before the episode that is understandable. Rory and Sabine seemed to work the best together.
Jalopnik or Autoblog (don't remember which) wrote it up like this (paraphrasing) "CHM had years of relative obscurity to get the show dialed-in before the huge audiences started showing up. The new cast has a spolight on day one. That might not be fair, but it is what it is."
Chris Evans had very little charisma.
Matt LeBlanc's delivery took a little while to grow comfortable with, but in the end I really appreciated his smooth narrating, and real world charm. By the end of the show he easily shined above Evans.
Chris Harris was Chris Harris from his web series. He was relegated to "Extra Gear". They need a lot more of him on the main show. His segment was a couch interview and a strangely cut-off run with the Ariel Nomad on the track. He very well could end up hosting alongside of LeBlanc and Rory or Tiff Nedell when the show replaces Evans.
Rory Reid and Sabine Schmidt were really the surprises of the show. Both were warm, had a headful of knowledge and spoke their minds. I'm going to be very happy to have much more of them around. I actually think Rory should eventually become part of the main cast as he is such a natural in front of the studio audience and during the interview sections. The crowd responded more to him than Evans when either attempted to hype them up.
Sabine may be the best driver on the show (even slightly ahead of Harris). She is fun and is currently an active race driver (not just a Ring taxi drivetr). I want to see Sabine vs. Harris vs. the Stig.
All in all, it looked like a work in progress. The cinematography is beautiful as ever. The car choices were spot on. The guests were hit and miss. The hosts have potentially huge potential. Evans is the wildcard. That editing needs a fix, now. Not too shabby, we'll see how it plays out.
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