Twin Peaks - A Limited Event Series: Season 3 (2017)

Details: By Loron Hays; 27 December 2017

{jatabs type="content" position="top" height="auto" skipAnim="true" mouseType="click" animType="animFade"}

[tab title="Movie Review"]

Twin Peaks - Limited Series Event -Season 3 - Blu-ray Review

It happened again. Whatever side of the coin you land on when it comes to appreciating Twin Peaks: The Return and its use of Tulpas, the point is that it happened. And we should ALWAYS be grateful – no matter if there is another season or not – that Twin Peaks soldiered on and, thanks to the highs achieved here, was definitely not a quick cash grab. Now, thanks to CBS and SHOWTIME, Twin Peaks: A Limited Event Series arrives on Blu-ray mere months after its broadcast debut.

Peakers rejoice! This 1080p release is destined to become a cult classic must-have for ANYONE interested in the mighty strange world of filmmaker David Lynch. Thanks to its extended peek behind the red curtain into the very essence of Lynch, courtesy of filmmaker Jason S., you will not be left in the dark when it comes to the mechanics of Rancho Rosa because FIVE FREAKING HOURS of behind the scenes access is waiting for you. And it is epic information, showcasing how Lynch works with his crew and with his actors.

And don’t even get me started on how seriously awesome these 18 episodes are, with actors like Kyle MacLachlan and Laura Dern giving their very best performances for Lynch. For MacLachlan, it is the fact that he is playing at least three different roles (with a possible fourth). For Dern, it is the magnitude of her performance as Dianne that is the consideration; every emotion is felt. This is brilliance magnified. The naysayers – considering that Lynch had been MIA since 2006’s Inland Empire – were ready to dismiss it; however, they could not.

The result of this 18-hour movie – because it bucks television episodic structures – is a genius expansion of both the television show and Fire Walk With Me, providing some answers for the faithful and positioning a whole hell of a lot more. Honestly, I don’t think we want it to be any other way either. It drops the Soap Opera aspect of the show, trading that unreality for some real horror and some really deep moments of spirituality and humor that Fire Walk With Me briefly touched upon.

Written by Mark Frost and David Lynch, Twin Peaks: A Limited Even Series is unlike anything you have ever seen before, with Episode 8 being a classic example of just how EPIC television can be. This series is both classic Lynch and classic television; saving some of its best content for the metaphorical crate diggers out there. There are some deep, deep cuts in this sprawling 18-hours. And, as Lynch does his own sound design, the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack that accompanies each and every episode contained within is blistering with emphasis and meaning.

With Season Three of Twin Peaks we get old faces – Shelly (Mädchen Amick), Bobby (Dana Ashbrook), Big Ed (Everett McGill), Norma (Peggy Lipton), Andy (Harry Goaz), Lucy (Kimmy Robertson), Hawk (Michael Horse), Audrey Horne (Sherilyn Fenn), and more – mixing with some new ones – the Mitchum Brothers (Jim Belushi and Robert Knepper), two assassins (Jennifer Jason Leigh and Tim Roth), Janey-E (Naomi Watts) and son Sonny Jim (Pierce Gagnon), and FBI Agent Tammy Preston (Chrysta Bell) – as the mystery within Twin Peaks itself gets more than complicated. Evil Coop is loose in the world and his reign of terror is about to end. Hopefully. When good Coop is allowed to leave the Black Lodge, after getting stuck there at the end of the original series, his gradual return to the real world (via a Tulpa) as Dougie Jones is both hilarious, trying, and just insanely awesome.

Some of the best moments of the revival come from Coop’s time as Mr. Jones. Slowly, over the 18-hours, Cooper wakes up. But it’s unexpected and classic and, because it is Lynch and Frost, on their time. There is, of course, other things happening throughout the new landscape of Twin Peaks but everything works to create a season that can never be repeated again as the mythology of Twin Peaks is expanded, explained, and experienced. I refuse to go into any spoilers about what happens. And I will save my thoughts for what happens at the conclusion (and what it all means) for a later time. The point is that Season Three of this show is definitely an inspired sort of madness that comes but once in a lifetime and, hell, we got it for three seasons and a movie. All classics.

Ultimately, all of this makes Twin Peaks: The Return a tasty as apple pie. Even if we never get another season (maybe we will) of this show, what we are given here is as enjoyable as a damn fine cup of black coffee.

[/tab]

[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]

Twin Peaks - Limited Series Event -Season 3 - Blu-ray Review

Blu-ray Details:

Home Video Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Available on Blu-ray - December 5, 2017
Screen Formats: 1.78:1
Subtitles: English SDH
Audio: English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; eight-disc set
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A, B

Presented from Paramount and CBS, this digitally shot series is damn impressive in HD. There may be no speck of film grain in its smooth presentation but you won’t miss it; the presentation is that immaculate and clean. Framed with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio, there’s no detail or speck of dirt that is not dissected by the frame’s field of vision. It’s crystal clear and very filmic, picking out fine fibers and fabrics in facial features and clothing. Even backgrounds pop. Black levels, too, are solid and filled with vivid definitions. Colors pop and the greens of the on location shoot absolutely shine throughout the darkness. The sound and soundtrack, with each episode ending with a band performance, is stellar with a crystal clear Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack.

Supplements:

Commentary:

Lynch doesn't do commentaries.

Special Features:

What follows is over 6 hours of behind the scenes looks at Lynch in action and the cast and crew working on their characters, their lines, rehearsing, and other very interesting details about this production. The short of it is that this release is a must-own for fans of Lynch.

IMPRESSIONS: