Show Rundown: In this week’s episode, we talk about “Twin Peaks,” which returned last night on Showtime. In our second segment, Peter Brown from Assignment X joins us to review “Alien: Covenant,” which was the #1 movie at the box office this weekend. And finally, we end the show with what we’re dorking out about this week, including Kevin Costner returning to westerns and the third season of “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.”
Scratch those last two. We're talking about "Star Trek: Discovery"
Topic 1: Twin Peaks
Unless you’ve been stuck in the Black Lodge for the past few years, you know that “Twin Peaks” returned Sunday night with two of the 18 all-new episodes on Showtime. If you are one of those weirdos who has never watched “Twin Peaks,” then I’m going to explain to you why “Twin Peaks” is kind of a big deal.
Created by filmmaker David Lynch and Mark Frost, there was nothing like “Twin Peaks” on network television in 1990. Now the line between television and movies are blurred. Actually, there are no lines. Movie stars regularly make TV shows, and TV stars make movies; BUT, in 1990, a TV series created by a filmmaker as highly regarded as David Lynch was really unusual and special.
The elevator pitch for Twin Peaks was Agent Dale Cooper, played by Kyle MacLachlan, comes to a small Northwestern town to investigate the murder of the Laura Palmer, the seemingly perfect teenager, the homecoming queen dating the football team captain, etc. etc. But, of course, the show was much more than that. Twin Peaks was a mix of murder mystery, horror, dark comedy and drama. It could be absolutely heartbreaking and absolutely terrifying in the same episode. Creatively, Twin Peaks’s influence cannot overstated. It’s DNA is all over TV shows including genre shows such as “The X-Files” and “Lost” and more recently “Fargo” and “Riverdale,” as well as more mainstream TV such as “Northern Exposure.”
“Twin Peaks” aired for two seasons for a total of 30 episodes. It lost its creative footing after the murder of Laura Palmer was solved midway through the second season, and the show struggled in the ratings and was canceled. Lynch wrote and directed the prequel “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me,” which I think is underappreciated, and a small taste of where Lynch would later serve up with “Lost Highway” and “Mulholland Drive.”
So, that’s why everybody is so excited that Twin Peaks is back. We watched the first episode, and we’ve got good news that gum you like is going to come back in style. Smith, what did you think about the return of “Twin Peaks?”
Topic 2: Alien: Covenant with Peter Brown
Over 30 years ago, Ridley Scott directed one of the best science fiction movies and one of the creepiest horror movies, and it was the same movie. That would be 1979’s Alien. Since then he’s made a career of lush, amazing looking movies which are a bit hit and miss on the storytelling side.
That goes double for Prometheus, the 2012 movie marking Scott’s return to the franchise he began. But by then, and maybe until today, the Alien franchise has become one of the most beat up, battered, messed around franchises in Hollywood history. For every classic sequel, like James Cameron’s Aliens, there were two or three deformed creatures, like the possibly underrated David Fincher entry, Alien 3, or the no-holds bar trainwreck like Alien: Resurrection.
When it came out, Prometheus had a lot of fans excited for a top shelf alien story, but the final movie left a divided fanbase, half liking it, half loathing it.
What We’re Dorking Out About This Week:
Star Trek Discovery Trailer Is Here FINALLY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dxe_ugmIVM
Kevin Costner in 10-Hour Western
http://moviehole.net/2017115773costner-set-for-new-tv-western-yellowstone
The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Is Back For a Third Season
http://collider.com/unbreakable-kimmy-schmidt-season-3-review/
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