Twin Peaks: The Return

It's condescending to tell people they don't 'get it', and it's narrow-minded to claim anyone who loves it is pretentious. I adored this new Twin Peaks, and I understand why it's divisive.

In his old age, an artist had a chance to throw a kitchen sink's worth of ideas on screen, under the banner of his old show, with complete creative control. Good on him I say! That creative control means many of the aspects which came from others in the original show are missing.

I was compelled from start to finish. I appreciated its slow rhythms, found the pacing hypnotic. I'd understand why many fans would despise its new form. I wouldn't blame them for it.

If you're after a fully-resolved, tightly-plotted, didactic storytelling, you won't get it. You'll be frustrated by scenes which suggest the story is kicking into high gear in traditional Hollywood ways, only to then be presented with a five minute shot of a man cleaning a floor.

This jarring approach... loose ends, unresolved plots, ambiguity and odd pacing are understandably annoying for many. It does lack the melodrama of the earlier series, but there's still a warmth to many of the characters, you are just less guided by music and tight plotting. It's a feat to me that it is somehow utterly absurd yet simultaneously feels more grounded, but this show is not going to tell you a tight story with a guiding hand.

Personally, I haven't received this feeling from any US cinema in the past few decades, and I love it. Twin Peaks The Return gave me space to let my mind wander in the same way an Apichatpong Weeresthekul film might. That's a very personal thing, for me it's not boredom, it's a space to imagine and open my mind.

There's a lot of hyperbole surrounding David Lynch but his works are the summation of his very clear influences, like any other artist. You can see it all very clearly, and I happen to share many of his loves, so it's exciting for me. Here it's the usual Cocteau, Anger visuals, noir and 50s stylings, but there are clear nods to everything under the cinematic sun, from Jacques Tati to Tarantino and early silent cinema. I loved that, it feels like a celebration of cinema!

The tone jumps from humour to horror in a heartbeat, each episode is jarring in barely-cohesive ways but for me, somehow it coalesced. The show feels liberated, free of expectation and cliché. It put me under a spell, certainly not because I was instructed to by critics at large but because together, all these disparate elements felt refreshing.

I don't think it's a puzzle to be solved, I don't think there's a bullet-point explanation to the story sitting in a locked vault. I do believe the broad intention was to make you think, imagine and question what you're used to being fed by TV and films.

Would I watch it if it weren't called Twin Peaks and weren't by David Lynch? Yes. Should it have been called Twin Peaks, and is it kicking fans in the face by doing so? Very likely. I think that's what makes it so anarchic and brilliant. I also fully understand why many wouldn't want that from Twin Peaks.

David Lynch is at his best here in the new Twin Peaks series. There seem to be few restraints on his artistic vision, and it's all framed in a familiar story with Mark Frost's tempering still present.

Disclaimer: if you were not a fan of the original series because it was too weird, or "slow", or disturbing, then you will probably not like this latest season. There are tons of weird and disturbing scenes, and Lynch has no qualms making you stare at something for long periods of time. This has the effect of drawing you in as a viewer, but for some it may be off-putting or even offensive. He definitely, as always, takes firm grip on your viewing experience and will not let go.

I was worried going into watching the first 4 episodes that they would just reunite the cast and kind of riff off the original series. From very early on, however, it becomes apparent this is whole new material. Loved characters are still there (almost all of the old cast), but they are going through brand new things.

However, the charm of Twin Peaks is still alive and well. The most bizarre and yet oddly insightful scenes are counter-weighted constantly with everyday buffoonery.

I was pretty amazed by some of the new visual ideas Lynch had, which shouldn't be surprising because he is a master at surprising his audience, but you never know if someone might just run out of ideas. Clearly this is not the case. In every episode, there is tons to wonder and behold.

I'm very happy that Lynch is directing every episode. In my opinion, much of the "middle part" of the old series was tiresome. This is understandable because apparently Lynch was often off doing his own thing, leaving the production without a guide, but he is apparently fully on-board for this new project, and for that we are thankful.

All of the cast is great, really great, but it's really a treat to see the amazing combination of Kyle MacLachlan's acting under David Lynch's direction. The two just work so damn well together, and there's tons of new material here for MacLachlan to work with. It really is a pairing that ranks up there with Jimmy Stewart and Alfred Hitchcock.

Kudos to Showtime for reviving my favorite show on TV, and allowing David Lynch to do what he does best. Here's hoping the season is a great success and we get even more! I watched the 4 episodes available tonight, and I am sad that it will be two weeks until I see another new one. However, I've waited 25 years for the first one, so a couple weeks shouldn't be too difficult. It's really nice to have an amazing show to look forward to again.

First of all, let me start this review of the third season of Twin Peaks by saying that I deeply love the first and second seasons. They truly are iconic seasons of television, and having recently re- watched them, I came to the conclusion that they firmly stand the test of time.

However, one of the main problems I had with the first and second seasons of Twin Peaks (Although it was mainly in the latter, than the former) was it's deviation away from the central component which I believed made the show tick- the mystery. The mystery of Twin Peaks submerged this seemingly 'normal' town into an environment in which there were endless different otherworldly phenomenon at play. The original Twin Peaks created a feeling of uneasiness for the audience through numerous ways, such as Bob. This feeling of mystery and unease however, became somewhat tangled up in many different love stories which were all a bit too common place in the show. Nevertheless, I persisted with it and still found it to overall be an enjoyable show, despite the various James-Donna-Laura-Maddie-Bobby-Shelly-Leo stories which stretched on.

Now, when I got to this season, I was not disappointed. Season Three of Twin Peaks takes the mystical and the downright weird elements of the first and second season and places them into a show of their own. I would imagine that many of the original viewers who enjoyed the soap opera element of the first and second seasons, will be extremely disappointed. This series is unlike anything else that I have ever witness on television (yes, I did say that when I watched Twin Peaks the first time around!). The revival of Twin Peaks has come at the best possible time, for both the show and television. Modern Television now allows for less constraints on many shows, and more recently, risks have been allowed to be made. The original seasons of Twin Peaks were risks in themselves, but they still had boundaries attached to them. Lynch could not deviate as far as he can today. This combination of modern television and Lynch's vision create a spectacle for television which is unlike anything there has previously been. Some of the visual shots of different elements of the mythology in the new season of Twin Peaks, are absolutely remarkable and unique. The precedent for season three is well and truly based upon Lynch's exploration of Twin Peaks mythology.

Whilst there is a new depth to the show, as we travel further afield to New York City and South Dakota end explore the mythology, the scenes which place us back into the town of Twin Peaks contain the finite amount of nostalgia for the series. It doesn't feel as if there has been a shoehorning of nostalgia in this season, rather the scenes feel appropriate and suitable for the show. Therefore, whilst the show is extending its branches beyond the town of Twin Peaks, the return to the town does not feel as if the show is doing it for the sake of it.

Overall, the new season of Twin Peaks is truly a remarkable piece of television. I find myself wondering 'what if?', in terms of what if we never experienced this show returning? This series could be when Twin Peaks hits another level and surpasses the original run. It will take till the end of the season before we can truly determine that. However, I would urge anyone who was interested in the original run, and anyone who is interested in groundbreaking and unique television to give this show a try. You may not like it, it may deviate too far from the original seasons which you enjoyed so much, or you might find it deviates too far from what you are normally used to. Nevertheless, I believe that this is a show which should be watched to at least engage with the uniqueness of the experience that comes with watching it. So sit back, get yourself some cherry pie and a damn fine cup of coffee and enjoy what is a masterclass return to Twin Peaks.

It's finally here! And the first 2 hour episode of season 3 is an absolute joy to watch. When the original series aired, i was in my early teens, but i could still enjoy the show. I might not have understood all that was going on, but as it turned out, neither did anyone else.

This was the magic behind Twin Peaks, it had no conclusion, like ever. It's the everlasting chase or hunt for something, that is never found. And once the murderer was revealed in the original series, the viewers left the show quickly, it wasn't suppose to be revealing. People watched it for the mystery, and apparently this mystery could have been stretched for 10 seasons, and people would still have been glued to their seats every time a new episode aired. The show was that captivating, more so than almost anything ever aired before.

This was so different from anything else back then, no one had ever dared to make something like this, almost not even with movies. Actually the show was intended to be just a TV movie, but the people that saw it went ballistic, so they decided to make 7 episodes to air. But then the show exploded in popularity and got 10+ emmy award nominations and suddenly the show became insanely popular.

It's kind of a mystery how, it was definitely not a show made for everyone, but still, it ranks as one of the best shows of all time. Why? What was so special about this show? Well you could probably line up 10 professors and movie experts to try and explain it, you would probably get 10 different answers.

So here we are 25+ years later. The first episode of the new season has just aired, and i am thrilled. This was an absolute joy to watch, and it captures the essence of the original series really well. You can tell that Lynch is all over it, he has total control. And just as you would expect, it is bizarre, weird, mystical, scary and incredibly entertaining. And i have no idea what so ever what is happening.

When i saw this first episode i thought of Quentin Tarantino a lot and how great he is at setting up conversation scenes with lots of tension, like the pipe scene at the beginning of Inglorious Basterds. Which is one of the best scenes in all of movie history.

Here in this first episode you have this kind of tension in almost every scene, and the people could be doing anything. Eating donuts, checking voicemails, deliver packages, watch TV, have sex. Whatever, the suspense is with it all the way, and i have no idea why, because i have no clue what I'm watching. It's just there.

This is one of the things that makes Twin Peaks so special, you are just along for the ride, no matter where it takes you, just enjoy the moment. Let it embrace you, it is what you want it to be. And this show does this better than any other TV show in history. The new season is apparently no exception. After the first episode I'm sold, when the song was performed at the end of it, while we see many of the original cast come together, that just sealed it for me, what a way to continue the saga. Absolutely brilliant film making.

I can't wait to see the rest of it, this is quality.

10/10 first episode - Masterful

A quarter of a century after it ended, Twin Peaks gets a season 3. That in itself is part of the weirdness of Twin Peaks; it's not a reboot, or a remake, it's just ... season 3, picking up just where season 2 left off.

No one but David Lynch would do that.

I suspect whether you will love or hate this series return (and people seem to do one or the other) will depend on what you liked about the original Twin Peaks. If you liked the quirky soap opera aspect of things in plot threads like the lumber mill, well, this might not be for you. If, like me, your favorite scenes were the really weird ones like the hotel scene that began episode 2 and the amazing scene of the kid and the creamed corn, and if you didn't understand while people didn't appreciate the utter brilliance of Fire Walk With Me, then you'll probably like this.

The series begins with the weirdness turned up to ten and the eventfulness turned down to zero, as though Lynch is saying, yes, I made Twin Peaks, but don't forget I'm also the guy who did Inland Empire.

After a while the Inland Empire aspects thankfully become fewer and there is more of the quirky humor of the original series (as in a scene with cops try to track down a key to an apartment), actual story and character, and Lynch's typical approach of painting a placid surface and then showing the rot underneath. And some of the old elements of the series, like a weirdly ageless Kimmy Robertson as Lucy and Lynch as Gordon Cole, are every bit as fun and funny as they were in the original.

At times full Lynchian madness flares up, like the a-bomb test episode that thrilled some people and that annoyed others, like me. Other times, Lynch shocks everyone by actually offering detailed explanaions of some of the mysteries he has raised in the original series and Fire Walk with Me. At times Lynch seems to be saying, "here's a sensible answer to that thing you've been wondering about for years, but before you get too happy here's another unexplained weird thing to replace that."

I wasn't as fanatic about Twin Peaks as some people. I didn't find the pilot especially interesting until funny, eccentric Dale Cooper appeared, and without Kyle MacClachlan I probably never would have watched the second episode. I didn't fully love the series until the incredible weirdness of the second season, and that love didn't last long since the show quickly spiraled into a disastrous mess.

That may be why I enjoy this third season and Fire Walk With Me; they represent David Lynch giving me the aspects of the series I love without all the boring soap stuff.

Some of Twin Peaks is hugely annoying, other parts are utterly fascinating. Overall, I found it very entertaining, and if it's not everything I want (after 4 episodes I rated this 9 stars, but at season's end dropped it to 8), well, that's David Lynch.

One final note. I've seen several reviews saying that the only people who like this series are "hipsters." This is the silliest critique I've ever seen. I'll admit I don't know much about hipsters except they wear funny mustaches and churn their own butter, but my guess is hipsters are not all people who like to watch a revival of a series they don't remember starring a bunch of people old enough to be their parents. Just a guess.

No, you silly 1-star reviewers, I'm not a hipster, and I'm not, as some have suggested, a "paid reviewer" (although if someone can tell me how to make money by writing IMDb reviews please do so). I'm just someone who likes David Lynch when he's very weird but not tediously, incomprehensibly so. And that's what, for the most part, Twin Peaks the Return gives its audience.