Parts 1 & 2 - My log has a message for you & The stars turn and a time presents itself (SPOILERS)

Discussion of each of the 18 parts of Twin Peaks the Return

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OrsonWelles
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Re: Parts 1 + 2 (Spoilers)

Post by OrsonWelles »

Well, that was quite something. And quite overwhelming at first. I can't imagine what it must feel like to see the first four episodes at the same time. About episode 1 and 2:

- As I did expect, this feels like Lynchian film. Eraserhead's weirdness, Inland Empire's detatchment and overall it feels most like Mulholland Dr.
- The New York subplot is weird. I actually liked the slowness of the scenes, up until the weird alien/spirit/good Cooper residu
- The South Dakota subplot is great as well. I did find the head/body revelation a tad gruesome, but good acting (apart from Hastings' wife)
- I'm sure Las Vegas will play a bigger part
- Great bad Coop introduction. Worked well in certain parts, sometimes it felt wrong (the cheek massage..)
- Lots of corpses.
- I did like the lodge, though it's impossible to get it from this one view, of course
- FX weren't good, but I haven't seen a lot of avant-garde movies where that was the case. As an enthusiast of early surrealism and expressionism I don't mind really.
- The Big Tree from Another Place is quite weird. His doppelganger even more so.
- Baffled by the green ghost.
- As for the actual Twin Peaks stuff: Liked sherrif's department, loved Hawk and Log Lady, not too enthusiastic about Ben & Jerry, liked the bar and James.

All in all it's a real experience. I think that if you're more fan of Twin Peaks than Lynch you'll probably rate it lower than if the reverse is true.
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Re: Parts 1 + 2 (Spoilers)

Post by Rami Airola »

MoondogJR wrote:
Jerry Horne wrote:Watched Part 1 solo on the Showtime Anytime App and the credits role over the B&W gramophone.
Jep, here in Belgium it was only like this. Two separate episodes of one hour.
Yeah, same here in Finland.

We actually had only the first episode available at first. I had to wait a bit after watching the first episode for the rest to become available.
novazemblan
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Re: Parts 1 + 2 (Spoilers)

Post by novazemblan »

Jaw dropping opener.

We start like the last series, with Cooper patiently pondering some clues from the Giant, in some new unknown but stylishly lush sitting room. The gramophone may be an INLAND EMPIRE reference. It seems Coop is going home.
Slowly now back to Twin Peaks, and we see Jacoby living as some kind of off-the-grid Unabomber-esque survivalist. Seems his life has taken a downturn (he was discredited according the the Secret History.) He certainly has a lot of gear set up for something and appears to be going about things in a purposeful manner. Why has he ordered so many shovels? Is he planning to dig Coop out of Glastonbury Grove? The long shots of the aging workman among rural surroundings and the machinery bring to mind the Straight Story.

Now onto the first of the new story. New York looks great. We know somethings afoot with the Lynch rumble starts low in the mix. The box and tech setup looks paranormal. The camera setups recall Coopers CCTV trick in FWWM. The interactions with the characters and overall creepiness seems like something straight out of a later period film. Intriguing and tense. The later scene with the malevolent ghost (Lodge spirit?) dicing up the two lovers is one of the scariest Lynch moments yet.
Then even later at the end the scene which suggests it might have accidentally been Coop's doing adds and extra level of WTF!

it seems like were going to be inter-cutting a wider story with vignettes back at the town. The dynamic between B&J is straight back. Ben seems to have found a restraint to his seedy ways, though the cigar is still there. Jerry is now a wizard with a penchant for edibles. Later on at the Sherrif's dept. we see things are much the same as well, the Log Lady stuff was beautiful and heartbreaking and great to see how it is her who begins the ball rolling in the town plot. I got shivers when dark mood woods was playing and Hawk is going through Glastonbury Grove with a flashlight the Log Lady on the phone. This is the kind of stuff was I was hoping for the resolution of the Cooper rescue.

I'm enjoying how they've decided to play bad Coop more like Frank Booth than Frank Silva. More detached than animal. I can see how some might not like Maclachlan's performance but his dead eyes combined with the fake tan and hair accouterments are so creepy it just makes me wonder what he he been up to? What are his plans? Actually what even is he? Last we saw of him he was a gurning ghoul struggling to play the role of the straight Coop. He seems like he managed it long enough to get his shit together and go rogue. Now he's hanging with a lot of lowlifes. I bought badass Coop the second he disarmed and destroyed that redneck.

The South Dakota plot felt like something I imagined the Mulholland Drive series would be like, with Bent Briscoe (and I suppose also Forster) finally getting his chance to play the unassuming taciturn detective investigating a macabre and paranormal murder amid a load of kooks. I'm so glad that Matthew Lillard has been given a big part. Seems to have been a victim in the same vein as Leland Palmer. His mannerisms and costume perfectly suggest nice-guy teacher but there is some craziness underneath that he does perfectly. When bad Coop shows up to kill his wife things begin to get more interesting. Seems to have been manipulating their behavior, in order to collect pain and suffering?

Back in the Black Lodge, and I thought this was just as good as the stuff in the series 2 finale. The section repeating the dream from S1E2 but now with older actors and different clues, and instead the whispered reveal is now how Coop will get back home sets the series up nicely. As does her being whisked away and Leland pleading to find her. I don't feel any of the complaints about the CG/effects. I agree the Red Room looks different and not quite as luxurious on digital, but Lynch effects has always been bizarre and amateurish. Also aren't we supposed to be in some ill-defined dimensional dream space? The cartoonish scratchy nature of the stuff like the burnt tramp/the evolution of the arm/ or Laura whizzing off lend it a fairy-tale quality. Its much better than draw-pull Josie anyway. Props to Al Strobel for doing the heavy lifting on the lodge stuff now that Mike Anderson isn't there. Lucky really that him and Carel Struycken are the only real Lodge spirits coming back and they play arguably a more guiding/helping role.

Another grim scene with Bad Coop. Menacing and utterly horrifying in the same way BOB was at his worst. His buddy's all remind me of the Blue Velvet/Wild At Heart criminals. I feel bad for what they've got roped into. So he doesn't want to go back in the Lodge and this fucks good Coop over. He wants to stay out and party some more. He seems to be in communique with Phillip Jeffries. The voice is distorted but it sounds like it could be him or perhaps not. It could be a doppelganger? Interested to see how this plays out.

A really sweet James/Shelly scene to end on. The Roadhouse has been gentrified (!) the little suggestions of new characters and story-lines at the end has really put into perspective how massive this is going to be there is still another 16 hours to go. Absolute madness.
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BookhouseBoyBob
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Re: Parts 1 + 2 (Spoilers)

Post by BookhouseBoyBob »

not sure if this has been brought up yet but..I recall during the actual broadcast where the first shot of the 'portal' was held for a few minutes..the streaming version does not reflect that..

Did anyone else notice that, or did Jerry slip me some banana bread?
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The Marquis
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Re: Parts 1 + 2 (Spoilers)

Post by The Marquis »

BookhouseBoyBob wrote:not sure if this has been brought up yet but..I recall during the actual broadcast where the first shot of the 'portal' was held for a few minutes..the streaming version does not reflect that..

Did anyone else notice that, or did Jerry slip me some banana bread?
I only watched the stream, and it felt that the first shot of the glass box (is this the "portal" you're referring to?) was very long.
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Here Comes That Bob
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Re: Parts 1 + 2 (Spoilers)

Post by Here Comes That Bob »

The first hour was kind of underwhelming, but definitely served as a nice set-up. I much prefered the visually agressive second hour. Some fragments really reminded me of Eraserhead.
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BookhouseBoyBob
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Re: Parts 1 + 2 (Spoilers)

Post by BookhouseBoyBob »

The Marquis wrote:
BookhouseBoyBob wrote:not sure if this has been brought up yet but..I recall during the actual broadcast where the first shot of the 'portal' was held for a few minutes..the streaming version does not reflect that..

Did anyone else notice that, or did Jerry slip me some banana bread?
I only watched the stream, and it felt that the first shot of the glass box (is this the "portal" you're referring to?) was very long.
specifically, the closeup of roundish window..it just remained still for a few minutes
dronerstone
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Re: Parts 1 + 2 (Spoilers)

Post by dronerstone »

Anyone else feel like Evil Coop's attire with that leather jacket and long and greasy hair fits right in with BOB's double denim and also long/greasy grunge-y hair? Why is BOB always going for that kinda style? o_O
Rami Airola
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Re: Parts 1 + 2 (Spoilers)

Post by Rami Airola »

novazemblan wrote: I don't feel any of the complaints about the CG/effects. I agree the Red Room looks different and not quite as luxurious on digital, but Lynch effects has always been bizarre and amateurish. Also aren't we supposed to be in some ill-defined dimensional dream space? The cartoonish scratchy nature of the stuff like the burnt tramp/the evolution of the arm/ or Laura whizzing off lend it a fairy-tale quality. Its much better than draw-pull Josie anyway.
But we already had the perfect Red Room both in the series and in the movie. We already had something that was better than the Josie effect.

That "ill-defined dream space" was way more haunting and mysterious when things inside seemed to be real. Now that the digital effects are in, it kinda makes anything possible and I'm not sure I like that kind of potential. I have always found it fascinating that there can be curtains in the forest and if you go behind the curtains you will encounter a new physical looking and physical feeling world, and you are surrounded by those curtains where every backside of the curtain is a new mystery still with the same sense of it being "concrete."

In my opinion there should've been another section of the Lodge where things are more digital in general, and the Red Room parts of it would've been the same old stuff you could potentially touch with your hands. I don't want the Red Room parts to become a fairy-tale computer game. It was perfect the way it was. Now, for whatever Lynch thinks could be beyond the Red Room, I think anything is permissible. Lynch can make a whole room with Josie knobs with the same quality the original scene was and I would take it with all of my heart. But I can't help than feel this new style in the Red Room parts somewhat diminish the mysterious quality it originally had.


I have come to terms with it already though and don't expect it to have the old mood anymore and I'm ok with it. I'm ok with the new Arm too. I like it. It is there and that is what it is. But I still think the actual Red Room and the way things appear there could've been better had it been made in another way.
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Here Comes That Bob
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Re: Parts 1 + 2 (Spoilers)

Post by Here Comes That Bob »

-Hastings wife really reminds me of Diane Ladd in WaH. Definitely not a style of acting that suits me.

-Also I'm not sure how to feel about the evil Coop. I mean Kyle is doing a great job, but I'm still having a hard time imagining him as menacing presence.

-Final scene of episode 2 was beautiful. Really excited to see how James's storyline progresses.

-Margaret and Hawk scenes were so touching.
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Here Comes That Bob
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Re: Parts 1 + 2 (Spoilers)

Post by Here Comes That Bob »

What was up with the "Laura screaming" scene? Was she transfered into another portal as a punishment for overstepping her boundaries? Was BOB the one who punished her?
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ringbearer
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Re: Parts 1 + 2 (Spoilers)

Post by ringbearer »

Was that Nadine's head at the murder scene?
"I like to remember things my own way." Fred Madison
Elric99
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Re: Parts 1 + 2 (Spoilers)

Post by Elric99 »

Am I smoking something, or is there some kind of visual effect when bad Coop shoots Mrs. Hastings after she dumps her husband in jail? When I first watched it live, our feed was kind of glitchy so I didn't notice, but on a rewatch on-demand at higher quality it looks like something very quickly leaves her body right when he shoots her. Can't get a series of freeze frames unfortunately.

Also would point out for comments on her acting, that bad Coop specifically talks about her behavior being human-like. Implying she isn't human?
Metamorphia
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Re: Parts 1 + 2 (Spoilers)

Post by Metamorphia »

Think I must have been sleep deprived last night because after watching the pilot again I'm absolutely overawed with it.
Rami Airola
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Re: Parts 1 + 2 (Spoilers)

Post by Rami Airola »

Elric99 wrote:Am I smoking something, or is there some kind of visual effect when bad Coop shoots Mrs. Hastings after she dumps her husband in jail? When I first watched it live, our feed was kind of glitchy so I didn't notice, but on a rewatch on-demand at higher quality it looks like something very quickly leaves her body right when he shoots her. Can't get a series of freeze frames unfortunately.

Here is a gif.
There definitely is some odd warping and doubling done in the picture.
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