Twin Peaks: The Return (2017)...*Contains Spoilers!!*

I didn't mind the length at all but I totally understand it being too much. Having watched it a few times some of the slower elements make more sense 2nd time through but there are definitely subplots that don't get resolved and the weird mobius strip loop of the entire structure is fascinating as it is frustrating. But I do like tv finales that don't really resolve.

 

I loved the last two episodes and don't mind the lack of resolution at all. It has way more to do with the various sub-plots and tangents that added no dramatic tension and didn't really inform the main narrative. It's not that I wanted these sub-plots resolved, it's that they often felt like unnecessary distractions involving characters I didn't care about. Had Lynch been forced to tighten the screws, proverbially speaking, there would still have been room for some of these tangents without resorting to overkill. Heck, even the Dougie stuff could have been much, much shorter, in my opinion.

 

I definitely liked it more when I rewatched it all in 3 long sittings. I don't think the weekly episode structure helped a lot of it.

 

Maybe I'll give it a shot one day, as I'm a massive Lynch fan. On the other hand, sitting through all that dead space sounds like a total chore. Keep in mind that he frequently resorts to genre tropes and "Twin Peaks" is no exception. Generally speaking, Lynch's ability to balance surrealist abstraction and dream logic with traditional narratives or tones is his greatest strength as a popular artist. The show's biggest flaw, in my opinion, is thinking that anything it puts forward is relevant or interesting because it's true to a certain vision. But I wouldn't be surprised to discover that most viewers were actually quite bored for long stretches of time if not entire episodes. If Lynch had been forced to reel in some of his more indulgent instincts, the series may have been more gripping—and even more rewarding—as a result. But if I ever circle back and watch it all the way through, I'll happily return to revise my current opinion accordingly!

 

Thought The Return was brilliant myself.

 

TP The Return is imho a definitive masterpiece. Loved every minute of it and my second watching confirmed it. For me it's pure gold. I watched the original TP when it aired on tv as a kid, so there was a nostalgic factor in it, but Lynch played it well. No complaints here, but I would love another movie to close the experience. Another revolutionary film, as TP: FWWM, would be great.

 

Ironically I seen the Return first before the original series. Completely different thang.

 

I loved The Return but agree it could have been condensed a little bit. In real time the first time through I loved every second of it. But the length of some of the drawn out less-crucial elements deter me from watching again (which I’d kind of like to do at some point). The same can surely be said for season 2.

The single criticism I really had on season 3 is the green glove. I thought that was goofy and to me probably signals more than anything (perhaps excepting the Monica Bellucci bit) that the whole thing is dream-based. Whatever, doesn’t matter much, I love the universe, but the green glove was more goofy than surreal or even alt-universe fantasy IMO.

 

Yeah the green-glove was a bit too silly

 

Put me in the masterpiece camp. Also, after Inland Empire, I'm grateful to get anything from DL that even vaguely makes sense.

 

Thank you.

 

I want a seven season order of Twin Peaks: The Adventures Of Dougie Jones.

 

After getting the Blu-Ray of The Return as a gift, I watched the whole series in order, including Fire Walk With Me. S1 was brief but brilliant, S2 had more scattered moments but still good, Fire was a good link piece which answered some questions, and The Return knocked me out. Self-indulgent? Sure, but that makes DL who he is. And episode 8 knocked me for a loop. I follow Peter Deming on Instagram and his entry from that air date said "Episode 8: Like No Other". Understatement.


Dan

 

Dougie is going to need a dynamic sidekick to keep viewer interest over seven seasons -- I'm thinking the Waiter from the Great Northern could drop in every episode with a particularly warm glass of milk.

 

Btw, I looked back at this thread as now five years later, I am watching The Return again. The peaks and wow factor are obviously not as high as the first time but I am still amazed and entertained by the whole thing. Not a dull moment for me…nearly all television is dull by comparison.

 

There is a great interview with Deming on Roger Deakins' podcast about what it's like to work with Lynch. It's definitely not your standard DP/ Director relationship.

 

Paging Tony Levin!

 

I was very much looking forward to The Return, however if the series continues, Lynch should hand the reins over to someone else — a director/writer with some creative fire. Lynch should produce the project. With all of the characters being old or dead, a rebirth would be better than a continuation.

David Lynch peaked with his tour de force Mulholland Drive. Since then he’s admitted himself that he has run out of inspiring ideas. His resentment at having to do The Return is palpable throughout the series. Episode 8 is the one inspired episode that added a new dimension to the series.

“Lynch has said he hadn't decided to actively take a directing hiatus. He just wasn't feeling motivated to do anything that would end it. "I haven't gotten the big idea," he said when I interviewed him two years ago. "I've got some fragments that are coming, but not the big idea. If I got an idea that I fell in love with, I'd go to work tomorrow. I just haven't."

 

I'd be happy enough with a sitcom titled To Dougie, with Love, Janey-E starring Kyle MacLachlan and Naomi Watts.

 

This

 

I think it was in a Masterclass episode he said that, to make a movie, you write a bunch of ideas down on 3x5 cards. When you have 70 3x5 cards, you have enough scenes to make a film.

I am 100% positive this is how he makes movies, and Twin Peaks. He comes up with a bunch of interesting ideas, arranges them so that there is some kind of plot, and writes it.

Since the pandemic, he has been doing a lot of physical art and woodworking projects. He posts them on his Youtube channel, along with the occasional short film he makes with friends. He has said that he is every bit as interested in woodworking than filmmaking, and I think that's what has his attention now.

 

Yes, I agree. I know he’s been busy painting, but I was referring to Lynch creating a new movie or series.

And yes, Lynch has a unique way of creating stories, which (strangely enough) he doesn’t think-out too deeply. He tends to work more intuitively and let’s the story tell itself through him. This makes sense, in that he started as a painter.

 

That and amateur meteorology!

 

"It's a Friday once again" always make me laugh.

 

Nothing about that project made any sense to me. Lynch, known for his cinematography and composition skills used a consumer-grade camera and not much in the way of lighting. Likewise with sound. He admitted that he was making it up as he went. He didn't seem to know what he was doing or why. It's like he got tired of the way he made movies (or maybe couldn't get financing) and said "okay kids, let's just go out to the barn and put on a show". It's the only thing he's done that I was really disappointed with.