Around the dinner table, the conversation was lively. Thank you but for now, the forum has been archived.
Greetings, all.
Right or wrong, TPTR has received a great many negative reactions, ranging from gently critical pushback against the apologist camp to embittered backlash by the 'betrayed loyalist' fan community.
I, for one, feel starved of what sustained me for 18 weeks.
As such, I'd like to invite anyone who felt disappointed by TPTR to share/recommend television programs, films, books, etc. they found more compelling than TPTR ... That is to say, what have you viewed, read or otherwise consumed that did something for you that TPTR didn't? How/why?
My goal here is not the "If you liked... you'll like" format of Amazon auto-recommendations, but rather the inverse...e.g., "I didn't like The Return as much as I liked Return to Oz (1985)... "
This is grossly personal but I have been utterly impressed with the Sherlock show on PBS/BBC. It's not as fresh as it once was, but the first couple of seasons were on par if not better IMHO.
Twin Peaks: Season 1 - I think enough others will suggest this so I will leave the justification to them.
Carnivale - Must admit, I loved the show and the story. It was fresh and funny enough had some interesting ties to The Return.
This is grossly personal but I have been utterly impressed with the Sherlock show on PBS/BBC. It's not as fresh as it once was, but the first couple of seasons were on par if not better IMHO.
Twin Peaks: Season 1 - I think enough others will suggest this so I will leave the justification to them.
Carnivale - Must admit, I loved the show and the story.
Thanks, Charlie! Yes, I think I'll try Carnivale ... Michael J. Anderson!
"Carnivale" is a good shout if you like Twin Peaks.
Another one might be the original "The Prisoner" series, but you might already know that.
A severely underrated show is "The Leftovers", at times absolutely brilliant, a lot of things stay mysterious and up for interpretation.
My personal favorite show of all time is "Mad Men", which is something entirely different, but so well written and detailed that you can watch it again and again and obsess over it.
"Carnivale" is a good shout if you like Twin Peaks.
Another one might be the original "The Prisoner" series, but you might already know that.
A severely underrated show is "The Leftovers", at times absolutely brilliant, a lot of things stay mysterious and up for interpretation.
My personal favorite show of all time is "Mad Men", which is something entirely different, but so well written and detailed that you can watch it again and again and obsess over it.
Thanks, Peter. Part of the reason for my post is that I had trouble getting into The Leftovers , felt burnt out after so many seasons of Mad Men (I was left asking... why?? Which is increasingly how I'm feeling about Game of Thrones... When/how will it...finally... end??)
All of which actually points me back to the original question....
Did you prefer these shows to TPTR?
All opinions are welcome-- I'm really keen to get recommendations from folks whose all-time favorites are not Twin Peaks ...
... because I think I'm basically the one who likes TPTR better than just about anything else (save for Fire Walk with Me and Mulholland Drive...)
TV wise, nothing has engaged my interest like TPTR.
IRL, there are lots of things better, though.
Not much is better than The Return 🙂
But, very close (or even), I thoroughly enjoyed the book Vacuum Diagrams by Stephen Baxter, if you like very thoughtful science fiction.
Series-wise - nothing comes close to TP. I did enjoy Stranger Things, although it is incomparable to The Return.
Film-wise, The Fountain by Darren Aronofsky; Primer (an independent film that'll have you thinking and reading about it for a long time, much like TP). I also think Interstellar is an excellent film.
Documentary wise, I highly recommend One More Time With Feeling, which I know I keep banging on about on this forum. It's directed in very lynchian style, and somewhat meta, even though it's a documentary.
TV wise, nothing has engaged my interest like TPTR.
IRL, there are lots of things better, though.
Wait a second... what year is it?!!
This is grossly personal but I have been utterly impressed with the Sherlock show on PBS/BBC. It's not as fresh as it once was, but the first couple of seasons were on par if not better IMHO.
I'm a Sherlock fan too, and I concur the first two seasons were the real deal... the next two, not quite so much but still good viewing.
I recently had another thought about Sherlock and The Return. The fan reaction to the Sherlock Season 3 premier reminds me a lot of the fan reaction to how Mr. C and BOB were dispatched in this show. For those who haven't seen Sherlock: Basically fans had high expectations for an emotionally satisfying payoff to what seemed like cataclysmic events - and then the whole thing was sort of brushed aside/played for a joke. There was a lot of dramatic buildup toward (some thought) a disrespectfully silly resolution. I'm not exactly in that camp for either show, but I noticed the similarities.
On the main subject of this thread: I can't honestly say I "enjoyed" the finale of The Return. But I was emotionally affected by it in a way that I can't say I ever have been by a TV show/movie/book. So whether or not it made me "happy," I have to give it credit for being just about the most compelling thing I've ever seen on TV.
So I'm not one of the dissatisfied folks you wanted to hear from, but my (other) nominee for Greatest Show Of All Time is Mad Men. A very different experience, obviously. But I'm awed by the depth of the characters and dialogue, the evocation of a time and place, and the consistent excellence across nearly 100 episodes. Not easy to do.
There is no television programming that has ever excited, captivated or utterly infuriated/devastated/delighted me like TPTR. I doubt anything in the future will ever come close. There have been plenty of shows I have enjoyed a great deal over the decades. But even if I "enjoy" them more on a stereotypical day to day basis, none of them have ever crawled under my skin and burrowed into my brain and driven me to obsess over fan forums. TPTR is truly a league of it's own and even if someone hated the ending, I bet they were obsessing like nothing else for the first 16 weeks.
On an additional note with a question, has anyone else noticed their television watching experience in general has been.........modified? I find myself trying to analyze other shows in the same way I analyzed TP. I ask too many questions, replay scenes over and over, listen over-attentively and obsessively wonder at deeper meanings and symbolism.
Until my spouse says "chill out, it's just a Cheetos commercial."
On the main subject of this thread: I can't honestly say I "enjoyed" the finale of The Return. But I was emotionally affected by it in a way that I can't say I ever have been by a TV show/movie/book. So whether or not it made me "happy," I have to give it credit for being just about the most compelling thing I've ever seen on TV.
So I'm not one of the dissatisfied folks you wanted to hear from, but my (other) nominee for Greatest Show Of All Time is Mad Men. A very different experience, obviously. But I'm awed by the depth of the characters and dialogue, the evocation of a time and place, and the consistent excellence across nearly 100 episodes. Not easy to do.
Thanks, Sonia. I'm fascinated to hear your assessment of The Return. I had a similar reaction to Part 18.
I'm intrigued as well that your other suggestion is Mad Men. I agree that the evocation of a time and place was extraordinary... but, for me, that came to feel superficial after a point...
Much like with The Sopranos, watching the Draper children grow up was amazing (they may be my favorite part of the show)... And, certainly, John Hamm's and Elizabeth Moss's performance together was something to behold, season after season ... I'm glad to have seen it, but I doubt I will watch it again ... Maybe someday with my youngish niece and nephew who haven't seen it yet...
Thanks, all. This is already a great discussion.
Here's my contribution, intended as a heartfelt compliment to Lynch by virtue of my reluctance to suggest anything else (high praise, in other words):
Vertigo (1958) is, IMO, "better" than TPTR.
Apples and oranges, I know, but revisiting it now, it's giving me chills like those Lynch has always inspired in me... Lynch-Badalamenti and Hitchcock-Hermann are two unforgettable collaborative duos...
Thanks, all. This is already a great discussion.
Here's my contribution, intended as a heartfelt compliment to Lynch by virtue of my reluctance to suggest anything else (high praise, in other words):
Vertigo (1958) is, IMO, "better" than TPTR.
Apples and oranges, I know, but revisiting it now, it's giving me chills like those Lynch has always inspired in me... Lynch-Badalamenti and Hitchcock-Hermann are two unforgettable collaborative duos...
Hmmmm, I wasn't even thinking along movies, only television. That is a whole different perspective.
I am a big Hitchcock fan and have wondered many times what Hitchcock would think of Lynch's work and would they be besties or bitter rivals....... What do you think?
Thanks, all. This is already a great discussion.
Here's my contribution, intended as a heartfelt compliment to Lynch by virtue of my reluctance to suggest anything else (high praise, in other words):
Vertigo (1958) is, IMO, "better" than TPTR.
Apples and oranges, I know, but revisiting it now, it's giving me chills like those Lynch has always inspired in me... Lynch-Badalamenti and Hitchcock-Hermann are two unforgettable collaborative duos...
Hmmmm, I wasn't even thinking along movies, only television. That is a whole different perspective.
I am a big Hitchcock fan and have wondered many times what Hitchcock would think of Lynch's work and would they be besties or bitter rivals....... What do you think?
Rivals! Lynch appears warm and fuzzy, but I think that's just an eccentric persona he projects... he's so tenacious... Just look at the difficulties others have had when collaborations went awry...
Thanks, all. This is already a great discussion.
Here's my contribution, intended as a heartfelt compliment to Lynch by virtue of my reluctance to suggest anything else (high praise, in other words):
Vertigo (1958) is, IMO, "better" than TPTR.
Apples and oranges, I know, but revisiting it now, it's giving me chills like those Lynch has always inspired in me... Lynch-Badalamenti and Hitchcock-Hermann are two unforgettable collaborative duos...
Hmmmm, I wasn't even thinking along movies, only television. That is a whole different perspective.
I am a big Hitchcock fan and have wondered many times what Hitchcock would think of Lynch's work and would they be besties or bitter rivals....... What do you think?
Rivals! Lynch appears warm and fuzzy, but I think that's just an eccentric persona he projects... he's so tenacious... Just look at the difficulties others have had when collaborations went awry...
I am envisioning/imagining so many scenarios between the 2 of them. 🙂
I've heard that Hitchcock was not always the most pleasant person to work it either.
But DAMN! If they could have ever been allowed and able to work together on something to completion, can you even conceptualize how amazing it would have been.
Fire walk with 
