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| See how they put a bullet in the "U" so you know it's really about guns? |
I originally considered making Top Guns a part of my regular recapping duties, however the show doesn't add much to understanding Top Shot beyond the weapons, not that that is a bad thing. What it does though, is make Top Guns a very casual show, perhaps the most casual show in reality TV currently on the air. This doesn't mean Top Guns isn't exciting, or boring, in fact it's quite interesting. On Top Shot Colby can only give the contestants (and in turn the audience) a bare-bones description and background of the weapon. Top Guns goes deeper giving a more fleshed out history of the weapon, accompanied with footage of the weapon in practical use, not just on the range.
For this post I caught up with the first three episodes of the series and there were few things that stuck out to me right away. The first was that there was no direct mention of this show's connection to Top Shot until episode three, which featured Season 2 contestants Chris Reed and Jay Lim. However, the first two episodes both featured experts regularly featured on the show, and past contestants as the featured marksmen. Now, this is a separate show, but I was surprised that they didn't even mention it in the opening dialogue of the first episode that this was an offshoot of Top Shot.
The next thing is how loose this show feels. Sure, there is a basic structure to the program. First Colby introduces the three guns being tested then brings out the expert, and finally the marksman. Then he sends them to the range to test the guns one at a time. After testing each one, Colby gets a turn firing off a few rounds, before each shooter chooses a weapon, and they have a "friendly shoot-off."But from there it has a much less scripted feel than Top Shot.
On Top Shot the contestants are told exactly what to do, but on Top Guns, when the expert and the marksman are sent to the range, they have some freedom to play around. Top Guns clearly has a lower budget than Top Shot, there are no exploding targets and you can often see where entry points have been taped over on a target rather than replacing it. This is bare-bones shooting. Paper targets at varying distances. Again, this isn't a bad thing, the show has a very calm pace to it. No one's running around or rushing to see what the thing they need to do next is. The past contestants seem to enjoy themselves more here with the weight of competing off their shoulders.
The choice of marksman so far has been interesting. The first episode featured Mike Seeklander, the first contestant ever eliminated from Top Shot. It may seem like an odd choice, but they don't just pick random people to compete on Top Shot. Even the contestants who are eliminated early have come from impressive backgrounds to get them into the competition. However, Seeklander was bested by Colby in the shoot-off, so maybe this guy just doesn't perform too well in front of a camera. The second episode featured the return of Season 2's Jamie Franks, someone I mentioned last week as a choice for an all-star season of Top Shot. Franks made it to the individual part of Season 2, and seemed to be enjoying himself a lot more without George Reinas around, especially when Colby completely missed the paper shooting his automatic in the shootoff. As a I mentioned Jay Lim showed up for episode 3 to work with Chris Reed. I warmed up to Lim right around the time he was eliminated in Season 2, and it was nice to see him come back.
The marksman and the expert put the gun through its courses, shooting them from varying positions, or trying to recreate how it was used during the height of its popularity. Now mind you, this isn't like Deadliest Warrior on Spike. As I wrote earlier this week, Top Shot, and now Top Guns, have never been shows that promote gun violence. They aren't looking to see how much damage these guns would do when used on a person. Instead they work through the mechanics of the gun, what makes it unique, and what makes it effective. They take about what kind of materials its made out of and how it was engineered. Truth be told, this might be a show more in line with History's original programming mission than many of the other shows it currently airs. It's surprisingly educational and informative.
Despite a veiled connection to Top Shot, the show is clearly being filmed at the same time as Season 4. Each episode has featured the same expert that was featured on that week's episode of Top Shot, and they are shooting one or more weapons that were featured on that week's episode of Top Shot as well. It was at this point I began to wonder about History's strategy in airing these episodes. Top Shot airs on Tuesdays at 10/9 C p.m. and Top Guns airs the next day. Now, I don't have H2, so I've been watching Top Guns episodes on Hulu, but I have to think that going straight from Top Shot to Top Guns is a bit of a let down, simply because there is a steep drop-off in the excitement level. I think it would make more sense if Top Guns aired the day before Top Shot to amp up anticipation for that weeks competition. There are three guns featured each week, but in the first two episodes only one gun came from Top Shot. In the third episode, featuring shotguns, all three were Benellis featured on "Shotgun Showdown." Airing before Top Shot would leave the audience guessing as to what weapon would be featured in the actual competition, because if there is one thing Top Guns is missing, its any semblance of dramatic tension.
The show brings in top shooters, so you know that even if they struggle a little with a weapon, they are going to be able to hone it in. Colby is the only real question mark, being an experienced shooter, but not in a competitive sense. He might not shoot well with a weapon, but since there isn't anything really at stake except bragging rights, there isn't much to worry about.
However that doesn't mean the show isn't enjoyable. It's almost deathly formulaic, but featuring new weapons and new shooters in each episode helps hold off the monotony. Even the final challenge isn't always a straight shoot-off. The first two episodes pitted the guns and shooters against each other to find who could be most accurate with what weapon. The shooters then counted up points based on their shots on the target. However in the third episode, the shooters decided to exhibit their prowess with each shotgun. Jay Lim used the Vinci and shot all four clay targets (two thrown, two launched). Chris Reed took the M4 and shot five water jugs at 25 yards, and nailed one at 75. Colby went 7/8 shooting plates with the Nova.
It's clear Top Guns is still a show trying to find its legs. It still is working on trying to find what works and what doesn't. Take for example the first episode, where marksman Mike Seeklander gave a grade to each rifle he shot. Now whether this was something he did on his own or something he was instructed to do by a producer remains to be seen, but the grading system has not shown up in the two subsequent episodes. Nor should it, to a casual viewer like myself who doesn't know much about weapons, a letter grade on M14 Carbine doesn't mean much.
Overall, Top Guns isn't a necessary companion to Top Shot, but fans of the show will like this supplementary spinoff. The promise of more past contestants and more chance to see Colby shooting are enough to keep it entertaining.
What do you think? Is this show a solid companion or a pale imitation of Top Shot? Hit the comments and let me know your thoughts.
Come back tomorrow for another "Talkin' 'bout" post.
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