From the moment I heard that Showtime was reviving Twin
Peaks, I had mixed feelings. Like any return to a beloved story, I wanted it to
be great but I dreaded it being bad. News that David Lynch would be directing
the whole show raised my hopes, and made me more anxious. I waited until all 18
episodes had aired, so I could binge through the whole series and, just before
I started watching, I asked a friend what he’d thought of the show. He sent me
a text message that read: It’s bloomin’
hard work, but I think it pays off. Episode 8 is a proper WTF! So at least
I knew it wasn’t going to be a complete disaster. Armed with that knowledge, I
began watching.
(fair warning: spoilers)
The first couple of episodes did seem slow. My friend had
said that, where the original Twin Peaks series felt as though it needed more
David Lynch, this series almost felt as though it had too much.
We’ve all seen what can happen when a director becomes too
revered to be questioned. Ridley Scott and George Lucas did their finest work
when they had to fight for their creative vision, but with nobody daring to
challenge them, their later films suffered. Was it happening again?
I found myself becoming unhappy with the pacing – I was so
eager for the story and wanted more things to happen, but I started to worry
that there wouldn’t be enough time (even in 18 episodes) because of those long
lingering shots that seemed unable to cut away. The Dougie character was
particularly frustrating, as I was impatient for him to snap back into classic
FBI Cooper.
Episode 3 did encourage me a bit – the combination of editing
and sound design, when Cooper falls onto the island and goes inside to meet the
faceless woman, was wonderfully eerie and strange.
But there was still a lot that I didn’t really like. With so
many new characters, and plotlines snaking off at tangents, I began to realize
that the series would leave me with a host of unresolved issues. And seeing
beloved familiar faces now ravaged by age was also rather gloomy – less so with
Kyle Maclachlan, though I suppose seeing more of him on screen in the
intervening years may have softened that particular blow. The Horne brothers seemed
so old, and not very relevant, while the bands at The Roadhouse burned away
precious moments of screen-time.
And then I hit episode 8, which was one of the most
unsettling things I’ve seen on TV since… well, since Leland killed Madeline all
those years ago. The bearded men were a stroke of genius – from that first
glimpse of one sitting in the prison cell, they completely freaked me out. The
explosion in New Mexico and the intense black-and-white sequence that followed
left me wondering how to process what I’d just watched.
In the end, however, it was seeing James Hurley singing at
The Roadhouse… that’s when I began to
figure out what was troubling me. This new Twin Peaks wasn’t comparing
unfavourably with old Twin Peaks. It just wasn’t quite as good as the
rose-tinted Twin Peaks in my memory.
In my memory, I’ve edited the series considerably. I’ve
fast-forwarded through some of the slower sequences, and I’ve weeded out
agoraphobic Harold Smith with his orchids. I’ve completely erased James and his
angsty sing-songs, and that daft sabbatical with the wealthy wife and her
psychotic chauffeur.
So I kept going, all the way to the finale. And when the
real Cooper woke up so perfectly, the Dougie character finally made sense to me. Over all
those weeks, he’d raised the stakes, exerting a gentle yet powerful influence
on other characters’ lives (especially his family) and in the process making me
care deeply about them. I found myself leaning forward in my seat, silently begging David
Lynch for a happy ending… and I got one.
Well, kind of.
I also got what felt like the opening to another season of
new Twin Peaks. I wasn’t sure about Laura’s plastic-wrapped body disappearing
from the shore, and the thought of undoing so much story felt risky. Bringing
Laura home to her mother (and, presumably father?) could have been very powerful
but I knew it was the final episode… I’d prefer to have seen that at the start
of another series. I found myself resenting the cliff-hanger, as well as being
unsettled by the deliberate difference in Cooper once he’d crossed over.
But, when I think about it honestly, that’s all just so Twin Peaks.
I know people will disagree with my thoughts on the show,
but that’s all these are: my thoughts. Am I glad I watched it? Definitely.
There were so many moments that made it all feel worthwhile, even if there were
times when I wanted it to get there faster. Like other David Lynch projects, I
found it properly disturbing and, like other Twin Peaks projects, I learned a
lot but came away with many unanswered questions. But I’m glad I watched it.
I’m glad we got to say farewell to Albert, the Log Lady, and Carl. And who
knows… maybe in a few years, I’ll look back with my rose-tinted glasses and
remember this latest series as being the best Twin Peaks of all.
