AVTAK: First half or second half?

Similar to a thread I recall about TND, which half of AVTAK do you prefer?

AVTAK gets a bit of heat for the first half dedicating much time to how Zorin cheats at horses. Plus you have the tonal shift in the PTS once California Girls kicks in, the goofiness of the Parisian car chase and the Bond/May Day love scene. On the other hand, once the story reaches San Francisco, many take issue with Stacey, given her extended air time, and a general sense of ordinary.

I’ve long maintained that what I do love about the first half of AVTAK are the Chantilly set scenes, and the whole first half, while not firmly rooted in the thriller genre, do seem to reflect more of a spy’s foundational work to ascertain a more vivid picture of the targets. As such, much of Bond’s investigation allows for some richer characterisation for the villains. Plus, who doesn’t love the back and forth with Tibbett, the steeple chase sequence has an air of danger and I’ll be damned if I don’t say the carwash still sends chills down my spine.

In the second half, Bond seems to lay low to continue his investigation which again feels like proper spy work but this time its within the thriller genre. I like how San Francisco is used - I feel we get a better sense of this American location perhaps better than New York in LALD or Kentucky in GF: the undercover CIA agent at the Wharf, sensational City Hall, the iconic Golden Gate bridge fight, and as light as it is, the fire truck chase. But for me, the real highlight is, as you’d guess, more Stacey. And upon thinking about the other thread I made after final acts, I have to say all the stuff at the mine makes for one of the better climaxes in the series (Christmas Jones aside    ). So as much as I like the first half, I’d say the 2nd half edges out for me these days.

Second half for me, for largely the reasons you outlined.

First half just never got my juices flowing, though Tibbett was a great ally.

Definitely the second half. AVTAK becomes much more intense as it goes along. The first half is pretty bland and lifeless.