Lost in the Movies: That gum you like is going to come back in style...

That gum you like is going to come back in style...

Well, I finally finished "Twin Peaks." There's so much to say about it, but I'm not going to do so right now. First I want some time to digest, to watch the special features on the DVD, and also to read everything about the show that I can get my hands on (not literally get my hands on, I'm talking about the Internet here). The prequel film Fire Walk With Me arrives tomorrow, and I'll watch that too. A review of the movie will probably be up before my reaction to the show.

Still, some words are in order. I was always under the impression that the series was cancelled when audiences realized it wasn't going to "solve" Laura Palmer's murder, that Lynch was just using that incident as a springboard for his infamous...well, surrealism seems like too easy a word so I'll skip defining it for now. In other words, audiences just weren't with it enough to appreciate what was going on and they chickened out, and television lost one of its great shows. A wonderful little elitist tale of noble martyrdom, but in fact the series DOES solve Laura Palmer's murder, in a not-altogether satisfying way (not so much the solution, but the abrupt way it's handled in the middle of season 2). Then the series tries to become something else: an extremely quirky, occasionally violent Andy Griffith-type venture. At first this is a huge disappointment, eventually the show sort of finds a new groove, but it is never really successful. Never, that is, until the last episode, which closes the series with a bang. It, like all the best episodes, is directed by David Lynch and takes the uncanny into unforeseen dimensions. It also left me wondering if Lynch knew the show was going to be cancelled. Not only the final shot, but certain developments along the way, leave you with the feeling that there was supposed to be more, yet it also holds up as a finale.

I have to stop here because there's so much that I want to save for a full, in-depth entry, in which I'll take the time to write carefully and flesh out my conclusions and speculations. There's nothing more to say, but the blog demands a "Read More" link, so after the jump I've included a brief clip from the show, maybe its most terrifying moment. Rest assured that if you aren't familiar with the series it won't spoil anything, but it could very well give you nightmares.


2 comments:

Ryan McNeil said...

Nice piece...might have to get my hands on this DVD.

Welcome to the L.A.M.B. btw

Joel Bocko said...

Well worth it - you should check out the Fire Walk With Me I just put up (unless you haven't seen the series and don't want spoilers).

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