All episodes & show notes for my podcast coverage of Twin Peaks season 3 parts 1 & 2
May 21 - 27, 2022
(illustrations for storylines, character rankings, TIME cover & all categories)
TWIN PEAKS CONVERSATIONS #10 w/ TV Peaks author Andreas Halskov (YouTube & extended PATREON)
(This cross-post accidentally scheduled last week before I noticed and took it down. It's this coming Monday, tomorrow, May 23, that the video will actually be going up. Sorry for the confusion.)
Up to this point, my Twin Peaks Conversations podcast has featured an equal number of episodes with first-time and repeat guests. The Danish scholar, journalist, critic, and author Andreas Halskov is one of the latter, last interviewed by me six and a half years ago upon the release of his book TV Peaks, a rich, in-depth text about the ways that the original series revolutionized television. Since then, of course, a new season aired (or streamed) and Andreas has many thoughts to share about what did and didn't work for him about that new material. We discuss how he first encountered Twin Peaks as a child, the ways that Lynch's vision expresses itself through formal decisions (and how those decisions differed in 1990 and 2017), and the evolution of film/television discourse in an age when the latter has come to be valued more by many observers. Andreas' responses are thoughtful and (as he himself puts it) digressive, teasing out threads in real time and resulting in some real deep dives into various concepts and experiences. One some occasions, the patron "halves" of these conversation are just a few second longer than the public part but in this case that second part runs almost twice as long, re-visiting some of my favorite topics (the new season's relationship to Fire Walk With Me and where new narratives would/could focus) while introducing new ones. To start off with, Andreas will take us into his experience as a nine-year-old in a Scandinavian factory town, breathing in the distinct air of Twin Peaks for the first time...
PART 1 on YouTube
(premieres at 8pm on Monday, May 23)
And then for $5/month patrons, we will kick off the second part by asking why the third season might "feels different" from the first and second seasons, as well as the film. Andreas, who has created many formally-focused video essays (linked below) alongside his written cinematic studies, has a lot to say on that and other subjects.
Listen to...
(link will be active at 8pm on Monday, May 16)
Purchase Andreas' books TV Peaks: Twin Peaks and Modern Television Drama & Beyond Television: TV Production in the Multiplatform Era
Andreas' video essays: Between Two Worlds: The Competing Moods of David Lynch, What's the Frequency, David? Noise and Interference in the films of David Lynch, Moving Pictures: Visual References and Artistry in the Works of David Lynch, Returning, Recycling and Remixing: Cut-up and Collage in Twin Peaks: The Return, Echoes of the Past: Popular Music and Nostalgia in Modern Television Drama (he has also created video essays in Danish - scroll back from this page to look for them)
Andreas' publication 16:9
(his particular work, including videos, gathered here)
Summer schedule: Lost in Twin Peaks season 3 begins tomorrow, TWIN PEAKS Character Series postponed & the next conversation
It's been an intense couple weeks in which I barely kept up with my schedule - or, ok, failed entirely to keep up with it (though I caught up eventually). At this point, I don't really have any business continuing any of it; I should declare that from now no projects will be published until they are entirely done and focus on building a backlog while keeping up with a couple patron and a couple public monthly podcast commitments. However, the siren call of season three's fifth anniversary is too strong so I will carry on straight from tonight's final Fire Walk With Me podcasts into Parts 1 & 2 of The Return tomorrow. I can't guarantee that I'll finish this work on schedule (with the finale coverage going up during the first full week of September). If the recent past is any indication, I won't. But I've got to try.
On the plus side, the fact that I recorded the first week of season three podcasts back in March means I have a modest head start on this whole endeavor. As a matter of practicality, I'm also going to temporarily change the illustrated companion schedule (since it's the only part of the Parts 1 & 2 coverage I haven't finished - or even begun - yet). These screenshot lineups for each week of episodes will start publishing the Saturday after my coverage has concluded rather than before (so, for example, I'll run the Parts 1 & 2 podcasts from May 21 - 28 and then the companion will post on May 29, the day that Parts 3 & 4 coverage begins). When I reach the off-week of July 2 - 8 (when no episode ran in 2017), I'll switch back to publishing companions at the beginning of each week.
As for the character series, as always it gets the shaft. It turns out I couldn't do both projects this season (hell, I may not even be able to just do one), so six years after I conceived it I've got to punt once again. That said, I will continue to share advance entries with patrons - fewer, but at least three a month - which will keep me working on the series amidst other, higher priorities. One last matter: I accidentally announced my next Twin Peaks Conversations podcast this past Sunday, as if it would be going up this week. Obviously, it didn't. When I caught this mistake, I put the post back into draft mode but in case you caught it too and are wondering what's up: I'll be sharing my conversation with Andreas Halskov next week, probably Tuesday. It's already edited and just waiting for an opportune moment when I can share my usual monthly updates as part of the podcast, with the knowledge of not just of what's going on but what's coming up. We've finally reached that point.
The Sweet Hereafter as TWIN PEAKS CINEMA #13 (podcast)
Twenty-five years ago, The Sweet Hereafter premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. Its reception was far more rapturous than the maligned Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (which debuted to Cannes boos exactly five years earlier), but the films have much in common. Both are moody nineties portraits of secret lives, dysfunctional families, and small town tragedy. They both center an adolescent girl (here played by Sarah Polley, worthy of the comparison with Sheryl Lee) who attempts to take control of her own story in the limited ways available to her. And Laura Palmer's and Nicole Burnell's stories are both rooted in abuse by an incestuous father. The Sweet Hereafter also recalls the series Twin Peaks with its somber portrayal of grief (in this case, following a school bus accident that massacres the town's children) and placement of an outside investigator as its protagonist (in this case, Ian Holm as a civil litigator far more dour but no less determined than Cooper). I've placed this discussion in May because of the festival anniversary, and to connect it to a month devoted to Fire Walk With Me (which I'm currently covering in-depth on my Lost in Twin Peaks public podcast). But it also works as the heart of my three-month "Traumatic Transformations" theme. While less overtly fantastical than Belladonna of Sadness or even the forthcoming Mysterious Skin, it dabbles in fairy tale by lacing The Pied Piper throughout its own text, in image, word, and even music. There is also a sense, reminiscent of Twin Peaks, that on a metaphorical level the town's tragedy is generated by Nicole's trauma. This is especially palpable in the final, moving shot, which matches well with similar images from Belladonna and Skin (I've used all three frames for their podcast icons). Bright light overwhelms the viewer, paradoxically evoking the character's traumas as well as their attempts to transcend them.
LOST IN TWIN PEAKS #31: Fire Walk With Me (the film & The Missing Pieces) podcasts & illustrated companion
All episodes & show notes for my podcast coverage of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
May 7 - 20, 2022
(illustrations for storylines, character rankings, locations, TIME cover & all categories)
Trouble with the Schedule (status update on Lost in Twin Peaks, The Unseen & more)
The illustrated companion for my currently-unfolding Fire Walk With Me podcast has been re-scheduled for tomorrow (the original text-only version posted last Saturday has been removed).
My "Unseen" film review series has been suspended again after just one entry and is only slated to resume next year when other projects are finished.
My summer plan is still to release daily Lost in Twin Peaks podcasts and thrice-weekly TWIN PEAKS Character series, but I'm questioning how manageable this will be.
That's the gist of my current status, but you can continue reading for more details on what's happened so far and what might happen going forward.
The Prestige (LOST IN THE MOVIES podcast #41)
In between two Batman blockbusters, Christopher Nolan crafted a Victorian puzzle. The story of dueling magicians dealing with divergent dualities (apologies for the alliteration), The Prestige is not exactly a quiet little indie film; in addition to elaborate period sets and special effects wizardry, it boasts an ensemble including Batman Begins alumni Christian Bale and Michael Caine, plus Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson and even David Bowie as Nikola Tesla. The movie did, however, demonstrate that Nolan wouldn't be completely swallowed up by Hollywood as a director-for-hire, and that he'd find a rare path to producing big projects on a high budget without sacrificing his personal stamp. This commentary on The Prestige was one of the first podcasts I recorded for patrons several years, so it's a bit shorter (and with some hairier audio) than others - however, I've also included some further thoughts on Nolan from my other podcasts, as well as several pieces of feedback questioning Nolan's (potential) plot holes. That exchange has already inspired replies years after the first inquiry, and I'd love to keep it going - so please let me know if you too have any issues with the narrative. This episode kicks off the final stretch of a season focused on a handful of directors, so next month will conclude this miniseries with another Nolan and I'll incorporate any additional feedback then (or, if necessary, later).
Subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts
(and most places podcasts are found)
LINKS
397. Double INSOMNIA (video essay by Kevin B. Lee)
The muddled message of of The Dark Knight (my essay)
MY RECENT WORK
New on other podcasts
New on YouTube
New on Patreon
(for $5/month)
(for $1/month)
Episode 90: Listener Feedback (Twin Peaks subjects include Sleeping Beauty connections, was The Return a passion project?, Fire Walk With Me's subversion of intent, ironic vs. sincere responses, Cooper's identity in flux & more + Snow White & Sleeping Beauty archive reading) & TWIN PEAKS Character Series intro & minor characters (exclusive advance) & TWIN PEAKS Character Series 30 runners-up from season 3 (exclusive advance)
New on the site
TWIN PEAKS Character Series previews begin on Patreon & THE ARCHIVE Chapter 40: Winter is for Wrapping Up (January - April 2022)
The Avengers (The Unseen 2012)
"The Unseen" is a series in which I watch popular films for the first time. The list, which moves backwards in time, is based on the highest-ranked film I've never seen each year on Letterboxd (as of April 2018). The Avengers was #2 for 2012.
The Story: Jumping right into the action and never letting go, the film begins when the godlike Asgardian extraterrestrial Loki (Tom Hiddleston) arrives at a secret scientific laboratory to steal the Tesseract energy source (and intergalactic gateway) from the spy agency S.H.I.E.L.D. That's a mouthful, but The Avengers is largely unconcerned with the details of this intrigue which provide an excuse for its real purpose: assembling "the Avenger initiative," a team of misfit superheroes. Their task is enormous: stop Loki from opening a portal and marching an army of alien supersoldiers who will subjugate the Earth. Loki is determined to enslave the human race, converting them into mindless drones which - he proclaims - will be good for them as well as his own imperial ambitions; freedom is a curse and submission is the true nature of mankind. Only the plucky if unruly spirit of disparate individualists can prove him wrong, if they can coordinate that spirit without losing its drive. On a floating battleship where they've been brought together, these protagonists will quip and banter, fight amongst themselves, learn to work together, and develop a deep loyalty and commitment to one another, utilizing their disparate skills in order to save the world. While the narrative functions in a fairly self-contained way, it draws upon backstory and character development stretching into earlier entries from the Marvel Cinematic Universe like Iron Man (2008), Thor (2011), and Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), as well as a half-century of comic book lore. A certain familiarity with the characters is assumed despite some slight exposition.
These characters, contacted and persuaded - or forced - to enlist by S.H.I.E.L.D. in a globetrotting first act, include the cocky New York tycoon Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.); the old-fashioned Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) who was recently thawed from ice after sixty-plus years and remains encased in a World War II era outlook; the weary, on-edge scientist Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo, controversially replacing Edward Norton after Marvel's 2008 The Incredibe Hulk) who transforms into a raging green monster when he gets too angry; lightning/hammer-wielding Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Loki's brother and the Mufasa to that villain's Scar who is determined to protect this planet from the power of his own alien race; and Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent herself with a dark past (what Loki sneeringly calls "a lot of red" in her ledger). They are overseen by the determined but perpetually frustrated S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) who must balance their unruly natures with the demands of his ruthless superiors, and they're eventually joined by the deadly archer Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), who is initially captured and converted into a brainwashed henchman by Loki. Together they battle Loki's hordes in Manhattan, until Iron Man travels through a portal that has opened up over the city, delivering a nuclear payload to the enemy before falling back through this closing wormhole just in time to declare victory - and lead his new friends to an exhausted shawarma dinner after the closing credits roll.
The Context:
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