‘Top Gear’ Recap: ‘Season 28, Episode 6’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the season 28 finale of ‘Top Gear’.
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For the most part, season finales follow a fairly specific formula. The kind that involves the resolution of a plot thread or recurring theme, so that the audience feels as though their investment time wise in a particular show, was completely worth their while. But for some shows, going that particular route is simply impossible. Because they offer up a viewing experience unlike any other, and that allows for them to surprise the audience when their respective season comes to an end and that is precisely the route that Top Gear went in closing out Season 28. Because everything about this particular finale took the audience off guard, thanks in large part to the fact that the traditional format of the series was ignored for this particular journey. 

For example, this is an episode that brought the Supercar Spotlight to the forefront of the tale instead of in the middle, or at the end. Which definitely takes the viewer off guard, as does seeing Paddy McGuinness lead this segment off for a change. But while such a twist was slightly disorienting, any confusion we might have had, melted away the instant Paddy sat behind the wheel of a BMW M8. Because Paddy offered up a comprehensive look at a supercar, that really isn’t all that super. In large part because it has a massive price tag for features that you can easily find in comparable cars for cheaper and having comedian Tom Allen appear in an early edition of the celebrity segment also helped to make the audience quite comfortable. Because Tom fired off some phenomenal jokes during his time on the show and really, it is a good thing that we got this stuff out of the way early. Because what came next was incredibly special.

Because Chris Harris took the time to offer up a tribute to rally car legend Colin McRae. For 2020 is the 25th Anniversary of the championship title that Colin earned back in the day and well, this particular tribute offered up some beautiful moments for certain. Because it took the time to celebrate everything that happened in regard to Colin’s magical ride to a title in 1995 in a raw and honest manner. Which means that were treated to all the highs and all the lows of his journey to the top, and a powerful re-telling of what his win did for rally racing, and what he meant to his friends and family. Plus, we were also able to witness quite the incredible moment/experience for Chris. For he was able to take Colin’s winning Subaru Impreza out for a spin and what made this so special, relates to the fact that he has always viewed Colin as a personal hero and it really was quite special to see the joy on Chris’ face as he sped through the woods in his hero’s championship ride. 

But while it was wonderful to see a boyhood dream come to life for Chris, what would this show be without some kind of competition for the lads to take part in? And thankfully, they had a special one planned for this particular finale. Because for some time now, members from emergency services have been asking for some kind representation on the series, and what better way to make that happen, than by having a fierce competition to determine which emergency service has the fastest vehicle out there. So, the lads invited police officers and firefighters and emergency medical technicians out to the track to settle this matter, and this just made for one delightful segment. Because every team gave it their all and had fun while taking part in this little battle royale and in the end, it was the EMT crew that won the day and earned the title of ‘Fastest Emergency Service’.

When all is said and done however, this really was the perfect way to end season 28. Because it really did a phenomenal job of reminding us how important the automobile is in relation to our everyday lives. Because Paddy’s segment served to reinforce the fact that we are always looking for an honest opinion about cars that we would either like to buy or dream of buying. And Chris’ tribute speaks to how racing impacts our lives. Because whether you follow rally racing or not, if you were alive in 1995, you knew about Colin McRae and of course… without cars, emergency services simply aren’t possible and all of these elements make this episode a grand celebration of the car and that’s really the essence of this series and truly, it should be interesting to see what twists and turns will await us in season 29. Because this show just keeps finding new ways to explore the wonder of the car and it is definitely safe to say that fans of this series will be counting down the minutes until the next season. So, we can all get our supercar fix and enjoy an incredible adventure with three dynamic and delightful hosts. Until next year

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