Twin Peaks: The Entire Mystery

The content here is of course 5 stars. It's David Lynch. TWIN PEAKS!! If you've seen it and are now looking to own for the first time, you know. If you've not seen it before and are looking to finally see this legendary groundbreaking show, you are in for a treat.BUT.... there are several options to buy and I've done a few, so let me help and tell you that THIS is the one to get for S1 and S2. There are several "all inclusive" sets including "Twin Peaks - The Television Collection" which includes S1, S2 and S3 only (plus extras), or the more expansive "Twin Peaks - Z to A" set that includes all 3 seasons, the "Fire Walk With Me" movie, "This Missing Pieces" AND the international version of the pilot. Sounds enticing, especially since it's the cheapest way to get everything, but let me tell you: cheaper is not always better.Look at the 1-star reviews for those collections and you'll see serious issues with the packaging which I can attest to. It's a big plastic book-like case that you open up and then there are a few "pages" that you can put the discs on. The problem is that each side of each "page" holds 4 discs: two discs at the top stacked right on top of each other (!), then 2 more at the bottom done the same way. And each set of 2 discs overlaps with one another, meaning you could have to remove up to *3* discs to get to the one you are after (and they are NOT very easy to remove!). Convenience? ZERO. Opportunity to scratch, scuff and otherwise damage your discs? MASSIVE. I watched my "Television Collection" set twice but on the 3rd time several episodes began skipping and even freezing on me even though I am very careful with my discs at all times. So I paid the price in having to buy THAT set and then having to replace it. Many people still give those sets 4 or even 5-star reviews because I don't think the what happened to me has happened to them yet, but I'd bet that it will...So rather than the cheapest and most "convenient" option and one of those 'all in one' sets, I would definitely recommend getting this "Entire Mystery" set for everything Twin Peaks from the 1990's and then this one for S3-The Return.https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DPPQ2W76?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_titleThis "Entire Mystery" set has 10 discs and the S3-The Return set has 8. Both are packaged identically with 1 disc only on each side of the "page" inside the case (this "Entire Mystery" set also has one disc on the inside of the front of the case and at the back, which is how it holds 2 more discs than the "Return" set). But both have EASY access to whichever disc you are after: EASY to remove, EASY to replace and never do the discs come into contact with one another.And the content is ALL there: this "Entire Mystery" set includes S1, S2, the 'Fire Walk With Me' movie, The Missing Pieces and both versions of the original pilot; the S3-The Return set is exactly that: all episodes from that season. But both sets include more extras then you'll know what to do with. All packaged in two separate cases that are not large at all and yet hold all your discs securely and safely while still allowing safe and easy access to removing and returning the discs (each set is approximately the width of 2 single disc blu ray cases; the two sets stacked together are actually smaller than the single case the "Television Collection" and "Z to A" sets come in; I know as I've had both in my hands).Purchasing that way will cost you a little more -- as of this typing I paid about $25 more -- but I couldn't be happier that I did. I have all things "Twin Peaks" in two compact sets that I am confident will last a lifetime.

There have been so many people treating this section as a message board instead of reviews it's absurd. I have the set and have been watching it, so this is an actual REVIEW.PACKAGINGThe packaging is nicely done and good quality. However I prefer practical packaging and it takes a little effort to flip through and access the discs. There isn't a booklet listing all of the disc contents, which is a bit frustrating as you have to insert a disc to see which special features it contains. This is nitpicking because it looks very good and there is a neat little surprise after you flip through all of the discs.HD UPGRADE QUALITYAll episodes of the TV show, including both versions of the pilot, have been meticulously scanned and remastered from the original negatives. People seem to forget that this show was finished in 1990 TV resolution. Thankfully it was shot on film and those film negatives could be used to create HD masters. It took considerable work and expense to upgrade these episodes to HD quality and DTS sound. While the Gold Box versions looked great, these transfers are much better, with 3 times the sharpness and more accurate and striking color. I am watching on a 100" screen and seeing textures and details I never noticed on the DVD. There is a much greater depth which pulls you even deeper into the world of Twin Peaks. Twin Peaks was the first show to be shot in a cinematic style, and it pays off big time on blu-ray. The shows are presented in their original 4x3 aspect ratio.I have noticed some shots in the first few episodes which were clearly not upgraded to HD, probably because they were part of a special effect. For example, when Laura's mom imagines Donna's face turning into Laura. They were brief moments and didn't detract much from the overall amazing presentation. However in the first episode of season two there is a long montage of superimposed shots while Cooper describes the details of Laura's murder. The whole sequence is noticeably not in HD and it stands out. It is quite distracting and a shame because it is such a crucial and visual scene. I can only guess the producers were unable to locate the original negative for those scenes.The sound is remixed and remastered in DTS-MA and is amazingly full ranged and detailed considering it was originally created for a 24 year old TV show. The music in particular sounds fantastic.Fire Walk With Me has not been previously available in HD in the US. The new transfer was scanned from the camera negative in 4k resolution and looks great. It has a very organic, natural film look with great depth and color. Sound is also DTS-MA and is excellent. I have a much greater appreciation for the film after watching it again in HD. There are still moments I don't like, but overall it is brilliant.The extras have all been upgraded to HD where possible and look great. Even the murky old Log Lady introductions (which is how the entire show looked back then) show a big improvement.I was thrilled to see that the recaps and previews for each episode have been included in HD. There are also some ABC promos. That really takes me back to watching it on ABC so many years ago.THE MISSING PIECESThis is the biggest selling point of the set and for good reason. When Fire Walk with Me was released in 1992, many fans (myself included) were sorely disappointed when many favorite characters were not seen in the film. This frustration only increased when it was discovered that many of them were in fact filmed, but cut from the movie. Over the years these deleted scenes have become legendary, with entire websites devoted to drafts of scripts and rare photos from these scenes.In the era of DVD extra features, fans petitioned to get the deleted scenes released. However, there was a tangle of legal rights which prevented this from happening. Complicating matters was the fact that David Lynch refused to include the scenes in their rough, unfinished state. It would take considerable funding to complete them to Lynch's specifications. After years of trying, it was finally announced that negotiations were at a standstill and the scenes would not be released. That is why they have never been included before.I don't know exactly how it happened, but somehow the parties involved finally came to an agreement and funding was provided to allow Lynch to finally finish the scenes. Fans who have followed this saga for 22 years know how amazingly lucky we are to finally have 90 minutes of this legendary footage in full HD quality and DTS sound.Lynch presents the Missing Pieces as it's own movie type experience and they play as a series of vaguely connected vignettes. It doesn't make much sense if you haven't seen FWWM recently, so a fresh viewing first might be a good idea.And how are the scenes after all of these years? Do they live up to the hype? The answer is a definite YES. There is some amazing stuff here which Twin Peaks fans will love. There are both small character moments and big mind blowing moments. And about 5 minutes which take place AFTER the Season Two finale. You will find out what happens to Annie and get a further glimpse into what might have been with the evil Cooper if there was a season three. It's great stuff and I am still kind of amazed we are finally getting to see it. And in such great quality. I have not encountered audio sync issues as some have reported.EXTRASIn addition to the Missing Pieces, there are several new extras created for this set. I haven't watched them all yet, but I did watch Between Two Worlds, which has 2 parts. The first is a haunting and surreal conversation with the Palmer family and David Lynch. This is followed by a more casual conversation with the actors who portrayed them. Very entertaining and very Lynchian.The Atmospherics are trippy short music videos, each with a Twin Peaks theme and footage from the episodes and movie.There are several previously unreleased deleted scenes and outtakes from the show on Disc Four.There are 2 features on the making of FWWM, which I haven't watched yet.Most of the other extras from the Gold Box are included, some in extended form. They are scattered throughout the discs. There are a few extras included from the Artisan season one set.As for the extras not on this set, Artisan owns the season one commentaries and didn't license them, so blame Aristan. And the SNL skits and coffee commercials are owned by someone else who also didn't want to license them. I would love to have them all on one set, but that's the way it goes. At least we still have them on the DVD sets.CONCLUSIONIt is hard to emphasize just how much impact Twin Peaks had on television. It had a short run but its influence is felt to this day. Shows from X-Files to Lost and beyond simply would not have existed without Twin Peaks blazing the trail. The show today still seems fresh and innovative, even though it has spawned 24 years of imitators. If any show deserves the deluxe blu-ray treatment, it is Twin Peaks.So is the set worth the high price tag so many people have been complaining about? Absolutely. The set includes 2 versions of the pilot, 29 hour long episodes and FWWM all newly remastered in HD. Plus you get the 90 minute Missing Pieces newly directed and edited by David Lynch himself in HD, hours of newly produced behind the scenes content and most of the previous extras remastered in HD (some in extended versions).This is far more content than similarly priced HD single season sets (Star Trek and I Love Lucy come to mind). And Twin Peaks is a cult show with a much smaller audience. So the price is more than fair and completely in line with other releases. They could easily have released Season One, Two and FWWM as separate releases which would have cost far more to purchase individually.This set is a dream release for Twin Peaks fans. We never thought we would see the deleted scenes from FWWM, much less finished in beautiful HD quality by Lynch himself. After all those years of watching low quality VHS tapes in the 90s, who would have thought we would get the entire show remastered in HD? If price is a concern, I am sure Amazon will drop the price sometime in the near future. But it is well worth every penny they are charging now.