Twin Peaks - Again

[psychotick]

Hi,

Just watched Twin Peaks again - after I don't know how many years. And came to the same conclusion I had back then.

This was an absolutely brilliant series that should have ended half way through the second season. Pretty much after Leland dies having been found his daughter's killer (due to Bob's evil presence). Mystery solved, plenty of weirdness by that stage but still a completely sane story arc.

And then comes the second half of season two with the white lodge, the black lodge and Agent Kyle's arch nemisis - where the whole thing just seems to spiral inexorably into madness. And as for the ending - I still don't really understant it.

Anyone else think the same?

Cheers, Greg.

 

[Cat's Cradle]

Oh, I agree Psychotick! I watched this in the U.S. when it first aired...and there was such a wonderful, almost forbidden-for-the-masses sort of buzz around the series! Most of the country had no idea of what to make of the show (Blue Velvet hadn't been seen by a huge portion of the television-audience by the time TP started, I would think)...and those of us who fell in love with it from the first show were just in Heaven during that first season! Then the stupid network got involved and forced Lynch to rush the denouement of the Bob/Leland story line, and then (I believe) Lynch got fed up, and left the series before season two, and then season two itself...just broke your heart. It was painful--truly painful watching the second season.

My wife and I have watched the first season a few times in the last few years, and it's amazing how fresh and effective the drama, and the horror, still is after all this time. Thanks for posting this, I get so nostalgic for Twin Peaks!

 

[Foxbat]

I loved this series. I agree that season two lost focus but it (at least for me) redeemed itself in the ending.

As far as I see it, Cooper sacrificed his soul to save Annie and is forever stuck in The Black Lodge. Evil doppelganger Cooper is the one that headbutts the mirror and asks how Annie is. Bob resides within this Cooper and will be able to continue his murderous spree in the real world.

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

And to me the ending is messed up. Firstly Kyle isn't a doppleganger. He's just himself - with Bob in there controlling him. That's basically an ugly death sentence and a bad way to end the series. It also says Kyle didn't have a pure heart - whether for good or evil. His arch enemy is nowhere to be seen - so did he live or die? Did he win or lose? Annie's out at least but there's no explanation of how he got her out when everyone he met in the red place was not who they appeared to be. Where the hell are these lodges? Or are they all part of the red place? And what's with the dwarf, the giant and the screaming woman?

To me the whole thing reeks of being both off the rails and unfinished. And worse at the point it ends it seems like an epic fail for our hero - which fairly much undercuts the entire rest of the show But until Leland was captured and died it was running along beautifully. In fact until then I would say it was one of the best shows ever produced.

My thought is that having gone through the extras there were simply so many directors throughout the series and they all had their own ideas that it tried to go in far too many different directions.

Sad really.

Cheers, Greg.

 

[Foxbat]

It's a long time since I've seen this so my memory may be off but - weren't there two Coopers (one chasing the other) in the lodge?

As for reeking of being unfinished - I seem to recall that the show was intended to run longer than two seasons but was cancelled - probably explains why everything feels so incomplete.

 

[Boneman]

Worst ending to a series I'd ever seen...(including 'Lost') Fabulous build-up, really intriguing prospects gathering momentum, and then what a complete cop-out ending. Almost as though they thought: 'let's end on an incomprehensible cliff-hanger and the networks will want another season', but someone at the networtks thought 'sod that!' The music still enters my mind periodically...

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

Actually Foxbat there were lots and lots of Coopers in the red place. It just aded to the confusion.

And Boneman, you could be right. Except for Lost. Haven't seen the ending of it. I gave up watching after the first four or five episodes. When people start talking to dead people who couldn't possibly be on the island with them it became fairly obvious that they were all actually dead. So why go through all the rest of it just to come full circle?

Cheers, Greg.

 

[Foxbat]

Where the hell are these lodges? Or are they all part of the red place? And what's with the dwarf, the giant and the screaming woman?

Perhaps it's just me reading more into it than is actually there (wouldn't surprise me) but I always viewed the white and black lodges as the light and dark sides of human nature. Bob, I saw as an embodiment of the black lodge (if he's in control then you're basically a bad person). The others (dwarf etc) were attempts from the white lodge to warn Cooper.

Of course I could just be talking nonsense (and there's a very good chance that I am). Perhaps that's the real trap - that there is no meaning and the creators were just extracting the urine.