David Milch is a modern-day Shakespeare . . . only far more difficult to understand.

[twistedwit]

When I watch "John from Cincinnati," I feel like Homer Simpson in that flashback episode where he's watching "Twin Peaks."

This is BRILLIANT! . . . . I have no idea what's going on.

Man, I miss "Deadwood."

Comments

[iskroot3]

I love John from Cincinnati! I think what I love about it, is that it's not supposed to make any sense or that on some level, you as an observer create the meaning. It's like television play dough. Milch gives you the raw materials and you make of it what you want.

The funny thing is, I read an article where he said that he doesn't even know what the show is really about.

I never got into "Deadwood", it just didn't appeal to me.

[twistedwit]

You know me . . . I am patient as all get out when it comes to an interesting, serialized show. I stuck with The X-Files to the bitter end. I never thought LOST was in a lull when everbody else was saying it was slowly dying.

But that's because I trusted the show runners to have a point.

Knowing that Milch is just farting around with no real plan makes me exceedingly uncomfortable.

It's one thing to start writing a book or a screenplay not knowing where it will go, but an ambitious project of this magnitude? It's not like you can go back and drop in symbolism and plot points to make your end game work when you come up with it three seasons down the line.

But then, I really think this project was a big "fuck you" from Milch to HBO after the horrific way they treated "Deadwood," and that he doesn't think "John" will get renewed for a second season.

[iskroot3]

hey, I stuck with X-Files too, although it wasn't as good I'd tune in every week. Plus, I'd argue that there were some good non-Mulder/Sculley eps.

IMOP, LOST did loos a little of its momentum in season 3, but I still love the show, will buy the 3rd season on DVD, and watch seasons 4 and 5. Plus the season finale was just amazing.

Oh, here's that article I mentioned:
-------------------------------------------
“I don’t know what it’s about. I don’t know the bottom line,” “John From Cincinnati” mastermind David Milch told Craig Ferguson Thursday night. “But if God were trying to reach out to us, and if he felt a certain urgency about it: That’s what it’s about.”

Milch, who attended Yale with the president, also says he’s never surfed. “If God were trying to reach out to us, and teach us something, the deepest nature of matter, he might use some drugged-out surfers.”

Will there be more “Deadwood”? “One hopes,” Milch told Ferguson and his CBS late-night audience. “It’s kind of a fluid situation over [at HBO] right now.”

[darryn]

Love the show. I haven't seen last night's episode yet, but I can't wait to see what happened to prompt you write this.

[twistedwit]

I actually think this comment was brought on more by the previous week's episode, with John astral projecting himself and carrying the dead molester's body around while he performed the most abstract sounding soliloquy I've heard outside of avant garde theater.

However, Luke Perry's final line from this week was pretty inspiring too . . . I'm paraphrasing, but I believe it was something similar to "Nobody has any clue what the fuck is going on."

[darryn]

I read an interview last week in which David Milch said he hasn't any clue what the fuck is going on in the show either.

[twistedwit]

Yeah, I just replied to a comment above you that said the same thing . . .

Am I wrong to feel really uncomfortable with that? I don't care how wacky a show you've created, you should know the bleeding end to the plot.

doooon't eeeet the cloooooos!

[antithiscully]

That looks intriguing. Sadly, I don't have HBO.

Though I keep finding myself wanting to know just where in Cincinnati John is from... O:-)

This suit buuuuuurns beeeeetter

[twistedwit]

It's intriguing all right . . . but goddamnit if it makes any sense at all. :-/

Also, it's a repeated joke that nobody actually thinks he's from Cincinnati. Some obvious Christ metaphor stuff is mixed in as well, J.C. and everything.