Just as I promised a month ago in my post about Twin Peaks, the third an final season that "just" came out in 2017 deserves its own analysis. So I sat down to properly binge on it, at least I made my best effort to do so, and now I think I'm ready to write a review. I kinda knew it would not be easy: neither breezing through the show like with any other series, watching 2-3 episodes every night, nor coming up with a clear explanation for what exactly it is that I saw (let alone finding a meaning to it). But all this is part of the greater David Lynch experience, which anyone familiar with his work will no doubt recognize. And in this regard, the new season of his old series was no disappointment either.
Many Familiar Faces, And Plenty of New Ones
One of the great and wonderful things about the new Twin Peaks season is seeing the same actors play the characters we have gotten to know 25 years previously. Of course, everyone is older, but since the story is also taking place a quarter century later, it all fits together beautifully. Thus, almost everyone has gone through some changes that you'd normally expect in someone's life. For example, psychiatrist Dr. Jacobi turned into an online self-help guru, high school bad boy Bobby became a Sheriff's deputy, and Jerry Horne gave up the hotel business in favor of becoming a cannabis grower.
Similarly, protagonist Special Agent Cooper picks up where he left off, trapped inside the Black Lodge while his doppelganger is wrecking havoc in our world outside. Interestingly, this ties into Cooper's dream in the first season, where he was 25 years older, sitting with Laura Palmer in the same place with the red curtains. This makes it seem like Lynch was planning this third season back in 1992, which is clearly something I wouldn't put past him. In fact, I'm glad to see he pulled it off so well.
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Unlike the first two seasons, this newest one is not set exclusively in Twin Peaks, but also in New York, South Dakota, and Las Vegas, among other places. Hence, the story line is also branched out, and way more complex than the original show. Naturally, this results in less time devoted to the original characters, giving them hardly a chance to fully develop. But again, that's something Lynch was probably never going to do anyway.
Endless Minutes Full of Pointlessness
For having such a complex plot, the shows spends an astounding amount of time of trivialities. Conversations that don't lead anywhere, interspersed by long deep silence, which would seem all meaningful, if it weren't for the fact that it's simply not related to anything relevant. Knowing Lynch, one will expect him to leave you guessing when it comes to the supernatural. But in this case, even the mundane is filled with the pointless. Kinda like our real world tends to be, so again, I note this down to Lynch's genius, which is clearly not for everyone.
An Immensely Strong Emphasis on the Music
The original Twin Peaks soundtrack, a beautiful mix of dream pop and smooth jazz, is a piece of art that stands on its own. The way it's woven into the show, it serves as a powerful feature to set the mood. In contrast, the new season takes music to a whole new level, one where it would almost seem the other way round: as if the show was the merely a background support for the music.
Lynch doesn't seem to have a problem with making us watch a guy sweeping up the floor of the bar for a good seven minutes, while we get to enjoy some decent blues-rock tunes. Thanks David, exactly my idea of an exciting series! But there is more... a lot more! Apparently David Lynch had complete freedom in directing this third season, unhindered by a TV network who didn't understand his genius ... or simply didn't want to unleash his weirdness on the unprepared audience. So this time he made sure to invite his favorite musicians to appear in his show, such as The Nine Inch Nails (clearly not for your average viewer).
Confusing Weirdness, Unexplained Supernatural Ocurrances, Yet Totally Worth My Time
Okay, so there is a widely branching plot line that develops so slowly that it requires all your attention. At the same time, most branches of the story stop leading anywhere, so you could curse yourself for trying so hard to find a meaning in them in the first place. What's more, many characters, including formerly important ones, end up not doing anything at all... other than maybe getting engaged in some really pointless conversations. Sure, all these things could frustrate the hell out of most viewers. Experienced Lynch fans on the other hand, will probably savor every moment of awkward silences, and don't mind having to wait minutes for something we all can guess what it will be. And with such a "Lynchian" attitude, one is bound to notice some wonderful gems strewn all throughout the seventeen new episodes.
The most memorable one for me was the conversation between FBI agent Gordon Cole, played by David Lynch himself, and FBI Chief of Staff Denise Bryson, played by David Duchovny. 25 years ago Duchovny already appeared in Twin Peaks as an agent of the DEA, who had recently gone through a gender change. That was just before the launch of the famous supernatural series The X-Files, which catapulted Duchovny's fame as Special Agent Fox Mulder far above that of anyone else appearing on Twin Peaks.
Needless to say, the conversation between Gordon and Denise doesn't help advance the plot one bit. Instead, it's a reminiscing about old times. Great! But a waste of time? Only until you stop seeing them in their character roles, and imagine Lynch and Duchovny having the same talk as themselves. Back then Bryson was a young agent working under Cole, much like Duchovny acting in a show directed by Lynch. And when he decided to become Denise, Cole told the clowns at the FBI to "fix their hearts or die". This parallels Lynch including a trans woman in his TV series in the early 1990's. (Lynch was always known for having all sorts of unusual characters in his films, many of them played by people with handicaps or deformities.) And now, Bryson is Cole's boss as the FBI Chief of Staff, just like how Duchovny's fame eclipsed even that of David Lynch himself. Instead of a trailer, let me leave you with this amazing scene:
Take a Look at the Previous Posts in my Binge On This Series:
Silicon Valley: Humor from the World of Tech and Money
Dark: Intense Time-Travel for Germanophiles
Twin Peaks: The Show That Changed Everything
The Man In the High Castle: What if the Nazis Had Won?
Lost: Mystery With Addictive Potential
Babylon Berlin: Sociopolitical Tremmors in the Weimar Republic
Rome: A Realistic Sandal Series
Carnivàle: A Throw-back to the Thirties
Weeds: The Hillarious Alternative to Breaking Bad
Mr. Robot: Hackers, Freedom, and Mental Issues
Das Boot: A Real German WWII Series
Black Sails: Pirate Lore Galore
Twelve Monkeys: Time Travel and Pandemic
The DocsMX 2020 Film Festival
I have been waiting for you to watch this, I really didn't want to say too much when you mentioned that you were going to watch it. But I see that you enjoyed it just as much as me and all those wonderfully weird David Lynch moments, I am a huge fan of his, he adds so many crazy magical moments to his creations, with so many layers that pull you in and leave you so confused. This had me thinking about it for months afterwards and now once again after reading your review.
I want to watch it all over again, cos I know I will see something different. Excellent review @stortebeker xxxx
Wow, thank you! To tell you the truth, I was a bit anxious about getting replies, simply because I can just see how so many people would be weirded out by Lynch. Except for weirdos like you and me, how actually like his stuff. So now I feel encouraged to review some of his movies. Thanks for the comment!
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BEERKING.It’s tough for me to keep up with all the symbolism that Lynch uses on Twin Peaks.
I also love Blue Velvet.
Oh, I'm sure you're not the only one there! I haven't met anyone who was not overwhelmed by it a little, even if that's what they were looking for in the first place. I guess watching it over and over again, with different (like minded) people, you could figure it all out... maybe. As for me, I think that would be too much. So I just like to let go and accept the unresolved mystery.
I also like Blue Velvet. Especially the theme song I remember having a profound effect on me. That's when I first noticed how important music is for Lynch, the right music that is.
This is a series I have still never watched closely enough to properly respect and understand it. I watched 5 or 6 episodes in random order many years ago, I think back before we were watching things on the internet.
That's exactly how I got to know Twin Peaks back in the 90s. And yes, I realized that this is something I had to watch attentively from the beginning, without skipping any episodes. Back then this meant waiting until it came out on video. Well, I totally forgot, skipping over the VHS and even DVD, only remembering it when you could stream or download the entire show.