‘Top Gear’ Recap: ‘Season 30, Episode 1’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the season thirty premiere of ‘Top Gear’.
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Ask any car aficionado what helped them to fall in love with automobiles, and they’ll have quite the incredible story to tell you. One that revolves around their first car and the wonder it brought them and how that wonder turned into an undying passion for the road and the cars that traverse it. But what’s truly fascinating about the world’s collective love affair with cars, is that it actually stems from a different period in our lives. And really, that true source is top of mind today, simply because the season thirty premiere of Top Gear took the time to explore it in great detail, and that made for one powerful and moving episode. 

One that wasted zero time in pointing out that our collective love affair with cars, stems from our fathers. Because they were the ones that likely taught a great deal of us how to drive and being behind the wheel, under the tutelage of our pop, or just being on the road with him, truly allowed for a powerful bond to form. One that never leaves us quite frankly, since all it takes is that perfect moment to remind us of said bond and well, since Paddy, Freddie and Chris can’t take their normal road trips for the time being, now was the perfect time to explore those memories through them and that brought about the moving moments in question. 

Because the lads were each given the chance to drive the cars their dads owned when they were kids and that allowed for us to get to know them in a new light. For we truly came to understand just how much each of our hosts respected their fathers and truly looked up to them and that allowed for some genuine emotion to sneak out of each of them. Since they all spoke to the influence their respective dad had upon their lives and what it was like to spend time with them in their respective cars and how that did indeed allow for them fall in love with automobiles, a love that brought them to this very show and this really was quite incredible to hear and sit through. And it undoubtedly moved multiple viewers to tears and likely generated a few ‘I love you’ texts to dads around the world. 

But while this beautiful segment allowed for us to see this trio in a new light, this is still Top Gear and we do expect some kind of car competition to take place and the show found a way to sneak that into the fabric of this premiere as well. Such as having the lads race these ancient rides to see if they were able to go as fast as their speedometers said they could, which they could in fact… not. Plus they got to see what it is like to try and drive with a fully grown person on their lap and there was even a delightful rally race to see which car could make it to a ferry the fastest, and in true Top Gear fashion, Paddy McGuinness, in a freakin’ Ford Fiesta from ages ago, managed to pull of that magnificent feat when all is said and done. 

If anything, this really was quite the special episode. Because it really is rare for shows about cars and road trips and everything in between to get their hosts to open up about anything beyond the basics of the adventure. But we really got to see Freddie and Paddy and Chris in a brand-new light in this tale, and definitely share in some beautiful moments with them and kudos to them and the producers of this series in making the decision to go this route. Because it really does open up this series to all kinds of new possibilities storytelling wise and it will be quite interesting to see what the rest of season thirty is going to look like in the weeks to come now that our trio of aficionados are back on the road. But if this premiere is any indicator, this might be the most intimate and moving season to date, one that explores man’s love affair with the car on a whole new level. Until next time.

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