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mtn
mtn MegaDork
6/18/21 11:31 p.m.

Just finished it. This was excellent. Not a bad episode in all of them. I would think they could do another 1-2 seasons of this and have it be fresh still, but no more than that. 
 

I really think this was among the best work Clarkson has ever done. Right up there with the best of his Top Gear work and the Lancia and Ford Cortina episode of TGT. 

ShawnG
ShawnG UltimaDork
6/18/21 11:44 p.m.

1000 acres is plenty big for a family farm, my grandparent's place was that size.

It's not big compared to commercial farming but still hard to make a living off of.

karplus2
karplus2 GRM+ Memberand Reader
6/19/21 9:14 p.m.

I just finished the first episode. I think I could watch Clarkson talk about anything. 

As someone who has been involved in farming in one way or another pretty much my entire life, it is interesting to see how things are done in Europe vs the US.

CLH
CLH GRM+ Memberand Reader
6/19/21 9:54 p.m.

Just finished it. It's the most sincere thing I've ever seen Clarkson in, which in and of itself made it among the best of his work to date. My wife even commented "I really dislike that guy, but the show was pretty good." There were clearly some "set up" segments, but overall I think it was really well done. Recommended.

ddavidv
ddavidv UltimaDork
6/21/21 7:26 a.m.

I'm two episodes in. Thanks for the recommendation. Very educational as well as entertaining.

eastpark
eastpark HalfDork
6/21/21 7:39 a.m.

I'm almost through the episodes and really enjoying it. I was a big fan of Top Gear, but could not stand Grand Tour.  I'm really enjoying JC in this series - and his team are fun and interesting to watch. 

hybridmomentspass
hybridmomentspass Reader
6/22/21 8:24 a.m.

I think Im 5 episodes in, maybe 4. I like it.

I like Clarkson.

Jezza just has a personality that I like. He plays (or is he?) the buffoon well. I like his POWER! attitude.

But beyond just the entertaining bits of him goofing around and buying the HUGE Lambo tractor because of POWER, it's interesting to see how much work goes into it, the costs, the hardships etc.

It's also interesting to see how this celebrity like JC, who we all probably put a bit on a pedestal due to watching him on tv for 15+ years driving/flogging crazy expensive cars and exploring all parts of the world...well, it's him getting excited about making a grand on some potatoes. Or stressing about a few thousand quid here and there, sort of puts into perspective how 'real' he, and the others, really are...even if he is owner of a freaking huge piece of beautiful land and more machinery than I could every put to use.

 

Great series, Im sure after all the positive reception that Amazon will do a second season.

And the Kaleb (that's his name, right?) gent is great!

DrBoost
DrBoost MegaDork
6/22/21 8:39 a.m.

My wife can't stand JC, I don't like him. 
we both really enjoyed the show. 
i agree with CLH, this is the most sincere we've seen him. 

NOHOME
NOHOME MegaDork
6/22/21 8:56 a.m.

Tried it. Hated it. Just Clarkson being Clarkson as an asshat and that has never impressed me.

 

The whole time all I can think of is "If a moron like Clarkson's character can be successful, what is wrong with the rest of us?"  With a significant portion of our society not knowing the difference between performance art and reality, I have had enough of watching ignorance pay off in our society and the worshipping thereof by other morons.

 

Pete

Keith Tanner
Keith Tanner GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
6/22/21 9:26 a.m.

He's not an asshat through the whole thing, he really seems to realize how hard this is. He certainly doesn't need the money but he wants it to succeed.

As for the humor, here's what a Top Gear editor had to say about that:

 "Thick people doing thick things is not funny. Clever people doing clever things is not funny. But clever people doing thick things really is funny."

Applies to Monty Python too.

John Welsh
John Welsh Mod Squad
6/22/21 9:49 a.m.

https://diddlysquatfarmshop.com/

5-12 Chipping Norton Road
Chipping Norton
OX7 3PE

Mr_Asa
Mr_Asa GRM+ Memberand UberDork
6/22/21 10:00 a.m.
NOHOME said:

Tried it. Hated it. Just Clarkson being Clarkson as an asshat and that has never impressed me.

 

The whole time all I can think of is "If a moron like Clarkson's character can be successful, what is wrong with the rest of us?" I have had enough of watching ignorance pay off in our society and the worshipping thereof by other morons.

 

Pete

That's the thing, though.  Clarkson isn't his character.  His character has made him succesful because people like to laugh at monkeys, not because people are "worshipping another moron" 

ShawnG
ShawnG UltimaDork
6/22/21 4:23 p.m.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

I keep hearing how clever Ashton Kucher supposedly is, he still seems like a complete idiot no matter what he does.

kazoospec
kazoospec UberDork
6/22/21 4:27 p.m.

Watched the first two episodes.  I know this is shocking, but I suspect it's a bit contrived.   Just like most of his other projects.  On the other hand, it's interesting and fun to watch, so I don't really care.

To the extent that it points out that farming is a tough way to make money, I kind of think that's a good thing, too.  

Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter)
Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand PowerDork
6/22/21 4:39 p.m.
kazoospec said:

Watched the first two episodes.  I know this is shocking, but I suspect it's a bit contrived.   

Of course it is. Some "reality" shows just hide it better than others.

Keith Tanner
Keith Tanner GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
6/22/21 4:46 p.m.

It was pretty clever of them to arrange for the massive rainfall followed by the dry spring.

I see that Gerald has the same last name as Caleb - a grandfather?

RevRico
RevRico GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
6/22/21 4:49 p.m.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

That's what I've been wondering about Gerald. And where he's from. I suspect he's Welsh because he sounds like a road sign in Wales reads, but when they threw on the German subtitles I was lost.

frenchyd
frenchyd UltimaDork
6/22/21 5:05 p.m.

In reply to RevRico :

I loved it.  All 8 episodes. He worked hard for a full year and earned £148 on a thousand acres of farm land. 

Keith Tanner
Keith Tanner GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
6/22/21 5:06 p.m.

Early on when you first meet him, Clarkson says he's lived in the village for something like 72 years.

Mr_Asa
Mr_Asa GRM+ Memberand UberDork
6/22/21 5:31 p.m.
Keith Tanner said:

It was pretty clever of them to arrange for the massive rainfall followed by the dry spring.

:snort:

Mr_Asa
Mr_Asa GRM+ Memberand UberDork
6/22/21 5:35 p.m.

Apparently Gerald and Kaleb are not related, but considering its a relatively small town and how the Brits never seem to move from their ancestral homes I'd be surprised if the family tree didn't connect somewhere back there.

 

Sidenote on small town life.  Most empathy I've ever felt for a person on TV might've been for Kaleb trying to get to London.

Keith Tanner
Keith Tanner GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
6/22/21 5:42 p.m.
ShawnG said:

In reply to Keith Tanner :

I keep hearing how clever Ashton Kucher supposedly is, he still seems like a complete idiot no matter what he does.

And he's not really funny! Proves the point, I guess.

Mr_Asa
Mr_Asa GRM+ Memberand UberDork
6/22/21 5:57 p.m.
ShawnG said:

In reply to Keith Tanner :

I keep hearing how clever Ashton Kucher supposedly is, he still seems like a complete idiot no matter what he does.

No matter what?  He did help form Thorn, an anti-child pornography and tracking organization.  Been around for almost a decade now, and have done a helluva lot of good.  Here's last year's impact report.  Amongst other things, they created a tool which cuts down investigator's time by up to 55%

He plays an idiot pretty damn well, but IRL he is doing some solidly good work.  

malibuguy
malibuguy GRM+ Memberand HalfDork
6/22/21 5:59 p.m.

I watched it all the other week and it was gold in my opinion.

Very amusing...but generally he is always amusing.  The dynamic with him and the young guy is great.

As mentioned earlier...the Hammond island thing was horrible.  I couldnt finish the first episode.

ShawnG
ShawnG UltimaDork
6/22/21 6:00 p.m.

In reply to Mr_Asa :

Wasn't aware of that. Thanks.

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