A damn fine cup of free entertainment.

September 10, 2008 1:42 PM

CBS has made full episodes of Twin Peaks available online.

Their "Classics" page has other gems. [previously]

posted by PM (68 comments total)

Hurrah!!!
posted by duvatney at 1:45 PM on September 10, 2008

I remember my freshman year of college, still riding a David Lynch kick out of high school, trying to track down every last episode of Season Two, available mostly as shoddy Swedish tv-rips (subtitles included!) on Kazaa.

Way to take the fun out of it, CBS.

Meanwhile, did anyone else hate the fact that the Season 2 DVD menus didn't match the Season 1 menus?
posted by griphus at 1:46 PM on September 10, 2008

(Also: This is awesome, thanks PM!)
posted by griphus at 1:47 PM on September 10, 2008

YES
posted by kkokkodalk at 1:47 PM on September 10, 2008

Last I checked, you still couldn't see the pilot online, which could theoretically make the series hard to follow (as if it weren't already)...
posted by taojones at 1:47 PM on September 10, 2008

But you can forget about it if you are outside of the USA.
posted by gomichild at 1:48 PM on September 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

taojones - Try inadvertently watching the European pilot, which is meant to be a self-contained film that ties up loose ends, instead of the American one.
posted by griphus at 1:50 PM on September 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

What is the reasoning why the pilot is not available on DVD? I remember watching it on VHS, but it was the alternate version, which was meant to be a stand-alone story.
posted by Dr-Baa at 1:50 PM on September 10, 2008

Now I can find out who killed Laura Palmer!

Oh wait...
posted by shmegegge at 1:50 PM on September 10, 2008

Bit torrent has made these available for a lot longer, though...
posted by ZaneJ. at 1:51 PM on September 10, 2008

Whoa.
posted by Dr-Baa at 1:51 PM on September 10, 2008

What is the reasoning why the pilot is not available on DVD?

It is. I think there was some rights issue, but whatever it was, it is now resolved.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 1:54 PM on September 10, 2008

Really? That's great. I bought the first season set when it came out years ago, but it didn't have the pilot.
posted by Dr-Baa at 1:57 PM on September 10, 2008

You can also catch up on Metafilter catching up on Laura Palmer's diary as weblog.
posted by plexi at 1:59 PM on September 10, 2008

The pilot is available on DVD now (it wasn't for a long time). The latest box set has the whole awesome series.
posted by cadge at 2:00 PM on September 10, 2008

I like how instead of simply displaying "Hey, because you're not in the US you cannot view this", the player opens at full volume and a recording plays "This content is currently unavailble" in annoying female robot voice.
posted by jeffmik at 2:01 PM on September 10, 2008

Last I checked, you still couldn't see the pilot online, which could theoretically make the series hard to follow.

Funny.
posted by rokusan at 2:04 PM on September 10, 2008

What is the reasoning why the pilot is not available on DVD?

It is. I think there was some rights issue, but whatever it was, it is now resolved.

Typically, the pilot is the piece that is owned by the production company, and developed in order to sell the series concept, which is the thing that is actually purchased by the network. In some cases, the pilot is so expensive, that it's really a "backdoor pilot." That is, it's produced in order to be sold as a series, but if that sale doesn't go through, it can be re-edited to become a standalone theatrical release.

That's what happened with Twin Peaks:

They filmed the pilot for $1.8 million with an agreement with ABC that they would shoot an additional "ending" to it so that it could be sold directly to video in Europe as a feature if the TV show was not picked up.

That structure caused the who-owns-what rights issue that separated the pilot from VHS and DVD releases.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 2:07 PM on September 10, 2008

Cool Papa Bell, that's also what happened eventually with Mulholland Drive.

For everyone who's wondering about the CBS full series box set versus Artisan's season one and CBS's season two, the video quality on the full series seems to me to be superior, but there are special features and audio features that (I think) are only available on the season one set from Artisan.
posted by infinitewindow at 2:14 PM on September 10, 2008

Oh, glory be! I guess I won't wallow in boredom when my spouse-for-life goes out of town this weekend!
posted by rtha at 2:18 PM on September 10, 2008

I love this. Maybe it's time to finally rip my gold box set dvds and watch these on the train.
posted by owtytrof at 2:18 PM on September 10, 2008

This is much higher quality than the old torrented ones I got however many years ago. A this resolution, I can now see that she doesn't look like his cousin. Not one bit.
posted by shakespeherian at 2:32 PM on September 10, 2008

She's wrapped in plastic.
posted by fixedgear at 2:32 PM on September 10, 2008

Damn fine coffee.
posted by Artw at 3:13 PM on September 10, 2008

This is where I bitch and moan about how it's not available outside the US. And here is where you shrug and say you don't care.
posted by the dief at 3:16 PM on September 10, 2008

.ria eht ni cisum syawla s'ereht dna ,gnos ytterp a gnis sdrib eht ,morf er'ew erehW .sterces htiw dellif s'ehS
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:17 PM on September 10, 2008 [4 favorites]

There was a fish in the percolator!
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 3:17 PM on September 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

My log wants to watch. Too bad my log doesn't have any eyes.
posted by chuckdarwin at 3:18 PM on September 10, 2008

That thing Audrey did with the tongue and the cherry stem? I wish I could do that.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 3:19 PM on September 10, 2008

I am really fucking tired of "this content is unavailable...".
posted by Turtles all the way down at 3:33 PM on September 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

I care, dief. Here are some episodes you'll probably be able to watch, but they're of questionable quality and legality.
posted by PM at 3:34 PM on September 10, 2008

I can do that thing with my tongue. But Sherilyn Fenn did it so much betterer.
posted by rokusan at 3:38 PM on September 10, 2008

That thing Audrey did with the tongue and the cherry stem? I wish I could do that.
In high school we used to spend hours in a diner bullshitting and practicing this. I think I managed once, but could not repeat.
posted by exogenous at 3:38 PM on September 10, 2008

Aw crap, I got excited there for a moment. I really wanted to watch this. :(
posted by sveskemus at 3:43 PM on September 10, 2008

Sometimes my arms bend backwards...

(thanks PM!)
posted by Pantengliopoli at 3:43 PM on September 10, 2008

Trust me, you can probably do the cherry thing. It's street magic.

And thanks for the amazon link (glad mefi gets some love from that). The boxed set and Fire Walk With me are quite a deal, despite the fact that I own it on VHS already. That's right. TAPE BITCHES.

ADD TO CART <----- click!
posted by butterstick at 3:44 PM on September 10, 2008

This is awesome. I have the Gold Box Set, but any additional access to Twin Peaks is a good thing.

I've been trying to post the first episode to my Facebook -- you know, share the wealth. It keeps freezing up. Anyone have any success with that?
posted by chihiro at 4:15 PM on September 10, 2008

That thing Audrey did with the tongue and the cherry stem? I wish I could do that.
In high school we used to spend hours in a diner bullshitting and practicing this. I think I managed once, but could not repeat.

You guys really suck at this. You probably think Penn really shoots Teller with a bullet.

The trick is to put the stem into your mouth, then distract the person somehow and quickly take the stem out of your mouth. Then, under the table, you tie the stem with your hands, while you move your mouth and jaw around, as if, you know, you're really working at it. Finally, with a bit of sleight-of-hand, you hide the stem in your fingers, pretend to reach into your mouth to retrieve the stem and "pull" the now-tied stem out of your mouth with a bit of theatrical flourish.

Voila.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 4:21 PM on September 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

Or you could, you know, just hide a tied stem in your cheek. If you're into that whole brevity thing.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 4:35 PM on September 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

Ever since CBS launched this Classics thing, and hulu started putting up full episodes of older stuff like Mary Tyler Moore, I've been waiting for Murphy Brown. Hear that, internet? I want to watch episodes of Murphy Brown with limited commercial interruption on you!

I will watch this, though, too.
posted by lampoil at 5:01 PM on September 10, 2008

And CBS now has my love, undying love.

This must be where pies go when they die.
posted by willie11 at 5:04 PM on September 10, 2008

The SNL Twin Peaks parody is amazing. They matched up actor to character perfectly.
posted by painquale at 5:07 PM on September 10, 2008 [4 favorites]

The SNL Twin Peaks parody is amazing.

Holy shit. Is that Conan O'Brian in the background holding Chris Farley?
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 5:38 PM on September 10, 2008

Aw, yeah. After a long day, my happy ass is headed into the Twilight Zone.
posted by nosila at 6:36 PM on September 10, 2008

That thing Audrey did with the tongue and the cherry stem? I wish I could do her.
posted by brevator at 7:15 PM on September 10, 2008

I think my parents only watched a little more than the first season. But I still remember watching it without them. Pretty sure this show is the reason why I've always wanted to have a pair of those boots that let you hang upside-down. Now I have to find the pilot somewhere so I can remember more than a frozen girl in a weird town...

P.S. I can really do the cherry thing. It's genetic. :)
posted by Kimothy at 7:19 PM on September 10, 2008

Holy shit. Is that Conan O'Brian in the background holding Chris Farley?

Yep, Conan plays Andy. He doesn't even have a speaking line, and it's still perfect.
posted by painquale at 7:25 PM on September 10, 2008

CBS? Wasn't this an ABC show?
posted by zardoz at 7:37 PM on September 10, 2008

Thanks for this post! CBS seems to have left out the last episode of Season Two ("Beyond Life and Death").

And yes, it was originally on ABC.
posted by twoleftfeet at 8:11 PM on September 10, 2008

For someone who's never seen the show -- what's this about the pilot? Do I need to find and watch that before I watch these?
posted by BaxterG4 at 9:05 PM on September 10, 2008

Yes, you need to find the pilot - the TV version of the pilot. Not the "European version" which has an alternate ending that will sort of ruin surprises later in the series. It's so complicated!

Also, I can't believe those episode titles have now become accepted as "official". I believe they originated in a German TV guide back in the mid-90s - which is why they are so bland and mostly meaningless.

Great to have them online, but buy the Gold Edition DVD box set - it has both versions of the pilot and the whole series. And some decent extras.
posted by crossoverman at 9:51 PM on September 10, 2008

I have always wanted to watch this show, as much as I knock David Lynch. Is there somewhere to find the pilot? If I know Lynch not watching the pilot would be bad.
posted by IvoShandor at 9:52 PM on September 10, 2008

The pilot is in the complete box set.

I had never seen the pilot until a couple of months ago. It's good to see, but it really is possible to miss it and to understand most everything about the series without becoming confused (well, Ronette Polaski is a little mysterious without the pilot). Don't let missing the pilot keep you from watching the rest of the series if you absolutely cannot get your hands on it.

The best thing about the pilot is that you actually get to see the teenagers in school. When I watched the pilot for the first time it was actually kind of weird to see Bobby and Audrey and the rest of them attending class. It made them feel a lot younger. By the end of the series, certain characters who were supposed to be teenagers felt like they were about thirty years old (I'm not mentioning names to avoid spoilers).
posted by painquale at 11:09 PM on September 10, 2008

Yeah, I have the hideous "long play" VHS tapes, the original DVD release of season one, and now the gold box. And, uh ... the books. All of them. *hides* All I want now is the rumored but yet to be released four hour cut of Fire Walk With Me, which sounds like it would clear things right up. In as much as Lynch was into the coherency thing back then.

And, uh, Cool Papa Bell? The cherry stem thing can be done. I knew a gal who could do it, when I went to high school in St. Louis. No sleight of hand, either. Her record was three knots in one stem. Given that there was only one cherry on the table at the time and her hands didn't go under the table, it's the real deal. She was a reliable hit at parties, where she could be coaxed into a performance with a reasonably long-stemmed cherry and a stiff drink.

Like we're back at One-Eyed Jacks.
posted by adipocere at 11:16 PM on September 10, 2008

> That thing Audrey did with the tongue and the cherry stem? I wish I could do that.
> posted by Blazecock Pileon at 9:19 AM on September 11 [+] [!]

You know, you could re-arrange the words Audrey, tongue, stem and cherry, add a few verbs and I'd much rather do *that*.
posted by tim_in_oz at 1:42 AM on September 11, 2008

How to tie a knot in a cherry stem with your tongue.

But there's so much more to this show. Me, I want to be Windom Earle when I grow up.
posted by twoleftfeet at 2:30 AM on September 11, 2008

A Guide to Twin Peaks.
posted by Eideteker at 5:06 AM on September 11, 2008

It is happening again.
It is happening again.
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 7:30 AM on September 11, 2008

That thing Audrey did with the tongue and the cherry stem?

I used to do it all the time when I was barbacking and had an unlimited supply of cherry stems. It's really quite easy. However, looking smoking hot - even looking less than ridiculous - is almost impossible while rolling your tongue around trying to get the thing tied. No wait, not almost. Is.
posted by louche mustachio at 7:33 AM on September 11, 2008

And, uh ... the books. All of them.

I see that and raise you Wild Palms and two awful adventure books staring Sir Arthur Conann Doyle, all by Mark Frost.
posted by Artw at 8:47 AM on September 11, 2008

I'm not the only person with the Wild Palms reader, I guess. *fear*
posted by adipocere at 10:07 AM on September 11, 2008

*WE* remember you, Mark Frost! It's not all Lynch, Lynch, Lynch!

Though seriously, those two Doyle books were pretty awful.
posted by Artw at 10:22 AM on September 11, 2008

Looks liek he was also partial responsible for the awful silver surfer film... though to be fair no-ones efforst could have prevented that being the terrobortion that it was.
posted by Artw at 10:25 AM on September 11, 2008

..and, er, he had nothing to do with the writing of Wild Palms, I must have misremembered that.
posted by Artw at 10:26 AM on September 11, 2008

Yay!
posted by lunit at 10:33 AM on September 11, 2008

And, uh ... the books. All of them.

But do you have all the issues of Wrapped in Plastic?
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 10:36 AM on September 11, 2008

Classic TV
posted by diaperdad at 8:14 AM on September 14, 2008

YES... this really was one of the best shows on TV. This wasn't the typical happy ending tv show, or the family comedy, or any of this reality TV BS... this was a clever and very artistic show. We need more of these.
posted by 2TheTopMarketing at 10:12 AM on September 15, 2008