A 3 episode HBO series set in a New York hotel room spanning the years of 1969, 1992 and 1936.
"Tricks" - Directed by Lynch and written by Barry Gifford (Lost Highway, Wild at Heart), this is one of Lynch's ventures into film-noir. This reminds me mostly of certain episodes of Tales From The Darkside/Monsters with its purposely droll, slow-winding, unexplained and out-of-time sense of minimalist storytelling. I found its mood and mysterious plot very effecting and an interesting bridge between the Twin Peaks and Lost Highway shift in Lynch's 1990s aesthetic.
"Getting Rid of Robert" - The one episode not directed by David Lynch, this was the weakest entry, but it didn't have much potential to begin with. All anthology shows have filler episodes like this that are more about humor and no real transformation in character. The script by Jay McInerney (Bright Lights Big City) is actually good; typically hip and snarky as McInerney can be. But the direction is flat, the acting is good but just out of place with the concept. Had Lynch directed this, much more dark humor would have boiled to the top. This is identical to a throwaway episode of Tales from the Crypt (but less disturbing) or an episode of Monsters (but more stylish and witty).
"Blackout" - This is a particular favorite of diehard Lynch fans. It has the ingredients of Lynch's strangest work: a visually dark setting, lots of seemingly-meaningless psychobabble, characters who seem to be out of their mind, a surprisingly moving allegorical story and it reunites Lynch with two of his most committing actors, Alicia Witt and Crispin Glover. Alicia Witt is pretty incredible here. But to be honest, the episode in its entirely is not as haunting, effecting or bizarre as I had hoped. The surrealism of the performances and direction makes me wonder if Lynch's style ever goes too far or if that is just the desired effect he wants. Is the acting hammy or just right for the story? Is the story too oblique or is it perfect for these unusual characters? Is the humor intentional or not? It doesn't really matter because it is strangely powerful art. This is certainly the most memorable of the 3 episodes.
