I, like many I suspect, was looking forward to the old Twin Peaks flavor as opposed to the FWWM flavor. But Showtime came out and said it's pure heroin David Lynch which of course meant the latter. So I prepared myself by erasing all expectations of the old and went in with an open mind. This really helped me enjoy the show. Instead of being disappointed, I was elated that while still more like FWWM, it was beyond that in its reach. It blew away my expectations of it being classic Lynch. It's something much more and is unlike anything I've ever seen. Even amazing shows like Fargo don't seem to be quite as enthralling now post TP 2017. So for those still on the fence I would ask: Can you let go of what you want the show to be and just enjoy it for what it is?
It's worth noting that this is the first (in a fair while) show that has prompted me to join a tv related forum and write. The new GoT episode came out on the same day, and I watched TP first, without any deliberation. Ed Sheeran?!?!?!?!?! Can you imagine him on/in Twin Peaks?!! I think NOT.
I mean, take that Eric From Sweden.
You gotta pity the guy, complaining every chance he gets, yet watching every episode, loving while hating, and he can't stay away from discussions either.
Let's all reach out to sad people like Eric, and show them that we're the better men.
We love you, Eric. ❤️
?
Not "we." I do not love him.
That was just a joke at Eric's expense, Karen....
Nobody really loves Eric, puhlease....
?
Agreed- I think there are critical moments when they are messing with us very intentionally!
Why would anyone do that, MJ....
Seriously.
If you think they're having a laugh watching people get pissed off, well trolls hangout at public forums like IMDB or FB. And if you look at their comments you can tell they're just frustrated at things like Jacoby spray-painting shovels, the guy sweeping, watching the protagonist as a retard for so long. You gotta admit the old show didn't have any of that.
Don't take it personally. They're not criticizing you. They're not even criticizing your work. That's twice removed. You feel attacked because something you love is (seemingly) being attacked. But you're not attacked.
Something I thought of last night, regarding a way to experience this series...
Don't think of it as a story, or a visual spectacle. Imagine it as music. You enjoy listening to music and you get a great deal of pleasure from the performance. You find certain elements of it more enjoyable than others, maybe. You may focus on one particular instrument, or solo. But... you're in no rush for it to end. The enjoyment comes from the experience of engaging whichever parts of your brain are stimulated by the music. You - if you're like me - live it and breathe it through the entirety of the piece and, when it's over, you feel a sense of satisfaction, perhaps a little deflated that it's over, sometimes so much that you have to play it again.
My entire point is, you are in no rush to get to the end. You are caught up in what's happening, carried along like a passenger, or maybe you're diving deeper in, analyzing the note choices, hearing the production or the structure. But still, there's no great rush to get to the end.
Do the same with Twin Peaks, if you can. I promise you'll enjoy it a whole lot more if you let it carry you along, rather than trying - and failing - to impose your timetable and agenda on it.
Addendum to the above...
It also helps if you're a reasonably well-integrated, misanthropic smartass like me. I'm loving every minute and I quite honestly don't give a flying bugger if anyone disagrees with me. 😉
Something I thought of last night, regarding a way to experience this series...
Don't think of it as a story, or a visual spectacle. Imagine it as music. You enjoy listening to music and you get a great deal of pleasure from the performance. You find certain elements of it more enjoyable than others, maybe. You may focus on one particular instrument, or solo. But... you're in no rush for it to end. The enjoyment comes from the experience of engaging whichever parts of your brain are stimulated by the music. You - if you're like me - live it and breathe it through the entirety of the piece and, when it's over, you feel a sense of satisfaction, perhaps a little deflated that it's over, sometimes so much that you have to play it again.
My entire point is, you are in no rush to get to the end. You are caught up in what's happening, carried along like a passenger, or maybe you're diving deeper in, analyzing the note choices, hearing the production or the structure. But still, there's no great rush to get to the end.
Do the same with Twin Peaks, if you can. I promise you'll enjoy it a whole lot more if you let it carry you along, rather than trying - and failing - to impose your timetable and agenda on it.
Fucking spot on.
I'm ready to quit in 8 hours
I'm not! In fact, I have to fight-off thinking that it will inevitablly end, and the sadness that will, at some point, accompany that, by reminding myself to enjoy the journey and I am - immensely.
Great analogy, Sam!
Thank you. I really appreciate that.
If you speak from the heart and lay yourself bare, anyone who appreciates that presentation and doesn't speak up...well, shame on them!
I'm ready to quit in 8 hours
No way, I need the Blu-Ray to rewatch it with 4k quality, I won't quit until then.
I'm ready to quit in 8 hours
No way, I need the Blu-Ray to rewatch it with 4k quality, I won't quit until then.
And Frost's book.
After that, I guess I will turn to drugs and ruin my life completely as it will be meaningless 😀
Watch and watch and watch...
Going to be with me for the rest of my life. Right at the end, I'll be sitting in my rocking chair or something, toothless, incontinent and senile, muttering "Twin Peaks...*sigh*... them were the days..."
It's very possible I've lost my critical faculties when it comes to The Return. I'm loving it. I'm a Fan in the literal sense of the word - I'm a fanatic about it, accepting everything that happens uncritically. I've seen all the episodes 3 times each, including ep. 10 which I'm surprised to see some people not enjoying.
At the same time, I do understand how it would be possible to be impatient with the consistently slow pace, and the constant frustration of our need to follow a plot and make sense the way we do when watching conventional shows. There can be a limit to one's tolerance for having expectations constantly thwarted.
I remember as a youth when I first saw "Eraserhead," and being surprised, then annoyed when there was a scene where all we were doing was staring at a closed elevator door for what seemed an eternity. By the time the film was over, however, I had a better grasp of what's become the Lynchian style - even though that style is impossible to completely nail down and describe. There's certainly one thing which is a constant in the Lynchian style - the looooooong holding of moments, as if time is constantly standing still.
Ep. 10 did so much to connect more dots between the seemingly unconnected dangling stories we've been slowly introduced to. For me it did the opposite of just treading water, which seems to be what some people are suggesting here - Mixed in with the bits which didn't move anything forward, like Dr. Jacoby ranting on his broadcast again, Nadine watching and admiring, Jerry lost in the woods - there were dot connecting scenes like understanding more completely what the deal is with Mr. Todd, with showing us that not only is Richard a Horne, but literally Ben's grandson.
I'm glued to every episode, and am sure I'll be bummed when it all comes to an end.
The only times I've really struggled with The Return is Parts 3 and 8. During the really insane bits in Part 3, I found myself thinking, "What the hell am I watching?" Then Part 8 was like that but multiplied many times. Part 8 was the only time I actually genuinely felt like I wasn't enjoying it and almost turned it off. Even though the Laura orb scene was beautiful.
But Parts 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, and 10, I've mostly really enjoyed these. Although I feel like many scenes go on longer than they possibly should do, that doesn't really bother me too much because I feel like I've committed myself to sitting there for that time and absorbing it all as it is. And often those scenes are all about the mood, so it's about getting into that mood.
I can understand why people keep watching even if they are not enjoying it, though. Firstly, there is the hope that they will enjoy subsequent episodes more. Secondly, there is the Fear Of Missing Out, and related to that is desire to find out what happens. Even if you're not enjoying a show, you can still be hooked in enough to want to find out what happens. This is why soap operas are so popular. They are not good TV at all, but somehow they hook people in so they want to keep finding out what happens next.
Part 10 was a good episode, in my opinion. Not the best so far, but still good. So far, the best has been 7, in my opinion.
But Frost and Lynch spent a lot of time writing this. And they wrote all of it together, which was never the case in Seasons 1 and 2. This time round, there is less importance placed on making each episode a well-rounded enjoyable episode that fits expectations. Now the priority is how the whole fits together.
I have a feeling that after all 18 parts have aired, things will click into place and we will have a great appreciation for how it all fits together as one gigantic piece of art.
Fire walk with