'The Secret History of Twin Peaks' novel by M. Frost 10/18

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N. Needleman
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Re: 'The Secret Lives of Twin Peaks' new novel by M. Frost 2

Post by N. Needleman »

I somehow doubt Earle (or Rusty!) will be making a triumphant return. I think everyone has probably by now seen the pitfalls of the Earle storyline as executed, and I am still a fan of a fair amount of it.

I wouldn't mind seeing Frost deal with some of it in the book, but I have no desire to see Windom Earle onscreen again - beyond maybe a creepy cameo as some sort of ghost or husk inside the Black Lodge. That might be cool.
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Re: 'The Secret Lives of Twin Peaks' new novel by M. Frost 2

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fearltd wrote:I'd definitely agree about Windom. He was an interesting idea for a character, but I find his over-the-top speeches to be a bit grating. If you read the script to the final episode, Windom Earle has a ton of hammy dialogue throughout the Black Lodge sequences. Thankfully Lynch returned and did what he did. It really goes to show what sensibilities Lynch brought the entire series looking at the way the episode turned out compared to the script. I always got the idea that Lynch didn't really like that character, as he is dispatched pretty quickly. I know Bob Engels mentioned something about the original script of FWWM had something to do with Windom Earle in Buenos Aires, but the finished film has no mention of him at all.
I think Cooper describes Earle as having a will like that of a cold-diamond, or something along those lines. But, Earle is just way too whacky. I get he's supposed to be a foil for Cooper, but, wouldn't a more straight-faced/menacing character worked as a better foil to Cooper's eccentricity. I think had Earle actually been played as a serious, menacing presence, then the storyline would've worked a lot better for me. Having said all that, at least his role in the show gave it a strong focus and direction. I'd rather take an iffy-written villain that actually gives the protagonist a purpose as opposed to .. whatever driving force there was immediately following the closure of Laura's murder.
Ted Raimi on his character of Heavy Metal Youth/Rusty Tomaski: "After the character dies in the show, Windom Earle was going to reincarnate [Tomaski] and bring [him] back as a college student, so i'd be like, doing [Earle's] bidding, you know? [Laughter] Like a zombie! It was so crazy. I just respected that so much, that [the producers] weren't too worried about the falling ratings. It was a true artist's show."
Oh god. I read a lot of details about the planned third season (it was from that interview with the comic artist who was planning on doing a third season for the DVD release), and throw this in the pile of ones I hope don't see the light of day in the (definitely happening with Lynch directing .. I hope) episodes we finally get. If Twin Peaks knocks it out of the park when it comes back, it's cancellation years ago will be the happiest dodged bullet.
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N. Needleman
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Re: 'The Secret Lives of Twin Peaks' new novel by M. Frost 2

Post by N. Needleman »

I like a lot of those crazy ideas, some of which I think were actually borne out of FWWM (the 'planet'/dimension of corn/garmonbozia), but some of them (Earle, Rusty, Audrey pregnant by Wheeler) do not work for me.
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Re: 'The Secret Lives of Twin Peaks' new novel by M. Frost 2

Post by wurmheart »

I would be really surprised if they brought back Windom Earle, and I was pretty okay with him. He was kind of ridiculous, but I didn't have much of a problem with the ridiculous parts of the second season. At least they were more interesting than that convoluted nonsense about the Packard Mill. But anyways my impression of most of those arcs was that they didn't know what to do after the Laura Palmer mystery so they just started writing whatever they could think of. Windom Earle struck me as the best they could do given Lynch was kind of gone and they didn't have a ton of time. But now they've had 25 years. They can do better than that. Evil Coop is an infinitely more compelling conflict than Windom Earle could ever be. Plus his conflict has ended. They don't really need to wrap anything up. I'd say we've seen the last of Windom Earle.
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Re: 'The Secret Lives of Twin Peaks' new novel by M. Frost 2

Post by 4815162342 »

My implication from the last episode is that Windom Earle is dead, BOB took his soul. Of course that isn't stopping them from bringing back Leland and Laura...
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Re: 'The Secret Lives of Twin Peaks' new novel by M. Frost 2

Post by Dalai Cooper »

Like most here I don't have a problem with the concept of Earle, and when he was still unseen they did a good job setting up this dark shadow in cooper's past. The execution was awful, though - as people have said, this is a show that has had BOB, the Laura/Maddy murders, and genuinely sinister characters like Leo & Hank, so "chatty, flamboyant occultist serial killer" is like, cool buffy villain guys but who have you really got to bring about Cooper's downfall? And yeah, heavy metal youth is the single worst thing to happen in the whole series.

I think Frost will be aware of the problems with Earle (I remember one of the writers in a documentary saying that Earle, with his florid rhetoric, was fun to write for, adding "probably too fun") but I think he will have to at least mention him in the novel - there needs to be some fallout from the kidnapping & subsequent 3-day disappearance of an FBI agent, people will be asking "where is Earle now?" &c. It's one of many season 2 things that I don't think they can get away with pretending never happened, much as they'd like to.
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Re: 'The Secret Lives of Twin Peaks' new novel by M. Frost 2

Post by wurmheart »

Dalai Cooper wrote: I think he will have to at least mention him in the novel
Actually yeah that's probably true. Maybe the purpose of the novel is to wrap up all that ridiculousness in season 2 so that they can start fresh with new, better ideas.
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Re: 'The Secret Lives of Twin Peaks' new novel by M. Frost 2

Post by fearltd »

I don't know if this was ever posted on here, but I found a very interesting post from the old alt.twinpeaks from '97
A few years back, I talked to Mark Frost at a book signing (to promote
his novel " The List of 7.") He had some interesting things to say
about continuing TP. (If I misunderstood anything, or am
mis-characterizing his remarks, I apologize).
Apparently Mark Frost and David Lynch had a falling out. He said that
Lynch had "burned a lot of bridges, personally and in the industry."
Therefore, there was no possibility of his (Frost's) involvement in a
sequel. Since both Frost and Lynch created the series (and own the
rights to it) they would both have to agree to a continuation in any
form, and that just isn't going to happen. He mentioned a
Michener-esque novel as something that he might have done if he could,
but he couldn't.

Also, in this conversation Frost let slip some ideas that the 3rd season
might have used. It would fast forward 25 years, with Dale Cooper being
Twin Peaks' aging pharmacist (!). Also, BOB and MIKE would have been
revealed to have come from "a planet made of corn, corn everywhere."
BOB stole some special corn (garmonbozia) and fled to Earth, and MIKE
pursued him to retrieve it. Frost said that these ideas weren't fully
developed and no scripts had been written.
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic ... LsjjDymyek

I found that very interesting because it eludes to a falling out between Frost and Lynch (something that's been debated), and also mentions ideas that were being tossed around for the third season graphic novel a few years back and ideas that could potentially be used with the new scrips (i.e, Cooper being the town pharmacist). I always thought the idea of the corn/garmonbozia as a very Lynchian idea, so it's interesting to see Mark talking about it. In any event, I guess he'll (hopefully) finally be able to release his Michener-esque novel about Twin Peaks and expand on some of these ideas...
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N. Needleman
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Re: 'The Secret Lives of Twin Peaks' new novel by M. Frost 2

Post by N. Needleman »

I didn't realize the whole 'planet of corn'/garmonbozia thing extended back to Frost - I often wondered if it was just the brainchild of Robert Engels and Lynch circa FWWM.

I know Engels (I think it was Engels) made it clear it wasn't a 'planet' per se so much as another place, another dimension.
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Rudagger
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Re: 'The Secret Lives of Twin Peaks' new novel by M. Frost 2

Post by Rudagger »

So, is it a safe assumption this book is happening again as well then?
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N. Needleman
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Re: 'The Secret Lives of Twin Peaks' new novel by M. Frost 2

Post by N. Needleman »

Pretty sure.
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Re: 'The Secret Lives of Twin Peaks' new novel by M. Frost 2

Post by Nightsea »

I'm elated by the news! Wow! So happy that the novel and the new continuation will see the light of day :).
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Re: 'The Secret Lives of Twin Peaks' new novel by M. Frost 2

Post by Jasper »

I am so glad that this book didn't become a casualty of a failed television deal. Now I'm even more excited to read it.

I think it's great that Mark Frost kind of gets to do his own FWWM, meaning a TP-related work that's under his direction, so to speak. I assume that there was some discussion w/ Lynch of some general scenarios, since the book surely ties into the Lynch/Frost scripts, but aside from such broad strokes, I imagine Frost will have a great deal of freedom to make of this project what he pleases.

I'm ready to read it right now. Looking forward to the discussion as well. I suspect that the book will fuel a great deal of speculation about what we might see in the series.
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Re: 'The Secret Lives of Twin Peaks' new novel by M. Frost 2

Post by Gabriel »

Jasper wrote:I am so glad that this book didn't become a casualty of a failed television deal. Now I'm even more excited to read it.

I think it's great that Mark Frost kind of gets to do his own FWWM, meaning a TP-related work that's under his direction, so to speak. I assume that there was some discussion w/ Lynch of some general scenarios, since the book surely ties into the Lynch/Frost scripts, but aside from such broad strokes, I imagine Frost will have a great deal of freedom to make of this project what he pleases.

I'm ready to read it right now. Looking forward to the discussion as well. I suspect that the book will fuel a great deal of speculation about what we might see in the series.
Funnily enough, I'd have loved to have seen a solo Mark Frost Twin Peaks film. I really liked Storyville.

I'm intrigued about the Cooper angle. I mean maybe with his dark side unleashed, Cooper simply became a mean little sod, fell out with everyone and left Twin Peaks. So maybe the new season has him learn to be nice again . . .

I'm not worried about the cliffhanger being resolved off screen as such, to be honest. As I've said before, the scene in the red room from the pilot (which specifically says it's 25 years later) could actually be a scene from the new series. Maybe they'll composite Kyle's head as it is now on to his body in that scene.

My speculation has been that good Cooper was rescued by Major Briggs and left Twin Peaks, never to return. Then, 25 years later, something happens in the town that forces Cooper (going by his age in the show and My Life, My Tapes he'll be 62) presumably either retired or close to retirement, to return to the Black Lodge and face his fear. It also means the LMFAP and his 'cousin' can remain the same age in the scene!
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Re: 'The Secret Lives of Twin Peaks' new novel by M. Frost 2

Post by Rudagger »

Jasper wrote:I am so glad that this book didn't become a casualty of a failed television deal. Now I'm even more excited to read it.

I think it's great that Mark Frost kind of gets to do his own FWWM, meaning a TP-related work that's under his direction, so to speak. I assume that there was some discussion w/ Lynch of some general scenarios, since the book surely ties into the Lynch/Frost scripts, but aside from such broad strokes, I imagine Frost will have a great deal of freedom to make of this project what he pleases.

I'm ready to read it right now. Looking forward to the discussion as well. I suspect that the book will fuel a great deal of speculation about what we might see in the series.
Yeah, I agree with that. Mid second season was .. sort of Mark Frosts, but, he was kind of left holding the bag after the murder storyline was resolved, so, I can't really hold him accountable for that. I'm very intrigued to see what him alone can do with Twin Peaks in some capacity. He seems like more of a plot-driven writer than Lynch, so, I imagine it will be a good read filling in the 25 years.

Someone else posted about the Cooper storyline being resolved off-screen (like Major Briggs rescuing). I personally think it's far too juicy of material to leave off the screen. Perhaps the 25-years-later is the next opportunity the Lodge opens again, even allowing Coops own escape? (I believe the final few episodes suggested the Lodged opened based on some astronomical occurances, so)
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