A Preacher Virgin Looks at Preacher

Unlike a lot of comic book properties that move to television and film, I don't really know all that much about Preacher. I've never read it. I know it was by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, for mature readers, and that it had characters like Jesse Custer, Cassidy the vampire, Arseface, and the Saint of Killers - but that's about it. I also knew it's fans were passionate and loyal. When I watched the AMC TV series however, it was all-new to me.

I didn't know what to expect in its first moments with its purposefully cheap effects, but they were soon forgotten as I was enveloped by the tale of Preacher Jesse Custer possessed of a power called Genesis in a quirky Texas town named Annville. While Jesse on the whole is well played but fairly boring, his situation is not, and neither are his somewhat companions Cassidy and Tulip. Dominic Cooper, and especially Ruth Negga and Joseph Gilgun are wonderful. And the more I see of them, the more I want them in the show, but the showrunners seem to be holding back giving me what I want. The screen shines when either are on it.

Annville itself seems to me to be what "Twin Peaks" might be as a comic book written by Quentin Tarantino. Episodic, bizarre, violent, and defiantly Lynch-ian. I love it. As more quirky characters are introduced, notably two angels sent to retrieve Genesis by ridiculous and arcane methods, I am enjoying myself but find the storytelling lacking. Like "Twin Peaks," we don't actually seem to be going anywhere.

There are subplots I want to see more of like Tulip's quest for revenge and Cassidy's pursuers, but these are overshadowed by others that I either don't care about or don't understand - like Jesse's childhood or Quincannon's madness or these old west flashbacks. They may well be Easter eggs that comics readers get and love, but I don't get them.

I'm eight episodes out of ten in, and I have to say I'm losing interest. The things I want to see I'm not getting and what I am getting is just not doing it for me. I suspect they are stuffing as much as they can into the show despite the effect it might have on virgin viewers like me. I'm still watching, but I prefer the early episodes to the later ones.

For a different view on the series, this one from a fan of the comics, check out Amanda Blue's reviews of "Preacher" at Biff Bam Pop! right here.

Wayward Pines

I'm an M. Night Shyamalan fan. Yes, I admit it, and I've continued to watch and have faith much longer than many folks. When I first heard he was moving to episodic television with a limited series that was reminiscent of "Twin Peaks," I put it on my watch list.

My friend, editor over at Biff Bam Pop!, and a "Twin Peaks" authority, Andy Burns, got around to seeing and reviewing "Wayward Pines" before me. He was unimpressed, and you can read his thoughts here. I have to say we're pretty much in agreement. This story of a Secret Service agent, waking up after a car accident while in search for two other agents, and finding himself in a small town full of strange characters and paranoia, is nowhere near as good as it could have been.

"Wayward Pines," or the pilot at least, had potential. The books it's based on - The Wayward Pines Trilogy by Blake Crouch - I have not read but have heard are quite good and recommended for folks who dug "Twin Peaks" because of the similarities and vibe. Between that and the M. Night connection I was starting to look forward to this. Add in that it was going to be on Fox, who had brought the TP mood from "Broadchurch" in their American remake called "Gracepoint," I could definitely see it working.

Andy Burns had good things to say about the cast, not their performances, mind you, but their casting. If I'm being honest, other than Melissa Leo (and she is hands down the best part of this show) and Toby Jones, I thought the casting better suited to a parody of a drama than an actual drama. Speaking of drama, lead Matt Dillon to me has always been the real life version of his brother Kevin Dillon's character Johnny Drama on "Entourage," and I've never been able to take Juliette Lewis seriously.

The rest of the cast stumble through this mess like zombies overacting in a school play. Terrence Howard is an embarrassment, and unbelievable as the potential heavy. This could have been good. There is more "Lost" and "The Prisoner" to this stinker than "Twin Peaks," and M. Night does little to distinguish himself or improve his rep here. The pilot is it for me, I won't be watching further. Consider this a case of having me watch something, so you won't have to.

Twin Peaks Returns

Today it was announced that "Twin Peaks" would be returning to television. The groundbreaking series that stunned America more than two decades ago has had a tumultuous ride, with me at least.

"Twin Peaks" was one of the first TV shows I obsessively taped with my new VCR. Everyone was talking about when it first aired, from other television outlets to talk radio, it was perhaps one of the earliest of the water cooler shows. It wasn't just me, the entire viewing audience was obsessed. And then it kinda sadly faded away.

Two years ago, my friend and editor-in-chief at Biff Bam Pop!, Andy Burns, got me to write a look back at the show, after not seeing it for twenty-odd years. I did a rewatch thanks to Netflix, and was unimpressed. For me, the show had lost its gloss, its wonder. While certainly influencing many of the shows that came after it, for me, it just wasn't the phenomenon it was back in the day. You can read that 2012 article here.

Now here's the thing. Besides being a great friend, and a cool editor, Andy is also probably one of the foremost experts on "Twin Peaks." He is to "Twin Peaks" what I am to Avengers. Yeah, I said it, he's the man. So much the man, he's writing a book about "Twin Peaks" for ECW Press that will see print in 2015. I've had the opportunity to read much of it, and I have to tell you, Andy changed my way of thinking. A monument to his skill at writing and explaining the phenomenon, "Wrapped in Plastic: Twin Peaks" by Andy Burns has reaffirmed my love of "Twin Peaks."

If you had told me that "Twin Peaks" was coming back after I wrote that article and did that rewatch… I probably would have groaned. Now, after reading much of Andy's book, I am so psyched for this return to greatness of one television's classic groundbreaking series.

"Twin Peaks" will be returning to television on Showtime in 2016, co-written by David Lynch and Mark Frost, directed by Lynch, and with most of the cast, including Kyle MacLachlan as Agent Cooper. Showtime will be airing the entire original series before the new one begins. For more on "Wrapped n Plastic: Twin Peaks" by Andy Burns, click here, and for more about the return, click here.

The Rue Morgue Twin Peaks Cover

My friend and editor over at Biff Bam Pop!, Andy Burns, has something very cool coming up - the cover story of next month's issue of Rue Morgue magazine.

That's right, my buddy's got the cover in an extensive article on the cult classic TV series "Twin Peaks," with interviews with cast and crew, including the wonderful Sheryl Lee. And, this coming February, look for his book on "Twin Peaks."