- Joined
- Jul 3, 1997
- Messages
- 66,715
- Real Name
- Ronald Epstein
After reading this initial review, please read the replies and then check out PAGE 2 where I have posted a FINAL UPDATE on my review of the series.
Twin Peaks: The First Season
Welcome to Twin Peaks, Population 51201
This is an interesting story, and really, it's
almost the same story of my first experience
watching The X-FILES boxed set.
I am no big fan of David Lynch. I think the stuff
he does is just plain weird -- that is -- with
the exception of The Elephant Man, which
I thought was brilliantly directed.
Despite all the hoopla during its broadcast years,
I had no interest whatsoever in Twin Peaks.
I chalked the series up to being just another weirdness
of David Lynch. When the DVD set was recently
announced, I didn't even give it a second thought.
But the folks at Artisan felt it necessary
to send me a copy of the First Season Special
Edition DVD. I was a little upset at first,
I'll admit. This is a pretty costly DVD set, and
this feeling of guilt came over me that I now had
a responsibility to Artisan to review this set for
them -- especially if I wanted to do future reviews
for them.
Okay, I thought, I would take the easy road out and
just watch the first episode and write a review based
on what I saw.
Watching the first episode, I was about ready to
turn my television off and just not do the review.
But then....something happened. By the end of the
first episode, I was finding myself wanting more.
I watched the second episode -- and before I knew it --
I was finishing episode three.
Let me stop here and talk about this set....
Handsomely cased in a removal plastic slipcase
bearing Laura Palmer's picture, Twin Peaks The
First Season unfolds into 5 sections. 4 of
the sections contain plastic hubs with a photo
beneath each that house the 4 discs that hold the
complete 7 episodes for that season. The 5th
section contains a pamphlet that contains an
interview with Sheryl Lee (Laura Palmer), an
index of chapters for each disc and episode, and
a short bio of each of the main characters of
Twin Peaks (which helped me immensely understand
who was who).
Upon watching the first episode, I became quite
confused. EPISODE ONE starts with "Last Time on
Twin Peaks". What do you mean "LAST TIME"?! Is this
not the very first episode? It seems I missed a
great deal involving Laura Palmer's death and
of Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) arriving
into town.
Opening the small enclosed pamphlet, I see that
a SUMMARY of the story so far is given. This leads
me to believe that something aired prior to this
television series, perhaps a pilot, that Artisan
either did not have the rights to or chose not to
include in this set. Fortunately, I was pretty much
able to pick up what was going on right from the
first episode.
Before watching each episode, the viewer has the
option to turn on many extras that can be added to
the viewing experience. Here is a list of them:
* Running Commentary by the Directors, Production
Designers, etc.
* Intro by the LOG LADY who we briefly meet in
episode 2 (I think). Turning this feature on starts
each episode with a philosophical ranting by the
infamous log lady.
* On Screen Script Notes: While watching the episode,
a small campfirte icon appears on the screen. Click
it to be taken to supplementary text that describes
out-take scenes that support the current storyline, and
things to watch for in the scene that have significance
to things that happen later on.
Those that have never watched TWIN PEAKS should
watch with just the script notes turned on as well
as the log lady introduction. Those that have already
seen the episodes should opt for the running
commentary.
I was just amazed at how gorgeous the transfer
is of this series on DVD. Checking the box I read
that this is a newly remastered High-definition
transfer. No shit! This is the best looking
transfer of a television show I have seen on the
format. The picture clarity has to be seen to be
believed.
I am sure that everyone will also be thrilled at
the 5.1 Dolby Digital and DTS tracks that are
included on this set. I opted for DTS, and was
just blown away at how great the episodes sounded.
There was extremely rich, strong sound from the
front speakers. And the rear speakers came alive
with a lot of rear music ambience that actually
enveloped you into the entire presentation.
I will say this again -- I have never seen a TV
show look and sound as good as it does here.
Disc 7 houses all the Supplemental Features
that I am sure fans will be combing through. I must
warn, however, the material is just as odd as the
series itself. To begin, there's the Mark Frost
interview with Wrapped In Plastic, which I found
to be a fan based magazine. I must say that this
is the oddest thing I have ever seen. Imagine these
two geeks conducting a phone interview with Executive
Producer Mark Frost. It's a general Q&A session that
looks to be very revealing for fans that want to know
everything about the Twin Peaks phenomenon.
Learning to Speak in the Red Room is equally
as weird. "Little Mike", the midget in the dream
sequence in EPISODE TWO, gives courses on how to
talk the language spoken in the red room, or better
known as, the voices inside David Lynch's head.
An Introduction to David Lynch begins with
Catherinee Coulson (the Log Lady) talking about how
she first met David Lynch. Film Producer Charles
Ramirez talks about Lynch's brainstorm in coming
up with the Red Room idea. We find out that Lynch is
the type of individual that doesn't analyze or question
what he does -- he just puts it out there (which
in a nutshell totally explains his weirdness). This
segment includes perspectives on Lynch from most of
the major cast members, including Kyle MacLachlan.
17 Pieces of Pie is an interview with
Pat Cokewell, owner of the Mar T diner. Taking
place during the Twin Peaks Fan Festival, the
diner's owner recalls how she was approached to
have her diner featured as the DOUBLE R DINER.
17 pieces of pie refers to the amount of pie that
the cast and crew ate during the first day of filming.
Twin Peaks Directory is the most interesting
of all the features. Laura Palmer becomes the
center of a circle surrounded by the names of each
character. By clicking on each character's name
that surrounds her, you are told their relationship
to her character. Click on another character and
they become the center of an entirely new circle
where you go through the same process of matching up
character relationships. It may sound a bit confusing
in description, but trust me, it's really neat!
Included in this segment are biographies, episode
facts and even video postcards from the characters.
Final Thoughts....
I spent three hours watching something I never
thought you could pay me to watch. It's quite
startling how I was drawn into this series --
especially with how weird the characters within
it are. But it's the characters that kept me
returning. Whether it be Agent Dale Cooper,
a wooden but extremely sharp FBI agent -or-
Big Ed Hurley who loathes being married to
Nadine, who is a real nutjob woman intent
on inventing silent drape runners -or- Leo
Johnson, who is the most suspicious of all the
characters in town.
I only watched the first three episodes, and yet,
I have this strange desire to go back and check out
the rest. I hope I'll find the time in the next
upcoming weeks to do just that.
Release Date: December 18th
Twin Peaks: The First Season
Welcome to Twin Peaks, Population 51201
This is an interesting story, and really, it's
almost the same story of my first experience
watching The X-FILES boxed set.
I am no big fan of David Lynch. I think the stuff
he does is just plain weird -- that is -- with
the exception of The Elephant Man, which
I thought was brilliantly directed.
Despite all the hoopla during its broadcast years,
I had no interest whatsoever in Twin Peaks.
I chalked the series up to being just another weirdness
of David Lynch. When the DVD set was recently
announced, I didn't even give it a second thought.
But the folks at Artisan felt it necessary
to send me a copy of the First Season Special
Edition DVD. I was a little upset at first,
I'll admit. This is a pretty costly DVD set, and
this feeling of guilt came over me that I now had
a responsibility to Artisan to review this set for
them -- especially if I wanted to do future reviews
for them.
Okay, I thought, I would take the easy road out and
just watch the first episode and write a review based
on what I saw.
Watching the first episode, I was about ready to
turn my television off and just not do the review.
But then....something happened. By the end of the
first episode, I was finding myself wanting more.
I watched the second episode -- and before I knew it --
I was finishing episode three.
Let me stop here and talk about this set....
Handsomely cased in a removal plastic slipcase
bearing Laura Palmer's picture, Twin Peaks The
First Season unfolds into 5 sections. 4 of
the sections contain plastic hubs with a photo
beneath each that house the 4 discs that hold the
complete 7 episodes for that season. The 5th
section contains a pamphlet that contains an
interview with Sheryl Lee (Laura Palmer), an
index of chapters for each disc and episode, and
a short bio of each of the main characters of
Twin Peaks (which helped me immensely understand
who was who).
Upon watching the first episode, I became quite
confused. EPISODE ONE starts with "Last Time on
Twin Peaks". What do you mean "LAST TIME"?! Is this
not the very first episode? It seems I missed a
great deal involving Laura Palmer's death and
of Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) arriving
into town.
Opening the small enclosed pamphlet, I see that
a SUMMARY of the story so far is given. This leads
me to believe that something aired prior to this
television series, perhaps a pilot, that Artisan
either did not have the rights to or chose not to
include in this set. Fortunately, I was pretty much
able to pick up what was going on right from the
first episode.
Before watching each episode, the viewer has the
option to turn on many extras that can be added to
the viewing experience. Here is a list of them:
* Running Commentary by the Directors, Production
Designers, etc.
* Intro by the LOG LADY who we briefly meet in
episode 2 (I think). Turning this feature on starts
each episode with a philosophical ranting by the
infamous log lady.
* On Screen Script Notes: While watching the episode,
a small campfirte icon appears on the screen. Click
it to be taken to supplementary text that describes
out-take scenes that support the current storyline, and
things to watch for in the scene that have significance
to things that happen later on.
Those that have never watched TWIN PEAKS should
watch with just the script notes turned on as well
as the log lady introduction. Those that have already
seen the episodes should opt for the running
commentary.
I was just amazed at how gorgeous the transfer
is of this series on DVD. Checking the box I read
that this is a newly remastered High-definition
transfer. No shit! This is the best looking
transfer of a television show I have seen on the
format. The picture clarity has to be seen to be
believed.
I am sure that everyone will also be thrilled at
the 5.1 Dolby Digital and DTS tracks that are
included on this set. I opted for DTS, and was
just blown away at how great the episodes sounded.
There was extremely rich, strong sound from the
front speakers. And the rear speakers came alive
with a lot of rear music ambience that actually
enveloped you into the entire presentation.
I will say this again -- I have never seen a TV
show look and sound as good as it does here.
Disc 7 houses all the Supplemental Features
that I am sure fans will be combing through. I must
warn, however, the material is just as odd as the
series itself. To begin, there's the Mark Frost
interview with Wrapped In Plastic, which I found
to be a fan based magazine. I must say that this
is the oddest thing I have ever seen. Imagine these
two geeks conducting a phone interview with Executive
Producer Mark Frost. It's a general Q&A session that
looks to be very revealing for fans that want to know
everything about the Twin Peaks phenomenon.
Learning to Speak in the Red Room is equally
as weird. "Little Mike", the midget in the dream
sequence in EPISODE TWO, gives courses on how to
talk the language spoken in the red room, or better
known as, the voices inside David Lynch's head.
An Introduction to David Lynch begins with
Catherinee Coulson (the Log Lady) talking about how
she first met David Lynch. Film Producer Charles
Ramirez talks about Lynch's brainstorm in coming
up with the Red Room idea. We find out that Lynch is
the type of individual that doesn't analyze or question
what he does -- he just puts it out there (which
in a nutshell totally explains his weirdness). This
segment includes perspectives on Lynch from most of
the major cast members, including Kyle MacLachlan.
17 Pieces of Pie is an interview with
Pat Cokewell, owner of the Mar T diner. Taking
place during the Twin Peaks Fan Festival, the
diner's owner recalls how she was approached to
have her diner featured as the DOUBLE R DINER.
17 pieces of pie refers to the amount of pie that
the cast and crew ate during the first day of filming.
Twin Peaks Directory is the most interesting
of all the features. Laura Palmer becomes the
center of a circle surrounded by the names of each
character. By clicking on each character's name
that surrounds her, you are told their relationship
to her character. Click on another character and
they become the center of an entirely new circle
where you go through the same process of matching up
character relationships. It may sound a bit confusing
in description, but trust me, it's really neat!
Included in this segment are biographies, episode
facts and even video postcards from the characters.
Final Thoughts....
I spent three hours watching something I never
thought you could pay me to watch. It's quite
startling how I was drawn into this series --
especially with how weird the characters within
it are. But it's the characters that kept me
returning. Whether it be Agent Dale Cooper,
a wooden but extremely sharp FBI agent -or-
Big Ed Hurley who loathes being married to
Nadine, who is a real nutjob woman intent
on inventing silent drape runners -or- Leo
Johnson, who is the most suspicious of all the
characters in town.
I only watched the first three episodes, and yet,
I have this strange desire to go back and check out
the rest. I hope I'll find the time in the next
upcoming weeks to do just that.
Release Date: December 18th
