‘The stars turn, and the time presents itself…’
At its best, Twin Peaks was arguably the most epochal TV event of all time; it’s certainly one of the most influential. By the time David Lynch returned to the project in 2017, his status as a legend of both cinema and television was assured. It should also be noted, however, that at its worst, that same show was nonsensical, poorly written, and, to be honest, boring. Now, while the most egregious moments in the original run of Twin Peaks occurred after Lynch had left the project, that doesn’t absolve him entirely of blame. The Return, perhaps more than anything else, is the purest version of Lynch that there is, for better and worse…
Despite the show undoubtedly being titled Twin Peaks – The Return, this is more of a slight return (to quote The Bluetones). While most of the major characters do (eventually) return, we spend much of the run following the two incarnations of Agent Cooper. “Good” Cooper is semi-catatonic and living a humdrum life in Vegas with his loyal wife, Janey (Naomi Watts), while “Bad” Cooper travels across America committing various atrocities and occasionally being shot down and then rebuilt by mysterious supernatural beings covered in soot. Elsewhere, Monica Belucci appears as herself in a dream sequence, stars as varied as Laura Dern, Jim Belushi and Matthew Lillard join the cast, and one mostly silent episode presents us with the birth of evil itself. I believe “Lynchian” is what the kids are calling it.
Anyone familiar with Lynch’s work surely didn’t expect a straightforward sequel to the original show, but even hardcore fans might be taken aback by just how aggressively different this third season is. Across 18 often baffling episodes, it feels like the town of Twin Peaks and its inhabitants are an afterthought for Lynch (and co-creator Mark Frost), and this, coupled with Lynch’s propensity to drag scenes out at a glacial pace, makes for a tough watch at times.
Bizarrely included in the BFI list of the top 100 films of all time (despite quite clearly being a television show), The Return has received almost universal adoration, but I’ll be honest, I really don’t see it. As with the source material, there are moments in which you are aware that you’re watching a genius at work, but there are just as many moments that will make you ask if anyone else could get away with this and people still think it’s successful. Maybe that’s the point? Maybe Lynch has earned the right to do whatever the hell he wants and if we’re not picking up what he’s putting down, well, that’s on us. I’m not so sure.
I went into The Return wanting to love it, and there were things about it that I did love, but there were other scenes, sometimes whole episodes, where I felt nothing but bewilderment or straight-up boredom.
Indeed, Twin Peaks – The Return is by far the most frustrating TV show experience I’ve ever had (and I sat through all of Game of Thrones). I was just as perplexed at the end of episode one as I was at the end of the final episode, and while nobody comes to a David Lynch project hoping for everything to be tied up in a neat little bow, this is one of the first times I came away from something Lynch had created unconvinced that he even knew what any of it meant. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
