Twin Peaks: The Return

Spoilers, of course

The post mortem on Twin Peaks: The Return could be a very ugly thing indeed.   I could easily bellow displeasure and disappointment over how this twenty-six year delayed third season of one of the most original television programs ever to infiltrate the airwaves failed to fulfill expectation. Fans tend to clutch and take ownership of their beloved art, believing they know best as to where it should go should its creator(s) decide to keep the timeline going. "Timeline" is really the right word to describe the Twin Peaks universe, by the way.  How many there actually are is an ongoing source of debate.

The Return was a limited run, eighteen part miniseries that ran on the Showtime cable network and concluded on September 3rd of this year.  All summer, fans and detractors alike were transfixed on the odd journey of FBI Agent Dale Cooper back to the titular Pacific Northwestern town in which, twenty five years before, the murder of a local teen exposed a torrent of dark secrets beneath the picturesque facade.  This of course was one of co-creator David Lynch's favorite themes.  At the end of the old show, Cooper emerged from the Black Lodge as a doppleganger inhabited by the evil spirit known as "BOB".  The Dale Cooper we knew and loved remained trapped in the Lodge, seemingly doomed for a long while to listen to "MIKE" and the Man From Another Place do their backwards/forwards speak, and Laura Palmer scream.  But what is time?

Flash forward - Evil Coop has apparently run amok around the world and done some hideous things, including at least two rapes.  Good Coop does find his way back into the world, but spends most of the series inhabiting the body of a sleazy insurance adjuster named Dougie.  There is a murder investigation in South Dakota.  A mysterious glass box in New York City.  A basement in Buenos Aires.  As you begin the new adventure, you see precious little of Twin Peaks and the old characters to which so many viewers were endeared.

If you are not familiar with the original series or the prequel film FIRE WALK WITH ME, you should not bother with this new series.  Although, bafflement is part of the Lynch experience.

As the series progresses, new story threads are introduced rapidly.  All the while, you rightly wonder if they will ever be resolved (or even referred to again). Tulpas (check your Tibetan mythology) figure heavily.  You ARE familiar with Lynch, right?

The Return was intended by Lynch to be an eighteen hour film, not a series broken into as many parts.  But that's how it had to happen, and most episodes conclude with a musical number performed at the Roadhouse. Some are decent, some not very good.  I wondered how Trent Reznor and Eddie Vedder figured into this new series; there's your answer.  The latter does a nice job in a later episode.  The former plays with Nine Inch Nails as part of Episode Eight, one of the most amazing hours of T.V. I've ever witnessed.  You've probably heard about it.  Most of it takes place in the 1940s.  It just has to be seen.  It may be the ultimate litmus test as to who the true Lynch fans are. 

But…you may also say that about Episode Three, my personal favorite.  Especially the first half, as Cooper re-assimilates into the real world.  Er, maybe.  He leaves the Lodge, at least.  The second half of the episode flirts with slapstick, and makes the leap.  Episode Four, with "Wally Brando" is less successful in my book. And Episode Eighteen, the finale? Still mulling that one over.  You may likewise have heard that it was a cheat, a maddeningly inconclusive finish. That's highly arguable.  Again, if you are familiar with David Lynch, it should not be unexpected.

And Episode Twelve? Just like that of the subject of Judy, we're not gonna talk about that one.

Though, some story lines are neatly tied up.  Some of the characters - old and new - are actually given happy endings.  Many are left dangling.  Lynch himself does nice work, returning as FBI Chief Gordon Cole, in a role much larger this time out.  His interplay with Albert (the late Miguel Ferrer) is the front and center bromance, somewhat echoing Cooper and Sheriff Truman's in the original series.

Harry Dean Stanton reprises his role as Carl, and his presence has a gravitas and near angelic air.   I am thankful he lived to complete his work here.  Harry passed away last Friday.

Kyle MacLachlan deserves recognition for playing multiple roles.  He's appealing even as the slimy, long haired doppelgänger.   All the principal players do good work, even if their parts sometimes seem unnecessary.  Even Jim Belushi, playing a Vegas mobster, is pretty decent.  Laura Dern, a frequent Lynch collaborator, has some really powerful moments as……the never before seen Diane.  Although she gives just about every character she encounters a "Fuck you!" as well.   The late Margaret Coulson reprises her role as the Log Lady, in sequences that are enormously poignant.

There are so many theories, interpretations, and connections to be made with this new series.  I could devote an entire blog discussing the alternate timelines, fingernail polish that may be code, the "119" junkie girl, the woodsmen, the Fireman (aka ???????), and so on.  That is part of the joy of it.  Why there is such a devoted cult.  It has been said that this series is more for Lynch fans than Twin Peaks fans. While Mark Frost returns to co-write with Lynch, most of this new series seems to be all David.  But there are some nice character moments, some further soap opera-ish intrigues, and many laughs among the relentless darkness. SUNSET BOULEVARD plays a part in Cooper's return.

Twin Peaks: The Return is a real mishmash of exhilaration, tedium, brilliance, amateurishness, cheesiness, utter genius, hilarity, and terror.  And there's never been anything else even remotely like it.  And remember, not matter how convoluted the storylines get as you wade through the episodes, it's ALL about Laura.

P.S. - The DVD/Blu-Ray ("The Third Season") is due to be released on December 5th.