"The Grand Tour" Operation Desert Stumble (TV Episode 2016) Poster

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6/10
Bad car show, solid entertainment show...
goktug1126 November 2016
This episode showed that cars won't be at the center of every episode. It certainly didn't have the same meaty car content the first one had. So I understand the old fans of Top Gear would certainly find this episode lackluster but this show is not Top Gear 2. It's not even a proper car show. It seems to be more about Jeremy, Richard and James talking, doing car stuff, creating hit and miss comedy and playing high budget short sketches.

With all that in mind, if you are expecting a full on car show than this episode is the best proof that you are likely to be disappointed. However if you were expecting the trio being themselves and testing out ideas with high budget and mostly focusing on cars then this is pretty solid entertainment. As a car show it's 6/10, as an entertainment show I'd give this episode a 9/10.

About the comedy, it's certainly not everyone's cup of tea. I laughed a decent amount this episode but I also cringed a lot too. Maybe they need to filter the humor down a bit only to the best jokes. I think it's mostly hit than miss anyways.
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10/10
Not cars. But excellent nevertheless.
arbudur24 November 2016
Warning: Spoilers
I would never, probably, give these guys any rating other than 10 on 10. The second episode wasn't packed with cars. That is what the trio has always been about, not cars, but rambling on on the stuff that doesn't matter. Political humour was exceptionally brilliant and witty. But the boys have out done themselves in fart-humour and explosions. The way in which Jezza handles the gun is surprisingly funny and you will be filled up with laughter in the end. The premise of the episode is based on "Edge of Tomorrow" or as the boys call it "cocktail". That's it then. Say hello to Jezza's little friend.

P.S Please, Amazon. When you said the streaming will be done in 4K, looking at Jezza's bottom is not what we had in mind.
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9/10
Different, but good
jadentgm3 November 2018
It may not be a very good episode for a car show, but it is a solid piece of entertainment
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10/10
Laughed like I haven't laughed in ages
tonyanunn27 November 2016
Warning: Spoilers
I can't remember a time I laughed so hard watching TV. Yes it was car light this episode but I'm a fan of these guys and their friendship more than their car reviews. My laughter started with our favorite baboon losing his pants and just went on from there. It was truly funny watching them do the same stupid things over and over. There is a magic in watching them have fun together, the sort of magic that makes you wish you could just hang out with them for a day. There is a real chemistry in their friendship. Plus I enjoy watching people enjoy what they do and you can feel it in this episode. For those of you who expect car stuff the entire episode and season,you are losing out in the fun.
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2/10
From brilliance to stupidity
djremotion24 November 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Where first episode was marvelous car content and funny lines this was utterly dull. Seems like moving to amazon was gift it was also a curse. The gun content felt very elongated with forced acting. It was bread and butter americanism where none were needed in the first place. It also included those only two parts that did not work either in first part. The cancelled celebrities and boring talking Stig. There is no reason for this show to exist if it's not for enthusiasm towards cars. I just don't get the point.

ps. marked spoiler only because some might not share my views and could try to smoke me. Sorry but I'll keep true to how it felt watching it.
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10/10
laughing out loud!
hoary28 November 2016
It's just a laugh, even wife enjoys this. Just watch, but remember, it was never about cars, it's about the Three Amigos.

"Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May bring the traveling Grand Tour tent to The Cradle of Humankind near Johannesburg in South Africa. In this show, the three hosts are forced to become special forces soldiers with an all action challenge at a top secret training base, deep within Jordan. Also in this episode, Jeremy introduces the 800 horsepower Aston Martin Vulcan to the Grand Tour test track, and James is sent to investigate an unusual form of motorsport called spinning."
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2/10
What were they thinking?
billjones-7400627 November 2016
Warning: Spoilers
I have been a huge fan of Clarkson, Hammond and May for years, and have been eagerly awaiting their new show.

I was thrilled with most of the first episode of The Grand Tour - the absurd celebrity deaths and the phony audience brawls were cringe inducing, but overall it was an excellent show.

However, this second episode was truly awful. There was absolutely nothing funny or entertaining about the whole military debacle. As Jeremy has said many times in the past, "stupid, just stupid", or James, "pathetic". The only automobile involved was an Audi and the only thing said about it was that it was not capable of spinning. The dialogue was forced and unfunny. I understand Clarkson and Co may want to try new ideas with a new show. I respect that. But they are not particularly suited to such heavy, unnatural scripting. Other parts of this episode weren't great either. They really should drop the dying celebrity bit. I realize it may be a dig at BBC but let's hope they have made their point and are ready to move on.

Hopefully future episodes will concentrate more on these guys driving fast cars, competing with each other in motoring-related challenges, and displaying the natural friendly banter that viewers enjoyed for so many years. Bring in new elements, sure, but please be entertaining.
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1/10
Disappointing
dhananjaybakore26 November 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Whats the point of Grand Touring across the world if you are not interested in showing anything locally. The first episode did not show anything from California and the second show just had a small clip of someone doing donuts in Johannesburg.

I skipped the entire Desert Ops video (It was so bad) and just watched the rest of the show which was barely 15 minutes. The sketch comedy itself was horrible.

One of the best things about the original Top Gear was how it went into the details of how cars are created , designed, manufactured. About how the performance was discussed and debated using challenges. About how it was still a car show with some funny elements to it.

I am not interested in Sketch Comedy Grand Tour, I am interested in Cars, Locations , Challenges.
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1/10
I can express how sad i feel to see my favourite show go
andjelo_32-456-37152428 November 2016
Warning: Spoilers
A huge long time fan here , i love Jeremy Clarkson and the guys , and im so sad to see this second episode ... The first one was OK , and i was waiting a lot more to come , but oh god , was i disappointed...Where do i start ? The lame old same old American humor ? The forced scripted acting ? The only one car review ? 30 minutes of "action" and "Humor" and only 2 minuties of audi s7 ... The dead celebrity "humor" ? The "funny" stig humor ? The omg lets do the same thing 100 times in a row people are so stupid they will laugh , cause now its an American show ? The oh its the news time , and conversation time so lets all say what the guys from amazon told us to say ? I JUST DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT WORDS TO EXPRESS HOW Terrible THIS WAS !!! ITS HURTS ME TO SAY , BUT THE SHOW IS DEAD AS WE KNOW IT ... It will turn into one more stupid American show
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1/10
Amazon, your money is being wasted
dom_ti200026 November 2016
Coming from an old fan, a fan since there was just the tall ape and the small hamster plus a fat man.

I literally fell asleep in the middle of the viewing, resumed today and good God, it was really bad. Acting is cringe worthy, it's like watching Chris Evans again taking over TG.

It's really sad to see, after the first episode turned out decent but the studio part of the show felt forced and not that good.

The crew must step up it's game or they will be sorry they didn't retire.

Amazon should cut their loses, the trio must return to the BBC to the old format. Case closed.
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5/10
5 stars for the gags and 5 stars taken away for everything else!
Adhogati4 December 2016
When I saw the first episode, I thought there was a show that was going somewhere good. But the second episode seems to have taken a different path and headed into the wilderness of Whoknowswhere.

Agreed that the gags were fantastic. Every bit as biting, as cutting, as scathing and humorous as these three can get and I loved every moment of it.

Yes, the take on Edge of Tomorrow was funny, in parts, but then, as a cohesive whole, the show as boring. And this was the first time that I wanted to fast forward something made by these three.

Tip: If you really want to know what the Aston Martin Vulcan is made of, head to the TopGear where it was driven and voiced to cinematic perfection by Chris Harris!
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2/10
Terribly boring and faked
mllham6 July 2021
Don't waste your time watching this. Everything is fake and even if it was real it would have been boring. Nobody wants to see them play dress up army men. We want to see things about the country they are visiting. They might as well have shot the episode at any studio.
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1/10
Skip episode
soosrooland22 August 2020
First 15 minutes ok, rest is boring. I've seen this episode a year ago, I still have flashbacks of how boring it was.
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1/10
Awful!
minunimion10 October 2020
Unbelievably stupid! What do they want to do? I can't get it! The first episode was good, this one unwatchable! What was the meaning of that? It looks like after the first episode they didn't have other ideas, so they just spent money without offering nothing acceptable. And the celebrities? What does that mean? Was the budget too low to have celebrities? Shouldn't it be a car show? So what?
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5/10
Little disapointing
ryanclark-4727314 April 2021
Had the potential to be 10/10 if they just let the trio do the job with fake bullets and made it unscripted, it would have been so much better.
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