‘Top Gear’ Recap: ‘Season 28, Episode 1’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 2801 of ‘Top Gear’.
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Ah, the end of summer. A wondrous time where we do everything we can, to enjoy those last gasps of sunshine and beautiful weather before the cold rolls in. And often times, that includes trying to sneak in one last road trip. Just to enjoy that feeling of freedom that summer provides us with, one more time. Or rather, that’s precisely what we would do… in any other year outside of 2020. For obvious reasons of course. But while we might not be able to just hop in the car and drive where the highway takes us right now, we can still enjoy some semblance of that journey, by living vicariously through television shows like Top Gear. Since Sunday’s episode allowed for us to tag along on one unique road trip.
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Because this week’s tale, saw the lads purchase some inexpensive summer rides, to determine which of them had selected the ultimate summer/road trip car and well, as is often the case on this series, the boys made some fascinating and dubious choices. Paddy for instance, went the safe route with a Ford Escort Cabriolet. While Chris once again found a way to get his hands on something luxurious at the right price by snagging the Mercedes Benz SLX and of course… Freddie chose something off the wall by getting his hands on the Chrysler LeBaron, one that was in questionable shape. And in order to figure out which one of those vehicles would earn the aforementioned title, the lads were to drive this convoy of value rides up toward the Essex Coast, wherein they would face some incredible and downright hilarious challenges along the way.

Such as trying to drive their cars in ‘sweaty’ conditions. Something that was simulated by having lube blasted in their faces whilst they worked to navigate a racetrack. A twist that led to disaster for Paddy early on. But Chris was kind enough to give him another shot at the challenge, allowing for him to earn an important win. Plus, you can’t go wrong with putting the boys in some unique outfits such as; Goalie gear (Freddie), a Knight’s armor (Paddy) and an inflatable T-Rex suit (Chris), to protect them while they worked to fill their convertibles up with golf balls at a driving range. And those wacky and side-splitting moments were balanced out nicely by way of a summer driving simulation and one watery challenge. Wherein the lads had to navigate around RVs and the like and avoid the Stig, and they also had to try and cross a causeway that was filling up with the tide; in order to bring their competition for the ultimate summer/road trip car, to a close.

A victory that Paddy enjoyed simply because he was the only one to make it across the causeway when all is said and done, giving him yet another win behind the wheel of a Ford Escort. But while it was cool to see the Cabriolet win the day, there were more incredible moments to be had in this episode. Because what would an episode of TG be without a supercar review? And Chris was kind enough to test out the Ariel Atom 4 and inform us that it is quite the affordable high-speed ride, and if dropping forty grand on a car that resembles an F-1 racing car isn’t enough for the thrill seeker in your soul, there is another way to get your heart pounding. For you could follow in Freddie’s footsteps, and bungie jump off of a dam, while sitting inside a coupe, because why the heck not? After all, it can’t be that hard to assemble a stunt crew, and engineers for the weekend, atop a dam, right? 

In the end however, this was simply a fun episode through and through. One that quite frankly kept the laughs coming. Because watching the guys get blasted in the face with lube, and seeing their cars get demolished by golf balls is the stuff of comedic legend. Plus, it was super nice to live vicariously through the show and go on a delightful road trip before summer comes to a close and well, you simply cannot go wrong with a story that puts a smile on your face. But what matters more, is that this episode did a phenomenal job of easing us back into the standard format of the series, since it served as a wonderful bridge between the ‘Nepal Special’ and what we love about the show. And now that it is back to business as usual on Top Gear, this reviewer simply cannot wait to see what kinds of wild adventures and incredible supercar reviews await us, as season 28 rolls along. Until next time.

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