Twin Peaks became Inland Empire. And don't get me wrong- I continue to be fascinated by Inland Empire. But that's not what Twin Peaks was.
I had a similar reaction overall, but I do think there are reasons to see Twin Peaks as having been more like Inland Empire all along. Lynch's detectives are always ultimately searching out their own fantasies rather than the truth, and we knew that Cooper gets blinded by love and lets this get in the way of his work. Invitation to Love constantly reminded us that that we were in a soap opera. Like many of Lynch's other works, Twin Peaks has always been filled with doubles, people who are versions of one another or echo one another - something that works much more on the level of dream logic than reality. I understand the desire to have Twin Peaks be something else, to be real, but I'm not sure it ever was. And the show has been about that desire too: James and Donna wanted their love to be real and to keep them separate from the rest of the world going to hell; Cooper wanted the mystery and goodness of Twin Peaks to be real without focusing on the murder, drugs, and general sense of evil. If anything, I see the show as following through on things that have been in place all along, subverting our desires for the show to be something else. Like Cooper, we fell in love, lost our concentration, and now are paying for it.
This is what I thought exactly after reflecting on this exiting yet so weird "Return" series. Don't watch "Twin Peaks" if you want a happy ending where love conquers everything.
A drink or two might help
or a slice of pizza
i did both and i still feel like i'm gonna puke up creamed corn.
Can't help thinking "I told you so!". I've been disillusioned since the TR premiere. I stuck it out until part 14 solely on the benefit of the doubt. Sherilyn Fenn's and Julee Cruise's unhappy comments about the production are now so vindicated. I bet top $ that Maclachlan only got dragged into this with the promise of "Starring Kyle MacLachlan" dangling in front of his nose because he wasn't even a fan of FWWM. Unlike Lynch, he seems to truly appreciate original recipe TP.
As to suggestions of a crowd-funded season 4, watching this catastrophe has made me want to start a crowdfunding campaign for Lynch's retirement fund - so that he never touches a camera EVER AGAIN. He burnt all his bridges with this. And this is coming from an unreserved fan of Mulholland Dr and someone who even enjoyed IE up to a point.
I'm with you. Out of ideas or up his own ass, Lynch decided to impose the disintegrating narrative of Inland on top of a world that didn't need it. What could be better than building up 30 years of delicious mythology to destroy as opposed to the measly 3 hours of limited build up from Inland?
Can't help thinking "I told you so!". I've been disillusioned since the TR premiere. I stuck it out until part 14 solely on the benefit of the doubt. Sherilyn Fenn's and Julee Cruise's unhappy comments about the production are now so vindicated.
Where can I read them? I can google it, of course, but if you mean a specific article or interview, I'd like to read it - to be sure we've read the same comments 🙂
I was disillusioned at first but after some time to think about it, I kind of see how it needed to be the way it was. On the one hand I really want to be angry at Lynch for abusing the trust of fans...
I understand some people were disappointed in the finale, ep. 18 at least if not both parts - But I don't understand "disillusioned" - Maybe people new to David Lynch films which always end with much mystery and very little explained didn't understand what to expect. If you think ending The Return is possibly "abusing the trust of fans," you would have to say that about Mulholland Drive, Inland Empire-- you seem to be assuming that people had some kind of right to have everything explained, even though that's never been the way he's worked. -- SO--I'm kind of puzzled.
Can't help thinking "I told you so!". I've been disillusioned since the TR premiere. I stuck it out until part 14 solely on the benefit of the doubt. Sherilyn Fenn's and Julee Cruise's unhappy comments about the production are now so vindicated. I bet top $ that Maclachlan only got dragged into this with the promise of "Starring Kyle MacLachlan" dangling in front of his nose because he wasn't even a fan of FWWM. Unlike Lynch, he seems to truly appreciate original recipe TP.
That's a crazier narrative than anything that came out Lynch's head in season 3.
Can't help thinking "I told you so!". I've been disillusioned since the TR premiere. I stuck it out until part 14 solely on the benefit of the doubt. Sherilyn Fenn's and Julee Cruise's unhappy comments about the production are now so vindicated.
Where can I read them? I can google it, of course, but if you mean a specific article or interview, I'd like to read it - to be sure we've read the same comments 🙂
Holy Macaroni....that Facebook thread is nar-nar.
I feel like I've been punched in the stomach. I've cherished this ride, I really have. Each and every part until tonight.. Twin Peaks became Inland Empire. And don't get me wrong- I continue to be fascinated by Inland Empire. But that's not what Twin Peaks was. It (seems to me) was always grounded in reality, in the characters we loved.. with delicious helpings of the surreal in terms of its supernatural elements. But after finally getting Cooper back.. he's gone again into a nightmare. A nightmare that I cannot comprehend.
I really have no idea what's going on at the end of part 17 and the entirety of 18. It's all a dream? Multiple realities? Never happened? Fourth wall breaking? I don't feel challenged- as in I want to watch over and over to figure this out. I feel dropped off of a cliff. I really don't want to see parts 17 and 18 ever again. They are like bad memories I want to forget. Cooper began to not feel like Cooper (again.) World's most uncomfortable sex scene. Why, god?
No, I'm not saying "I've wasted all this time for nothing." I really have enjoyed the journey. But this direction taken in the last two hours has certainly soured my overall opinion of the "18 hour movie." And its left me.. just.. disillusioned. I know I'm not the only one. Thoughts?
I'm going to pretend that episode 16 was the finale. I'm crushed 🙁
I feel like I've been punched in the stomach. I've cherished this ride, I really have. Each and every part until tonight.. Twin Peaks became Inland Empire. And don't get me wrong- I continue to be fascinated by Inland Empire. But that's not what Twin Peaks was. It (seems to me) was always grounded in reality, in the characters we loved.. with delicious helpings of the surreal in terms of its supernatural elements. But after finally getting Cooper back.. he's gone again into a nightmare. A nightmare that I cannot comprehend.
I really have no idea what's going on at the end of part 17 and the entirety of 18. It's all a dream? Multiple realities? Never happened? Fourth wall breaking? I don't feel challenged- as in I want to watch over and over to figure this out. I feel dropped off of a cliff. I really don't want to see parts 17 and 18 ever again. They are like bad memories I want to forget. Cooper began to not feel like Cooper (again.) World's most uncomfortable sex scene. Why, god?
No, I'm not saying "I've wasted all this time for nothing." I really have enjoyed the journey. But this direction taken in the last two hours has certainly soured my overall opinion of the "18 hour movie." And its left me.. just.. disillusioned. I know I'm not the only one. Thoughts?
I'm going to pretend that episode 16 was the finale. I'm crushed 🙁
I feel like I've been punched in the stomach. I've cherished this ride, I really have. Each and every part until tonight.. Twin Peaks became Inland Empire. And don't get me wrong- I continue to be fascinated by Inland Empire. But that's not what Twin Peaks was. It (seems to me) was always grounded in reality, in the characters we loved.. with delicious helpings of the surreal in terms of its supernatural elements. But after finally getting Cooper back.. he's gone again into a nightmare. A nightmare that I cannot comprehend.
I really have no idea what's going on at the end of part 17 and the entirety of 18. It's all a dream? Multiple realities? Never happened? Fourth wall breaking? I don't feel challenged- as in I want to watch over and over to figure this out. I feel dropped off of a cliff. I really don't want to see parts 17 and 18 ever again. They are like bad memories I want to forget. Cooper began to not feel like Cooper (again.) World's most uncomfortable sex scene. Why, god?
No, I'm not saying "I've wasted all this time for nothing." I really have enjoyed the journey. But this direction taken in the last two hours has certainly soured my overall opinion of the "18 hour movie." And its left me.. just.. disillusioned. I know I'm not the only one. Thoughts?
I'm going to pretend that episode 16 was the finale. I'm crushed 🙁
Can't help thinking "I told you so!". I've been disillusioned since the TR premiere. I stuck it out until part 14 solely on the benefit of the doubt. Sherilyn Fenn's and Julee Cruise's unhappy comments about the production are now so vindicated.
Where can I read them? I can google it, of course, but if you mean a specific article or interview, I'd like to read it - to be sure we've read the same comments 🙂
Holy Macaroni....that Facebook thread is nar-nar.
The finale seems to have given Julee the answer to what she will do for the rest of her life. Now that's some powerful TV. Good for her and blessings on TP for helping her find such an answer!
For me personally each second of Season 3 was the biggest entertainment I got from TV series ever. If you think about everything as symbols of development and story... Also it leaves what to think and feel about afterwards. This is how real entertainment should be, to my understanding - for brain, heart and soul. Not some easy eatable, superficial snack, which majority of the popular series are. To each its own I guess
I was disillusioned at first but after some time to think about it, I kind of see how it needed to be the way it was. On the one hand I really want to be angry at Lynch for abusing the trust of fans...
I understand some people were disappointed in the finale, ep. 18 at least if not both parts - But I don't understand "disillusioned" - Maybe people new to David Lynch films which always end with much mystery and very little explained didn't understand what to expect. If you think ending The Return is possibly "abusing the trust of fans," you would have to say that about Mulholland Drive, Inland Empire-- you seem to be assuming that people had some kind of right to have everything explained, even though that's never been the way he's worked. -- SO--I'm kind of puzzled.
Agreed. Anyone who expects a happy ending where all main characters rode into the sunset and lived happily ever after won't find it in Lynch-made movies or series. I'm not happy with "The Return" ending either, but knowing who wrote and directed it, I'm not surprised either.
I was disillusioned at first but after some time to think about it, I kind of see how it needed to be the way it was. On the one hand I really want to be angry at Lynch for abusing the trust of fans...
I understand some people were disappointed in the finale, ep. 18 at least if not both parts - But I don't understand "disillusioned" - Maybe people new to David Lynch films which always end with much mystery and very little explained didn't understand what to expect. If you think ending The Return is possibly "abusing the trust of fans," you would have to say that about Mulholland Drive, Inland Empire-- you seem to be assuming that people had some kind of right to have everything explained, even though that's never been the way he's worked. -- SO--I'm kind of puzzled.
I addressed your exact point in a different forum earlier today. I'm not new to Lynch's films and I love both Mulholland Drive and Inland Empire. But not everything Lynch has done is in the non-linear, uber-surrealist vein of those two (and Lost Highway.)
Blue Velvet, for example, contained plenty of Lynchian touches (absurdity, surreal flourishes, melodrama), but its narrative was linear and its characters grounded. We even got something resembling a happy ending (as close as you'll get with Lynch anyway.) And Twin Peaks shared much more DNA with Blue Velvet than Lynch's late 90's-aughts films. And while the difference in narrative devices is crucial, the most important difference between the original Twin Peaks and, say, Mulholland Drive is without a doubt the character development and the emotional investment that it creates in the audience.
I could give two shits about Nikki Grace/Sue Blue or Diane Selwyn/Betty as characters in themselves. They clearly weren't even intended to be likeable. But Dale Cooper... who doesn't love Dale Cooper? Ditto for Audrey, Andy, Hawk, Harry, Catherine, Big Ed, Lucy, Norma, Pete, etc., etc. Twin Peaks was full of memorable and (usually) endearing characters.
But in a film like Mulholland Drive, the characters are not the focus of the story; they are vessels for bigger ideas and questions about things like the nature of good and evil, time and memory, and how we perceive the world and ourselves in light of those questions. In other words, they were about YOU, not the characters. They were just there to burrow into your subconscious, like dreams, to fuel the internal dialectic where you grapple with your own identity and the many contradictions you contain. That's what grips you about those films.
But Twin Peaks, while it certainly dealt with those same kinds of questions, did not do so in the same fashion and that is why it resonated with a much broader audience than the aforementioned films. It was directed outward. It built its world on the eccentricity and lovability of its characters.
That's also why I think even devoted Lynch-heads like myself were even more rapt with anticipation than usual about a new Lynch production. Any new Lynch film is enough to get me excited, but the announcement of a new Twin Peaks? The level of jubilation and anticipation expressed by both my friends and myself was incomparable. I strongly doubt anyone would be as amped up as we all have been about Lost Highway: The Return. It simply lacks the same emotional resonance.
So, as I see it, what happened with The Return is that Lynch turned his beloved, charming world of Twin Peaks and its inhabitants into one of those other narratives that wasn't concerned with the characters as much as the "big idea" he wanted to get across. And, inasmuch as that was his goal, he succeeded.
But for me, even though I love just about everything he's done before this, and even though the conclusion of The Return makes perfect sense to me in the context of the mythology they've been building up throughout The Return (or revealing, rather, as much of the lore that was explained here was alluded to in the original series/FWWM ,) I and apparently many others feel duped that we were led to believe we were returning to "Twin Peaks." Twin Peaks isn't just the title, it isn't just the location, it isn't just the characters. It's the atmosphere and narrative mechanics that guided the original series as well, and it was largely absent throughout the series and completely annihilated by the finale.
Moreover, where all the various plot threads in the original series usually found some overlap and all the characters had some critical part to play in the plot development, the same cannot be said this go around. What was the point of bringing back Ed and Norma, Dr. Jacoby and Nadine, Audrey for that matter? Their stories never tied back into the main narrative and were pretty much dead ends (although it did make my heart smile to see poor Ed finally get his due.)
But all of that would have been entirely forgivable if the heart of the series, Cooper himself, were not so cruelly dangled in front of our faces for 15 hours, given to us for 15 minutes, and then just as quickly pulled away, seemingly forever. I didn't even need a peachy-keen ending, but I think he deserved a better reunion with his Twin Peaks family than standing around Frank's office while they watched Freddie crack Bob's gregory. Lynch had his eye firmly on the finish line, and the most impressive thing about it really is the amount of detail and forethought that went into the buildup in the form of the visual/audial cues and narrative clues that pointed toward that end. But all of that at the cost of the charm of Twin Peaks.
Now, given the list of complaints I just made, I know I'm going to sound like a hypocrite when I say I thoroughly enjoyed The Return all the way up to Episode 18, but that enjoyment was predicated on the notion that it all mattered. The finale was the rainstorm that ruined the party, the lightning bolt that popped the balloon. While I can still appreciate the laughs and smiles I got from the Mitchum Brothers, the absurd sitcom of the Joneses, etc. the finale made them all empty pleasures because they all added up to nothing.
I post this with the caveat that the hole that The Return just ripped in my soul is still extremely fresh and painful, and so my opinion may be colored by the blood spilled thereby. And so I reserve my right to completely reverse my opinion and hail this as an unqualified masterpiece at some point in the future. And I really hope I do. But right now.... just no.
Fire walk with