Ford

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Content count

    33

  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by Ford

  1. Posted

    Here's a quick theory on the end of episodes 17-18. In episode 17 when Cooper's face superimposes against the screen it represents a split in time. We are allowed to see one of these splits play out with Cooper going back to the lodge with the purpose of fulfilling his plan to save Laura and find Judy (two birds-one stone). Going into the lodge he remembers the Fireman's clues (430, Richard and Linda, Two birds one stone). He eventually travels (as Cooper) the 430 miles to some rip in time. When he enters the rip in time, he and Diane split. This is evidenced by Diane seeing another image of herself and the fact that at the hotel Cooper says things could change. In the hotel, we no longer are seeing Cooper - it is Richard. Richard doesn't remember the things the Giant told him, this is why he is so baffled by the note left in the morning. He only has a vague memory of himself, and some conditioned objective to find "Laura Palmer". We see Richard's personality change in the hotel, because he is a different person. Eventually they wind up at Laura's house and the ending. What we don't see, is that "Richard", conditioned to find Judy, and having already found Laura, will continue to lose his identity as Cooper and end up being Mr. C who will go back into the lodge and become Mr. C. Mr. C who has a conditioned need to find Judy for some unknown reason, which is a remnant of Cooper's original plan.

  5. Posted

    10 minutes ago, Bjorn said:

     

    I was curious because I couldn't honestly recall.  I don't think that's a rotary phone, but it is an old style push button phone (looks like a rectangle of buttons in the middle to me).  It's slightly out of place, but nothing close to the office in Audrey's scene. 


     

      Reveal hidden contents

     

    phone.JPG.bf2968cf07648d46341d11a73f2c8b69.JPG

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Edited to add: The video clip I pulled that from.

     

     

    I think you're right with it being a push button. 

  8. Posted

    47 minutes ago, Mr. Whatsis said:

    No one is preventing you from bailing. Just keep in mind, your opinions aren't really based on anything except to tear down those who like the show, IMHO. Check out. 

     

    I don't believe I've torn anyone down. I've put my opinion out there to be challenged and taken the opportunity to engage other opinions. I'm fine if you like the show. 

  9. Posted

    1 minute ago, therealdougiejones said:

    It's way too early to say. You seem to recognize that this is something that won't make sense until it's finished - so why not save your judgments for how the narrative is wrapped up for the actual wrapping up that is to come

     

    It's a fair point, but I fully acknowledge my judgment could change. I'm just expressing my frustration to this point. 

  10. Posted

    38 minutes ago, Bjorn said:

    I'm pretty okay (at this point, the actual end may change my mind naturally) if the show were to wrap up with many or most threads unresolved, and there being no Season 4.

     

    The reality is that's most of all television for me already.  I've finished, maybe 3 total television series in the last decade (and all I can for sure name are BSG and Penny Dreadful).  Every other show I've started I've stopped, lost interest, it got canceled, or whatever.  A series stopping, and being unresolved for me, is the natural state of television.  And honestly, I find the ends of most television runs to be disappointing anyways, because wrapping stories in a way that I find satisfying on television seems to be damn near impossible.  So as long as the journey to the end is satisfying, that's good enough for me. 

     

    But there is a difference between someone having full creative control over the entire run of something, being able to start and finish where they choose, over and against a show having an unsatisfactory ending because a network decided to cancel. If we just get a ton of loose ends because Lynch doesn't care or has no interest in bringing them to conclusion than that would be incredibly disappointing. It's the same thing Lost has been eviscerated for. 

  11. Posted

    53 minutes ago, therealdougiejones said:

    Are you a fan of Lynch's other works or just a fan of the original series? If the end of this doesn't involve wrapping up the narrative in a literally coherent way, I'm totally okay with that. I'm a bigger fan of his movies than I am of the original series. I think Lynch views film as an artistic medium before he views it as a storytelling medium, so the intention behind his film work can be more about creating a mood or an experience that leaves some kind of impression on the viewer - the plot as much as it does exist is just a tool to serve those intentions IMO. I think with Mark Frost's involvement it's likely that things will come together. If you go back to the original series there are long periods of things irrelevant to the main narrative getting most of the screentime - then things start coming together at an almost outrageously breakneck pace near the end of S1, around the Leland reveal, and the final two episodes. I think there is still enough time left to tread a lot of ground forward in terms of the main narrative BUT I'm okay with however fucked up Lynch wants to make it as long as the experience is compelling for me

     

    I wouldn't put it past them to end on a cliffhanger and leave room for season 4. I think Lynch and Frost would have been much more emphatic about putting down talks of continuing the show if they hadn't given it some serious thought. 

     

    I'm kind of ambivalent on Lynch. I respect his work, but I can't say I'm a huge fan. I enjoyed Blue Velvet and Mullholand Dr. I think for a television series, my sensibilities prefer Lynch in smaller quantities, perhaps that's why I enjoyed the original series because it didn't give him carte blanche. I think I prefer his work in cinema more than this, maybe that's because I have the full context of the work. I might feel better had the series been released all at once. 

  13. Posted

    45 minutes ago, Jake said:

     

    Yep! As long as everyone remembers that how great/good/bad you find something is your own opinion and may differ from another viewer or critic. 

     

    (For me, I have quibbles about a few scenes and there have been brief moments that I thought might be edited badly or scenes that felt like they were cobbled together from footage that wasn't meant for that purpose, but those moments have been a few drops in a huge bucket of otherwise great stuff. I also suspect that the small moments I'm not into will fade away as we get closer to the end of the series... that's actually already happening to me! Anyway that's me right now.)

     

    Yes, we all have opinions. But there is a distinction between my personal taste vs. something that has impact in some way which could be describe as "great" For example, one doesn't have to personally enjoy Citizen Kane (I do) to recognize its artistic significance and say that it's great. Alexander the Great doesn't have to be "great" in that he was a swell guy, but his cultural impact and influence are difficult to argue against. My issue with Lynch in general, and this season in particular, are that a good bit of the analysis I've read (not here) tend to be effusively complimentary and generally uncritical. I desperately want to love this season. I'm willing to give wide license to the creators. I do anticipate each week hoping something will click. It just hasn't. If it doesn't, so be it. If retrospective critical analysis of the show identifies enough relevance to deem it "great" than I can acknowledge that while simultaneously saying I didn't personally like it. 

  14. Posted

    2 minutes ago, Jake said:

     

    Yeah I don't think Frost or Lynch needed to do this. I think they were both very interested in doing it (they spent years prepping for it) but I get the impression that their willingness to walk away from the deal and the project is what gave them power to get what they wanted. If they or their careers needed it, I don't think they would have played hardball. "We're making this great or we're not making it" is not what a desperate person says. 

     

    "I don't NEED a new season of Twin Peaks. I WANT a new season of Twin Peaks." - Mr. L

     

    I agree that Lynch and Frost didn't need this. However, just because it's their vision, or that its unconventional, or "Lynchian" (if that has any real meaning) doesn't necessarily make it great. 

  15. Posted

    11 minutes ago, BigJKO said:

     

    You don't like the show, that's fine, but there's no need to be rude about it.

     

    Well, the response from Lost was a bit snarky as well. The observation that this season has been a jumbled mess in need of either an editor, fewer episodes, or both is a valid observation IMO. It's not having "your cake and eating it to" to expect some structure. We may not get it, but it's not unreasonable to want that in place.  We can have differing opinions without being insulting to one another. 

  16. Posted

    10 hours ago, BonusWavePilot said:

     

    This is something that annoys me disproportionately...  I had an ex with whom I had this argument, as she had an infuriatingly precise ability to jump up to go grab a drink, or do whatever, when we were watching something at *exactly the worst moment*.  

     

    LOL. I thought it was just me. My wife is a master at this and it drives me up a wall. 

  17. Posted

    10 hours ago, LostInTheMovies said:

     Film/television can be narrative among other things, but the actual content is the sensation it imparts moment to moment and those experiences are valuable on their own terms regardless of how they "add up."

     

    Actually, unless I'm misreading your statement,  that's not the content, it's the experience of the content. The artifact is the show. My experience is the reaction, either good, bad or indifferent. And sure there can be "value" in what is presented. That value can be that the show has illuminated that despite what I previously thought, I'm coming to realize I don't care for Lynch in complete control. Value also doesn't necessarily equate to a satisfying Twin Peaks experience which for me, to this point, it has not been. 

  19. Posted

    56 minutes ago, ddennism said:

     

    I'm a huge fan of The Return so far, but this tendency in the fandom irritates me, too. I think it irritates me because it reduces the whole show into just an intricate jigsaw puzzle to be solved, where each piece of the puzzle is a formal visual element. That's not to say that there aren't interesting recurring themes throughout the series, though. I've found joy and fascination in watching the contrast between different characters' reactions to situations that feel formally parallel. Here are a few examples: 

    (1) The exploration of conspiracies. The show depicts many characters reacting in contrasting ways to perceived dark conspiracies.

    (2) Hope and hopelessness in the face of a possibly preordained life.

    (3) Dreams and visions in either conflict or concordance with the physical world.

    (4) Characters that are confused about how they feel, or that feel multiple emotions simultaneously and strongly.

     

    Other things that delight me about the show:

    (5) Absurdist humor and arch, bad-on-purpose writing (Andy & Lucy, and many other bit characters).

    (6) Mysticism unlike anything I've seen elsewhere, that's vague enough to let my mind wander around in, but concrete enough to be an occasional plot element, with elements that interact with more than one character.

    (7) Captivating and varied music / scoring / sound design.

     

    I like abstraction and surrealism, but I am at a loss as to how to convey why you should, too. I also can't really explain why I like some abstract or surreal works of art more than others. If anyone on the forum has the training and language for that kind of art criticism, I'd love to hear about it.

     

    I hope you find some things to like in the richness of the show. But if what you liked the most about the original series was the whodunit plotting, then I can understand why The Return would be frustrating, Although, I'd point out that this isn't really new. After re-watching the original series recently, I was surprised by how little screentime is devoted to solving the mystery of Laura's murder. Way lower than I remembered. Way more Mill Machinations and domestic violence. And there are very few 'reveals' in Fire Walk with Me.

     

    Thanks for this response. There are things I do enjoy about the show which is why I continue to watch each week. IMO, this season has lost the equilibrium of the surreal and character driven narrative the original balanced so nicely. 

  20. Posted

    1 minute ago, Gamebeast23456 said:

     

    All I really wanted from this scene was the Real Sheriff Truman to be there and say, "Hawk, you and I have both been in this for years and understand the weird shit going on, please just tell me what the symbol means."

     

    New Sheriff Truman just folding when Hawk is all "You don't want to know" is infuriating. 

     

    Like any reasonable person would just accept that bs. Just awful writing and direction. 

  22. Posted

    3 minutes ago, Bjorn said:

     

    But Season 1 is not Season 2 is not FWWM is not Season 3 is not the Frost Books is not the Secret Diary. 

     

     

     

    I disagree. Even though the original two season run had levels of quality, it had a series of progressive narratives and cohesion around the town and its characters. This has none of that. It's Lynch remaking Dumbland with TP characters as special guest stars.  I don't include the books as part of or necessary to the show. 

  23. Posted

    9 minutes ago, purps said:

    I think this episode is when I have finally completely accepted what this show is. Like some other people I was somewhat frustrated with the lack of plot progression and waiting for Cooper to wake up and the lack of Badalementi score etc.

    But everything just seemed to click in this and to some extent last episode. I kinda stopped caring about forward plot progression and just got into these weird little vignettes as their own stand alone things. If they turn into something later, great! If not, who cares because I still enjoyed the scene. 

     

    Also, best shot of the entire series right here

    SesmJGW.jpg

     

    I think that's fair and I respect that opinion. My only issue would be if that's the take away than it's really not Twin Peaks. It's something different Lynch wants to do using Twin Peaks to sell it. 

  24. Posted

    Can anyone say with confidence what the purpose of all this is? What is the show?

     

    Is it the non-investigation in Buckhorn? You'd think there'd be an APB and nationwide manhunt for Mr. C. Instead, the team just bumbles along receiving incredible events (randomly exploding heads, interdimensional vortexes, escaped psychopaths) in a muted, nonplussed way. "Wow, that was kind of weird. What's for lunch?"

     

    Is it Mr. C? Or Ray? Or Phillip Jeffries? Zero clue or motivation into any of these elements in weeks. 

     

    Return of Dougie? That longing look into the distance appeared like he remembers. It's so much different from the same look we've gotten the past 8 episodes. Almost there. Roll eyes. 

     

    How about the TP PD? Kid gets run over, various women beaten, illegal drug trafficking. Ho hum. This map though. Now we're talking. 

     

    Is it the countless connections people make about the show from nothing? Wow, those kids were throwing a ball. The ball represents Laura's orb. We throw her around, but can never receive her essence. Lynch is a genius. 

     

    Lets just rename this show The Mitchum Brothers. They seem to be getting the most screen time at this point. 

     

    Things we learned this week:

     

    Shelly is still an idiot and continues to hate herself. 

     

    No one knows how to ask the next, most obvious question (i.e. Why yes Hawk, I need to know exactly what that bug thing on the map is. Please explain in explicit detail) 

     

    Carl Rodd enjoys Super Mario Bros. 3. 

     

    Captain Tripps has infected some kid in a car without much reaction. 

     

    Dougie learns a single adjective. 

     

    What is the story here folks? 

     

  25. Posted

    I'm really trying to like this but I can't. The bar has been set so low narratively that any glimpse of story, no matter how small, are received as a revelation. The show is just a collection of oddly and frustratingly  paced vignettes featuring a few characters we know acting in incoherent ways. Sure, some of the scenes taken in bits are unsetteling or humorous, but  as a whole they are unsatisfying.  It's a series that needed fewer episodes and a good, disciplined editor. Any other other director besides Lynch would be deservingly ripped to pieces. I'm hoping this comes together at some point, but  I need more than Dougie saying "damn fine" to get excited. This is not Twin Peaks.