“As a longtime fan of Twin Peaks, I was initially nervous this revival would pull an X-Files and function as simple nostalgia fuel while being … not great,” posted Yahoo TV’s Price Peterson, who attended a Friday screening of the first two episodes in Los Angeles. “But two hours later, a stunned crowd left the theater with the distinct feeling that David Lynch had gotten away with something. Whatever your expectations are, they will not be met — and that’s a good thing. Based on the first two hours, it’s safe to say Twin Peaks‘ 18 difficult new episodes will rattle, baffle, and enrage … .”
Peterson then posts details. Beware the text invisible.
• The best new face… does not have a face.
• One actor plays two characters, and wears a hilarious wig for one of them.
• There is a shocking moment that is among the scariest things I’ve ever seen on TV.
• The new opening credits may have some viewers reaching for the Dramamine.
• Episode 2 uses a song by the Chromatics that may haunt your playlists for weeks.
• The first two episodes alternate between cryptic, terrifying, and hilarious. There was as much laughter as there were gasps.
• Though advertised as a “new season” of Twin Peaks, these episodes felt more like a revival of ALL of David Lynch’s work. Parts of it felt very Blue Velvet and Lost Highway, with some imagery from Eraserhead mixed in.
Showtime says of “Parts 1 and 2”:
“The stars turn and a time presents itself.”
Seven reasons this may not turn out to be “Exorcist II,” “RoboCop 2,” “Caddyshack II,” “Speed 2,” “Be Cool,” “Return of the Jedi” or “Blues Brothers 2000”:
1) Since “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me,” Lynch has not made a bad movie. His post-Peaks-pilot output includes 1990’s “Wild At Heart” (which received positive reviews from 65% of critics polled by the Rotten Tomatoes website), 1997’s “Lost Highway” (60%), 1999’s “The Straight Story” (96%), 2001’s “Mulholland Drive” (83%) and 2006’s “Inland Empire” (72%).
2) David Lynch directed two of season one’s eight episodes. He directed four of season two’s 22 episodes. He co-wrote and directed all 18 episodes of season three.
3) Mark Frost, who wrote 27 episodes of “Hill Street Blues” before be co-created “Twin Peaks,” wrote or co-wrote 11 of first 30 episodes of “Twin Peaks.” He and Lynch jointly wrote all 18 episodes of season three. (Frost had nothing to do with Lynch’s motion picture “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.”)
4) Frost and Lynch have had a quarter century to figure out how not to fuck this up. (Also: While Lynch is 71, older than the oldest man ever elected U.S. president, he’s not 91.)
5) Frost and Lynch created ABC’s “Twin Peaks,” one of the three finest television series ever forged.
6) Returning from the ABC series and/or the New Line movie are Madchen Amick, Dana Ashbrook, Phoebe Augustine (Ronette Pulaski), Richard Beymer, Julee Cruise, Jan D’Arcy (Sylvia Horne), David Duchovny, Sherilyn Fenn, Miguel Ferrer, Warren Frost, Harry Goaz, Andrea Hays (Heidi the German waitress), Gary Hershberger, Michael Horse, David Patrick Kelly, Sheryl Lee, Peggy Lipton, David Lynch, Kyle McLachlan, James Marshall, Everett McGill, Walter Olkewicz, Kimmy Robertson, Wendy Robie, Harry Dean Stanton, Charlotte Stewart (Betty Briggs), Al Strobel, Carel Struyken, Russ Tamblyn, Ray Wise, Catherine Coulson, Alicia Witt and Grace Zabriskie.
7) Some of the series’ more famous newcomers include Jane Adams (“Hung”), Alon Aboutboul (“London Has Fallen”), Stephanie Allynne (“The Birthday Boys”), Elizabeth Anweis (“Hung,” “Parks and Recreation”), Matt Battaglia (“True Detective”), Monica Bellucci (“SPECTRE”), Jim Belushi (“Show Me A Hero”), John Billingsly (“Star Trek: Enterprise”), Ronnie Gene Blevins (“True Detective”), Brent Briscoe (“Mulholland Drive,” “Parks and Recreation”), Robert Broski (“Pee-wee’s Big Holiday”), Wes Brown (“True Blood’), Juan Carlos Cantu (“The Bridge,” “Telenovela”), Vincent Castellanos (“Mulholland Drive”), Micheal Cera (“Juno”), Bailey Chase (“Buffy The Vampire Slayer”), Johnny Chavez (“Vice Principals”), Candy Clark (“American Graffiti”), Larry Clarke (“Contagion”), Richard Chamberlain (“The Towering Inferno”), Frank Collison (“The Village,” “Pee-wee’s Big Holiday”), Lisa Coronado (“Z Nation”), Grace Victoria Cox (“Under The Dome”), Jonny Coyne (“Alcatraz,” “11.22.63”), David Dastmalchian (“Ant-Man”), Jeremy Davies (“Lost”), Owain Rhys Davies (“Alice Through The Looking Glass”), Ana de la Reguera (“Narcos,” “Jane The Virgin”), Laura Dern (“Jurassic Park”), Neil Dickson (“Inland Empire,” “Mad Men”), Hugh Dillon (“Flashpoint,” “The Killing”), Cullen Douglas (Edison Po on “Agents of SHIELD”), Judith Drake (“Angie Tribeca”), Francesca Eastwood (“Heroes Reborn”), Eric Edelstein (“Jurassic World,” “Complications”), John Ennis (Zodiac,” “Studio 60”), Josh Fadem (“Dollhouse,” Camera Guy on “Better Call Saul”), Eamon Farren (“The Pacific”), Jay R. Ferguson (Stan Rizzo on “Mad Men”), Sky Ferreira (“The Green Inferno,” “Elvis & Nixon”), Rebecca Field (“Grey’s Anatomy”), Brian Finney (“Turn: Washington’s Spies”), Patrick Fischler (Jimmy Barrett on “Mad Men”), Robert Forster (“Jackie Brown”), Meg Foster (“They Live”), Balthazar Getty (“Lost Highway”), Pierce Gagnon (“Tomorrowland”), Hailey Gates (“Ricki and the Flash”), Brett Gelman (“Eagleheart,” “Love”), Ivy George (“Agent Carter”), James Giordano (“Mad Men”), Grant Goodeve (“Eight Is Enough,” “Northern Exposure”), George Griffith (“Cabin Fever”), Travis Hammer (“Manhattan”), Hank Harris (“The Man In The High Castle”), Stephen Heath (“90210”), Ernie Hudson (“Ghostbusters”), Jesse Johnson (Booth in “Killing Lincoln”), Caleb Landry Jones (Banshee in “X-Men: First Class”), Ashley Judd (“Allegiant”), Luke Judy (“Angie Tribeca”), Laura Kenny (“Cabin Fever”), Robert Knepper (“Mockingjay”), David Koechner (“Anchorman”), Virginia Kull (“Boardwalk Empire,” “Gracepoint,” “Sneaky Pete,” “Big Little Lies”), Nicole LaLiberte (“How To Make It In America”), Jennifer Jason Leigh (“Fast Times At Ridgemont High”), Jane Levy (“Suburgatory”), Matthew Lillard (“Scooby Doo”), Shane Lynch (“Ray Donovan,” “A Very Murray Christmas”), Mark Mahoney (“Black Mass”), Karl Makinen (Richard on “The Walking Dead”), Xolo Maridueña (the adopted son on “Parenthood”), Bérénice Marlohe (“Skyfall,” “The Spoils Before Dying”), Josh McDermitt (“The Walking Dead”), Zoe McLane (“The Huntsman: Winter’s War”), Derek Mears (“Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters”), Clark Middleton (“Fringe,” “Kill Bill”), James Morrison (Bill Buchanan on “24”), Christopher Murray (“The West Wing,” “24,” “Aquarius”), Don Murray (“Conquest of the Planet of the Apes”), Joy Nash (“The Mindy Project”), John Paulsen (“Z Nation”), Sara Paxton (“Liar Liar”), Max Perlich (“Homicide”), Tracy Phillips (“Charlie Wilson’s War”), John Pirruccello (“Two and a Half Men”), Linda Porter (“Pee-wee’s Big Holiday,” “Superstore”), Jelani Quinn (“10 Things I Hate About You,” “Parks and Recreation”), Adele Rene (“The Affair”), Trent Reznor (“Light of Day”), Ben Rosenfield (“Boardwalk Empire,” “A Most Violent Year,” “Irrational Man”), Erik Rondell (“24”), Tim Roth (“Pulp Fiction”), Rod Rowland (“Veronica Mars”), Carlton Lee Russell (“Austin Powers”), Elena Satine (“Agents of SHIELD,” “24: Legacy”), John Savage (“The Deer Hunter”), Amanda Seyfried (“Mamma Mia!”), Amy Shiels (“The Detour”), Sawyer Shipman (“Happyish”), Tom Sizemore (“Heat”), Sara Sohn (“Sense8,” “Furious 7”), Bob Stephenson (“11.22.63,” “Why Him?”), Emily Stofle (“Inland Empire”), Ethan Suplee (“Mallrats”), Jessica Szohr (“Gossip Girl”), Bill Tangradi (“Justified,” “Free State of Jones”), Lauren Tewes (“The Love Boat”), Jodee Thelen (“Duet”), Sharon Van Etten (“The OA”), Eddie Vedder (“Singles”), Greg Vrotsos (“Empire State,” “Vinyl”), Naomi Watts (“Mulholland Drive”), Nafeesa Williams (“Code Black,” “Black Lightning”), Karolina Wydra (“Europa Report,” “Crazy Stupid Love”), Charlyne Yi (“This Is 40,” “Love”), Nae Yuuki (“Ultraman,” “Letters From Iwo Jima”), Christophe Zajac-Denek (“Oz The Great And Powerful”) and Madeline Zima (“The Nanny,” “Heroes”).
