TP:TR. Full 18-hour experience

Moderators: Brad D, Annie, Jonah, BookhouseBoyBob, Ross, Jerry Horne

User avatar
yaxomoxay
Great Northern Member
Posts: 767
Joined: Tue May 23, 2017 4:50 pm

TP:TR. Full 18-hour experience

Post by yaxomoxay »

IcedOver wrote:Personally, I can't imagine that watching in one sitting (or close to it) would be a valuable experience or enhance the show. Just from a time perspective, It's not something I would do. The problems with the show weren't all about how it flowed. Poor narrative and character choices aren't going to disappear if one watches it strung together. In fact they may become more glaring.
I disagree. In the 18 hour experience those things that you call “poor narrative” and “poor character choices” become an integral part of what is happening. They fill the voids that looking at a greater context usually causes. I wasn’t sold on many things before watching the entire movie. I didn’t really like Audrey, I didn’t enjoy all the chit chat about all those characters that are named during the show. Heck, at first I didn’t like green glove (still not a fan). I thought that Jacoby was boring.
During the 18 hours they show up as a total of 1 hour at most. 1/18 of the series. Yet they all tell a story of pain, destroyed family, government corruption, missed love, found love. 1/18 of the story is not essential to the plot. It really isn’t. But not everything has to be essential to the plot.
I also found my personal love for Becky’s character. I could not see her as anything but just a face put on a screen from drama. Some people on this very forum compared her with Laura Palmer. Some even expected her to be murdered by BOB! I disagreed with them, I disliked her. After watching the 18 hours in a row her character blended with the central theme of a dream, or at least the NEED of a dream. She was dreamless. She was as lost as young Laura, but she refused her own spiritual sensitivity in exchange for drugs and a crappy boyfriend. For her, drugs were the easy way out of a non-situation. For Laura drugs were the escape route from a perverted father. Laura dreamed to be good, she dreamed angels. Becky? She just wanted drugs. She had absolutely no transcendental experiences UNLESS drugged (as that scene in the car shows). Mind you: this does not make her bad. Or good. It makes her empty, and that’s why we don’t see her death which is left to our imagination. We can “dream” of the non-dreamer who died.
I might not be clear in what I mean, it is difficult to put it down in words.
Becky is not essential to the Cooper/BadCoop/Laura plot. She’s essential to the greater scheme in TP. Good, evil, dreams. She’s essential because she represent a generation of abused and/or drugged girls.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
User avatar
TwistedFate_L4
Roadhouse Member
Posts: 39
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 7:36 pm

Re: TP:TR. Full 18-hour experience

Post by TwistedFate_L4 »

As someone who was heavily mixed during my first viewing(I leaned toward negative), I absolutely look forward to watching the entire 18 hours through an entirely fresh perspective. No expectations of where I think the story should go or other things that really got in the way of me being able to truly accept it. Now I can- it is what it is and I think knowing that I'll be able to appreciate it so much more this time. I do think watching it all at once or at your own leisure makes a difference than watching it weekly. I think weekly was not a good option for me.

Doesn't mean I'll adore it, but I think I'll be able to give it a fairer assessment as a whole now that I let go of my own demands and expectations.
User avatar
yaxomoxay
Great Northern Member
Posts: 767
Joined: Tue May 23, 2017 4:50 pm

Re: TP:TR. Full 18-hour experience

Post by yaxomoxay »

TwistedFate_L4 wrote:As someone who was heavily mixed during my first viewing(I leaned toward negative), I absolutely look forward to watching the entire 18 hours through an entirely fresh perspective. No expectations of where I think the story should go or other things that really got in the way of me being able to truly accept it. Now I can- it is what it is and I think knowing that I'll be able to appreciate it so much more this time. I do think watching it all at once or at your own leisure makes a difference than watching it weekly. I think weekly was not a good option for me.

Doesn't mean I'll adore it, but I think I'll be able to give it a fairer assessment as a whole now that I let go of my own demands and expectations.
Let us know what you think about it!
I think that we will agree that watching the 18 hours in a row (or even 9 hours a day) really changes the experience.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
User avatar
bowisneski
RR Diner Member
Posts: 239
Joined: Fri Oct 14, 2016 11:51 am

Re: TP:TR. Full 18-hour experience

Post by bowisneski »

Finally doing this tomorrow, wish me luck!
User avatar
yaxomoxay
Great Northern Member
Posts: 767
Joined: Tue May 23, 2017 4:50 pm

Re: TP:TR. Full 18-hour experience

Post by yaxomoxay »

bowisneski wrote:Finally doing this tomorrow, wish me luck!
As Bushnell would say, “I am in your corner!”
Just get enough coffee!
Can’t wait to hear your feedback, be either negative or positive!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
User avatar
TwistedFate_L4
Roadhouse Member
Posts: 39
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 7:36 pm

Re: TP:TR. Full 18-hour experience

Post by TwistedFate_L4 »

yaxomoxay wrote:
TwistedFate_L4 wrote:As someone who was heavily mixed during my first viewing(I leaned toward negative), I absolutely look forward to watching the entire 18 hours through an entirely fresh perspective. No expectations of where I think the story should go or other things that really got in the way of me being able to truly accept it. Now I can- it is what it is and I think knowing that I'll be able to appreciate it so much more this time. I do think watching it all at once or at your own leisure makes a difference than watching it weekly. I think weekly was not a good option for me.

Doesn't mean I'll adore it, but I think I'll be able to give it a fairer assessment as a whole now that I let go of my own demands and expectations.

Let us know what you think about it!
I think that we will agree that watching the 18 hours in a row (or even 9 hours a day) really changes the experience.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Absolutely! I'm going to be doing a major marathon of the first two seasons, Fire Walk With Me, and The Return along with all the extras on all the blu rays. This is going to be a wild ride I tell you that but I'm up for it. I think Fire Walk With Me will be an amazing transition into the dark and violent world of The Return.

Seasons 1+2 Act 1

Fire Walk With Me Act 2

The Return Act 3

I really can't wait to begin this coming weekend. Bring on the cherry pie!
User avatar
yaxomoxay
Great Northern Member
Posts: 767
Joined: Tue May 23, 2017 4:50 pm

Re: TP:TR. Full 18-hour experience

Post by yaxomoxay »

TwistedFate_L4 wrote:
yaxomoxay wrote:
TwistedFate_L4 wrote:As someone who was heavily mixed during my first viewing(I leaned toward negative), I absolutely look forward to watching the entire 18 hours through an entirely fresh perspective. No expectations of where I think the story should go or other things that really got in the way of me being able to truly accept it. Now I can- it is what it is and I think knowing that I'll be able to appreciate it so much more this time. I do think watching it all at once or at your own leisure makes a difference than watching it weekly. I think weekly was not a good option for me.

Doesn't mean I'll adore it, but I think I'll be able to give it a fairer assessment as a whole now that I let go of my own demands and expectations.

Let us know what you think about it!
I think that we will agree that watching the 18 hours in a row (or even 9 hours a day) really changes the experience.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Absolutely! I'm going to be doing a major marathon of the first two seasons, Fire Walk With Me, and The Return along with all the extras on all the blu rays. This is going to be a wild ride I tell you that but I'm up for it. I think Fire Walk With Me will be an amazing transition into the dark and violent world of The Return.

Seasons 1+2 Act 1

Fire Walk With Me Act 2

The Return Act 3

I really can't wait to begin this coming weekend. Bring on the cherry pie!
So, have you survived ? ;)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
User avatar
bowisneski
RR Diner Member
Posts: 239
Joined: Fri Oct 14, 2016 11:51 am

Re: TP:TR. Full 18-hour experience

Post by bowisneski »

After completing the journey, I have so many thoughts that they're just going to get bullet pointed.

- It really is such a smooth experience as a whole. No scene feels too long when you're watching the whole thing. It makes me wonder if they should have either dropped it all at once or done 2 - 3 hour parts. I know that wouldn't have worked from a financial perspective, but I think the viewing would have benefited. Though I think some of the staying power of the show and enjoyment would have been lost. So I'm not even 100% sure I would suggest binging for someone's first time through. It feels like it would lose something. I think 2 - 3 hour chunks would be best.

- It's now cemented for me that the structure will benefit the show in the long run because new viewers will still be able to experience the loss of Coop and wanting him to return.

- I had originally felt like there were more plot threads that went nowhere and were just for flavor, but after a single viewing, the only thing that feels dropped to me is Red.

- I honestly, and I can't believe I'm saying this, wish there was more Dougie. Not at the expense of any of the stuff in Twin Peaks, but I honestly think the season would have benefited from another two hours.

- They also could have done two seasons, ending this one with Part 16 and extending Parts 17 and 18 in to a 4 - 8 part second season.

- I still think scenes in the sheriff station, especially the Andy and Lucy stuff, should have been paired with more Badalamenti. As they are, they feel a little dry and empty. Seeing it like this really did away with a lot of the things that had me contemplating whether or not I was disappointed, besides the lack of music.

- While still not as beautiful to me as film, the show looks a helluva lot better on bluray than it did streaming.

- Being able to skip the opening credits and the Frost Lynch and Showtime logos helped the smooth feeling overall. I didn't skip any of the closing credits songs or scenes. I would love a full version with no credits between parts and just one title and one credits sequence.

- The Roadhouse feels like the intersection of where Coop and Diane go, the Red Room, dreams, and the regular Peaks we know and love. It's sort of as if everything is beginning to merge, and it is the starting point. I'm pretty positive now that Audrey over there is the one in an institution and Audrey in original Peaks is married to Charlie.

- The show is definitely in media res, but watching it all at once stops any of that from being distracting and/or confusing.

- The stuff with Naido/Diane trying to communicate with Coop in the Home by the Sea is much more impactful. You really get the sense of her trying to save and communicate with Coop, but he just doesn't understand yet.

- I'm now wondering about Mrs. Tremond at the end of the series. When Donna visited Mrs. Tremond in Season 2, did she travel over there? Or was that the lodge taking over a home? And does that mean that Sarah was home and just hidden behind the Tremonds?

And that's all I've got at the moment, but I would highly recommend this!
User avatar
TweetPeak
Roadhouse Member
Posts: 91
Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2017 7:12 am

Re: TP:TR. Full 18-hour experience

Post by TweetPeak »

as the MOMA in NY gets a screening in January

January 5: Part 1-4
January 6: Part 5-11
Janury 7: Part 12-18

Would that order be advisable? I dont see how i can watch all 18 episodes on a single day.
User avatar
bowisneski
RR Diner Member
Posts: 239
Joined: Fri Oct 14, 2016 11:51 am

Re: TP:TR. Full 18-hour experience

Post by bowisneski »

TweetPeak wrote:as the MOMA in NY gets a screening in January

January 5: Part 1-4
January 6: Part 5-11
Janury 7: Part 12-18

Would that order be advisable? I dont see how i can watch all 18 episodes on a single day.
Man, I'd love to live close enough to attend that!

That's a pretty good break up, but I'd actually suggest 1 - 4, 5 - 13, and 14 - 18. Or, if you could handle it, 1 - 4, 5 - 15, and 16 - 18.

If you wanted to do two days, I'd either do 1 - 8 and 9 - 18 or 1 - 11 and 12 - 18.
User avatar
TwistedFate_L4
Roadhouse Member
Posts: 39
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 7:36 pm

Re: TP:TR. Full 18-hour experience

Post by TwistedFate_L4 »

yaxomoxay wrote:
TwistedFate_L4 wrote:
yaxomoxay wrote:

Let us know what you think about it!
I think that we will agree that watching the 18 hours in a row (or even 9 hours a day) really changes the experience.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Absolutely! I'm going to be doing a major marathon of the first two seasons, Fire Walk With Me, and The Return along with all the extras on all the blu rays. This is going to be a wild ride I tell you that but I'm up for it. I think Fire Walk With Me will be an amazing transition into the dark and violent world of The Return.

Seasons 1+2 Act 1

Fire Walk With Me Act 2

The Return Act 3

I really can't wait to begin this coming weekend. Bring on the cherry pie!
So, have you survived ? ;)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Starting Saturday. I think this binging of the entire series from the Pilot all the way to Part 18 will take a few days- I'll probably be like Dougie once it's all over. Haha. :D

But I'll pop in with my full thoughts on The Return as a whole as soon as I get my bearings.
BGate
RR Diner Member
Posts: 306
Joined: Mon Apr 24, 2017 11:15 am

Re: TP:TR. Full 18-hour experience

Post by BGate »

the MOMA thing is really interesting. I'm guessing they're screening for free to get around any rights issues (which are apparently very complicated when it comes to screening TV series). And I assume they'll just be projecting the blu-rays? I don't know how long it takes to make DCPs but in recent interviews Lynch/Sabrina have intimated that they only made DCPs for the first two parts (which have screened in a few festivals at this point).
User avatar
yaxomoxay
Great Northern Member
Posts: 767
Joined: Tue May 23, 2017 4:50 pm

Re: TP:TR. Full 18-hour experience

Post by yaxomoxay »

bowisneski wrote:After completing the journey, I have so many thoughts that they're just going to get bullet pointed.

- It really is such a smooth experience as a whole. No scene feels too long when you're watching the whole thing. It makes me wonder if they should have either dropped it all at once or done 2 - 3 hour parts. I know that wouldn't have worked from a financial perspective, but I think the viewing would have benefited. Though I think some of the staying power of the show and enjoyment would have been lost. So I'm not even 100% sure I would suggest binging for someone's first time through. It feels like it would lose something. I think 2 - 3 hour chunks would be best.

- It's now cemented for me that the structure will benefit the show in the long run because new viewers will still be able to experience the loss of Coop and wanting him to return.

- I had originally felt like there were more plot threads that went nowhere and were just for flavor, but after a single viewing, the only thing that feels dropped to me is Red.

- I honestly, and I can't believe I'm saying this, wish there was more Dougie. Not at the expense of any of the stuff in Twin Peaks, but I honestly think the season would have benefited from another two hours.

- They also could have done two seasons, ending this one with Part 16 and extending Parts 17 and 18 in to a 4 - 8 part second season.

- I still think scenes in the sheriff station, especially the Andy and Lucy stuff, should have been paired with more Badalamenti. As they are, they feel a little dry and empty. Seeing it like this really did away with a lot of the things that had me contemplating whether or not I was disappointed, besides the lack of music.

- While still not as beautiful to me as film, the show looks a helluva lot better on bluray than it did streaming.

- Being able to skip the opening credits and the Frost Lynch and Showtime logos helped the smooth feeling overall. I didn't skip any of the closing credits songs or scenes. I would love a full version with no credits between parts and just one title and one credits sequence.

- The Roadhouse feels like the intersection of where Coop and Diane go, the Red Room, dreams, and the regular Peaks we know and love. It's sort of as if everything is beginning to merge, and it is the starting point. I'm pretty positive now that Audrey over there is the one in an institution and Audrey in original Peaks is married to Charlie.

- The show is definitely in media res, but watching it all at once stops any of that from being distracting and/or confusing.

- The stuff with Naido/Diane trying to communicate with Coop in the Home by the Sea is much more impactful. You really get the sense of her trying to save and communicate with Coop, but he just doesn't understand yet.

- I'm now wondering about Mrs. Tremond at the end of the series. When Donna visited Mrs. Tremond in Season 2, did she travel over there? Or was that the lodge taking over a home? And does that mean that Sarah was home and just hidden behind the Tremonds?

And that's all I've got at the moment, but I would highly recommend this!
Thank you for your post. It seems that we largely agree that the 18 hours view makes the whole thing much more coherent (and faster!).
I also agree on your comment on Dougie. For some reason it doesn’t seem that we see him on screen that long at all, and it makes Coop’s return to regular brain activity much more impactful.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
User avatar
bowisneski
RR Diner Member
Posts: 239
Joined: Fri Oct 14, 2016 11:51 am

Re: TP:TR. Full 18-hour experience

Post by bowisneski »

yaxomoxay wrote:Thank you for your post. It seems that we largely agree that the 18 hours view makes the whole thing much more coherent (and faster!).
I also agree on your comment on Dougie. For some reason it doesn’t seem that we see him on screen that long at all, and it makes Coop’s return to regular brain activity much more impactful.
Not a problem.

It really does. Everything feels like it is in overdrive watching it one go. No storyline really feels like it is missing or not coming back soon enough. It's also a completely different experience watching it knowing exactly how everything plays out. It makes some things, like Naido in the Home by the Sea, feel so much more impactful. It makes this a hard work to grapple with because you definitely need to watch it all the way through at least twice.

It's so weird about Dougie. Sometimes during the run of the show it felt like he bogarted the show, but watching like this it feels like we definitely don't see enough of him. It's also interesting that we get "actual" Cooper in a third of the series. Watching like this it feels like there is more Cooper than there was watching it week to week.
User avatar
TwistedFate_L4
Roadhouse Member
Posts: 39
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2017 7:36 pm

Re: TP:TR. Full 18-hour experience

Post by TwistedFate_L4 »

So I finally did it! I just finished watching my mega-marathon that included Seasons 1+2, Fire Walk With Me + The Missing Pieces, and of course "The Return", which took me five or six days but I finally got through all of it. The reason why I chose to re-watch EVERYTHING instead of just The Return is really because I wanted to truly see how it all stands as one entity and to see how The Return fits into the franchise with my personal bias cast aside.. I was someone who was left very disappointed with it initially and honestly was pretty baffled. To be frank- I thought The Return was a mess.

But there were several things that I also liked about the show- certain scenes that stuck out to me and different elements that truly captivated my mind- so I wasn't ready to close the door on it just yet. I was never the person who was expecting a retread of the first season or wanted cherry pie and quirky humor- I understood we were heading down new darker and twisted paths with The Return and I was very excited for what Lynch had planned- mainly because I'm more of a fan of the darker side of Twin Peaks. So the increased violence, horror/nightmarish elements, and ominous atmosphere was right up my alley and some of the things I loved most about The Return(I've always loved the first two parts because these elements were the strongest whereas most people didn't seem to care about these parts). But ultimately, my dislikes began to outweigh my likes and I just thought it was all a big inconsistent mess that I couldn't get into. I was also not a fan of Dougie- surprise, surprise. So yeah, everyone screaming about this being some kind of masterpiece left me highly bewildered.

But I knew that I would have to come back to it because despite my disappointment- I was still quite intrigued and drawn by it. Those certain scenes or characters or lines of dialogue still captivated my mind and still fascinated me. So I disappeared from here and the Twin Peaks fandom for basically the rest of 2017 and finally I decided to purchase The Return on Blu-ray and I decided that I HAD to give it a second chance. I think no matter how much you disliked The Return, it at least deserves a second chance. Although I anticipated and welcomed a lot of the newer paths The Return took, there were still surprises that I was not expecting that literally threw me for a loop and a lot of that played a part in my initial disappointment. My EXPECTATIONS, unbeknownst to me, were more distracting than I thought and it took me a while to get to the point where I had to realize that The Return is The Return and I need to watch it from that perspective. Not from the perspective from what I wished it was, or wanted it to be, or were expecting it to be, but simply what it is. So I decided to do an entire Twin Peaks mega-marathon and to watch it ALL as one huge movie. Even when I was in my most heated throws of disappointment with The Return- I always rejected the notion that it was some far away story that shouldn't be connected to the rest of the franchise. For better or for worse, it was Twin Peaks so deal with it...and I did.

After having re-watched EVERYTHING from the pilot to Part 18 in the matter of days- I can say that it all played beautifully, absolutely beautifully with The Return serving as an excellent third act. I knew my views would change a bit, but I didn't expect them to change this much into the other direction- but I absolutely enjoyed The Return. I know it's been said multiple times in this thread, but yes, binging it does create an entirely DIFFERENT experience than watching only one part a week. The story is coherent, you can see how characters develop, how the mood changes, how every thing begins to intermingle when you are watching it non-stop with no limitations. I think for me, watching it once a week was not a good idea- it broke the entire pacing of what is supposed to be an 18 hour film and makes things seem random and unorganized, you easily forget certain characters that were introduced briefly in a previous part because you've had to wait a week and sometimes depending- two weeks before the new part. I know a lot of people really dug in and enjoyed the weekly experience and the suspense in waiting, but I just don't think one part was enough at all to truly build any meaningful momentum in me. But binging it? It truly makes everything come into complete focus and the storylines are now a joy to follow rather than seeming like these random sequence of events that lead no where. I fell in love with Dougie and actually enjoyed his character and totally was able to embrace what he brought to the story. The first time around I, like every one else, was too consumed with "Ok, cool, when the hell is Cooper waking up?" to truly appreciate Dougie- I never thought in a million years that I would love his character but I do. I can step back now and see The Return as a whole and understand it and absolutely appreciate it.

Also, Fire Walk With Me is such a wonderful transition into The Return and I look at the two of them almost as siblings- they tie in so well together. I would definitely say re-watch everything together INCLUDING The Return...I outright reject the notion that The Return should be separated- it all plays as one big, twisted, glorious, beautiful saga to me. Though the second half of season 2 is still shit...Anyone who says that's better than The Return definitely needs to spend an eternity re-watching it.

I'm not saying The Return is perfect, not at all- (I still have a few nitpicks), but as a whole I definitely enjoyed this "film" so much better the second time!

Let's Rock!
Post Reply