Early (Spoiler-Free) Thoughts on "Twin Peaks: The Return"

Having just finished the first two "parts" of Twin Peaks: The Return, I'm shaking with excitement and the realization that 12-year-old me could not believe that this show has returned from the Black Lodge, as it were, more then 25 years after it went off the air.

There are elements of the first two “parts" of The Return that are genius... and elements that don’t totally work. There’s a (likely intentional) stinginess in terms of showing us actual Twin Peaks characters and the structure of the first “part” in particularly is problematic for that reason, a sense that these are meant to be breadcrumbs rather than sustenance. But they’re not satisfying in the short term because they don’t add up to anything of value (yet). Such as a delivery of shovels. (I kid not.)

Because this was approached as an 18-hour film, the “parts" lack overt cohesion or structure: they often just end. Not on a cliffhanger but because there are end credits rolling, as if by accident. They’re Lynchian in the best and worse possible ways as a result. There are a lot of detours and painfully extended scenes that seem to drag on at times, making the second part in particular feel somewhat bloated as a result. And despite the high production values, there are elements that seem… cheap. Which is weird because Twin Peaks was done on a shoestring budget and seemed lush and rich, despite the budgetary issues, whereas the bigger budget here makes certain things seem… shabby.

Two scenes in particular were genuinely terrifying. One is an incisive extended metaphor that applies to Twin Peaks and to popular culture on the whole.

It’s especially light on nostalgia, which surprised me the most. There’s continuity from Peaks and Fire Walk With Me (in particular) that offers a glimmer of the overarching plot(s) within the first two “parts,” but we finished and were still unclear about what the main thrust of the season is going to be other than a few indications here and there. (I’m being deliberately opaque here.)

Ultimately, I want to see more of the familiar Twin Peaks characters than just these cameos thus far. They’re in the background, far in the distance, obscured by the Douglas firs blowing in the wind. Instead, there are three other narratives that are front and center at the moment, which may or may not be connected (I’m not telling). Some intrigue. Others are head-scratching detours so far.

I’m entranced and intrigued and unnerved. Twin Peaks is a narrative that we’ll have to watch through to the very end in order to evaluate these early hours, so I’m withholding my ultimate judgment.

There’s mystery in the woods… and elsewhere.