Twin Peaks

Erica Ambler wrote:

Shooting of CSI: Twin Peaks begins next month.

I was almost hoping they wouldn't go through with this. I'm expecting overhyped shit.

I suppose it has the potential of being more like FIRE WALK WITH ME, rather than the television program (which, overall, wasn't that good). I'd rather watch a detective story filled with prostitutes, murder and the supernatural, rather than the zany shit they wrote for Season 2.

Remember when Windom Earl tied up a hippie and used him for target practice with a crossbow? Borderline retarded. The Lynch superfans don't seem to remember how bad the show was at times.

Lynch wasn't heavily involved with a lot of S2, which is why it took such a nosedive when left to writers who didn't know what to do with the show beyond "let's do some weird zany stuff". The worst for me was Horne thinking he was a Confederate general and a very disposable storyline involving James Hurley going to another town.

I'd be skeptical if this revival was being done on major network television like ABC. Since it's done on a premium channel like Showtime, I'm much more confident that Lynch and Frost will be left to their own devices.

S2 is irredeemable: Lucy's pregnancy, Catherine's WTF Chinaman, Jocelyn as sexless femme fatale,  Leo as spaz, Ed's wife as cougar cheerleader cum wrestler, Donna and James as the world's least interesting teen-scum couple... I've never seen a show get so much wrong after getting so much right.

The thing that made Twin Peaks interesting was the contrast between the soap and the darkness, which was lost entirely in S2. Did ABC demand that every character become a loveable eccentric?  S2 is worse than anyone says. Even Badalamenti's music begins to grate. The only thing I enjoyed was Leland and Maddy's parlour dance.

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Did ABC demand that every character become a loveable eccentric?

Likely.

I think S2 is genuinely good up to Leland's death, immediately after that is when the show takes that nosedive with all those subplots you mention. It's quite amazing how quickly the show became awful within one episode. Lynch basically said that once Laura's case was solved, the show lost its purpose and that's why he left for awhile. The mystery of Laura's murder was what fueled the stories for every character, and once that was done with, there was nothing for anyone.

Among that awful subplots during that bad patch of the show, the only part that I actually like was when David Duchovny shows up as a transvestite FBI agent. It probably would have been lumped in with all the other terrible stuff happening, but Duchovny somehow saves it.

I do think the show steadily recovers once Lynch came back to reinvigorate the show, though its a process. I associate it most with Heather Graham entering the picture, and that finale with the Black Lodge sequence alone almost makes up for all the bad that happened in S2. But I suppose that was too little too late, as the show's fate was ultimately sealed with the low ratings.

Control wrote:

[Twin Peaks]overall, wasn't that good.

True, yet the pilot remains one of the greatest shows ever made.

Makeshift Python wrote:

I think S2 is genuinely good up to Leland's death, immediately after that is when the show takes that nosedive with all those subplots you mention.

The Leland/Laura plot has elements of classic tragedy, but most of S2 is so bad I keep meaning to take down the names of the writers. As for David Duchovny, I like him; despite his smug hipster attitude he's always better than his material. Nevertheless, I hated Denise, but not as dull a plot as Agent Cooper having to give up his badge - copshow cliches are only fun if they're subverted.

Supposedly some of these lame subplots were hasty patch jobs on Boyle' and MacLachlan's red-pencilling of the Cooper/Audrey romance. No idea if that's true; I get the impression that many of the 'creatives' and audience prefer to pretend S2 never happened.

Erica Ambler wrote:

Supposedly some of these lame subplots were hasty patch jobs on Boyle' and MacLachlan's red-pencilling of the Cooper/Audrey romance. No idea if that's true

Probably. Combine that with Lynch leaving briefly and Laura's murder being solved, what you have left is a show scrambling to find something to do fast and with no clear direction beyond ABC demanding the show to keep going. I think another factor that hurt the season was that it was stretched out to a full 22 episode season, as opposed strictly eight episodes like that first season. Had S2 ended with Laura's murder being solved, it probably would have given Lynch and Frost enough time between seasons to plan what was ahead.

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I get the impression that many of the 'creatives' and audience prefer to pretend S2 never happened.

Wouldn't be surprised to see most of those threads in S2 done away with in the new series.

The show hits absolute rock bottom with that mid-S2 James Hurley subplot, but I'm with Python in thinking there is a marked increase in quality at the back-end of season two after a string of absolutely abysmal episodes following Leland's death. On the whole the Windom Earle stuff never reaches the heights the show reached in the first half of its run, but I appreciate the mystical aspect of all the Black Lodge material and hope Lynch continues down that path with the new episodes.

I'd rather he was making original films again though.

I suspect all of these reboots are a direct cause of the various networks and platforms being desperate for content.

In less prestigious news, trite like "Full House" is being revived and Will Smith is considering a return of "The Fresh Prince" now that his Hollywood bank-ability has waned somewhat.

I think we are one or two years removed from seeing "The A-Team" back in some capacity.

HJackson wrote:

I'd rather he was making original films again though.

It's sad how few films Lynch and De Palma have managed in the last 15 years.

Salomé wrote:

I think we are one or two years removed from seeing "The A-Team" back in some capacity.

Wasn't that done with Liam already? Maybe HBO could pilot The ATM Team starring Ben Afflick and Pierce Brosnan. It's a two-hander.

In this era of brand recognition being treated as gold it's a strange way for the show to be revived, but I'm glad Lynch is given another chance to dive into something he's passionate about. For what it's worth, he never gave up on Twin Peaks throughout the years. The whole concept of a story unfolding indefinitely was something that appealed to him and why he tried to keep it going even with his failed attempt at turning it into a film series with FIRE WALK WITH ME.

Erica Ambler wrote:

It's sad how few films Lynch and De Palma have managed in the last 15 years.

Not to mention Paul Schrader, who had to go begging on Kickstarter to fund a picture with Lindsay Lohan.

And do a movie with Nic Cage, though that's probably a step up from Lohan.

HJackson wrote:

Erica Ambler wrote:

It's sad how few films Lynch and De Palma have managed in the last 15 years.

Not to mention Paul Schrader, who had to go begging on Kickstarter to fund a picture with Lindsay Lohan.

I thought that until I saw Canyons. Opening credits apart, it's unspeakably bad. Not Lohan's fault either.

Erica Ambler wrote:

The thing that made Twin Peaks interesting was the contrast between the soap and the darkness, which was lost entirely in S2. Did ABC demand that every character become a loveable eccentric?  S2 is worse than anyone says. Even Badalamenti's music begins to grate. The only thing I enjoyed was Leland and Maddy's parlour dance.

That's what really struck me about season one when I rewatched the series last year. I had memories of all the cutesy stuff in season two I had forgotten how much darker and more malevolent the series felt in the first season which made season two more jarring when I got around to it. Benjamin Horne the hotel owner for instance became my favorite character watching season one again as he was one of the more villainous characters yet by season two we must forget all that evil stuff he's involved in such as having a stake in a casino/brothel where young girls straight out of high school are regularly coaxed into prostitution and his involvement with burning down the town mill to get the property it's on. Hopefully Lynch doesn't take the cold reception he got with Fire Walk With Me to heart and instead makes the new series more akin to that film in vibe instead of season two's goofy vibe.

Salomé wrote:

I suspect all of these reboots are a direct cause of the various networks and platforms being desperate for content.

In less prestigious news, trite like "Full House" is being revived and Will Smith is considering a return of "The Fresh Prince" now that his Hollywood bank-ability has waned somewhat.

I think we are one or two years removed from seeing "The A-Team" back in some capacity.

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/08/27/galaxy-quest-tv-series-amazon

At least the premise behind the movie means a telly spin-off in this case makes more sense than most.

In disappointing news, Michael Ontkean will not be returning as Sheriff Truman for the new show. I'll miss that Cooper/Truman dynamic as they made such a great duo. However, the great news is that Robert Forster will be playing the new sheriff.

Makeshift Python wrote:

In disappointing news, Michael Ontkean will not be returning as Sheriff Truman for the new show. I'll miss that Cooper/Truman dynamic as they made such a great duo. However, the great news is that Robert Forster will be playing the new sheriff.

Kind of bittersweet. It's going to be weird (imagine that?) without Sheriff Truman but Forster didn't get nearly enough screentime in Mulholland Dr. so seeing him given a second shot to work with Lynch is just grand.

Coming 2017.

http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/twin-peaks-2017-premiere-showtime-2016-1201632776/

Miguel Ferrer's back, but I don't even know if that's enough to make me give a shit about this.
http://deadline.com/2015/11/twin-peaks-series-miguel-ferrer-cast-albert-rosenfeld-1201606876/