Saturday, September 16, 2017

EARTH, WIND, AND THE FIREMAN: A yrev, very TWIN PEAKS summer!

Like a lot of TWIN PEAKS fans, I had been eagerly awaiting its return in 2017. However, I hadn't been waiting 25 years. Even though I grew up minutes from North Bend and Snoqualmie, where the fictional town of Twin Peaks is based, the first time I saw the series was in 2006. And yet I was immediately entrenched in the lore and lure of the mysterious Pacific Northwest town and its oddball inhabitants. I thought it was the best television show I had ever seen and was equally baffled and intrigued by the ending of season 2. I can't imaging being left hanging for 25 + years to find out what Special Agent Dale Cooper had been up to all this time.

When I watched in 2006 I was managing social media accounts for some of the cast (like Richard Beymer), as well as the David Lynch Foundation's so I had constant interaction with the fan community. Admittedly, the passion for David and his work is contagious. I already thought he was amazing for his enthusiasm and desire to help others through the Transcendental Meditation Program. But the online discussions and constant interaction with people who loved David's art work helped me appreciate the layered textures of his work on a whole new level.

Naturally, I was ecstatic when season 3 was announced in 2014. Some of the cast and crew have been colleagues, clients, and close friends of mine. To see them all come together again to work their magic under the guidance of David's brilliant mind? I was completely on board. And I had no idea what to expect. 25 years had gone by. Inter-dimensional activity aside, time was sure to have taken its toll on some of the residents of TWIN PEAKS and some crucial characters could no longer be an integral part of the story since the actors who portrayed them had passed. Or so I thought.

As the release date of season 3 drew near, TWIN PEAKS fever had officially set in. I was gearing up for what was going to be a special summer. I had no idea what was coming. Not just in the show, but the overall experience of sharing the viewings, theories, and memes with thousands of fans online, and most unexpectedly, the TWIN PEAKS SINGLES GROUP ON FACEBOOK, and in person via the SoCal Twin Peaks Fans Facebook group. AND OMG THE MEMES HAHA!!! (This is my meme page if you wanna see the ridiculous stuff I came up with these past few months).

I fully entered the vortex in early May when my best friends came with me for a TP themed birthday getaway. We stayed in a cabin that could have been run by Ben Horne himself and the weather was perfectly suited for all of our cosplay photo adventures: see here!

The day we got back from our trip, I began a re-watch of seasons 1 and 2. Actually, my cat and I watched it and with some further analysis and reflection after seeing the whole series to date, she made a "reaction video". For the record, @CAT_VON_DAISY loves it and thinks that part 18 of season 3 is a perfect "cat"alyst for more stories to be told ;)


As the ads for the new season promised: "It is Happening Again!". The mystery and magic of TWIN PEAKS had been fully awakened at this point.

I couldn't imagine watching the new episodes alone so I had a bunch of friends over for a viewing party on May 21st. The cherry pie and donuts were laid out. The coffee was hot and there was no fish in our percolator so it was safe to drink. I had transformed my office into the red room and we sat eagerly awaiting the new content completely unaware of what was about to unfold. While the first 2 episodes introduced us to new characters, new locations, and new stories, we savored every moment.

[WARNING: SEASON 3 SPOILERS AHEAD]

To satiate our desire to know what had become of Dale Cooper all these years, there was a short scene of Cooper in the red room (or black lodge?) with Laura Palmer. As this pivotal and nostalgic scene aired, something unpredictable and magical happened to add to the ambience. 3 fire trucks had stopped outside and their red lights were flooding our viewing party, making it feel like the red room was spilling out of the TV and into the entire building. It was so beautiful. It made the first night an unforgettable experience and was a premonition of many more happy accidents and perfect viewing party experiences.

You can see a clip of that moment in this awesome video Kenneth Thomas edited of all of our viewing parties this season:



What wasn't captured in the video above was us sitting on the edge of our chairs in the most penetratingly beautiful and terrifying hour of entertainment ever. Part 8. The hour that changed it all. It shook me to my core. Level: OBSESSED!!!!!

After Part 8, I was completely inspired and spent nearly every spare moment I had making props and decorations for our future viewing parties, especially the finale which you can see in the video above. Jennifer Koochof and I went all out with the decor for the party. Maybe we even went overboard! Hahaha... but it was worth it. It was a night those who attended will not soon forget. Not just because of the perfect art of the show itself, but also because we had another unforgettable serendipitous moment while watching Part 17 that involved yet again... Firemen. This time it wasn't just local fire trucks, it was actual fire and THE FIREMAN.

We held our finale party in Tujunga, CA, which was host to the largest wildfire in LA County history that weekend. Our viewing location was just clear of the fire and upwind from it, so while we could see the smoke, we weren't in danger and were able to breathe. The party would prevail! But another element was a potential threat. Our party started at 5pm and we were going to start with the viewing at 8pm. There was a big storm predicted for 6pm. We'd spent 2 days setting up decorations and there was electrical gear all over the yard. Our nerves were a little on edge lol. Right on cue, as I was securing the final paper decorations on one of the photo booth backdrops, I felt it. Intense winds rushing all around me, and rain drops falling on my head. I yelled "IT'S RAINING" and we scrambled to get the electronics covered and the food tables sheltered. The storm came and went in less than 20 minutes. THE PARTY WOULD PREVAIL!

Over the next few hours there was zero sign that any storm had just washed through the area. There was no more wind and the warm air was perfect for an outdoor viewing. As we settled into Part 17, we were hyper focused on the screen and in a moment so chilling I still get full body shivers every time I think about it... Carel Struycken's character (who had officially been revealed to be THE FIREMAN by the green garden-gloved Freddie) came on screen as Mr C had found his way to the white lodge. With one whooshing swoop of THE FIREMAN's hand across the screen, we heard not only an [intense whoosh] from the show itself... but a super intense whoosh of wind came billowing in and shook all of the trees in the yard and the screen we were watching the episode on. It was the most insane special effect ever!!!! Seriously. If there had been a crew at the party whose sole job was to create the perfect wind effect, they wouldn't have been able to accomplish it. Every attendee at the party squealed and squirmed in their seats for the next few minutes. It was beyond!


It was one of those moments where the entirety of the TWIN PEAKS and special quality David Lynch brings to his art is summed up in perfect synchronicity. One of the moments I see the profound depth of David's vision, intended or not. As someone whose conscious awareness is so in tune with the field of Being, his art work effects even those of us viewing it and allows us to experience the perfection that is at play. All in one of the most surreal and bizarre and disturbingly beautiful shows we have ever witnessed. One of many moments. But one I will never forget.

To be honest, I have no idea what to make of the season finale. I am still processing it and will be for weeks afterward, like I was with Part 8. And I am not 100% certain of the significance of THE FIREMAN character. With the completely unpredictable nature of TWIN PEAKS, who can ever really be certain about anything?

But, being a meditator and Vedic Science geek and having a background in Vedic (Indian mythology), I see the silent gaps in the series i.e. the awkward yet adorable slow conversations, the long sweeping scenes, the endless driving in silence down dark roads to unknown territory... all as moments of silence in which we can tap into that unbounded awareness where literally anything is possible.

I see THE FIREMAN as a Vishnu like character. One who preserves the good, protects, and brings balance to the world when evil unleashed. In this case the evil rakshasas are BOB and whatever else JOWDAY has spread through her seed over the desert. Vishnu is infinite and all pervasive so the balancing effect will be everywhere it is needed and yet the story of TWIN PEAKS is filled with flawed characters, some of whom may be seeking liberation, or enlightenment, and find themselves in and endless cycle. Literally infinite as symbolized by the ominous figure 8 which appeared in a later part of the season! ∞ ... Since the story was left open ended, we may never know if Cooper/Richard/Linda/Carrie/Laura will move through their own personal hell, their own "black lodge", to heal their trauma and move beyond it to the "white lodge", the point of being free and capable of enjoying their version of "enlightenment" or a peaceful existence as close to it as possible.

This is of course, my interpretation, and my thoughts on it change constantly as I read theories and see things from different points of view. I've used the word "perfect" in this blog a few times. And I really feel season 3 was perfect? Was it what I expected? No! It was so much more. I had no pre-conceived notions of what it should be and I was not expecting anything or anticipating any story or character to be presented in the way they had in the first 2 seasons. So there was nothing to disappoint me. It was just a beautiful ride that we got to experience individually and collectively. It is fascinating to see so many interpretations of the same show we all saw. For every viewer, there is a unique interpretation. Each viewer is their own rishi (or seer), one might say dreamer, seeing the world according to his or her consciousness. As they say "the world is as we are".

And wow bob wow... TWIN PEAKS is a wild, wild world!


THANK YOU DAVID LYNCH, MARK FROST, SABRINA SUTHERLAND, AND EVERYONE INVOLVED IN BRINGING US THIS GREAT GIFT OF SEASON 3! BIG THANKS TO SHOWTIME FOR SUPPORTING TWIN PEAKS ACCORDING TO THE VISION OF ITS CREATORS! KEEP IT COMING!!! ;)










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