David Lynch’s twisted horror/crime/comedy/grotesque/soap opera came to a close with this season, wherein we learn who killed Laura Palmer, who shot Agent Cooper, and what at least some of the secrets of the Black Lodge are (the Lodge being a threatening, supernatural space). Viewers coming into this series without having seen the first season (got 120 bucks to buy it used on Amazon?) will be hopelessly confused, and we can only hope that a reissue of where it all began is not far down the road. And though many people thought that the show went off the rails in the second season, there is so much here that is deliriously funny, macabre and mystical that it remains one of network television’s finest hours.
Audio
Gotta love that Angelo Badalamenti score, here remastered in 5.1. The droning bass lines are so deep as to be almost subliminal, and there’s a frequent very low rumble on the soundtrack – watch out for sympathetic vibrations shaking your nervous system. Great stuff. The dialogue is clear and undistorted, and overall, the experience is as immersive as one could reasonably hope for.
Video
My initial reaction, as the first Log Lady introduction rolled, was one of absolute horror. THIS, I thought, THIS is what we get with something “fully remastered from the original negative”??? The image was soft as a sponge, the Log Lady’s facial features almost completely indiscernible, the pixelation atrocious. It looked like a multi-generation pirated VHS dub. Fortunately, only those introductions look so awful. The shows themselves are crisp and sharp, blessed with deep, deep blacks, and colours (the reds and browns in particular) so rich, they’re in a higher tax bracket than you are. Grain is minimal.
Special Features
Interviews with episode directors and Jennifer Lynch are scattered over the six discs, working out to interview per disc. The “interactive interview grid” is a way of getting bite-sized interviews with the cast on particular subjects, which is fine and all, but altogether there is only about 40 minutes of footage there (which can also be viewed as one featurette). There are also, as should be expected, some trailers.
Closing Thoughts
All in all, a pretty solid package. Now let’s get Season 1 out there in an affordable form, and we’ll be completely set.
