Krank
01-11-2017, 07:51 PM
I could NOT be more pleased to share with all of you, and anyone else you want to turn onto, the return of the greatest television show of all time, David Lynch's noir mystery masterpiece, Twin Peaks!!
Showtime has FINALLY announced that the date and time for the first episode (a two-hour premiere) of the NEW season will be Sunday, May 21st, at 9 pm, ET/PT, to be immediately followed by hours 3 and 4, available exclusively "across the SHOWTIME streaming service, SHOWTIME ANYTIME and SHOWTIME ON DEMAND".
Originally airing on ABC from 1990-1991, Twin Peaks, created by David Lynch and Mark Frost, captured the imaginations of an American viewing public that NEEDED something different to watch, something that didn't follow the rigid rules of what did and did not "work" for television at that time. Lynch, already well-known as one of the World's premiere directors, with American film classics such as Blue Velvet and The Elephant Man on his resume, led viewers into a world nobody had ever imagined, which is the M.O. for Lynch if there ever was one, famously noted for entire ideas for films, characters, scenes, and even music, coming out of his own dreams. Not everyone can do that and captivate an audience at the same time, but then no figure in modern film history has the natural artistic sensibility to maintain such an independent vision, with virtually no compromises.
At this point in film and TV history, Twin Peaks is widely considered, quite correctly, as the original forerunner of what we NOW think of as modern television, meaning the series that have taken incredible chances in recent years, massively popular series as diverse as Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad (neither of which resembles Twin Peaks, FWIW) being two obvious examples, owe everything to this "Granddaddy" of cinema-level TV, with no reason for caveats such as "art house favorite" or "cult classic" to be attached to any of them at this point.
For this particular Twin Peaks fan, since I am sharing this with all of my KSR friends here, it is NECESSARY that I let you know some things that are VERY important about HOW to watch this particular show, to be followed by a trailer for the original show and an explanation as to why there is no, and likely will be no, trailer for the NEW Twin Peaks. Please do not hesitate to ask me anything about Twin Peaks, David Lynch, or any of the actors involved and I will be happy to flesh out some impressions/opinions if that is of any interest.
Anyone who has never watched it, or if your memory of it is so vague that you can't recall how much you watched or retained, I recommend VERY strongly that you go by the following set of simple rules so that your viewing experience is optimum:
1. More than ANY show EVER produced for TV, you MUST watch the show IN SEQUENCE (Season 1, Season 2, THEN the film, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me), and completely AVOID anything on the internet, anything coming out of people's mouths, ANYTHING that MIGHT be a potential spoiler.
--Twin Peaks is a mystery, set in a small town in the great Northwest, where David Lynch and star Kyle MacLachlan both grew up. It can be dark, hilarious, mystical, disturbing, and is chock full of surprises, even while maintaining a down-to-Earth sense that keeps viewers on solid ground while all seems chaos and question marks.
--Twin Peaks is constructed, specifically, to get you to want to see the next episode, immediately. It is the original show of marathons (I have done about 15-20 with various friends and family over the years and have a perfect "new fan" record for each person I have exposed to the show via that method of watching) and binging. It's not just what might seem obvious... "yeah, sure, it's always best to watch any show in sequence"... BUT it's particularly important with Twin Peaks because you have NO chance of understanding very important plot points and references if you do NOT watch in the exact sequence intended by the show's creators.
--The devil is ALWAYS in the details with Twin Peaks, so PLEASE do not do yourself a disservice by casually viewing it. I even highly recommend repeated viewings of episodes (you will see what I mean once you get two or three hours into it) because you will note things you hadn't "seen" in a first viewing, which CAN, often enough, be a part of a vital clue as FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) and Sherriff Harry S. Truman (Michael Ontkean) lead audiences through the initial investigation of the death of the Homecoming Queen, Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee). Even for folks who watched the show religiously back in the day, if you haven't watched it in years, I VERY highly recommend re-watching Seasons 1 and 2, then Fire Walk With Me again so that you will be better prepared for whatever Lynch might bring in the new show.
2. Do not EVER EVER listen to ANYONE who tells you any of the following FALSE notions about Twin Peaks or David Lynch...
--FALSE notion #1: "Twin Peaks was great the first season, but the second season was not that good";
TRUE answer to that falsehood: "then you weren't paying attention. Arguably, the second season has the top five episodes in the entire series and there are so many ANSWERS to questions raised in Season 1, that you were clearly a casual viewer from the beginning and likely invested little into it from the start"... now, despite my answer sounding a little salty, it's 100% the correct take. What folks have to remember is that this was not your normal, everyday, water cooler show to chat up at work. Twin Peaks, like just about any really STRONG, unique piece of art, demands your attention MUCH more than the average TV show. Another problem with the above false notion that folks don't take into account is that the first season is only 8 episodes long, including a two hour premiere "pilot", whereas the second season is TWENTY TWO episodes long, thus the "concentrated" Season 1 is perceived as "greater", as opposed to "different", in that Season 2 fleshes out a LOT of new plot points AFTER a lot of Season 1 questions are answered during the first half of Season 2. This led the more casually viewing folks to demand too much of Season 2, in terms of relative intensity, rather than just being patient. That patience is rewarded with MORE of Lynch's unique vision, and possibly some of the best television or film work I have ever witnessed ALL coming in Season 2.
--FALSE notion #2: "I saw Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me and it was terrible. I didn't understand any of it";
TRUE answer to that falsehood: "then you either did not watch or pay attention to the entirety of the two seasons of Twin Peaks as a TV series, which renders the film indecipherable." Again, just like my "how to watch Twin Peaks" point #1, if you don't watch it how it's meant to be watched, IN ORDER, you get what you lazily "pay" for. So don't pay attention to ANY poor reviews of the film. I don't care how "good" you think the film critic is, if they panned it, outright, they were never paying attention to the ENTIRE piece of art known as Twin Peaks, to begin with. Another VERY important point about Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me is that the film is a PREQUEL, chronologically, within Twin Peaks lore, but that does NOT mean you should watch it BEFORE watching Season 1 and Season 2. Again, you won't understand it and there are a LOT of reasons you will get that once you DO watch it all in sequence. Just trust me, lol.
--FALSE notion #3: "I can't believe the new Twin Peaks can live up to the original series because it was so good back in the day";
TRUE answer to that falsehood: "you have allowed yourself to become one of the many folks who PRE-judge art, without IMAGINING that it MIGHT be good on it's OWN merits, i.e. keep in mind that what we are talking about is the return of something brilliant, so let's at LEAST give it a chance". An even better answer comes down to facts, what we KNOW about the new Twin Peaks that IS better than the original... David Lynch directed EVERY moment of the 18 hours that have been produced for the new series. Even though he directed more episodes than anyone else, of the original series, he was also working on the film, Wild at Heart, while Twin Peaks was in it's initial production, keeping in close contact with writers and co-creator, Mark Frost, when he was on his film's set, and directing almost every VERY key episode when he DID direct the show, meaning you KNOW when it's a Lynch episode. His earmarks become second nature to the serious Twin Peaks fan, but THIS time we get him doing ALL of it and the fans, the cast, ALL of whom have been sworn to secrecy about the new series, the crew, the writers... everyone is freaking STOKED, wanting to know what the new series will be like and HOW Lynch will connect the two eras of Twin Peaks (don't worry, NOBOOY is better equipped to create, improvise, and challenge like Lynch, so it's going to be fascinating, IMO, no matter what).
--FALSE notion #4: "David Lynch is too weird for me. I know this because I saw Eraserhead and refused to watch anything else by him ever again";
TRUE answer to that falsehood: "then you have pre-judged an ENTIRE group of pieces of art, and the artist, based upon viewing ONE piece, which tells you exactly NOTHING about that artist, aside from that one piece, rendering your opinion of the artist as completely irrelevant. Again, sorry if that sounds haughty, or whatever, but it's actually a simple truth. Every director, that's any good, has experiments that DIVERGE from each other as opposed to resembling each other. That is the most important quality of other great directors such as Stanley Kubrick, Orson Welles, et al. What that CAN mean is that certain pieces resonate better with some folks, and not so much with others. Eraserhead just happens to be on the short list of weirdest films ever made, and was, incidentally, one of Stanley Kubrick's favorite films, believe it or not. He once obsessively watched it, apparently dozens of times, over just a week or two. It's even on the weird side for Lynch, but Twin Peaks is MUCH more accessible, WHILE maintaining a deep, deep artistic sensibility for those who have that in their DNA and/or are willing to challenge themselves to accept what Lynch does, and just go along for the ride, meaning TRUST the artist and TRY to get to the answers to questions brought about by the series by keeping a COMPLETELY open mind. I cannot emphasize that last point more critically when engaging with a David Lynch work.
So enough about "how to watch". Here is a link to an official Twin Peaks "Marathon Trailer", approved for Showtime, centered on Season 1 of the original series, which returns to weekly broadcast TV as a regularly scheduled program with the two hour pilot premiere episode of Season 1 on Showtime's schedule, Saturday, January 14th, 11 am ET, to be immediately followed by the rest of Season 1 in marathon form, so set your DVR's if you have Showtime, or subscribe, or buy the incredible Twin Peaks: The Complete Mystery (on blu-ray only)...
http://www.sho.com/video/53260/twin-peaks-marathon-spot
There will likely be no traditional trailer for the new series. That is in keeping with Lynch and Frost understanding that it's best to not give even the remotest hints at what's to come. My understanding, though, is that there MIGHT be a few short moments, here and there, that are released in the coming months. Perhaps these would best be thought of as "teasers" if they do happen.
Keep in mind that there will be an upcoming marathon of Season 2 on Showtime sometime after Season 1 and then an eventual debuting of the prequel film, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, sometime before the debut of the new series.
BTW, the new series will have a cast that includes the following actors (listing the most important ones) from the original casts of Seasons 1, 2, and the film...
Kyle MacLachlan, Sheryl Lee, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Sherilyn Fenn, Grace Zabriskie, Ray Wise, Madchen Amick, Harry Goaz, Michael Horse, Miguel Ferrer, David Duchovny, Peggy Lipton, David Lynch, James Marshall, Everett McGill, Kimmy Roberston, Harry Dean Stanton, Warren Frost, David Patrick Kelly, Jan D'Arcy, Wendy Robie, Al Strobel, Carel Struycken, Alicia Witt, Walter Olkewicz, and the late Catherine E. Coulson (RIP "the Log Lady").
Notable NEW to Twin Peaks cast members, joining the new show for the first time...
Laura Dern, Robert Forster, Naomi Watts, Michael Cera, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tim Roth, John Savage, Amanda Seyfried, Chrysta Bell, Monica Bellucci, Jim Belushi, Richard Chamberlain, Candy Clark, Francesca Eastwood, Balthazar Getty, Ernie Hudson, Ashley Judd, Robert Knepper, Jane Levy, Matthew Lillard, Don Murray, Trent Reznor, Ben Rosenfield, Tom Sizemore, and Eddie Vedder. For anyone smirking at any of these casting choices, I assure you that few, if any, directors have as much history and ability to take what might seem to be an off-beat casting choice and create something/someone brilliant within the context of his works, so take it FWIW.
There are an incredible 217 member of the cast for the new Twin Peaks. Interestingly, there are a TOTAL of 238 "speaking parts" known behind the scenes, which means that either Lynch and Frost have chosen actor(s) to play more than one part, or that there will be surprise cast members whom Lynch has chosen not to reveal... or BOTH. Again, the mystery of this show, even within it's own lore, continues as a part of it's necessary tradition.
For those who have read this long post, thank you for your time.
Twin Peaks is the ONLY television show that I place in as high a place as practically ANY of my all time favorite movies, and for anyone who knows me well, that is about as high praise for a piece of art that I can muster. I hope you check out Twin Peaks from the beginning and that it entertains, fascinates, and enriches your interest in great storytelling and filmed art the way it has for me. If that happens for even one person, I will feel like my sharing has been for a good purpose.
Peace and happy viewing!!
Showtime has FINALLY announced that the date and time for the first episode (a two-hour premiere) of the NEW season will be Sunday, May 21st, at 9 pm, ET/PT, to be immediately followed by hours 3 and 4, available exclusively "across the SHOWTIME streaming service, SHOWTIME ANYTIME and SHOWTIME ON DEMAND".
Originally airing on ABC from 1990-1991, Twin Peaks, created by David Lynch and Mark Frost, captured the imaginations of an American viewing public that NEEDED something different to watch, something that didn't follow the rigid rules of what did and did not "work" for television at that time. Lynch, already well-known as one of the World's premiere directors, with American film classics such as Blue Velvet and The Elephant Man on his resume, led viewers into a world nobody had ever imagined, which is the M.O. for Lynch if there ever was one, famously noted for entire ideas for films, characters, scenes, and even music, coming out of his own dreams. Not everyone can do that and captivate an audience at the same time, but then no figure in modern film history has the natural artistic sensibility to maintain such an independent vision, with virtually no compromises.
At this point in film and TV history, Twin Peaks is widely considered, quite correctly, as the original forerunner of what we NOW think of as modern television, meaning the series that have taken incredible chances in recent years, massively popular series as diverse as Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad (neither of which resembles Twin Peaks, FWIW) being two obvious examples, owe everything to this "Granddaddy" of cinema-level TV, with no reason for caveats such as "art house favorite" or "cult classic" to be attached to any of them at this point.
For this particular Twin Peaks fan, since I am sharing this with all of my KSR friends here, it is NECESSARY that I let you know some things that are VERY important about HOW to watch this particular show, to be followed by a trailer for the original show and an explanation as to why there is no, and likely will be no, trailer for the NEW Twin Peaks. Please do not hesitate to ask me anything about Twin Peaks, David Lynch, or any of the actors involved and I will be happy to flesh out some impressions/opinions if that is of any interest.
Anyone who has never watched it, or if your memory of it is so vague that you can't recall how much you watched or retained, I recommend VERY strongly that you go by the following set of simple rules so that your viewing experience is optimum:
1. More than ANY show EVER produced for TV, you MUST watch the show IN SEQUENCE (Season 1, Season 2, THEN the film, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me), and completely AVOID anything on the internet, anything coming out of people's mouths, ANYTHING that MIGHT be a potential spoiler.
--Twin Peaks is a mystery, set in a small town in the great Northwest, where David Lynch and star Kyle MacLachlan both grew up. It can be dark, hilarious, mystical, disturbing, and is chock full of surprises, even while maintaining a down-to-Earth sense that keeps viewers on solid ground while all seems chaos and question marks.
--Twin Peaks is constructed, specifically, to get you to want to see the next episode, immediately. It is the original show of marathons (I have done about 15-20 with various friends and family over the years and have a perfect "new fan" record for each person I have exposed to the show via that method of watching) and binging. It's not just what might seem obvious... "yeah, sure, it's always best to watch any show in sequence"... BUT it's particularly important with Twin Peaks because you have NO chance of understanding very important plot points and references if you do NOT watch in the exact sequence intended by the show's creators.
--The devil is ALWAYS in the details with Twin Peaks, so PLEASE do not do yourself a disservice by casually viewing it. I even highly recommend repeated viewings of episodes (you will see what I mean once you get two or three hours into it) because you will note things you hadn't "seen" in a first viewing, which CAN, often enough, be a part of a vital clue as FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) and Sherriff Harry S. Truman (Michael Ontkean) lead audiences through the initial investigation of the death of the Homecoming Queen, Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee). Even for folks who watched the show religiously back in the day, if you haven't watched it in years, I VERY highly recommend re-watching Seasons 1 and 2, then Fire Walk With Me again so that you will be better prepared for whatever Lynch might bring in the new show.
2. Do not EVER EVER listen to ANYONE who tells you any of the following FALSE notions about Twin Peaks or David Lynch...
--FALSE notion #1: "Twin Peaks was great the first season, but the second season was not that good";
TRUE answer to that falsehood: "then you weren't paying attention. Arguably, the second season has the top five episodes in the entire series and there are so many ANSWERS to questions raised in Season 1, that you were clearly a casual viewer from the beginning and likely invested little into it from the start"... now, despite my answer sounding a little salty, it's 100% the correct take. What folks have to remember is that this was not your normal, everyday, water cooler show to chat up at work. Twin Peaks, like just about any really STRONG, unique piece of art, demands your attention MUCH more than the average TV show. Another problem with the above false notion that folks don't take into account is that the first season is only 8 episodes long, including a two hour premiere "pilot", whereas the second season is TWENTY TWO episodes long, thus the "concentrated" Season 1 is perceived as "greater", as opposed to "different", in that Season 2 fleshes out a LOT of new plot points AFTER a lot of Season 1 questions are answered during the first half of Season 2. This led the more casually viewing folks to demand too much of Season 2, in terms of relative intensity, rather than just being patient. That patience is rewarded with MORE of Lynch's unique vision, and possibly some of the best television or film work I have ever witnessed ALL coming in Season 2.
--FALSE notion #2: "I saw Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me and it was terrible. I didn't understand any of it";
TRUE answer to that falsehood: "then you either did not watch or pay attention to the entirety of the two seasons of Twin Peaks as a TV series, which renders the film indecipherable." Again, just like my "how to watch Twin Peaks" point #1, if you don't watch it how it's meant to be watched, IN ORDER, you get what you lazily "pay" for. So don't pay attention to ANY poor reviews of the film. I don't care how "good" you think the film critic is, if they panned it, outright, they were never paying attention to the ENTIRE piece of art known as Twin Peaks, to begin with. Another VERY important point about Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me is that the film is a PREQUEL, chronologically, within Twin Peaks lore, but that does NOT mean you should watch it BEFORE watching Season 1 and Season 2. Again, you won't understand it and there are a LOT of reasons you will get that once you DO watch it all in sequence. Just trust me, lol.
--FALSE notion #3: "I can't believe the new Twin Peaks can live up to the original series because it was so good back in the day";
TRUE answer to that falsehood: "you have allowed yourself to become one of the many folks who PRE-judge art, without IMAGINING that it MIGHT be good on it's OWN merits, i.e. keep in mind that what we are talking about is the return of something brilliant, so let's at LEAST give it a chance". An even better answer comes down to facts, what we KNOW about the new Twin Peaks that IS better than the original... David Lynch directed EVERY moment of the 18 hours that have been produced for the new series. Even though he directed more episodes than anyone else, of the original series, he was also working on the film, Wild at Heart, while Twin Peaks was in it's initial production, keeping in close contact with writers and co-creator, Mark Frost, when he was on his film's set, and directing almost every VERY key episode when he DID direct the show, meaning you KNOW when it's a Lynch episode. His earmarks become second nature to the serious Twin Peaks fan, but THIS time we get him doing ALL of it and the fans, the cast, ALL of whom have been sworn to secrecy about the new series, the crew, the writers... everyone is freaking STOKED, wanting to know what the new series will be like and HOW Lynch will connect the two eras of Twin Peaks (don't worry, NOBOOY is better equipped to create, improvise, and challenge like Lynch, so it's going to be fascinating, IMO, no matter what).
--FALSE notion #4: "David Lynch is too weird for me. I know this because I saw Eraserhead and refused to watch anything else by him ever again";
TRUE answer to that falsehood: "then you have pre-judged an ENTIRE group of pieces of art, and the artist, based upon viewing ONE piece, which tells you exactly NOTHING about that artist, aside from that one piece, rendering your opinion of the artist as completely irrelevant. Again, sorry if that sounds haughty, or whatever, but it's actually a simple truth. Every director, that's any good, has experiments that DIVERGE from each other as opposed to resembling each other. That is the most important quality of other great directors such as Stanley Kubrick, Orson Welles, et al. What that CAN mean is that certain pieces resonate better with some folks, and not so much with others. Eraserhead just happens to be on the short list of weirdest films ever made, and was, incidentally, one of Stanley Kubrick's favorite films, believe it or not. He once obsessively watched it, apparently dozens of times, over just a week or two. It's even on the weird side for Lynch, but Twin Peaks is MUCH more accessible, WHILE maintaining a deep, deep artistic sensibility for those who have that in their DNA and/or are willing to challenge themselves to accept what Lynch does, and just go along for the ride, meaning TRUST the artist and TRY to get to the answers to questions brought about by the series by keeping a COMPLETELY open mind. I cannot emphasize that last point more critically when engaging with a David Lynch work.
So enough about "how to watch". Here is a link to an official Twin Peaks "Marathon Trailer", approved for Showtime, centered on Season 1 of the original series, which returns to weekly broadcast TV as a regularly scheduled program with the two hour pilot premiere episode of Season 1 on Showtime's schedule, Saturday, January 14th, 11 am ET, to be immediately followed by the rest of Season 1 in marathon form, so set your DVR's if you have Showtime, or subscribe, or buy the incredible Twin Peaks: The Complete Mystery (on blu-ray only)...
http://www.sho.com/video/53260/twin-peaks-marathon-spot
There will likely be no traditional trailer for the new series. That is in keeping with Lynch and Frost understanding that it's best to not give even the remotest hints at what's to come. My understanding, though, is that there MIGHT be a few short moments, here and there, that are released in the coming months. Perhaps these would best be thought of as "teasers" if they do happen.
Keep in mind that there will be an upcoming marathon of Season 2 on Showtime sometime after Season 1 and then an eventual debuting of the prequel film, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, sometime before the debut of the new series.
BTW, the new series will have a cast that includes the following actors (listing the most important ones) from the original casts of Seasons 1, 2, and the film...
Kyle MacLachlan, Sheryl Lee, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Sherilyn Fenn, Grace Zabriskie, Ray Wise, Madchen Amick, Harry Goaz, Michael Horse, Miguel Ferrer, David Duchovny, Peggy Lipton, David Lynch, James Marshall, Everett McGill, Kimmy Roberston, Harry Dean Stanton, Warren Frost, David Patrick Kelly, Jan D'Arcy, Wendy Robie, Al Strobel, Carel Struycken, Alicia Witt, Walter Olkewicz, and the late Catherine E. Coulson (RIP "the Log Lady").
Notable NEW to Twin Peaks cast members, joining the new show for the first time...
Laura Dern, Robert Forster, Naomi Watts, Michael Cera, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tim Roth, John Savage, Amanda Seyfried, Chrysta Bell, Monica Bellucci, Jim Belushi, Richard Chamberlain, Candy Clark, Francesca Eastwood, Balthazar Getty, Ernie Hudson, Ashley Judd, Robert Knepper, Jane Levy, Matthew Lillard, Don Murray, Trent Reznor, Ben Rosenfield, Tom Sizemore, and Eddie Vedder. For anyone smirking at any of these casting choices, I assure you that few, if any, directors have as much history and ability to take what might seem to be an off-beat casting choice and create something/someone brilliant within the context of his works, so take it FWIW.
There are an incredible 217 member of the cast for the new Twin Peaks. Interestingly, there are a TOTAL of 238 "speaking parts" known behind the scenes, which means that either Lynch and Frost have chosen actor(s) to play more than one part, or that there will be surprise cast members whom Lynch has chosen not to reveal... or BOTH. Again, the mystery of this show, even within it's own lore, continues as a part of it's necessary tradition.
For those who have read this long post, thank you for your time.
Twin Peaks is the ONLY television show that I place in as high a place as practically ANY of my all time favorite movies, and for anyone who knows me well, that is about as high praise for a piece of art that I can muster. I hope you check out Twin Peaks from the beginning and that it entertains, fascinates, and enriches your interest in great storytelling and filmed art the way it has for me. If that happens for even one person, I will feel like my sharing has been for a good purpose.
Peace and happy viewing!!