Pretty much what I expected. I thought 17 was, quite honestly, badly done, rushed and amateurish. It seemed to me as if they said "Oh bollocks, we're running out of time and we have a lot to get through... Right, guys, exposition here, wrap up there, drop these characters, explain that away, ingore these bits and... go!"
Episode 18 was much, much better, IMO. All the way through there was a sense of something going seriously, terribly wrong. The ending was pure Twin Peaks, with a large helping of Philip K Dick, IMO.
I hope Karen's idea is right and there will be enough interest to pester the corporate types to commission another series but somehow I doubt it.
Yeah, all those scenes that took place in Sheriff Truman's office was a mess! Jesus! So rushed it hurts! Wonder what the actors thought. It felt like a silly school play.
I felt the slowness on part 18 was a beautiful counterpoint to the rush/excess on part 17.
When I travel, I'm the driver for a reason. The only thing more boring than being a passenger in a car is watching two other people riding in a car on television.
I need another watch cause I'd had a few sherries yesterday and probably didn't give it the attention it deserved but the first episode seemed a bit of "here's everything you wanted" and the second was Lynch saying here's what I wanted. I did enjoy it, both for different reasons though.
Yeah, I think that's the best summary... I must admit that I did laugh at the idea that (parallel-universe) Dale Cooper taking someone who wasn't Laura Palmer (and seemed quite keen to get away from the corpse in her own house) hundreds of miles to be re-united with her grieving mother (who wouldn't be grieving as history had been changed)
I thought it was a complete piss-take of all the 'happy endings' people wanted to see - Cooper & Diane 'getting together' (cringe!) It all 'coming back to Twin Peaks' to find it dark, wet & closed...
At least we found out who the Tremonds & Chalfonts were! 🙂
I'm especially sniggering at the posings from the 'told you so - I didn't like any of it' brigade. Well done, you just spent 18 hours not enjoying something... you must be happy with your consistency!
Honestly, my reaction was pretty much: David Lynch just couldn't help himself.
I always think of myself as a David Lynch fan, not so much a Twin Peaks fan, which probably makes me somewhat of an anomaly on this message board. I came into Twin Peaks from the back end. I was watching all of Lynch's filmography and watched FWWM, without realizing that it was attached to a hit TV show (don't make fun of me I'm youngish!). After I watched FWWM, I watched Twin Peaks. I appreciated it, at least the first season and a half, and I viewed it as something related and somewhat tangential to David Lynch because there was the influence of so many other people on the show so that he couldn't make it quite what he wanted. I have seen all of David Lynch's films probably dozens of times and the original Twin Peaks series that we (you) all know and love, while it certainly has his influence present, is really NOT David Lynch. Episode 18, however, was.
It actually surprised me a little bit to see Episode 16 and 17 wrapping things up seemingly so nicely. I kept thinking--wow, I didn't expect him to give fans what they wanted, but maybe he's getting old and sentimental. I also have to say--someone else mentioned this in another thread--I honestly thought that some of his attempts to give fans what they wanted were less than artful. Like the whole sequence with Freddie punching BOB into oblivion--it was narratively satisfying, in that we all expected some sort of confrontation with Mr. C and Dale where BOB/Mr. C would (hopefully) get defeated, but literally the way that was filmed just looked corny and was not well done. I honestly don't think that type of sequence is the type of thing that David Lynch is good at doing. Go ahead and get mad at me if you want but I've never seen another sequence like that in any of Lynch's films.
Ambiguous, bizarre, creepy, and unclear endings with mistaken identities/alternate universes/characters are what David Lynch is about, and THAT is what he gave us in Episode 18. That is what I think he could not help himself from doing, because he wanted to end this season HIS way and that is what he loves and enjoys. Honestly, as a diehard Lynch fan, I am comfortable in saying that I don't think he is very well suited for the medium of television. Television is so beholden to fans and giving them what they want (so much so that you literally can't keep making your art if at least some people are not happy), and I think he just can't do that and stay true to his own artistic integrity.
I had a weird feeling during the finale. I found myself (as many of you found yourselves) getting viscerally angry at Lynch. Like, that sequence where Dale and Laura are driving back from Odessa. Is someone going to say something? Dale looks like he's about to speak? No, he's not. Someones following them? It seems like someone is following them? Nope. Well maybe? Who knows? lets move on. Dead guy at fake Laura Palmer's house? WHATEVER. Nervously looking at the clock and saying: 'DOESN'T HE KNOW THERE ARE ONLY 10 MINUTES LEFT.'
So, I finished the show feeling angry. Then, after sleeping on it for a night, I woke up feeling more at peace, with the conclusion: This is just what Lynch is about. I know some of you have reflected the sentiment that Episode 18 was so frustrating because it was not about Twin Peaks and is more akin to Inland empire/Lost highway/Mulholland Drive. I honestly have to agree with that analysis, and I think thats where my own anger came from at the time. However, as more of a core David Lynch fan than a Twin Peaks fan, I think its been easier for me to get to a place of acceptance here. Curious to see what everyone else's processes are/will be. Thats my rant.
I think it was supposed to be a bit silly. But I loved Lucy. Hah! She's still there after all these years.
My problem with 18 is that it seems to be setting up new questions when those making the show knew:
1. they have no more episodes/seasons in which to answer them
2. a majority of their viewers
need/want closure at the end of a series even if they're not given 100% clarityI'm not saying that everything should be wrapped up neatly. I understand that's not Lynch's bag. Nobody wants to be left hanging or required to go buy a book in a couple months just to find out how their favorite TV show ended. When you watch a show to its end you're somewhat entitled to know how it ends for the primary antagonist. We're left not knowing if Dale is awake or if he even exists.
At least Dougie Jones, Janey-E, and Sonny Jim get to live happily (as far as we know).
My hope is that we have not really been given new questions in the finale. It does seem that way, but it is only because of our insufficient knowledge and limited understanding.
That having been said, I don't know if even extensive study could produce such an understanding.
You are mistaken. David Lynch should do what he has always done - ignore people demanding explanations.
I think the "amateurish" showdown in Truman's office was deliberate and if anything in this story was a dream, that was it.
I have to laugh at myself for getting annoyed with that episode 18 car ride to Twin Peaks, instead of knowing that it was like that for a reason and it demanded understanding, not anger or boredom.
I only just finished watching both parts. My current reaction is confusion. My brain is sad because I do not understand. It took weeks to fully piece together clues from other episodes, I am making the assertion now that these episodes will make sense one day,.
Hahaha pretty much the way I feel.
Pretty much what I expected. I thought 17 was, quite honestly, badly done, rushed and amateurish. It seemed to me as if they said "Oh bollocks, we're running out of time and we have a lot to get through... Right, guys, exposition here, wrap up there, drop these characters, explain that away, ingore these bits and... go!"
Episode 18 was much, much better, IMO. All the way through there was a sense of something going seriously, terribly wrong. The ending was pure Twin Peaks, with a large helping of Philip K Dick, IMO.
I hope Karen's idea is right and there will be enough interest to pester the corporate types to commission another series but somehow I doubt it.
There will only be more if the interest is there so if you want more... make it happen by letting them know
https://showtimeppv.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/requests/new?ticket_form_id=131967
I think the first 1/2 hour of 17 was intended to feel artificial, contrived, rushed, simplistic, etc.- the moment we see Dale's face superimposed on the screen, we know it is all just a ruse, and the real story is a much deeper and darker one.
Fire walk with