I spent many hours last night watching car shows. Okay, maybe one car show and one movie. We'll be talking about the movie, Days of Thunder, in an upcoming review. Let's talk about the car show instead. Now, here's how this conversation usually goes:
"Gee Josh, what car show did you watch?"
"Actually, amazingly, shockingly, oddly, I watched Top Gear."
"You did? What did you think of the show?"
"I liked it, I really liked it. You may know that in the past I've called it 'quite possibly the best show on television.'"
"Huh, 'quite possibly the best show on television' you say? Really, why's that?"
"Well, you see, the show has this incredible way of mixing smart and stupid to create utterly hysterical, very informative programming. Beyond that, the style of the production is just so intriguing. Watch a car show on cable and you're likely to see a couple of burly men standing in front of some dirty junker that they're trying to make pretty once more. The guys will succeed in their task, and you'll be amazed, but it'll all be very static. That's not Top Gear."
"It's not? But surely I've heard you say that Top Gear airs on BBC America, that's definitely a cable network."
"Ah, you see, Top Gear is the exception that proves the rule. Top Gear manages to convey a love and knowledge about cars and is incredibly dynamic. The show doesn't just focus on old junkers, it also explores the supercharged and superfast. When the presenters go into the shop, they're far more likely to ruin a car than do anything worthwhile with it. Plus, did I mention it's smart and funny?"
"Yes. Yes, I believe you did."
Okay, that's how these conversations on Tuesdays usually go. But, not today. Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm still completely infatuated with the show, and if there was a Top Gear channel that aired Top Gear all the time I might never leave the couch (particularly if there were episodes I hadn't seen on). I'm just not going to talk about that.
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